An Idiot’s Guide to Social Media: Facebook for Beginners

So here we are. Once again we’re delving into the ever-changing world of social media to provide you with the basics to get you started on your social media strategy.

So without further ado, let’s talk about Facebook:

Facebook – the biggest social media platform in the world

20% of the world’s population (that’s 1.5 billion people of all ages) are spending an average of 35 minutes on Facebook EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Another incredible static that proves that Facebook is a big part of everyone’s lives?

1 in 7 minutes spent online is spent on Facebook (and, incredibly, this rises to 1 in 5 in the UK)!

If you want to reach a mass-market, nowhere is better to advertise than Facebook.

Did you know that the UK has the highest percentage of social media users than anywhere else in the world?

52% of Britons use social media, and a  staggering 94% of Britons aged between 18 and 29 use social media.

This means that Facebook has an incredible potential to reach your target audience at scale.

Find out how can Facebook Advertising Sky-Rocket Your Revenue.

Make the most of social media marketing

Now that you see the scale and importance of having a Facebook presence, stop and ask yourself: “What do you want to say about your brand your values and mission?”  You need to have a point of view.

What’s your brand image on Facebook?

How to figure out your brand image on Facebook?

“Can I treat my company Facebook page in the same way as my  personal Facebook page?”

“Do I have to act serious or can I be light-hearted?”

– you’ve probably asked these questions when setting up your company page.

The answer is: it depends on the nature of your business.

If you’re selling biscuits you probably can be cheeky.

But if you are a tax lawyer, no-one wants to see pictures of the office party.

Get help with social media marketing

We can help you use Facebook’s Data Insights to see what actually drives traffic; look at when your fans are online and which previous posts have garnered the most attention.

If your fans like talking to you, give them even more reason to do so.

What type of content to post on Facebook business page?

When we are talking about social media content, we are talking about 2 things: message and format.

The message is what you say and the format is your delivery.

Engaging social content is all about story-telling. Every business should have a story.

What’s your company story? Why do you exist? How are you making the world a better place?

Stories are relatable, which is why they are easier to remember than facts.

There are 4 types of posts you can publish on your Facebook Page:

• Photos
• Videos/Stories
• Text updates
• Links

Photos and image are the most popular content format for many businesses, however, video posts get at least 59% more engagement than other post types.

If engagement (likes, shares, comments) is what you are after, the video should be your NO 1. priority.

To involve more people in posts, you can also tag others in the post or comments.

Avoid generic stock images on social media. They look cheap and show that you haven’t put time, effort and thought into your social brand.

NB! You can change your company profile image continuously to fit with promotions or events or showcase new products.

What is the best time to post on Facebook?

Almost as important as the content itself is the time you post it. You want to post when your audience is most active. According to the Attrock guide, when using the leading Facebook marketing tools you can easily plan posts to be posted at the optimal times by leveraging their content scheduling feature.

There is no point posting at 11 AM if your users are active at 7 PM.

Your content will just get lost in a news feed.

To find out when to post on Facebook use Facebook Insights to compile all your data.

We can help you create boosted and sponsored posts that are engaging and drive leads to your website or offer.

Help me with social media advertising

You can use your Facebook Insights as your personal market research centre.

How to manage your community on Facebook?

Make sure that you set your posting preferences to admin-only mode, so only you and your team can post on your Facebook timeline.

This especially important if your page receives complaints or questions from your customers.

The best way to deal with customer support on Facebook is to invite people to the private message where you can try to resolve the issue quickly.

Article by

Tess O'Bamber

Tess entered the world of marketing as a content manager, focusing on social and blog content. She now has over four years of experience writing on-brand copy for websites, emails, whitepapers and more. Tess has a Master's in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia – she takes a creative approach to copywriting, whatever that looks like for each unique client. You'll still find her working on her first novel at the weekends, between DIY sessions and long walks.