By Adrienne Erin
Boasting over 1.3 billion users, Facebook is by far the world’s largest social network.
To capitalize on that captive audience — after all, in order to use Facebook, you have to engage with it — most businesses have set up a digital shop on the social network. In fact, earlier this year, Facebook announced that in addition to all of the industry juggernauts you can expect to find on it, more than 30 million small businesses also have presences on the platform.
From increased brand awareness to generating another source of revenue, it’s probably in the best interest of all companies to set up shop on Facebook. If you’re thinking about doing that for your brand, consider imitating some of the characteristics of these companies’ hot-shot Facebook presences:
1. Havahart | Facebook Page
Who doesn’t like pictures of cute animals coupled with tips on how to protect your garden from outdoor pests? Havahart’s Facebook page proves that there is great value in simplicity. They don’t post constantly, and that’s okay. Nobody wants their news feeds populated by a brand that’s constantly self-promoting itself, or even just being too chatty.
2. Urban Outfitters | Facebook Page
Shop-a-holics beware: Urban Outfitters maintains quite the impressive social media presence, populating its Facebook feed with great photos of its new clothing lines. If you’re looking for some new duds, you might want to follow this brand. If you’re trying to save money, ignore it at all costs.
3. Dogfish Head Beer | Facebook Page
Is it 5 o’clock yet? Known for its aggressively flavored brews, Dogfish Head’s Facebook feed consists of a combination of company news and photos of products. The company guides you along the brewing process with pictures, providing interesting insight into what it’s like to brew beer.
4. Starbucks | Facebook Page
Head on over to Starbucks’ Facebook page and you’ll feel like you’re a kid playing in the leaves once more. It appears the coffee company is ready for autumn, and when you head over there, you can almost feel yourself cuddled up next to a fire with a good book.
5. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | Facebook Page
From news about who’s coming to the venue to real-time updates about traffic conditions the day of the show, Bethel Woods’ Facebook page is a great resource for music lovers. It’s 2014, so why wouldn’t you provide breaking news to your customers as quickly as you can?
6. Safer Brand | Facebook Page
You can certainly stand to learn a lesson from Safer Brand, a company in the organic gardening and pest control niche. The company’s Facebook page is rife with questions. What better way to engage your audience than to speak directly with them and try to see what their opinions are?
7. Phish | Facebook Page
A band with a rabid fan base, Phish uses their page to provide fans with all kinds of interesting nuggets of information about the band’s history. A lot of Phish shows sell out, and when ticket rereleases take place, you can find out about them first on the band’s social media profiles. The band also announces sales and new tour dates and promotes other causes, too, like encouraging its fans to register to vote if they’ve not yet done so.
8. Little Pub | Facebook Page
Disclaimer: this place is one of my favorite restaurants. As delicious as the food there is, as some sort of testament to digital sorcery, the Little Pub makes its food look almost tastier on its Facebook page. You’re at work scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed looking for marketing inspiration when all of a sudden, boom, Little Pub posts a photo that looks so tasty you want to take a bite out of your computer.
9. Ben & Jerry’s | Facebook Page
From imposing pictures of ice cream that looks too delicious to be real to kernels of information about various social causes and places to eat around the country, Ben & Jerry’s does more than just promote itself. Nobody wants to hear a brand talk about itself constantly, and Ben & Jerry’s understands this. The company does a great job of toeing the line.
10. Renewal by Andersen | Facebook Page
Can we call their Facebook feed home improvement porn? Honestly, you might not want to follow this brand because you’ll immediately wish you lived elsewhere. Renewal by Andersen posts pictures that are certain to make you go “whoa.” On top of that, the company regularly holds contests, so fans remain engaged.
Every company has its own personality, so it’s important to keep in mind that you should move forward with your own unique vision. Your Facebook page shouldn’t be a carbon copy of any of the company pages listed above. But you can feel free to steal some of the more appealing characteristics from each while you craft your own unique presence.
At the end of the day, you just want to create a page that your customers won’t regret following, so keep that in mind as you begin planning your Facebook profile.
Adrienne Erin is a social media marketing writer who loves picking apart campaigns to see what makes them tick. To see more of her work, visit Design Roast or follow @adrienneerin on Twitter.
