In the world we live in, it’s essential to have some sort of an online presence whether that’s a website, social media, or ideally, both. If someone is curious to learn about a business, it’s a way for them to do their own investigative work. It’s a first impression and strong indicator on if someone will choose to purchase or not. But when it’s all said and done, it comes down to trust. Does your business page build or break trust with the audience?
This idea was brought to my attention recently when I was trying to learn about a new local business. It was a suggested account for me to follow so I went to their page to learn more. I came to the conclusion that it was a fake business/spam page BUT later found out that it actually is a legitimate business that has done a poor job of marketing.
First, let’s dive into the absolute essentials of trust building on a page (in no particular order):
- An exact address (physical location business only)
- Photos of the business (physical location business only)
- Photos/short bios of the owners
- All links should work
- Active phone number (only if listing a number is necessary)
These are not must-haves but they will definitely help build trust.
- Multiple positive reviews
- Responding to comments/messaging response time within 48 hours
- Photos/short bios of employees (only if they are comfortable with it)
- Video content that shows the location
- Captions on the profile photo and cover photo (Facebook)
Now let’s go over a few things that will hinder or break trust:
- All stock imagery and stock videos
- Links that do not go to the intended website
- No personal photos
- No bio or “about” section
- General location (like state, city, or country but no actual address of physical business)
- Negative reviews OR multiple positive reviews that look scripted
Facebook business pages are particularly frustrating for business owners right now because the growth is so slow. In my opinion, Facebook has become a “pay to play” platform where unless you’re giving them advertising dollars, your page isn’t going to see the growth and engagement you’re looking for. I’m not suggesting you give up on Facebook though. I just think the strategy needs to be a bit different than years ago.
Cross-post content as much as you can. Whatever content you are producing for other platforms, use that same content on Facebook and don’t spend time creating Facebook-specific content.
Don’t get too discouraged by low reach and engagement. Instead, flip that mindset. Even if only 20 people see your post, there might be a great future customer in that group. Every single view matters.
If you have the budget to get into paid advertising, test it out and learn! It’s the industry standard now and, I predict, will be for years to come.