Want your Facebook page to flourish? Start here

Many social media sites have come and gone since the early 2000s. Does anyone remember MySpace? Yet nearly 17 years after it was created, Facebook remains the world’s most popular social media platform. Even with the growth of a number of newer social networks, such as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, Facebook remains the most important network worldwide for both individuals to connect with friends and family and businesses to connect with their customers.

Yet due to its constantly changing algorithms, using Facebook as an effective marketing tool for your store(s) can be challenging. And unlike the early days, Facebook is a much more crowded space now, which can make it much more difficult to stand out. But there are a number of simple steps you can take to get more eyes on — and greater interaction with— your store’s Facebook posts and page. Here are 10:

1. Post consistently. Don’t go long stretches without posting. Aim for 3-5 posts per week.
2. Engage with your followers. Did someone leave you a nice comment on your Facebook page? ‘Like’ the comment, thank the person and invite them to like your page if they haven’t done so already. Invite anyone who likes one of your posts to like your page. Did someone ask you a question, either via direct message or as a comment on a post? Provide a prompt answer. Answer any messages and respond (constructively) to feedback or reviews left on your page. If someone posts about a problem they had in your store, encourage them to contact you or a store manager and provide a phone number.
3. Post your store’s weekly ads. One of the best ways to get shoppers to follow your store on Facebook is to provide information that’s valuable to your target audience. Grocery ads certainly fall into that category. Consider posting your ad pages when they go live each week and information about special sales or promotions that can save shoppers money.
4. Don’t post all promotional content. As a general rule, you should promote your store in only about 20-30% of your social media content. Pages that are too sales-y don’t perform as well as those that have a mix of different types of content. What else should you post about? You could post recipes, food trivia, dinner ideas or information about community events.
5. Post occasional videos. Video content on average has higher engagement than other types of content. You don’t have to take professional videos (your smartphone will do nicely) and you don’t have to post videos all the time. Just sprinkle some video content into your feed from time to time. For example, you could take a short video of your weekly deli special or something new in your store.
6. Add a Facebook like button or box to your website. This is an especially great way to develop an engaged fan base. If they’re coming from your website, they’re clearly already interested in what your store has to offer. Also, let in-store shoppers know about your Facebook page through in-store signage and include your Facebook icon in your e-mail outreach.
7. Consider boosting. Boosting your Facebook content is a cost-effective way to reach more people near your store(s). You can choose a recommended audience or create a new audience based on specific traits. Thinking of boosting as amplifying the reach of your posts. Facebook has some pretty complicated rules regarding boosting, and they change periodically, so don’t be discouraged if a small percentage of your boosting attempts are rejected.
8. Watch what you post. Avoid political or religious jokes, opinions or cartoons. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of humor, but just make sure that it is G-rated and doesn’t offend anyone.
9. Take a look at your Insights. From time to time, take a look at your page’s Insights to see which posts have performed the best over the past month and which reached the most people, both organically, and through paid boosting. Doing so can give you a good idea of what type of content resonates the most with your target audience.
10. Get help when you need it. Social media is far too important to ignore. Don’t have time to handle your store’s social media? At UNFI Professional Services, we can help with a wide range of online marketing efforts, including website development, mobile apps and social media marketing. E-mail us at [email protected].