Though the rules seem to be ever-changing on Facebook, this social media platform still is a great way to showcase your business with images as well as text, engage with clients and customers as well as educate them, point people toward your website, gain interest in your events and products over and over again.

A question I often hear in my social media work is: “I decided to create a Facebook Business page but NOW what do I do?”

Well here are 8 steps to get you started, and get you going on putting your best foot forward in the social media Facebook game.

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Step One:
Create and post 5 posts before you invite anyone to follow your page.

Be thoughtful, make these posts image rich and engaging, and use this time to teach some of your most important facts and figures as well as teaching future followers about who you are and why you do what you do. My suggestion – make these posts evergreen posts – and every other week or so “pin” one of these posts to the top of your page to make it stand out and garner more attention. Cycle through these posts by pinning a different one each time over a couple of months while you create more evergreen posts in your queue.

Step Two:
Don’t just click “invite” and invite all your Facebook friends to like or follow.

Be thoughtful here as well. Though it may seem simple and no big deal, sending out a mass invite is just as bad as sending spam. It shows you are not taking the time to think about who might benefit from your products or services, or who might be interested in what you have to offer over time. Make a commitment to send an invite to only 5 Facebook friends a day, grow slowly so you have the right people who will be more interested in your products in the long run.

From there head on over to LinkedIn and start mentioning your page in groups and linking to it in LinkedIn updates and long form posts. Make it a point to add engaging information so people know you have good things to say. Then head to Twitter and start tweeting “are we connected on Facebook?” with a link to your page.

Step Three:
Promote your page wherever you can.

Just like I encourage people to add their LinkedIn Vanity URL to their email signature, do the same with your Facebook Page URL. Add it to your business cards and make darnn sure the link (via an icon or a plugin) is on your website as well. Put it in your email signature! In my social media experience with clients I have found that some people are just more comfortable with certain platforms as opposed to others and thus they would rather connect with you in their “comfort zone.” Facebook has been around awhile, has a low key and easy to navigate social media structure so many of your prospect clients may have less resistance and more interest connecting with you there, so make sure they know they can!

Step Four:
Post a few times a day if you can, and always post as your page not as “you” your profile.

According to research this tip is a great way to increase your page visibility and virility of posts, even with the algorithm changes Facebook has made that has decreased these numbers overall. Research also shows that evening time (after work) and weekends or off-peak days of the week are best times to focus your posting energies. Also, keep checking your post statistic information found under the Insights Tab. You can find out which types of posts are a favorite of your crowd, and even drill down into demographics to really start to get a good picture of your ideal client – the one who is already listening and engaging with you and your business. This is fantastic information to know and one more huge step in learning how best to speak to your audience to move them from the “fan” group to the “customer” group more quickly, which is exactly where you want them to be.

Step Five:
Watch your competition.

Facebook makes this really easy with their “pages to watch” tab. Add competitor Facebook pages here, or possibly even pages that inspire you and you wish to emulate. See an overview of their best posts, how far these posts reached, and take away some more ideas of what to say and how to say it to your fans.

Step Six:
Try out a Facebook ad.

Facebook ads are cheap and great for research. You can try different levels of campaigns but always always always write headlines/ad verbiage that is almost the same on each while changing only one or two significant words. From there you can dial in on what captures your audiences attention the best and stick with that in the future.

Step Seven:
Add your opt-in to capture emails.

Make your opt-in visible and easily clickable via an application that pulls in your opt-in information and automatically adds anyone who signs up to your email CRM such as Aweber or Mailchimp

Step Eight:
Hire a VA to help.

Now that you have established a great foundation and your fans are engaging with you, you might want to step it up a notch. But extra time is hard to come by, I know. So it’s time to get some help that will allow you to post a little more often, like and comment back to any fan comments, and monitor your ad’s so you can focus on building your biz. A part-time VA is a great way to make this happen. Plus it’s a solid way to “test” out an assistant that, if they prove themselves trustworthy, competent and smart, could grow with you and your business and take on more tasks to get more off your busy business owner’s plate.

Do you have a favorite Facebook page tip that you’d like to share? Or do you have a question on how to get started? Join me in my LinkedIn Group where we answer any and all of your social media questions!