6 Tips For Maximizing Your Facebook Marketing Results

So you've created a Facebook page for your business, you've filled in your profile information, and maybe you even have a few "likes". Those are all great first steps, but where do you go from there? (If you have not created a Facebook page for your business, check out this how-to guide.)

Facebook should be a key part of your business's social media strategy, and your engagment with Facebook should extend far beyond merely creating a page. We've laid out a 6-step plan for utilizing and improving your business' presence on Facebook. Explore these tips and find out how Facebook can work for your business.

1. Utilize your current networks

• Email current lists of clients and subscribers and let them know that they can like your Facebook page and include a link in the email.
• Explain why they should like your page- will your Facebook page give them access to exclusive information or special promotions? Will they be able to engage with you more directly?
• To continue this publicity, make sure that you include a link to your Facebook page on your company website, in your email signature, and in any digital communications you send out.

2. Produce creative and engaging content

• As with anything you produce, the content of your Facebook page should spark interest and inspire viewers to engage with your business.
• To add variety to your page content, consider using the Facebook discussion board features, or the YouTube upload feature. By adding image and video content to your page, and by encouraging readers to engage in discussion, you are creating a productive environment that will nurture connections between your fans and your business.
• For examples and ideas, check us out on Facebook.

3. Create a Facebook vanity URL

• When you create your Facebook business page, Facebook automatically assigns it a URL- a web address that usually includes your business name and several numbers or other characters. However, Facebook does allow you to create a vanity URL- a customized URL that will better showcase your business.
• For example, instead of www.facebook.com/pages/ottopilotmedia/10989042, a vanity URL would be www.facebook.com/ottopilotmedia. This format is both more professional and easier for customers to remember.
• Note: In order to create this, you must have 25 or more "likes" on your page.

4. Use landing pages to maximize digital advertising results

• Creating multiple Facebook landing pages allows you to direct visitors to a specific page or tab within your Facebook site. This is a relatively new Facebook feature that could be extremely helpful for your business.
• Instead of having all visitors go directly to your wall, you could route some new visitors to information pages specifically designed to encourage them to like of your business.

5. Use Facebook ads for your business

• Facebook does allow you to post ads within their site. These ads allow you to direct traffic either to your Facebook page, or to an external address- such as a landing page within your business website. Ads can help convert Facebook traffic into actual leads.
• Facebook does require that you pay for advertising, so you should carefully weight the relative costs and advantages.
• In general, ads with images do better than ads containing only text.

6. Analyze your Facebook marketing results

• Facebook allows you to monitor traffic to your page and to analyze your Facebook sales metrics and your Facebook PR metrics.
• Facebook offers businesses a feature called Facebook Insights that will help you to track likes, page views, user responses, comments, and page mentions.

Congratulations! You are well on your way to having a Facebook page that will actively and efficiently promote your business to the millions of viewers who troll the site every day.