10 things you should do with your Facebook page

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This was a guest blog post that I did for the NDSS Buddy Walk. It is geared towards walk organizers but I thought I would post it here to since they are relevant tips for any business.

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The way we advertise has changed. Currently there are 750 million active users on Facebook so this is not a market you should ignore. This type of advertising is great for non-profits, it’s cheap. It mostly takes time and a little learning of the program. 

Below are just a few ideas on how to improve your page once you have it up and running.

#1 – Fan Page

If you have been using a facebook group for your walk you should change over to a fan page. Group activity doesn’t flow into the daily newsfeed and they are going to be phased out. Be sure to let everyone know you are moving and put in your about box that you have moved to a fan page with the link. 

#2 – Be social

The most important thing to remember is this is a social network. Interact with your walkers. Add personality… everyone likes to talk to people and not stiff corporate bots. Walks are all about family and friends getting together so it’s ok to be a little informal and have a personality.

#3 – Number of posts

You need to be active to keep your feed popular and to keep your walk fresh in the mind of your participants. Ideally you should at least be doing 1-2 posts a week, and then at least 3-5 a week when it gets closer to the walk. It’s import to not post to much or you risk fans either un-liking you or hiding your feed.

#4 – Use Pictures

Add a picture to your status update. It will attract more attention in the feed and will also give that personal connection. Be sure to crop and center the picture before you post it. You will get more attention if the reader can tell what the picture is.

#5 – Contests

Contests are a great way to get your walkers involved. Currently the Chicagoland Buddy Walk is hosting a video contest. We have asked our walkers to create a video about why they walk and why it’s import to them. We asked them to tag or post their video to our page. You can do a contest for the most ‘likes’ or what we are doing is putting everyone who submits something into a raffle for a goodie basket.

#6 – Use Facebook ads/sponsored stories

Facebook ads are great way to find new walkers. You can have the ads show only to local residents and target certain keywords. So it’s marketing dollars spent targeting your audience!

#7 – Use all of your profile picture.

With the new Facebook format you can use a longer profile picture (180p x 540p). Be sure to use that extra space for advertising. Be creative but also remember to keep your logo in a square so that you can crop it nicely for your thumbnail. Here is an example of the current Chicagoland Walk with advertising for our  video contest.

#8 – Keep your wall open

It’s good to let people interact with you and with other walkers so leave comenting and posting turned on. Encourage interaction. Use Facebook’s poll feature to answer polls about what they want at the walk.

#9 – Link your page

Make sure to link your page to your main web site and your web site to your Facebook page. Also be sure to add the link to every email you send and all other communications. Getting users to connect via Facebook is ideal, you can communicate on a daily basis with them. You can also add an email sign up tab on your Facebook Page.

#10 – Thank Sponsors

Be sure to use your page to thank sponsors. Post it on your status update and tag the company’s Facebook page. You can do that by liking their page and then using the ‘@’ symbol in your post. Their name should pop up when you type the “@”.

#11 – unique URL

Ok this one is a bonus tip 🙂 Once you have 25 ‘likes’ you can create a custom url for your page to make it easier for others to find you. For example we use facebook.com/chicagolandbuddywalk. This can be set under the basic Information tab in the edit page section.

This is obviously a start and there is so much you can do with your Facebook page. I would recommend Liking the Social Media Examiner for even more great tips on how to use your Facebook page. Overall have fun with it and you will see it catch on. If you have questions just let me know.

Good Luck and keep posting about your walk!

Jen

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Jennifer Paganessi is the Principal Graphic Designer of JL Design and the chair for the Chicagoland Buddy Walk. She is also the proud mom of Ella (6) and Brandon (9) who has Down Syndrome. She can be reached at info@jl-design.com