One in five online page views in America occurs on Facebook. This means potential self-storage customers may not find your website, but there’s a good chance they’ll see your Facebook business page.
The Social Skinny, a blog focusing on strategy for social media, reports that more than 500 comments are posted every single minute on Facebook, which hosts 50 million small-business pages. If your self-storage facility doesn’t have an active, robust Facebook account, odds are high that your competitors do. Below are some creative posting ideas to keep your Facebook page fresh and engage your potential and current renters.
Facility and staff photos. It’s a proven fact that sharing photos of real people behind your brand will build trust and relationships with your audience. While potential renters seek good customer service, they’re drawn to an approachable and friendly staff. Photos of an employee party humanizes your brick-and-mortar store.
A personal story. Small owner-operators have an inherent advantage over giant storage companies, as they can share aspects of their personal lives that are relatable to followers. However, understand that social media platforms used by small businesses shouldn’t become a personal diary of your daily life. From time to time, post a personal story along with a photo. Humorous stories achieve more engagement. Travel photos of places you’ve vacationed may also gain traction.
A video. TechCrunch, an online publisher of technology and industry news, reports that 100 million hours of videos are watched on Facebook each day. How-to videos accumulate the most likes and shares. Videos of animals tend to go viral. You have a plethora of videos to choose from: how-to topics, breaking news, humor, animals and even videos or promos you create yourself. Mix it up and post one to two videos per week.
A question. Text-only posts can still achieve great engagement. Try something sports-related like, “Who will win the Superbowl?” Try a fill-in-the blank comment such as, “My favorite Starbucks drink is ____,” or a factual question such as, “Did you know Bill Gates earns $114.16 per second that he’s alive?” You can ask for tips such as, “Where’s a good place to vacation on a budget?” See what’s happening in the news, movies, TV shows, books or trending on social sites. Rule of thumb: Ask a question that would be fun to answer.
A holiday greeting. Celebrate every holiday in your region with an image or photo. Give a shout out to your followers to have a good Labor Day Weekend or “Happy Holidays.” Post relevant recipes leading up to that event. Any do-it-yourself craft ideas or how-to videos are also great options. For each holiday, you have at least a week’s worth of easy content you can create.
A motivational quote. Quotes perform well across most social media venues. Placing a quote on a photo is even better. You can find quote-generators online. If you have a quote in mind, you may find it with an image attached. Be sure to give credit to the creator of the meme, if available. Post one to two quotes a week.
Facebook was created as a social site to let people know what you’re doing. Keep that in mind the next time you draw a blank as to what to post on this social media platform.
Chuck G is the content developer and social media manager for iBid4Storage, an online auction-services company serving North America. For more information, call 855.424.3669; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.ibid4storage.com.