1. 8 Essential Tips for Businesses

2. INTRODUCTION
You probably already know that not being on Facebook isn't an option for businesses anymore. If you don't, take my word for it. If you don't want to take my word for it, let me give you a little nudge via some quick data.
Millennials, the age group in their twenties and early thirties, now outnumber the baby-boomer generation. In a nutshell, that means a huge population of purchasing power. Ignoring this group is, at the very least, not a wise idea if you want to stay in business.
Looking only at the dining-out habits of millennials, we find the following:
● 65% consider social media discussions about restaurants
before deciding where to go.
● 32% check the menu online from their smartphone.
We know right away, without any further data, that this is mobile and social crowd. Facebook is the largest social site on the web, let alone the site with the most users period. It only makes sense to take full advantage it, so we have 8 great tips to help you out. Ready?

3. 1. NEVER IGNORE YOUR AUDIENCE
Reply to every single comment on your Facebook Page. You wouldn't let a customer walk through your door without being acknowledged, would you? (if the answer isn't no, you need some extra guidance I can't provide here) Yet unbelievably, only around 30% of all brands on Facebook respond to their comments according to Socialbaker.com This statistic is the epitome of bad business. Every single interaction is an opportunity to grow your business and your revenue, and if you don't view them that way then you are either not the owner of the business or you need some serious sales training. Don't be in that 30% statistic. Respond to every comment. Every time.

4. 2. GIVE THEM VALUE
Sure, cat memes are funny, but do they have anything to do with your business? Here is the great conundrum of posting, that of balancing self-promotion with keeping the interest of your fans. Fortunately, there's a rule that holds true the majority of the time called the 80/20 value rule. It says that (blatant) self-promotion should never exceed 20% of your social posts. That includes sales, discounts, and even general information about your company specifically.
The other 80% is the tricky part, but it doesn't have to be. Learn to curate articles and other posts from around the web that are related to your business and that are interesting. Just make sure that you're not promoting a competitor when you do. Create original posts as well, just keep in mind that they should be interesting, related to your business somehow, and non- promotional. For those who may be mathematically challenged, this rule means that 1 out of every 5 posts should be about you, and the other 4 should be super- interesting (not to imply that your business isn't super interesting, of course).

5. 3. LINK TO YOURSELF
Facebook shouldn't be your only online presence. Different demographics use different sites: Google+ is primarily men in their twenties and thirties who are tech-oriented; Pinterest is mostly comprised of women in their thirties; Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others have their own set of demographics as well.
A common misconception is that the social media age has marked the death of the website and blog as important. This is not the case at all. You should definitely have a blog and a website in addition to your social media presence, as well as using tools like email newsletters. While it's easy to get overwhelmed trying to manage too many outlets, you should utilize as many as you can handle to reach the maximum number of potential or existing clients that you can.
Every single one of these outlets should have clearly marked links to every other one. Make sure people can find you where they are most comfortable. It also helps your search engine ranking.

6. 4. EVERY TOOL HAS A PURPOSE
Facebook has no shortage of tools it provides to businesses in helping to manage their pages and attract fans. A short list of these tools includes:
 Sendible
 Insights
 Promoted posts
 Vanity URLs
 Events
 Featured posts
Each of these, as well as the many other tools and features that Facebook has put in place for businesses, serves a purpose and provides you with an advantage in understanding the mechanics of marketing through the site. Make sure that you understand each one and how it can help you. They will not only help you on the back end of things, but they can help you create the best experience possible for your fans.
Remember that the better the experience for your fans, the better your own experience. That's probably the best tip you'll read, in one short sentence.
As a business you also need to understand that all of those things that most users disregard are necessities for you to have a grasp of. What I mean are things like the privacy policies, terms of use, and any other legalese that the average user pays no attention to at all. As a business you could find yourself in hot water if you violate them. If you weren't aware, the FCC also has regulations about social media which you need to be incompliance with as a business.

7. 5. OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE
The desktop interface is all but dead. Well, maybe I shouldn't go quite that far, but the fact is that with the growing mobile space eating away at desktop and laptop use, the third screen of mobile is very quickly replacing the second screen of computers.
Making sure that your page is easy to read and navigate from a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet is no longer a secondary consideration for your online strategy. The viewership of social sites, and the web in general, is quickly moving to mobile for the majority of people. Once your Page is setup and optimized for viewing from a computer, you need to then check it from a mobile device. Make sure that your cover image is easily discernible on a smaller screen and that your layout is adjusted so that anyone viewing from their phone or tablet has as good an experience (or better) than those viewing from their desktop or laptop.
You should also make sure that you can be found through a mobile search. 91% of people who search locally say that they use Facebook to find local businesses online. That's another statistic you can't ignore.

8. 6. USE CHECK-INS
Check-ins all started with the rise of the Foursquare app, but they have been adopted since by most other widespread social sites and apps, including Google and Facebook. Twitter just bought a Foursquare competitor as well, so don't think that check-ins are a fad that has passed. In fact, they may only be getting started as newer strategies are employed for their use.
Facebook check-ins are already popular, and they are used more with every passing month. Just like mobile optimization, this is something you would be remiss to jump on now. Even though check-ins are several years old, at this point in the evolution of social media using them still puts you pretty much in the category of early adopters. Yet they are do have some time and experience behind them that proves that they are effective as marketing tools.
Encourage your fans and customers to check in at your business, if it's applicable. Word of mouth advertising is the kind of recommendation that millennials trust above all others, and, as mentioned in the beginning of this series. they are the largest group of consumers now and will be for years to come.

9. 7. MEASURE YOUR ROI
In addition to all of the previous tips, there is a plethora of other things you need to remember and handle on a daily basis when it comes to social media in general. It can be a lot to handle for one person or even a small team, even if they hold full time positions as social media managers. Facebook can't be your only outlet online if you really want to be competitive. Using other networks like Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest and managing a website, blog, maybe a Tumblr account, or any other number of possible options is the best way to make sure that you reach every demographic you are after.
Thankfully there are tools which make the social media management process easier, and do far more than that. Measuring your ROI is a business necessity in any venture, unless you just want to waste time and money. Good social media management software gives you an edge over those companies who either don't use one or who limit themselves in the name of saving time and/or money. The right dashboard will save you more time and increase your chances to expand revenue far more than any shortcuts could ever hope to.
While a good social dashboard will allow your manager or team to effectively schedule posts and track engagement, it also does a lot more than that. Reports and analytics are absolutely necessary in measuring your ROI. They will do all of the tracking for you, leaving you only having to act on the data rather than collect it first as well. Two beautiful features they offer are letting you know when exactly is the optimal time to schedule your posts for based on reader engagement, and which posts your readers are actually paying attention to and sharing. You have to know these two things to ensure that your efforts are translating into business.

10. 8. TURN FANS INTO CASH
A "Like" is not necessarily a sale, but it can be if it's managed correctly. This is really a recap of the first two tips in this series, but they bear emphasizing because it is your part of the interaction that determines whether or not your social media presence is something that brings you more business or just something fun that you do online (translation: a waste of time and money).
Using the 80/20 rule is important because it is what draws your audience in and captures their attention. Responding to your audience is important because, according to Desk.com, over 80% of social customers will abandon a purchase because of poor customer service. Make no mistake, every comment you reply to is a form of customer service, and conversely so is every comment you don't reply to. According to Bluewolf, the use of social media as a customer service channel by companies will increase by 53% in 2013 alone. That is a direct reflection of the demand for such interaction by social customers.
I hope that these tips gave you some great insight and practical knowledge that you can put to use in your online strategy. Social media may eventually be replaced by a newer and better platform for marketing and sales, but until that day comes it is the reigning king and you would do well to make the most of the current opportunity.

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