6 Ways to Beef Up Your Facebook Business Page in 2019

So, you created a Facebook Business Page several years ago because you heard having one was essential for every business.

Great!

You filled in the basics, post content, and even maybe nurture a small community.

Also great — but simply creating a Page on Facebook isn’t enough — at least not in 2018, and certainly not in 2019.

To be successful in the evolving social media landscape, brands need the right resources, strategy, and understanding of how to leverage social platforms effectively.

For Facebook, this means knowing how the algorithm and Business Pages interact and change on a regular basis.

Without this insight and ability to pivot, businesses are less likely to reap the benefits of connecting with their target audiences in a meaningful way through the social network.

But don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with some quick-hitting tips on how to best optimize your page to maximize results.

How Facebook’s Algorithm Changed for Users & Brands in 2018

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed public concern regarding the prioritization of content finding its way into users News Feeds.

In a January 11, 2018 statement, Zuckerberg indicated that a major 2018 directive to the Facebook product team would be to re-prioritize and “encourage meaningful interactions between people.”

What did this mean? The social platform would make significant adjustments to its algorithm over the coming months that would:

1. Place larger emphasis and visibility into the content shared by, or engagements from, friends, family, and groups.
2. Reduce the visibility of content published by businesses, brands, and media that does not promote the connectivity between individuals.

Under the new algorithm, Facebook identifies and prioritizes “meaningful interactions” amongst friends — or active engagements like posting original content, commenting, sharing, and reacting.

These user behaviors take precedence over passive interactions like views and click-throughs, which ultimately means what your friends, family, and groups actively share, and engage with, is more likely to find its ways into your News Feed.

As a result, brands are finding it increasingly difficult to get content in front of their target audiences organically.

Facebook is still committed to supporting businesses as an effective advertising and marketing channel, however.

With this in mind, the platform has rolled out a series of updates to help brands’ Business Pages better align with its revised company mission and opportunities to showcase content in a helpful way to end users.

How to Make the Most of Your Facebook Business Page in 2019

As you can probably assume from the aforementioned 2018 updates, if you haven’t reviewed and optimized your Facebook page recently, you could be missing out on quick-win opportunities to boost your brand presence, support business goals, and ultimately create a better experience for your target audiences.

From leveraging Page Templates to enhanced messenger capabilities, Facebook has doubled-down on the amount of customization and tools available to brands.

In 2019, make a New Year’s Resolution to take a more strategic and thoughtful approach to how you develop and maintain your Facebook presence.

Here are a few quick and easy-to-implement tips!

1. Update Your Page Template

Found under Page Settings, Facebook offers a variety of Business Page templates with default buttons and tabs to help marketers showcase content in a way that best aligns with your business type and goals.

While the template options look somewhat similar, they prioritize information based on your business or industry — such as promoting the “donate” call-to-action button or ability to start a fundraiser for a local nonprofit.

Current Business Page templates include:

• Business
• Nonprofit
• Politicians
• Services
• Shopping
• Restaurants & Cafes
• Venues
• Video Page
• Standard

To make the most of your template, ensure you’re fully utilizing the included tabs.

For example, restaurants can upload menus directly to their Facebook Page through SinglePlatform. You can also customize included tabs and sections to support additional information unique to your business, such as adding in live videos, services or a custom app.

Overall, Facebook has come a long way from its one-size-fits-all template of a few years ago. Today, it is giving businesses many more options to customize their page to match their needs and get what they need out of it. Take advantage of this!

2. Select the Right Call-To-Action (CTA) Button

Facebook Business Pages include a prominent CTA directly below the cover image, which you can (and should) update based on current campaigns and offers that support your business goals.

This isn’t like HubSpot though. You can’t make these say anything you want.

Page admins or managers should review the list of standard CTA buttons available to business pages and select the best match.

For example, if your business recently launched an online store, you’ll want to update your CTA from “Contact Us” or “Learn More” to “Shop Now,” driving people directly to your eCommerce site or Facebook shop and offering a quicker conversion path.

As part of this process, you can insert a website URL (preferably a tracking URL) to better track traffic from this button to your site, store or app.

Fortunately, you’re not limited there! Depending on the button you select, you can also launch a Facebook video, appointment scheduler or Messenger, direct users to a section within your page, auto-fill your email address or phone number, and more.

You can also use this CTA to drive people to a closed Facebook Group.

Facebook Groups are a hot commodity right now since members of groups get instant notifications for any activity that takes place in them. The more people you get to join your group, the more being informed about your content!  

As a best practice, update your CTA as often as needed to align with your Facebook advertising and marketing objectives — i.e. Awareness, Consideration or Conversion — and the content and ads published through your Page.

To create cohesiveness, ensure that your cover image or video also aligns with your current CTA button. Some brands will even design their cover photo to draw attention to the button.

On a related note...

3. Create an Eye-Catching Cover Image or Video

The Business Page Cover Image is prime real estate to feature attention-grabbing imagery and content for your business.

If you’re not leveraging this aspect of your page effectively, consider a refresh to help promote the most important aspect(s) of your organization — products, services, offers, career opportunities, etc. — and align with your featured CTA button.

Check out this article for guidance on Facebook cover image design templates, dimensions and best practices.

Remember, you don’t have to be a design expert to create a cover image that will attract and engage your Facebook audience.

Consider trying an easy-to-use tool like Canva.

And why be static?

Follow suit with strong brands like HubSpot by testing out video in the cover image block. Facebook now supports 20 to 90-second videos in the cover image, which can increase engagement with an increasingly video-inclined audience.

4. Leverage Recommendations

One of the best ways to increase your brand awareness and gain new customers is by leveraging your existing customer or fan base.

Help more people find your business and begin building social proof by adding Facebook Recommendations (previously reviews) to your Business Page.

Beyond the original five star rating, this updated tool enables fans and followers to post text, photos, and tags directly on your Page for others to see, providing feedback and offering details on their experience with your organization.

Additionally, Recommendations appear across Facebook when people are searching for or talk about your business, extending your reach to new potential customers.

5. Capitalize on Messenger

Facebook Messenger is a great way to create meaningful relationships with your customers, enabling users to contact or message you directly through your Page.

And if you’re concerned about someone reaching out while you’re offline or unavailable to respond, don’t worry! Facebook has expanded the Business Page Messenger to now support 24/7 customer service and responsiveness.  

Once messaging is activated on your page, brands can create pre-set greetings and automated responses to support you in off-hours and still feel accessible to users with important feedback or inquiries.

This helps marketers connect with users, even when you’re offline or unavailable for immediate response.

• Create a Custom Messenger Greeting
• Turn on Instant Replies and Away Messages
• Save Common Replies
• Review Conversation Insights

First time using messenger for your business? Here’s an article from Facebook to help you get started.

6. Use Paid Ads

As we’ve mentioned previously, brands are continuing to see diminished reach and results from the publishing of organic content under Facebook’s new algorithm.

So unless you strike gold with a viral piece of content published to your timeline, your efforts most likely aren't reaching their full potential — even for fans and followers who want to, or would benefit from, the information you’re sharing.

So how do brands solve for this dilemma in 2019? You should utilize Facebook’s robust advertising platform.

Whether it’s a fully-fleshed out ad campaign that nurtures users through the funnel or testing out a boosted organic post, Facebook Ads are an increasingly effective way to boost your page, extend the reach of your content and engage your target audiences.

Once you’ve nailed the basics, the possibilities are endless — from creating custom audiences, demographic and geographic filters to specifying ad placements, delivery frequency and spending caps per result.

Ads enable Facebook advertisers and marketers to get as complex or simplistic as they dare, and quickly gather audience insights and proven ROI from Facebook.

Ultimately, Facebook ads will enable your organization to make the most out of your page, and develop and nurture your community in the new year.

Want some helpful tricks of the trade? Check out this Inbound Success podcast, "Insider Tips From A Facebook Ads Expert Ft. Ali Parmelee of IMPACT."

Be Ready in 2019!

Facebook is in the news every day and the marketing tactics of 2010 or even 2017 are no longer relevant.

As a marketer, it’s important you stay up to date with its evolution if you want to successfully leverage it as a marketing platform. One way to do so is through subscribing to Facebook’s marketing partner weekly update, which provides product updates, news, and trends.

No matter how you choose to stay in the loop, make a new commitment to your Facebook Business Page in 2019 and take a deeper look at the tools and settings available to your brand.

You’d be surprised what a few quick updates can do to better elevate you to your fans, followers, and future customers.

Want to learn more about leveraging Facebook for business? Check out these related articles.