Rules Of Facebook Engagement

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As a self-proclaimed “social media mom,” I found a recent infographic from Performics to be quite interesting. Yes, social media moms are more likely to own smartphones than other women and, yes, an overwhelming majority believe they can influence companies by voicing their opinions via their social networks. But the two stats I found most interesting were those regarding how moms’ offline actions are somewhat motivated by those brands they follow on Facebook:

• 49% of social media moms talk about the companies/brands they follow on Facebook 
• 44% purchase more from companies/brands they “like” than companies/brands they do not

For good or bad, Facebook is a major player in the social media game especially with moms. But, brands need to move beyond having just a presence on Facebook and work to create a real community—one where moms are not only engaging with the brand, but can engage with one another. Here are some tips for creating a Faceboo”k community that will turn online “likes” into offline “advocates”:

Create a Conversation: Don’t use the space to just talk about your brand—post relevant and interesting content that will keep your audience engaged and show you as an expert in your space.  We suggest that you actually develop an editorial calendar for your Facebook posts—making sure your content (and your brand) coincides nicely with what is happening in the day-to-day life of moms such as back-to-school shopping or holidays. 

Interact with Your Audience: No post should go unattended. Answer questions and comment on posts in a timely manner. Facebook discussions are meant to be dialogues, not monologues. 

Use Photos Wisely: Sure those photos showcasing your product’s details are interesting, but are they engaging? Moms love seeing themselves in your brand, so show pictures of real moms using your brand. If relevant, tag people in photos or comments. Caution: don’t get crazy—tagging every single person who “likes” your page in a photo of a new product will get annoying. Before you tag make sure your brand as well as the person you are tagging will both benefit.

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4 comments on "Rules Of Facebook Engagement ".

1. Troy Johnson from AALBC.com, LLC
   

   commented on: May 9, 2012 at 11:37 a.m.
   Hi Patti, I know this is a Facebook article but I was wondering what you thought about the idea of companies investing their resources into developing their own platforms to engage customers? Facebook does have some limitations and disadvantages from a development perspective. Besides not every potential consumer, on-line, uses Facebook. Indeed many eschew it for privacy and other concerns.
2. Patti Minglin from Go Girl Communications
   

   commented on: May 9, 2012 at 3:38 p.m.
   Troy--you can never go wrong with creating new ways to engage with your customers. If a company has the resources (both time & money) to invest in creating a robust online community where their customers can connect I think that option should certainly be explored. In addition, I am also a fan of multimedia campaigns and engagement models--even if you have your own online community where customers connect, having a strong Facebook presence may actually enhance your own platform.
3. Vera Holroyd from MomFocus Marketing
   

   commented on: May 9, 2012 at 10:12 p.m.
   Hi Patti, I completely agree, especially with your points about creating a conversation and interacting with the audience. For anyone who might be interested in reading more on this subject, I wrote about it last May in Engage:Moms: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/150267/to-have-and-to-hold-how-to-optimize-your-facebook.html
4. Patti Minglin from Go Girl Communications
   

   commented on: May 11, 2012 at 9:32 a.m.
   Hi, Vera--thanks for sharing the link to your post from last May. Great insight!

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