I tell businesses, “Facebook is tough.” Specifically, I am referring to Facebook pages. The poor organic reach — how easily your posts make it into your fans’ newsfeeds — makes it difficult to gain traction at times.
Like it or not, your posts organically reach just 2% of your fans’ newsfeeds.
That’s horrible.
HubSpot (an all-in-one inbound marketing and sales platform) agrees that organic reach on Facebook business pages is dismal:
“In January 2018, according to Facebook’s Head of News Feed Adam Mosseri, Facebook began to “shift ranking to make News Feed more about connecting with people and less about consuming media in isolation.”
“As a result, marketing content was poised to take a backseat to content by friends and family — a value that Facebook says it originally had, and that it’s trying to return to. What this means that of the number of people who have Liked your Facebook page, about 10% of them see your posts. This also means that if you want more of your fans to see your posts, you need to provide great content consistently and plan to have a Facebook advertising budget.”
However, worldwide, there are over 2.32 billion monthly active users as of December 31, 2018. With that many users, it’s difficult to ignore Facebook.
And Facebook’s advertising feature is impressive and works exceedingly well and you can use it to boost your reach and find members of your demographic on Facebook. With its custom audiences, you can target just about any person, cause, and geographical region with your message.
So let’s take a look at some Facebook pages that are doing well and others that have room for improvement.
Facebook Pages from Some Big Guns
Here is a review of some Facebook pages from big brands. There’s a lot you can learn from their examples.
L.L. Bean – 1.1 million Likes
The clothing company has a colorful, family-friendly Facebook page. Its logo is its avatar, which is appropriate for a major brand, and its banner image shows a family, complete with a dog, enjoying the snow.
L.L. Bean posts videos and fun images. This post triggered 1,200 Likes, 79 comments, and 129 shares.
Here’s a picture of L.L. Bean customers who are soulmates and “sole mates.” It’s a great play on words.
In this example, L.L. Bean’s social media staff replied to a customer with a complaint. Customer relations is an essential part of social media marketing.
Check out L.L. Bean’s Facebook page for yourself because there is plenty to emulate here.
ThredUp 2.1 million Likes
ThredUp is a different kind of clothing retailer. It resells used clothing similar to a consignment shop. As you might expect, it has a loyal following. Here’s a post of a mother and son, presumably wearing ThredUp clothing. It garnered 99 Likes and seven comments.
This is a fun post supposing how Lorelai from Gilmore Girls afforded her cool clothing. The post triggered 232 Likes, six comments, and eight shares.
On Martin Luther King Day, ThredUp showed its social consciousness with this post, which triggered 328 Likes, three comments, and 107 shares.
TOMS 4.2 million Likes
I’ve always appreciated TOMS’ Facebook page and, of course, its company. In case you’re unfamiliar with this company, its founder, Blake Mycoskie started TOMS after encountering shoeless children in his travels. His company began with a mission: to match every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes for children who need them.
In the past, TOMS would post pictures of shoeless children smiling when they received a new pair of shoes.
Lately, the company has taken up the cause of gun violence also. Check out this post. It received 446 Likes, 49 comments, and 101 shares.
TOMS featured a video featuring young people from the Southside of Chicago whose drill team is redefining hope in the fact of violence. That video triggered 630 Likes, 24 comments, 83 shares, and 21,000 views.
There’s a lot to like about and learn from TOMS’ Facebook page.
Toyota 4.2 million Likes
Let’s look at another big company, Toyota. Its avatar is its logo, and its banner image features a single car.
Toyota shows that it too has a social consciousness. During the government shutdown, it featured this post, which garnered 157 Likes, ten comments, and thirty-eight shares.
Its recent post about the new Tacoma generated 175 Likes, 45 comments, 31 shares, and 16,000 views.
Etsy 3.4 million Likes
It’s no surprise that Etsy has 3.4 million Likes. Its website is popular among creatives and those looking for a handcrafted item or something unique.
Its logo is an E, and its banner image has a springtime appearance to it, despite the fact it’s January.
Recent posts feature customized bookmarks, a gorgeous earring, and this post of a knit blanket purchased through Etsy. The post triggered 398 Likes, 26 comments, and 11 shares.
Sonoma County Facebook Business Pages
Sole Desire 3,673
With three stores in Santa Rosa, another in Petaluma, and two others in San Rafael, Burlingame, and Greenbrae, it’s essential for a company like Sole Desire to have a Facebook page and purchase Facebook advertising, which it does.
It posts some fun updates. Look at this one:
Sole Desire should be posting more often, featuring happy customers, and showing its commitment to the community in the way that some of the “big guns” demonstrate its social consciousness. However, its images are beautiful and really show off their excellent products.
Vintners Inn and John Ash & Co. 5,544 Likes
The famous chef John Ash started this restaurant in Sonoma County. It has a luscious setting, a phenomenal bar, and an excellent kitchen.
Its Facebook page is a lovely mix of its restaurant and bar, food, and pictures from weddings held at this venue.
A post from January 30, featured clients at its bar. On January 27, it posted a picture of a breakfast dish.
An adorable image from January 8 featured a bride and her grandmother. That post triggered 180 Likes, three comments, and five shares.
During the Christmas season, it posted two warm images and an update that encouraged its fans to take a break from shopping and visit The Front Room & Bar Lounge.
All of its images are colorful and tasteful – everything you’d expect from this restaurant, bar, and inn.
The company does an excellent job at branding itself and posting tasteful, professionally captured images. The only missing element is its commitment to the community, which I know it has. Showing its good deeds and posting updates of satisfied and smiling customers would enliven the page.
Aside from that, Vintners Inn and John Ash Co. does an excellent job managing its Facebook business page.
Russian River Brewing Company 116,451 Likes
Russian River Brewing Company is legendary. It started in Santa Rosa and now has locations in Rohnert Park and Windsor.
This local company demonstrated its commitment to community perfectly in raising money for the Camp Fire Relief Fund. The post generated 558 Likes, 14 comments, and 21 shares. Here’s the post:
It also knows how to have fun with its Facebook page.
Check out this Facebook page. There’s a lot to like here.
Kendall-Jackson Winery 152,320 Likes
Kendall-Jackson is a local Sonoma County winery with a considerable presence nationally and internationally. It has one of the biggest Facebook pages among Sonoma County wineries.
I like how it takes a fun approach to its Facebook marketing. While its avatar is its logo, its banner is a creative and somewhat hilarious video. On a plain yellow background, there’s an emoji looking for the perfect drink to accompany a crab dish.
The emoji smiles with heart-shaped eyes when a glass of white wine appears.
The winery posts numerous videos and updates about its wine and food. An image comparing its 2009 bottle of chardonnay to the redesigned 2019 bottle of chardonnay triggered 1,100 Likes, 57 comments, and 107 shares. That’s decent engagement.
I think the page could flourish even more if it included pictures of customers at its tasting room or from some of the charitable events it supports with its wine. It could also demonstrate how it helps the local community, which I know it does.
They don’t need to brag about its community support but show how the community benefits or how it cares about specific issues similar to how TOMS does.
Redwood Credit Union 31,119 Likes
Redwood Credit Union doesn’t have the type of engagement I would expect from this well-liked credit union.
It posts community-related images taken at the Napa Chamber of Commerce. It also publishes tips, such as how to get more sleep and how to stop procrastinating, which seemed odd.
Similar to Toyota, it posted an update on what to do if federal employees were affected by the government shutdown. That post triggered twenty-six Likes, two comments, and fourteen shares.
A San Francisco restaurant week post fell flat as did its budgeting tool post.
If I were managing this account, I would drop their TipTuesday series of unrelated tips, and post more images of actual people getting car loans and its support at nonprofit events along with its banking-related updates.
It was nice to see some posts for the Martin Luther King holiday, but I know that Redwood Credit Union supports nonprofits and cares about local community issues. It needs to demonstrate their commitment on its Facebook page, which would increase engagement.
Personalizing their page would help as well.
Tips for a Facebook Page that Thrives
Are you wondering how your Facebook page compares to the ones I’ve reviewed? To make sure that you are on the right track, read my tips right here.
- Invite your Facebook employees, colleagues, and customersto visit your Facebook page and Like it.
- Consider adding a Facebook Like Box to your website or at least a link to your Facebook page.
- Cover the basics. Complete the About section, upload a branded banner image or video, and use your logo as an avatar.
- The next time you prepare an e-newsletter, remember to include a Facebook social share icon and Like icon in it.
- Add a link to your Facebook page to your employees’ email signature.
- Include a call to action at the end of each of your blog posts that encourages your blog visitors to Like your Facebook page.
- Remember to add your Facebook page web address on the bottom of all press releases.
- Post your updates regularly. Ideally post twice daily but at least once daily.
- Remember that even though Facebook rewards original content, people still like to be entertained. Strike a balance by posting serious content and fun updates.
- Do not use a plugin that automatically generates a status update on your Facebook post. Facebook downgrades auto-posted updates, which means that very few to none of your Facebook fans will see your new content.
- Share videos and captivating images.
- Add a Sign-Up Link to your Facebook page to grow your email marketing list.
- Show your company’s commitment to the community and causes.
- Upload photographs of happy customers, when appropriate.
- Demonstrate through videos and pictures how your customers use or benefit from your products or services.
Frances Caballo is an online marketing consultant and the author of six books on social media. Click here to schedule an appointment with her. Writing a book can serve as the best possible business card you can possibly have and establish your authority in your field. Once you publish your book, learn to market it by visiting my other website, SocialMediaJustforWriters.com.