AND YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY

Creating a business Facebook page is easy. Maintaining it - not so easy. Sort of like raising kids. Producing them - easy. Rearing them - not so easy.

If it were easy, there wouldn't be a new 5 BIG RULES FOR SUCCESSFULLY MARKETING A FACEBOOK PAGE every week or so. I've read dozens of Top 5, here's what I think are the best of the bunch:

1. Ask any social marketing consultant what the number-one no-no is on Facebook, and he’ll likely tell you it’s “broadcasting” your messages instead of providing fans with relevant content and engaging on a continual basis. (See #2, below.)
2. Think about your personal page and things you post that get the most attention.  We generally share things we find funny, interesting or useful with our friends. According to social media experts, it's best to punch it up and not to automate everything on your page. It’s nice to ‘set and forget,’ but there's  risk involved. The biggest risk is that Facebook places low-priority on auto-published content.
      
3. Unlike traditional advertising, such as a promotional TV ad, businesses can’t  create a Facebook page and just let it run its course. Facebook is a hungry beast and requires feeding 3 or 4 times a day. It needs to be updated and monitored constantly.
      
4. Many businesses suffer from Ludditeness (Adverb: the act of not wanting to manage the latest technology). Simply stated, we don't know how to evaluate the effectiveness of our Facebook page. Facebook Insights (http://www.facebook.com/FacebookAds/posts/10150166025703417) is a powerful analytical tool that can help any business evaluate the effectiveness of its Facebook presence. Try it. You may like it.
5. Sometimes, in the rush to put up a Facebook page we forget Marketing 101: Be consistent with your message. Information on your Facebook page, your blog post, your email marketing campaign, direct mail, etc., should be geared to helping you build your brand; identifying what your company stands for, so that your friends, fans, business associates, and customers can pick you out from your competitors.

FINAL THOUGHT...

Since we're told, over and over again, what businesses are doing wrong on Facebook, I would guess we're all battling the same dragon. It's not an easy battle, but I think we'll all find the right way to correctly place Facebook  among our essential tools in the marketing toolbox. Like raising our kids, it will take some time and patience, but we'll get there, and mostly, like our kids, it will turn out just fine.