Maximise Facebook

Title: Maximize Your Facebook Business Page

As a direct seller or party plan consultant you cannot go without a Facebook business page.

Seriously, if you don’t have a business page yet – go and make one right now before coming back… I’ll wait here for you.

Your Facebook business page is like your shop front and Yellow Pages ad all in one. It’s where people get to know you and your business, it’s how they stay in touch, it’s where they can re-order or arrange for an event, it’s where they ask questions, it’s a clubhouse. It’s all that and so much more.

6 Tips to Boost Your Business Page

1. Post Every Day

Aim to post on your page once a day. Every day is best but the minimum you want to work with is 5 times a week.

This doesn’t mean you have to remember every day to post something – this is where the magic of scheduling comes in! I set time aside at the start of each month to schedule most of my posts for the month. This means that when I get busy, my page will still get updated with quality content.

I use the scheduling function of Facebook itself rather than a 3rd party tool and I personally schedule 4-5 posts a week. That leaves me some room for spontaneous posts or Lives.

2. Quality Over Quantity

I know I just said it’s important to post often….but it’s even more important to post quality content!

If you only ever share images supplied by your company, your reach (the number of people who see your post) will be very low. This is because Facebook values unique content and will give content that’s not unique (such as company images that every consultant uses) a lower rating.

Maximize your Facebook business page : tips for direct sellers.

Also, it would be a bit boring….why would your customers follow you on Facebook if you don’t provide them with interesting, unique and quality content?

A great rule of thumb is the 9-1-1 guide. This guide says that in a posting cycle you post 9 entertaining or informative posts, 1 promotional post, and 1 personal post.

The entertaining or informative posts can include product information, inspirational quotes, how-to tips, links to relevant articles, photos, videos, etc. Try to post a variety of different things. I came across this great 9-1-1 code in a book by Karen Clarke – ‘Social Media For Direct Selling Representatives’ … a great resource!

If you need some ideas on what to post, grab this list of 50 post ideas.

Once you’ve started doing this, you’ll notice what your followers engage with the most and you can post more of that type of content.

3. Don’t Ignore People

When people reach out to you with a comment or question, reply to them as quickly as you can.

You would never ignore someone face-to-face so don’t do it on social media either. This is not just unprofessional, Facebook will actually downgrade your rating if you’re slow to respond! This means that your posts will not feature as high in people’s newsfeeds and they might forget about you.

If you’re not an avid ‘Facebooker’, set a reminder on your phone or computer to check your page regularly and respond to messages or comments.

4. Maximize Your Reach

You can maximize your reach by understanding how Facebook prioritizes content.

The top priority is Facebook Live. If you’re not already doing Lives, you really need to step out of your comfort zone and start doing Live videos.
Next comes native video (native is uploaded to Facebook, not linked from somewhere else). If you’re not comfortable doing Lives, maybe you can record a video and upload that to your business page. This way you can have as many do-overs as you like!
Keep in mind that most people watch videos without sound and decide in the first 3 second whether they’ll keep watching. So the start of your video must hook your audience and captions will really help!
A post with a unique tile or image is the next priority for Facebook. It generally gets twice as many views as a text-only status update.
Non-unique images and YouTube links are given the lowest priority. I find that only 5% of my audience will see a post like this compared to a Facebook Live. And if you post too many non-unique images or YouTube links, your page’s overall reach will decline.

5. Competitions

Only Facebook business pages are allowed to run competitions, personal profiles can’t.(Another reason you really want a business page!)

Competitions are a great way to boost engagement on your page. But (isn’t there always a ‘but’?)…but there are rules. Depending on where you live there are government rules on competitions and Facebook also has rules. You can check all the Facebook rules here but a big one is that you’re not allowed to ask for ‘shares’ or ‘tag your friend’ as part of the entry conditions.

So what can you ask for? Here are a few ideas:

Comment on the post for a chance to win
Like my post
Vote to enter (perhaps use a poll or through comments)
Comment with your favorite product
Share your top tip about the products
Comment with a selfie and your favorite product

6. Link A VIP Group

If you don’t already have a VIP Group…you’ll want one! All you have to do is set-up a Facebook group and build it into a customer community. You can entice people to join the group by telling them they’ll be the first to hear about sales and new offers.

Now link this VIP group to your business page using these instructions.

The way I think of it is that my business page is my shop front that I use to attract people into my ‘store’ while the group is a community of loyal customers that can lead to new team members, more bookings, and higher sales.

If you want to learn more about how to rock your Facebook business pages and your Facebook groups, check out the Attraction Marketing Course.

In the course you’ll learn how to maximize your business page and groups, how to create your own online brand, how to create videos and images for social media, and you’ll learn about avatars.

If you believe that you could make better use of social media in your direct sales business, this is the course for you!

Check What’s In the Course

If you’re looking for some more Facebook tips, check out these articles:

Advice for social sellers in the direct sales industry
I recently had a long chat with a friend of a friend, a lovely lady called Claire. She’s joined a… Read More
How to sell in your customer groups
You have a customer group, right? As a direct seller you need to be on social media (yep, stating the… Read More
Quick Valentine’s ideas for direct sellers
Valentine’s day is a great opportunity for direct sellers to promote their business. As you know I like to change… Read More
Attract people into your customer group
Your Facebook Group is your hangout, your clubhouse. That’s where you engage with your fans and it’s where you’re most… Read More
The Do’s and Don’ts for your Profile Picture
A profile picture on Facebook and other social media is prime real-estate for direct sellers. Don’t underestimate this aspect of… Read More

Social Media Post Ideas

50 Social Media Post Ideas

Wondering what to post on your business social media page today? We’ve got you covered with 50 (!) ideas that you can use. Our checklist contains ideas for direct sellers that practice attraction marketing (a way of marketing on social media without being spammy) and can be used again and again. The aim of this list is to help you make your business pages unique and interesting.

Boooooring Facebook Pages

I see so many direct sales pages that are boring because they only contain the company’s branded content and only talk about the company or the products. These types of pages don’t get much attention. Not only is it not interesting for fans or followers, but Facebook’s algorithm won’t rate them highly either. So these pages get buried at the bottom of the feed, if shown at all.

What is the Facebook algorithm?

An algorithm is a formula or set of steps to achieve something or solve a problem. In Facebook, the algorithm decides what to show you in your newsfeed and in which order. Everybody’s newsfeed is different because the algorithm takes your own behavior as well as other bits of information into account. So when you open Facebook, the algorithm looks at all the stories posted by your friends and by the pages that you follow. The algorithm then looks at things like who posted the story and how often they publish, any negative feedback on that author, what time it is now, what device you’re on, what engagement stories already have (the more engagement they have the more likely it is that you’ll see it in your feed), if a friend has already commented, and much more. The Facebook algorithm uses all that information to make some predictions, such as how likely you are to click on a story, watch a video, share a story, etc. This helps the algorithm decide what to show you in your newsfeed and in what order. How do you get the algorithm to like you? There are some general recommendations:

Complete your Facebook profile.
Publish regularly.
Create content likely to elicit positive feedback from your audience (positive comments, likes, or reactions. Reactions affect post ranking slightly more than likes). But do not ask for shares or likes – this is frowned upon by the algorithm.
When you want to post a video use Facebook Live or upload videos to Facebook directly instead of linking to YouTube.
Publish content that promotes engagement and an investment of time from your audience (video content is great for that).
Post content that’s informative and shareable.

Posts with Personality

Facebook, and most importantly your fans, like to see real content. Content with personality, content that’s interesting, content with useful resources or tips, content that’s unique. This is why you want to create your own unique images and not just re-use the company’s branded content. Facebook will rank images that are used by lots of people lower than unique content. And when you have plenty of interesting and unique content on your business page, you’re ranked well by Facebook. When that happens, Facebook is more likely to show your followers any branded content when you do share a company video or image.

9-1-1

A handy rule of thumb for what to post is the “9-1-1” rule. Out of every 11 posts, you post 9 unique and interesting bits of content, one promotional post (perhaps provided by your company) and one personal post. The personal post will give your fans an insight into who you are, why you do what you do, and an insight to your life (eg. family, study, other work, hobbies, interests, talents, pets). This helps your fans and customers to relate to you as a person. You are, after all, in the relationship business. People buy from you, not from a faceless company. The downloadable list provides you with ideas for each post type. I view my Facebook business page as a Yellow Pages advertisement for the 21st century. It’s important to stand out from the crowd, to be unique, and to be authentically you. When you do that, you will attract your ideal customers and fans and build on the relationships you already have. I generate quite a lot of new and repeat business from my Facebook page. If you follow these tips and use the downloadable list to get you started, you can too!

Downloadable: 50 Social Media Post Ideas

If you want to learn more about how to rock your Facebook business pages and your Facebook groups, check out the Attraction Marketing Course. In the course you’ll learn how to maximize your business page and groups, how to create your own online brand, how to create videos and images for social media, and you’ll learn about avatars. If you believe that you could make better use of social media in your direct sales business, this is the course for you! Check What’s In the Course

Facebook Parties: How to increase interaction and get better results

Is this you: You’re chilling out in your pajamas, you’re having a nice cup of tea (or glass of wine), you’re chatting on Facebook … and you’re making money!

Yes, this article is about direct selling parties on Facebook.

I’m going to help you out with some tips, hints, and games to help you increase fun, sales, and bookings.

How to Train Your Dragon Facebook

If you want great results from your Facebook parties, you have to “train” Facebook. Or more accurately, the Facebook algorithm.

Facebook Algorithm Quick Explainer

So when you open Facebook, the algorithm looks at all the stories posted by your friends and by the pages that you follow. The algorithm then looks at things like who posted the story and how often they publish, any negative feedback on that author, what time it is now, what device you’re on, what engagement stories already have (the more engagement they have the more likely it is that you’ll see it in your feed), if a friend has already commented, and much more.

The Facebook algorithm uses all that information to make some predictions, such as how likely you are to click on a story, watch a video, share a story, etc. This helps the algorithm decide what to show you in your newsfeed and in what order.

How do you get the algorithm to like you? There are some general recommendations:

Complete your Facebook profile.
Publish regularly.
Create content likely to elicit positive feedback from your audience (positive comments, likes, or reactions. Reactions affect post ranking slightly more than likes). But do not ask for shares or likes – this is frowned upon by the algorithm.
When you want to post a video use Facebook Live or upload videos to Facebook directly instead of linking to YouTube videos.
Publish content that promotes engagement and an investment of time from your audience (video content is great for that).
Post content that’s informative and shareable.

You need to teach the algorithm that the people in your event actually want to see your posts. To do that, you need to make sure that you’re getting good engagement (which is measured by comments, likes or reactions).

When posts have good engagement, the algorithm will value them higher and show your posts to your guests in their daily newsfeed. And this means they don’t just see your posts when they choose to go into your event.

Having your posts showing up in their newsfeed serves as a great reminder of your party and increases the likelihood that they’ll come back to the event.

So, in addition to the general recommendations to “make the algorithm happy” (see the Facebook Algorithm Quick Explainer above), you need to publish posts that create engagement from your Facebook party guests.

But, how do you do that?

Videos Rule the Ranking

Get better results from your facebook parties - direct sales

One way to get engagement is to create videos for your parties.

You can do a quick Facebook Live to get the party started or demonstrate products.

With Facebook Live you get a chance to show the authentic you – it’s unedited and “raw”. And people respond to that.

Another reason why Facebook Live works so well is that you can connect with your audience. You can talk to them while you’re doing the Live when they comment so they feel valued and “heard”. The audience can also ask questions and you can immediately answer them, so a Q&A session works well for Facebook Live.

Of course, once a Live is over the video will stay accessible inside your event so people who’ve missed it can view it later. Never done a Live? Check out this guide with screenshots.

If you’re not comfortable doing Lives, at least pre-record a few videos that you can pull out for your Facebook parties. Videos rank well and people enjoy them but Live videos rank even better (and you don’t need any special software!).

People Love to Play

I’ve also collected a few games and posts that are designed for a bit of fun and engagement. I’ll talk about each of them below and I’ve included a bundle of downloadable tiles that are ready to go in your parties (scroll down to download).

What is your unicorn name Facebook tile.

Tell Us Your Unicorn Name
There’s something about these types of posts that draws people in. I always get great engagement when I post something like this.

I use these posts for seasonal holidays (Elf Names at Christmas or Easter Bunny Name around Easter), and generic ones such as Unicorn Names, Tropical Names, Pirate Names, Hippie Names, etc. at other times of the year.

You’ll find a few different versions in the download bundle.

How well do you know your host Facebook tile.

Guessing Game Contests
For these types of games I always have a small prize for the winner (the first person to guess correctly), which increases engagement and guests enjoy it.

You could play “How well do you know your host?” Guests have to guess which of four of the options in the image the host likes best.

When you post the image, explain the game and mention the host by name (they may otherwise confuse “host” with you, the party plan consultant). And, of course, tell the guests what the prize is! Then let the guessing begin.

To really make this game work for you, create your own tiles with pictures of your company’s products. You could have the guests guess which of the products in the image the host likes best. Another version is to have the guests guess which of 4 to 6 products is your company’s best seller.

These games work well because there’s a bit of competition and with the product version the guests will already be thinking about what they’d like to buy!

(Don’t forget to show the host the images in advance so she can let you know what her favorites are!)

Party Points
This game really appeals to the competitive people out there.

I usually use this as a pre-party post. In the post I include the image, I explain how it works and I let the guests know I have prizes for the people with the most points (you can choose to give prizes to the top 3 or just reward the number 1).

With this game you encourage engagement, sales, and bookings! Win

To make this game work better, provide a leaderboard update a few times throughout your Facebook party.

Book a Party, Pick a Prize Facebook Tile

Book a Party, Pick a Prize
This is a great way to entice people to book their own Facebook or in-home party with you.

People love mystery prizes! You can choose to give hints about each number, you could tell them the type of prize, give them an approximate value, or keep it a complete mystery.

You’ll find a few versions of this booking tile in the bundle, including a Halloween and a Christmas version.

Key Takeaways

Facebook uses an algorithm to decide what to serve in a person’s newsfeed
You need ‘train’ the algorithm that your Facebook party guests want to see your posts
Use video to increase engagement and increase the time people spend on your posts
Facebook Live ranks incredibly well in the algorithm
You can make your parties more fun and increase engagement with games

I’ve got a whole bundle of tiles for you that you can use in your next Facebook party. They are ready to go, all you need to do is create a fun post in your Facebook party event!

Update: I’ve added some Halloween versions of tiles for your Halloween themed Facebook parties!

Update 2: I’ve added some Christmas tiles for your Facebook parties in November and December!

Update 3: You’ll find new Valentine’s and Easter-themed versions in the bundle now.

After reading all that, have you decided what you’ll try in your next Facebook party?

Games are an awesome secret weapon for your parties. Because they help guests to relax and have fun and that helps you to get your booking or recruiting message across.

Games also help to keep your parties fresh because with a big stash of games you can always mix things up for repeat guests.

Grab the Ultimate Games Bundle with more than 25 done-for-you games that are ready to play at your in-home and your Facebook parties! All the necessary printables and images are included.