Whether you’re just starting up your business’s Facebook page or looking to improve your engagement on an already established page, now is the perfect time for some serious improvements. Social media marketing is growing in importance every day, so let’s take advantage of everything Facebook has to offer us.

Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. We’ve put together a list of the most important Facebook marketing tips for your business.

1. Create a good URL

When you first create your Facebook business profile, you’ll be assigned a URL, consisting of a lot of numbers. To make your page easy to find and your links more recognizable, you should turn this link into something better. This will transform your URL from something like:

Facebook.com/yourbusiness/1239854 to a much better

Facebook/yourbusiness.

If your business name is already taken by someone else, don’t despair. Just do a slight variation of your business name.

2. Use an eye catching cover photo

An eye-catching and engaging photo is the first step to drawing a potential customer or fan in. The best Facebook cover photos should use the specified dimensions given by Facebook. (851X 315) to avoid unsightly image stretching and not to be too heavy on the text. It’s best to pick a single focal point to avoid overwhelming your follower’s eyes.

3. Create and post quality content

With so much competition on Facebook, don’t be afraid to be unique. Studies have shown time and time again that users generally respond positively to brands that use humor appropriately on social media. Joes are a great way to humanize your brand and give it a persona. Just remember to keep the jokes tasteful to avoid any controversy.

4. Answer criticism with empathy

Dealing with criticism on social media can be very difficult, with even well-known brands like Walmart occasionally missing the mark. Although it may be tempting to block and delete any negative message on your brand’s page, this method can quickly backfire and cause consumers to lose trust in your brand.

Instead, turn a potentially negative customer experience around by responding to your customers with empathy and courtesy. A heart-felt apology or an acknowledgment of a complaint will show your customers that your brand is committed to address their issues.

5. Respond fast to messages

Consumers on Facebook want brands to respond to them quick. While this isn’t always possible, you should try to answer all messages you receive in a timely manner.

Facebook indicates on your page how responsive you are to messages and this may impact on whether potential customers brother asking for quotes or messaging you for possible appointment times. Your responsiveness also acts as an indication of your level of customer service.

If you manage to respond to 90% of messages in 15 minutes over the past seven days, you’ll even earn a “very responsive to messages” badge on Facebook that will let everyone know that you answer messages fast and are always there to help customers.