Now That You’ve Created a Facebook Page, Here Are the Four Foundations of Social Media Mastery
By Bonnie Hanson
[This is the second in a series of articles on how to market your laundry business through Facebook. The first article appeared in the September 2017 issue of PlanetLaundry magazine.]
So, you have a Facebook Page, and you had fun making it, right?
Now let’s take 60 minutes to get a solid foundation from which you can build and grow your business. I suggest reading through this first – and then going back through the Who, Why, How and What sections, spending no more than 10 minutes on each.
Tip: There are no wrong answers here. Getting started is the key, and as long as you are being genuine and constructive, you’re moving in the right direction.
Who
Knowing who you’re trying to reach out to is critical. Take 10 minutes and think about your target audience.
Who do you want to reach? Describe them.
Example: Females 30 to 50 years of age, married with kids and living in the metro area.
What is important to them? Describe what they care about most and what motivates them.
Example: My Facebook audience cares most about time and family. They are busy – possibly working full-time outside the home – and feel responsible for family, finances, meals and home upkeep.
Why
Knowing what problem you’re solving for your target audience is the beginning of a good, solid relationship. Spend 10 minutes listing the services you have that solve their problem.
What do you want them to know? Describe the things that make your business unique and that they will care about.
Examples: We are easy to get to. We have a friendly staff that can help with complex problems like stains. We provide drycleaning and alteration/repair services. We always have a lot of high-quality washers and dryers available. We offer personal laundry service, including pickup and delivery. We are a one-stop shop.
What problem(s) are you solving for your target audience? Describe how your service aligns with what is important to them.
Example: Time is precious to our target audience; we can help them get their laundry done quickly with our large-capacity machines, or by doing it for them.
What other ways do you communicate with this target audience? List the other ways this target audience finds you, sees your brand or knows about your business.
Examples:
- Advertisements in the local newspaper
- Participation in community events
- Our delivery van and drivers
- Our website
- Yelp and Google
- Flyers distributed door-to-door every quarter
- Word of mouth
Tip: Ensure your brand aligns. The different ways you communicate with your target audience should “look”and “sound”the same. This will help it stick in their minds so that they think of you when they have a need for your services.
- Use the same logo on your signage, advertising, vehicles and work wear.
- Consistently use the same tone. Are you funny? Professional? Casual and approachable? Trendy?
How
A little planning goes a long way. Take 10 minutes to think about the best resources you have and, realistically, how much time you or they can invest in this task.
Who will be creating your Facebook posts? This could be you, your spouse, your kid, an intern, a staff member or some combination.
Example: My general manager will work with me to make a monthly schedule. We will both be creating posts.
How often will you post? This doesn’t have to be extremely regimented. However, in general, consider posting on a regular schedule, such as daily, weekly, every Wednesday after the staff meeting, or every Friday after you make your bank deposit.
Example: My general manager will post holiday greetings, a Customer of the Week and any changes to our hours. I will post once a week about a benefit of coming to our location.
Who will monitor your Facebook Page by responding to comments and questions? With Facebook, your goal is engagement, meaning you want your target audience to respond, provide input and ask questions. Consider assigning a staff member to monitor and notify you if there is any feedback you may want to see or respond to. Another option is to check in with your page at the beginning, middle and end of your day – I recommend setting a timer for 10 minutes so that you don’t get “sucked in”and spend too much time on non-productive browsing.
Tip: Facebook has several tools to help you know when someone responds to your posts, without having to be on Facebook 24/7.
Who needs to be aware of your businesses Facebook activity? Share what you are doing with staff members who may receive questions or comments.
What
Having a few broad things to communicate that align with your “Why”will help get you started on the right foot. Brainstorm some ideas for 10 minutes.
What will you post about? Based on what is important to your target audience, what can you say that will lead them to consider and use your services?
Example: I will post each week about a different challenge and how we address it – such as “find free time; using off-peak hours you can get your laundry done in half the time by using multiple machines,” or “make it social; catch up with friends, do laundry together and receive one free wash and dry cycle.”
Tip: In the next article, we’ll discuss creating a calendar to plan and organize posts. For now, keep it very simple by starting with major holidays that may impact your hours, as well any events in which you participate.
Are You Ready?
Based on the first installment of this series (“Face First into Facebook, September 2017), let’s ensure you’re ready to roll. Take 10 minutes, review your page, including the considerations below and schedule a meeting with yourself to compose your first post.
Do you have a good logo for your profile picture? Use a high-quality image, following Facebook’s specifications. A PNG or JPG will do. Note that Facebook recently changed, so the profile image is displayed in a circular shape in ads and posts. Be sure that your logo appears correctly.
Do you have a good background image? This can be a nice image of your storefront, your team, a stock image of people experiencing a service you offer or, if you have a website, an image from your home page. Using a consistent image will help make a lasting impression, especially if people have seen the image before (like on your website, your van or while driving by your location).
Do you have time and a rough plan? After completing the four foundations, you should be all set. The most important aspect is to schedule time for yourself (and/or your staff) to work on your posts.
Tip: Use your calendar and schedule a meeting with yourself for an hour for each post. It may not take that long, but allow yourself time. Use the “recurring”meeting function in your calendar, or be sure to pencil in the meetings a couple of months out.
Share!
Once you have a plan you can follow and you’ve made your first post, share it. Tell your customers, tell your family and friends, tell your colleagues. Ask for their input and support.
In the coming months, we will work on how to grow your following and on some great ideas for posts. However, for now, just play around and find a schedule and groove that works for you.
[Stay tuned for future articles on ideas for creating content, great ways to increase your audience, and top ways to increase engagement.]
Bonnie Hanson is the strategic advisor for The Laundry Doctor, based in St. Paul, Minn. She is a tech-savvy professional, who is well-versed in business strategy development, marketing and branding.
