Five tips to make your Facebook page work for you

You've taken the plunge and set your business up with a Facebook fan page. You've read the pages and pages of terms and conditions and you know what not to do when you're posting to the page. The trouble is you're not quite sure where exactly you should start.

Start Up has done some research and come up with some tips for you:

1 Cover photo

The cover photo on your page is prime real estate and is your chance to make a great first impression, so use the space wisely. While the rules around what you can put in that space are quite strict (it can't be word heavy, it can't carry a call to action) you can use it to visually promote your business. Use this space to show off events and products that will catch your client's attention.

2 Images

Timeline is image focused, so take advantage of it and get those photos up there. Encourage your staff and your clients to help out too. There's truth in that old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words.

3 Insights

The insights graphs and statistics, similar to the Google analytics you are already used to, are your friends. Insights tell you how much reach your page actually has and if it is doing what you expected.  They'll also provide valuable information about the things that interest your fans.

4 Milestones

Recording milestones allows you to show off your company's achievements and memorable moments. This is where you celebrate a decade in business, your fancy new rebranding, the business award you won last week, or your 100th sale (or fan). Remember to include a photo and respond to any comments you get from your fans.

5 Engage and embrace

Talk to your fans. Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to Facebook, so encourage your fans to post images and comments and then highlight them. As people see you are genuinely responding and reacting to them, they will begin to visit your site more regularly.