Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 3 billion monthly active users. Many businesses use Facebook to connect with their customers, promote their products and services, and build their brand awareness. Because it’s much easier than creating a website and can be quickly done in as little as 5-10 minutes following their page templates. But is having a Facebook business page enough to create a strong and memorable brand identity?
The quick answer is: NO. In fact, relying solely on your Facebook business page for branding can be a huge mistake. Here are some reasons why:
Facebook business pages have limited customization options. Unlike your own website, where you can design every aspect of your site to match your brand vision, Facebook business pages have very few options to customize your page layout, colors, fonts, and features. You have to follow Facebook’s guidelines and policies, which may not align with your brand personality or goals. For example, you can’t change the size or position of your profile picture or cover photo, you can’t add custom tabs or widgets, and you can’t use your own domain name.
Facebook business pages are subject to their algorithm. Meaning that the organic reach of your page is limited. Unless you decide to pay to boost or run ads to promote your page. The number of people who see your posts can fluctuate dramatically depending on Facebook’s decisions. In 2018, Facebook announced that it would prioritize posts from friends and family over posts from business pages. This resulted in a significant drop in organic reach for many businesses, forcing them to pay more for ads or lose visibility. Think about it, how often do you see business page posts of pages that you actually follow? Even with your very own friends list, there are friends that you no longer see posts from.
So what can you do to avoid these pitfalls and create a more effective brand strategy? Here are some tips:
Don’t be a secret agent! Make all your posts public, so that way it has a better chance of being shown to the public rather than only limited to your Facebook friends. Now when your friends react, comment, or share your posts. Your reach can grow organically as their friends will now see it as well and they can engage or share the content to help spread it. Who knows? It could go viral.
Create engaging post content and tag your business page or cross-post the content between your personal page and business page and vice versa. When you have a lot of reactions, comments, and posts the algorithm is more likely to share with other Facebook friends, friends of friends, and users on the platform. One of the best ways to do this is by creating video content that has a chance of going viral. Be consistent with your content creation and the views will come.
Consider changing your personal Facebook profile to a digital creator profile. This means you have the ability to allow others to follow you, not just people you’re friends with. So they can see what you post publicly on their newsfeed without actually being your Facebook friend. This way if they are regularly checking out your posts and engaging with them. Facebook will know to keep showing your content on their newsfeed.
Diversify your online presence. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to online branding. Instead of focusing only on Facebook, explore other platforms and channels that can help you reach your target audience and achieve your brand goals. For example, have your own website, use Instagram for visual storytelling, YouTube for video marketing, LinkedIn for B2B networking, email marketing for direct communication, and blogging for thought leadership.
By following these tips, you can create a more effective and sustainable brand strategy that doesn’t depend on Facebook’s whims and limitations. Remember that your brand is more than just a logo or a page; it’s the sum of all the interactions and experiences that people have with your business online and offline. Lastly, your brand is not just who you know, but who knows you!