Does your custom auto or motorcycle shop already have a Facebook Business Page? If you don’t, you should – in fact, setting one up should be the very next thing you do after reading this article.

Why? Facebook has more than 2 billion active monthly users. Regardless of where your business is located or what you sell, the chances are excellent that a solid majority of your customers and potential customers have Facebook accounts.

The issue that keeps coming up is that many of the local businesses that have Facebook pages aren’t making the most of them. They might look okay on the surface but, in short, they’re not getting the job done.

Fortunately, there are some easy fixes you can make to turn your Facebook page into a powerhouse. Here’s what you need to know.

Choose a Recognizable Profile Picture

Your profile pic is the first thing most people will see when they visit your page to view your content. That means it’s got to be clear and easy to recognize.

The most obvious option is to use either your company logo or your picture for your profile. The former makes sense if you have a business with a recognizable logo or one where people don’t automatically associate you with your business.

Use a photograph if you’re a freelancer or the kind of business owner who’s front and center of every transaction.

Either way, make sure your profile pic is the right size. You can find the details in Facebook’s guide, here.

Add a Compelling Cover Photo

Your cover photo takes up more space on your Facebook Business Page than anything else. For that reason, it’s got to be compelling and professional.

A lot of custom auto and motorcycle shops use an image of one of the jobs or customizations, that they are the proudest of, as a cover photo. Some use a group photo of their staff – something that makes sense for a service-oriented business. Retailers tend to use a photograph of the outside of their business, as a reference to make it easier to recognize.

Again, make sure to use the proper dimensions for your photographs.

Minimize Admin Access to Your Page

You’re busy and it might be tempting to give an employee access to your Facebook page, so they can post content while you handle other aspects of your business. There’s nothing wrong with that – until there is.

If you decide to delegate social media responsibilities to employees, make sure that you: 

   n  Provide proper training about the type of content to be posted, your social media strategy, and the “voice” you want to use in your posts

   n  Make the parameters of their responsibilities clear

   n  Lay out the process for dealing with negative comments and complaints

   n  Limit access to one or two trusted employees at most

You can change your Page Access settings by clicking Settings > Page Roles.

Add a Call to Action Button 

You know that your social media posts and emails all need a call to action at the end that tells people what to do next. The same is true of your Facebook Business Page.

In recent years, Facebook has added Call to Action Buttons for Business Pages. The button appears on the right side of your Facebook Business Page just underneath your cover photo. Some of the options available include:

    n  Call Now

    n  Book Now

    n  Learn More

    n  Watch Video

    n  Sign Up

Choose the CTA button that is most suited to your Facebook marketing goals. You can add it by clicking the “Add Button” button on your Facebook Business Page. If you already have a CTA button and want to change it, you can do it by hovering over the button until the “Edit Button” option appears. Click it and you’ll be able to select a new button for your page.

Don’t Neglect Your “About” Section 

The “About” section of your Facebook Business Page is VITAL to your page’s success. People will click “About” to learn more about your business. If you don’t provide them with the information they need, they may decide not to follow you.

You should make sure to at least include your full business name, address, telephone number, hours, and the URL of your website. You should also consider optimizing the section that’s most likely to sell people on your business. For example, you might:

    n  Provide a detailed company history

    n  Explain your key services genesis and uses

    n  Share your mission statement and company values

It’s also a good idea to add some company milestones to your profile, including your founding date, the launch of a new location or product, and key anniversaries.

Check Your Metrics  

One of the most common Facebook marketing mistakes is failing to use the free tools that you get when you sign up for a Facebook Business Page. You might not know it, but Facebook Insights provides a ton of useful information about the people who follow your page and what they want to see.

The best way to use Facebook Insights is to track your engagement. I recommend focusing on:

    n  The times of day most people see your posts

    n  The kinds of content that get the most engagement

For example, you might look at Facebook Insights and discover that more people read your posts between 9 AM and noon on weekdays than at any other time. You might also discover that your video content is leaving other content types in the dust.

Using that information, you can then create a content strategy that will allow you to get the maximum organic reach for your content.

Promote Your Content

Increasingly, Facebook has tweaked its algorithm to prioritize personal content and minimize the reach of businesses. They say it’s because it is what users want, but it’s also a way for them to maximize their ad revenue.

Either way, the only way to be sure that your content is seen by your followers is to promote it. I don’t recommend doing that with everything you post. But, if you’re sharing something important – like an event or a new product/service launch – it makes sense to drop a bit of money and promote your content.

Facebook marketing is like anything else – you get out of it what you put into it. Your Facebook Business Page is where it all starts. Use the tips in this blog to get the most from your page and turn your Facebook marketing into the powerhouse it should be.