By now, it’s pretty clear that establishing a social media presence is an absolute must for brands and companies, and companies will pull out all sorts of tricks to achieve this. From looking to shop custom boxes so that even the box looks good in a photo, to working with influencers, social media can be a very valuable marketing tool, giving you an opportunity to connect to your audience and gain new followers. However, as with all tools, you have to figure out the best way to use it in order to maximize results. Otherwise, you might be squandering a great opportunity.
Your Facebook Page a great opportunity to give your followers, new and old, a better sense of your brand personality. Whimsical? Fashion-forward? Funny? Irreverent? Facebook gives you the opportunity to establish a voice that’s less corporate and more personable than on a traditional website and to tell the story of your brand without being overly promotional.
Whether you’re just starting out, or are looking for ways to improve your page, here are some suggestions on how best to incorporate branding on Facebook. You may also want to see how a branding company can help you project your business out there for people to take notice of. You’ll need to view their branding portfolio first to see how best they handle different situations and what they can do for your overall brand.
How to brand your Facebook page
Facebook cover image using timeline images. Image courtesy of Marek Isalski / Flickr.com
Spend time on your cover and profile pictures. Make a great first impression and draw in an audience through an eye-catching cover image. An eye-tracking study found that people spend more time looking at the cover photo than anything posted to the wall, so spend some time designing an image that achieves your social media goals.
Since you can change out your cover picture frequently, you can switch images according to your current performance and goals. Show a behind-the-scenes photo to give your audience a better sense of the company’s philosophy. Or, if you’re running a promotion, use the cover space to advertise it. Whatever you choose to use that space for, make sure it’s a high quality image that best expresses your brand.
The profile picture should be something that represents your company in a consistent, traditional manner (unless your brand is non-traditional). The picture chosen should be consistent with the imagery on your company’s Metal Kards business card. A good option is your logo. This image will be the one that will be posted alongside all comments and posts on Facebook and other sites that accept Facebook commenting, so make sure that this image represents your brand clearly. Keep in mind that the thumbnail will be only 50 x 50 pixels, so make sure its easy to recognize, even at that size.
While you can change the cover image as often as you want, you should keep the profile photo fairly consistent. You want to make it easy for your fans to quickly find and share your page.
Add images and videos to your Timeline and not just your photo albums. Images and videos are much more accessible on your Timeline than hidden away in photo albums. No need for perfectly designed or professionally shot photos here (unlike the cover photo). Re-use image and video content from other sharing social media sites like YouTube, Instagram or Vine to populate your timeline. Show fans the development stages of a product, or what people at your company are currently loving-the more personality you show here, the more memorable your brand will be and the more likely you will be shared.
Another Timeline tip-add in milestones. Telling your brand story is easy with Timeline. Add major milestones to create a living history of your brand. It’s also a great way to populate areas in the Timeline that are a little empty (pre-social media strategy). Product launches, logo changes, joint ventures-anything that might be written up in a press release should be included on the Timeline (you could even link to the press releases for additional content). Milestones are a great way for fans to learn more about your brand and its history.
Just a few of the thousands of Facebook apps. Image courtesy of John Haydon / Flickr.com
Apps, apps, apps. Apps also get great visibility on your page, so employ this space to further extend your brand personality, while offering something useful or entertaining to your fans. Use it to showcase events, promotions, and other marketing and branding efforts-and remember to include your other social media outlets in these apps.
If none of the existing 3,000 app options suit your brand needs, you can also customize apps for specific promotions or interests. You can adjust the order of the apps, so rotate them as needed to fit your goal.
Don’t forget to fill out the About section. Adding a quick blurb in the “About” section helps clarify who you are, what you do, and why your brand is something worth following. It’s also a good opportunity to include a link to your website. And don’t forget that the mobile version provides even more space “above the line,” than on the desktop version, so take advantage of that space.
Your Facebook page is great for starting and continuing conversations with fans and customers. The best way to go about igniting that spark is to gain insight to your audience’s lifestyles and showing them why your brand relates to those interests. The more you know about what they care about and what ranks high in terms of importance, the better you can enhance their brand experience.