“I set up my Facebook page….now what?”
If you read my article “Marketing in a Digital World” you know the difference between inbound marketing and outbound marketing. It is important to understand these concepts before you jump in and start your Facebook page and social media campaign. Click here to read the “Marketing in a Digital Worl
d” article.
Facebook Business Page is a great way to engage your current association subscribers and reach out to potential subscribers. It is popular with all age groups and appears in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings in Google Search. This popular social networking site has also increased the user demographics dramatically into the 40-60 age groups. It supports various media such as images and videos and is easy to manage. Using a Facebook Business Page extends your business presence on the Web and can direct more traffic to your website. Visual storytelling as a means of spreading a marketing message is on the rise and many social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have made a strong statement about how visual content can impact business results.
Tip: Facebook is not a replacement for your website
Get your “Friends” to “Like” you
A Facebook Business Page is a little different from a personal Facebook page. When you connect with someone on your personal page, they are called “Friends.” When connecting with a business or organization you are asked to “Like” their page. Encouraging people to “Like” your Facebook Business Page is the first step of engagement with your audience. This is tangible evidence that people are connecting with your brand. Many companies offer incentives for you to “Like” them, such as coupons and giveaways.
The next step is to get your new followers to “Share” you Facebook page. This encourages people to “Share” your page with their “Friends” and/or fans.
Example: The average user on Facebook has 120 confirmed friend connections. If you get 10 people to “Like” your Facebook page and then “Share” it with their connections, you have the potential to reach 1,200 people. Just imagine if you have 50 or 100 people that “Like” your page.
Manage your Facebook Business Page
Make sure to update your page often and not just during the concert season. You will want to keep your audience engaged year around. It is important to produce fresh content to keep your audience entertained and involved. Select one or two people from your board to manage your Facebook marketing, or you can get someone from outside your board to help. Using local college and high school students can be beneficial in this process. Also, it helps get a younger demographic involved with your association. Remember the purpose for the Facebook page is to “inform and educate” your audience. Increasing your branding and awareness will ultimately increase your subscription base and sales.
Tip: Do not use your Facebook page for the “hard sell.” If your page looks like an advertisement people will tune you out. Remember this is Inbound Marketing not Outbound Marketing.
Using Facebook’s New Timeline Page
Recently Facebook changed the look of their pages to offer an expanded cover photo and events timeline. The new look allows you to reinforce your brand engagement with a focus on visual content.
Note: An internal Facebook study shows that posts including a photo album or picture can generate 2x more engagement than other post types.
What types of Photos Should You Use?
You can include photos taken at your concerts, campaign kick-off, and other events. You also might want to include photos of board members and concert attendees. Using your association’s logo for your profile is ideal, but use something a little different for your cover photo. Your cover photo should be reflective of your brand and visually stimulating.
Example 1: Live Nation Facebook Page
Live Nation uses an exciting cover photo of an outdoor concert. You immediately know that this site is all about music and live entertainment. Also, they have used their signature “Live Nation” logo as their profile picture. Notice the tab under the cover photo that asks you to “Like” Live Nation or send them a “Message.” They also feature applications under the tabs where they post photos, concert calendars, Fan Center page, and prizes. Live Nation currently has 789,787 likes and 9,584 are actively commenting on the site.
Example 2: Hostess Facebook Page
Hostess has a great site that features their signature logo as the profile picture and their newest product line, “Baseball Cupcakes,” as their cover photo. Hostess uses their site to offer exclusive discounts and prizes, new recipes, and contests. They integrate each product line into the site and ask the “fans” to comment or tell their story about the product. Hostess currently has 295,213 likes and 9,367 of them are actively commenting on the site.
Tip: Do not list any calls-to-action with your cover photo, Facebook will automatically delete it.
Ways to Integrate Fans and Promote Your Association
Have contests throughout the year and give away a few concert tickets or subscriptions. This is the perfect place for your “calls-to-action” requests. Ask your fans to comment on a topic or “Share” your page to be included in the giveaway. People love free stuff!
You can also feature trivia on past artists, association history, town history, etc. to get people engaged.
With the new timeline look of Facebook you can list “milestones” to encourage fan interaction. Some associations have been around for over 70 years and there is a story to tell. This is a great place to list those key moments in your association’s history. Here are few things you might want to list in your timeline:
- Past Concerts
- Past Venues
- Artists from past seasons
- Awards
- Past Events
- Retired Board Members and New Board Members
It’s time to get that Facebook page up and running. Make sure to put the Facebook logo on your website and pri
nted materials to let people know you have a Facebook page. Get all of your board members and volunteers to “Like” and “Share” your page.
Please make comments on your Facebook progress here on Livewire and feel free to ask questions.
Now go out there and “Tell Your Story.”
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