Last month we looked at reasons why Facebook users don’t like your page, or once they liked your page will unlike it later. This month we will continue the discussions with issues concerning your Status Updates.
You Never Post
A Facebook Business page has minimal SEO (search engine optimization) value. Adding relevant content to your page and making regular status updates does increase the SEO value. However, the main purpose of having a Facebook page is to engage with and build relationships with your clients and potential customers. If you don’t post often to your page, you will not make those connections.
If someone visits your Facebook page and does not see any current content, they will not be enticed to like your page and become a Fan. Worse yet is an empty business page looks like a store out of business.
You Post Too Often
Facebook users want to stay connected with the businesses they like, but they don’t want their Newsfeed filled with your store’s information. If a potential Fan visits your page and sees that you post numerous times a day, they may choose to not like your page. If they do like your page, constantly seeing your multiple posts in their Newsfeed is a top reason to unlike your page.
How Often to Post to YourFacebook Page
The two points above raise the question: how often should you make status updates to your Facebook Page? The answer is that it varies from store to store. At a minimum you want to post once a day 7 days a week. Most Facebook users do not log on to Facebook every day. If you do not post on the day they login, they may never see status updates from you. Posting at least once a day gives you the greatest opportunity to reach your entire Fanbase.
If someone unlikes your page because they think once a day posts are too often, one of two problems exist:
- They are not that interested in jewelry or your store and will not be a good Fan for you to have – so don’t worry about these.
- You are posting the wrong kind of content and driving them away. In this case read through and study the points below and improve on the content you add to your Facebook page and the Status Updates you make.
I would suggest that you start out posting once a day for a total of 7 Status Updates a week. Once you start building engagement (likes, comments and shares) on your Status Updates try increasing your Updates to two or three on a few days a week. Monitor the engagement on your posts carefully and if it remains about the same or increases you can safely post this often. If your engagement drops off or you see an increase in unlikes, cut back to once a day.
Time of day is also important in reaching your Fanbase and creating engagement. More Facebook users log on to Facebook and are more active in the evening hours and on weekends. To be successful on Facebook you need to be posting during these times and not just during business hours.
Your Posts are Too Long
Short posts receive the most engagement. If the majority of your status updates are lengthy articles Facebook users will not take the time to read them and may unlike your page. This type of content is best for Blog posts. Short, easy to read status updates with pictures are the best for Facebook. If you have lengthy content you want to get out to your audience, post it on your blog and make a Facebook status update linking to the blog post.
Your Content is all Sales Related
Facebook is a marketing tool and can be used effectively to drive customers into your jewelry store. If you are not using Facebook to increase sales then it is not a business activity and just a hobby.
However, Social Networking (and Facebook in particular) is about engagement and building relationships. People do not want to be sold to. If someone visits your Facebook page and all they see are sales pitches and calls to actions to come into your store, they will be turned off and many will not like your page. If they do like your page, many Fans will grow tired of your self-promoting posts and unlike your page.
Your Content is Unrelated to the Jewelry Industry orYour Store
People who like your page do so because they either love jewelry or they love your store (or both). They do not like your page to receive daily jokes or to read about the latest movies, interesting books, or cute pictures. They want information about your store and about jewelry – not unrelated inspirational quotes or the latest humorous picture.
Keep your content relevant, but don’t sound like a university text book. Personalize your information and occasionally include human interest subjects. Facebook Marketing is about building relationships. You need to connect with people, but do so in a professional, businesslike manner.
The best option to post a non-jewelry related personalized status update is by relating it to the store in some way. Pets are a popular topic on Facebook and many businesses, including jewelry stores, try to build engagement by posting a question for fans to comment on their pet preference – Dogs or Cats? These informal polls are so overused on Facebook that many people ignore them and Fans are left wondering why a jewelry store is talking about pets!
Instead you could relate the post to your store by featuring one of your employees who loves pets. For example your post could state; “Did you know that Sally is an avid cat lover? She has two cats named Kitty and Whiskers. Do you favor cats like Sally or are you a dog lover? Tell us about your pets in the comments below and next time you are in the store, Sally loves to discuss pet stories while showing the latest jewelry designs.” When you make the post be sure to include a picture of Sally with her cats.
This last example personalizes your Facebook post with a human interest topic while still keeping it related to your store. By connecting the subject of the post to an employee of your store, it personalizes the post further and Sally can comment on the post with her own pet story and respond to customers who comment. This not only builds engagement with your Facebook page but also stronger ties to your store. In addition, the post invites fans to come into the store in a non-sales manner.
Rule of Thumb
A general Rule of Thumb for content for Facebook Business Pages is for every 10 posts you make:
- 7-8 should be informational posts establishing you as an industry expert.
- 1-2 should be personalized human interest stories.
- 1-2 should be sales related inviting Fans to come into the store.
- All 10 posts should be relevant to the jewelry industry and/or your store.
Jewelers are fortunate in that we have a wealth of interesting information about jewelry with which to engage our Facebook Fans.
Topics of interest include:
- Jewelry trends and the latest styles
- Fun facts and folklore about gemstones and diamonds
- History of famous diamonds and jewelry
- Jewelry care tips (can include a subtle call to action to come in to have their jewelry professionally inspected, cleaned and/or appraised)
- Stories about the jewelry designers you carry
- Information about the precious metals used in jewelry
- Jewelry news (don’t post news about jewelry robberies as this has a negative effect on the desire to buy additional jewelry)
- Gift ideas during gift-giving holiday seasons
Building a strong Facebook page community takes time and effort, but it pays off. Once you have an engaging Fanbase and start to build momentum you will see increased business in your store. In addition, your Facebook Page will become an easy method to share announcements about in-store events and sales, new products, and other information about your store.
To learn more about Facebook and how to use it to market your jewelry store, Brad and Debbie Simon of Internet 4 Jewelers have developed a training website “Facebook for Jewelers” at www.FBforJewelers.com. This website contains step-by-step video tutorials, a library of training articles, webinars, and more. It’s everything you want to know about Facebook but did not know who to ask!
In addition, they provide affordable Internet Marketing Services exclusively for retail jewelry stores including Facebook and other Social Media Marketing. For more information contact Brad Simon at Brad@Internet4Jewelers.com or call 864-680-4416.
