This Memorial Day weekend, many people will be shopping both online and offline, searching for bargains. For retailers, this three day period represents a significant opportunity to generate sales and revenue, while building relationships with customers at the same time.
You don’t have to wait till Memorial Day (or any other holiday) to do this, though. If you have a Facebook page for your business, and use it correctly, it can become one of your most powerful marketing tools.
Why?
This may seem obvious, but it is something that everyone should ask themselves before they share something on Facebook. Is this something that needs to be said, or are you just trying to fill a post quota for the day?
Why is this update relevant to your intended audience? Why is Facebook the appropriate platform and would it be better instead to make your announcement via Twitter, your website, a press release, or another media channel?
What?
What is the purpose of the post that you are about to share? It may seem important to you, but will your Facebook audience be interested in it? If what you are about to say isn’t interesting or relevant to your audience, wait to post until you have something that is.
Who?
As in, “who is the intended audience?” Who, specifically, are you trying to reach with your post? If you are hoping to connect directly with your customers, you will want to word your update differently than if you are trying to connect with other business owners.
If you’re announcing a new product, for example, you will want to use language that entices your customers to want to buy it. Other business owners, though, will probably be much more interested in the technical and overall specifications of your product.
When?
According to AllFacebook.com, the best day to obtain major visibility for Facebook posts is Thursday. The best time to post breaking news stories and important announcements and updates is early in the morning, specifically before 11 am.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that something posted on Monday at 3pm won’t generate responses, “likes” or traffic to your website, but it is worth taking into consideration, especially for those of us who like to plan the content and frequency of our Facebook updates.
Where?
Other than your Facebook wall, where else will this announcement be posted? If you plan on sharing the same information on your website, blog, or in a press release, it makes more sense from an SEO perspective to link to this announcement from your Facebook page, rather than posting the same content in multiple locations.
Facebook can be an extremely helpful medium for ecommerce merchants, and when the holiday shopping season, back-to-school shopping season, or a holiday like Memorial Day comes around, you will be grateful that you took the time to put some thought into your Facebook posts and that the people who read them are truly interested in and engaged with what you have to say.
