Marketing your business has never been cheaper. Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of euro on newspaper, radio, or on television advertising, you can now promote your brand effectively online for little or no cost. Facebook advertising can be hugely effective for Irish companies, and we work with many of our customers to help them plan their online marketing strategies. Targeted paid advertising and competitions will bring in new likes for your Facebook page, but there’s no point in buying likes without keeping those likes engaged. Update frequently If you allow your Facebook page to go stale, then don’t be surprised if you never get any likes, shares, or comments. Anyone who has liked your page already is interested in what you have to offer, so don’t be afraid to discuss anything new in your industry. If some new stock comes in, tell your fans about it. Talk about the weather You don’t always need to talk about your business on your business page. Current events are always a great way to get people talking, whether it’s this weekend’s big GAA game or last night’s Coronation Street cliffhanger, people like discussing what’s in the news – and Irish people especially, we love talking about the weather! A picture paints a thousand words Getting people to share anything other than a competition is a tricky task, but not impossible. An amazing photograph will get people talking, but also get plenty of shares – especially if it’s something funny that they might want to pass on to their friends. Create an opinion poll Use the Question option (under Offer/Event) when creating a new status to get your fans engaged. You don’t even have to keep it on topic, just make it interesting enough that people will want to give their opinion. Every time someone answers your poll, it’ll show up on their own wall, which will encourage their own friends to participate as well. Don’t be afraid to ask If you look at American companies on Facebook, you’ll see they always try to encourage interaction from their fans. You can be direct on Facebook to build engagement – a call to action can really help get your fans talking. If you tell people to do it, don’t be surprised if they actually follow your instructions! Schedule posts in advance It’s far better to stay up-to-date with your status updates, but there’s many things you can schedule posts for – such as upcoming events, special offers, and even new stock announcements. Online tools like Hootsuite are great for planning ahead, ensuring that your page stays active, even if you’re away. Remember, you can always edit an update before it’s posted, so keeping on topic is never much of a problem!