Targeting Your Facebook Messaging For the Greatest Impact
 By Kaila Strong, social media architect, Vertical Measures LLC

Has the ever-growing, ever-knowing, social networking site Facebook reached its peak? Well, at over half a billion users to date and growing, the peak of Facebook's popularity remains to be seen. Brands and companies are flocking to the site, following in the steps of the consumer, further cementing Facebook's long-term presence.

So, what does this mean to you, website owner, search engine optimizer, and fellow/future social media strategist? It means we all should take a second glance at Facebook, and figure out how to make it work for us.

The first step is to get a Facebook business profile page. Set it up, make use of FBML boxes customization, add applications (try Involvers Twitter and YouTube apps), and start messaging.

Messaging
How well do you know your Facebook fans? Here are several ideas to get you started on learning about them:

• Q&A: Simply ask fans questions. What did you do this weekend? Would you rather watch: 10 hours of Lifetime Movie Network or be forced to watch grass grow for two days straight? What was the last check you wrote for? Do you often check your credit history? Each of these questions can help you figure out what fans do in their leisure time, their preferred method of punishment, their spending habits, and their attention to spending. Noticing patterns in responses from fans, and figuring out what gets them to engage, can all help in targeting your messaging for the greatest impact.

• Content: Sharing content with your fans is an effective way to gain success on Facebook. If you're seen as an expert in your industry, continually "sharing and caring," and sparking discussion, then one would assume that the next time one of your fans is in the market to purchase what you sell, they'll come to you.

• Facts: Everyone loves a bit of trivia. If you know trivia about something specific in your industry, share it. Examples like those on DidYouKnow.org are interesting and can get you noticed. Did you know that the muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body? Did you know, if a soup is too salty, to add raw cut potatoes and discard them after cooking to get rid of the saltiness? Did you know you can take pictures of a mirage? These factoids are perfect for an eye doctor, cooking fanatic, and photographer looking to engage with their fans.

• Statistics: Simply Googling a keyword in your industry paired with the word "statistics" will show a plethora of stats that you can share with your fans. A simple way to engage and share.

• Deals: Coupons, sweepstakes, giveaways, contests—we all love winning something, especially if it's free. What better way to understand your customers than through a promotion? Gather data, analyze it, and notice trends.

• Humor: Some might not feel comfortable integrating humor into their messaging, but we all love a good laugh. There are thousands of humor/joke sites available on the Web. Search them out, and find a few jokes for your industry to share with fans. Or heck, if you're funny enough, make up a few of your own.

• Simplicity: Sometimes, simplicity is the best way to go about your Facebook messaging. Your fans might not want to engage daily (or even monthly), or you might work in an industry that doesn't support a lot of discussion (think hemorrhoid cream product). That's when simple messaging, short and to the point, will have the greatest impact.

• Look for spikes or dips. What happened that day that may have caused the dip? Was it a particular type of message, tone, or piece of content? Monitor and measure the effects of changing your messaging or content.

• How many un-fanned? Always know how many subscribers/fans you have (this goes for blogging as well). Monitor and measure when fans are added or unsubscribe. Find the possible message or piece of content shared that could be attributed to the action, and measure the effects of changing your messaging to address it.

• Average interactions, quality per post, and number of likes show the engagement of your fans. Why did something receive a large number of likes and comments? Are there consistent days that your fans are active? Figure out the reason for upswings in engagement and patterns, and continue to perform this type of messaging.