Carroll Community College's Facebook Best Practices for Pages

Facebook Best Practices for Pages

Promote Your Page

Increasing the number of people who like your Page can be challenging, so consider the following when
promoting your Page.

 Use your personal profile to invite your friends using Facebook’s “Invite Friends” option. Some
friends will like your Page, while others will ignore the request. It's best to send the request only
once; otherwise, you risk irritating people who may like your Page later.

 Include “Carroll Community College” in your Page title. It’s very likely people will search for your
Page using “Carroll Community College” search terms. If those search terms are part of your
Page’s title, your Page will result in better search rankings.

 Claim a unique web address and share it with people. Easily direct someone to your Page by
setting a unique web address for your Page. People have an easier time remembering
meaningful short urls, so the shorter and more meaningful your unique web address is, the
easier it will be for people to remember. For example, the main college Facebook Page is
www.facebook.com/carrollccedu. Once the url is chosen, it’s best to keep it and not change it.

 Add a reminder in your posts for viewers to “Like” your status updates and click the “Share”
button so their friends will be alerted about your update. You should only do this occasionally,
like for major events or important announcements. Adding the reminder to nearly every post
can give the impression of being aggressive.

 Use status-tagging to bring in new connections. Tagging another Facebook Page in a post can
draw attention from Page(s) being tagged and their fans. You should only tag when you have a
good reason to do so.

 Consider participating outside of your Page. Use the Facebook Search and real-time social media
search engines (e.g. Icerocket) to locate other Facebook Pages that share the same interests as
your Page. Select Login to your Page to share, like and comment on their posts. Their fans may
like what you’re saying and, as such, like your Page.

Post Frequently

Try to post two to three times a day. People participating in social media expect to be engaged regularly.
Nothing makes for a bad Facebook Page more than stagnant content. Lack of Page activity will leave
people with a negative impression, which may result in people removing themselves from liking your
Page.

Keep Your Posts Short

The News Feed contains a lot of information, so a post that is simple and concise is more likely to be
noticed than a lengthy post. According to Facebook, posts that contain less than 250 characters
generate 60% more likes, comments and shares than posts that are greater than that amount.

Make Posts Compelling

Posts should focus on the activities and interests that are specific to your Page. Consider posting
information on events, news items, links, photos, videos and interesting facts. Also, look at your Page’s
Insights for posts that tend to get the most interaction, and continue to write about those subjects.

Facebook’s algorithm, gives preference to Page posts that include photos and videos over text only Page
posts.

Photos are a good attention grabber and they are more likely to show up in follower News Feeds than
text posts. People enjoy looking at themselves and others participating in some type of activity, and they
will often comment and tag themselves and others.

Photos need to be clearly visible and of a good quality. Bright, colorful images depicting human
interaction tend to receive more attention. Posted photos must meet the college’s
Taping/Photographing of Student and Visitors policy; otherwise, signed release forms from the
identifiable individuals in the photo or video are required. If you have questions regarding video post
quality, contact the Media Office at 410-386-8346.

Interact with Your Audience

Your audience is likely to post questions to your Page and send your Page private messages. It’s
important you respond to them in a timely manner (i.e. within 24 hours). Though, your interaction
doesn’t have to stop there. Comment on their posts to your Page, and add value to the conversation by
providing additional information. Hashtags can also be useful for engagement, especially for an event or
activity.

If you are looking for feedback or to start a conversation, try one of the following:

 Ask for opinions.
 Try “fill in the blank” posts. If you want to give your audience a very simple way to engage with

your post, ask them to finish your sentence. This could provide valuable feedback on a specific
issue.
 Post a picture of an event or activity, and ask people to create the best caption.

Monitor Comments and Posts

Facebook should be treated like any other communication vehicle. If someone complains,
address the issue in a customer service like manor. If someone’s remarks make you
uncomfortable, consult the Social Media Standard’s Unacceptable Content section to see if the post
needs to be removed. If you need further assistance, speak with the Digital Marketing
Administrator/Copywriter. Student clubs should first speak with their club’s advisers.

Respond to Critical Posts
Occasionally, you may find a critical post from someone. Unless the post demonstrates Carroll’s
Social Media Standard’s Unacceptable Content, it’s better to address critical posts with by
responding professionally.
Responding to critical posts is an opportunity for you to state the facts. You may even
find the post leads to a valuable conversation, and other audience members may
comment in support of your department, program or student club.
Offer to help with a complaint of a problem. In many cases, offering to solve a problem
is the most important thing you can do.
Although it is not possible to please everyone, if you take a professional approach in
telling your side of the story, readers are smart enough to understand your views,
interpret the compliant in context, and will appreciate your willingness to engage.
Remove Unacceptable Content
Posts that reflect the Social Media Standard’s Unacceptable Content must be deleted,
and you must notify the person about the deletion of the post to allow him/her to
adjust the content for re-posting.

Updated: Oct. 9, 2015