This is a very helpful, informative thread! I recently started a Facebook page for my own farm since our website is not yet ready to unveil. Thank you everyone for the tips! 
Thank you, OP, for this thread…it is very informative!! I was stumped as to the custom URL’s for FB…thanks Dags for the instructions!!
Of course having a multi-lingual page when the page administrator is fluent in more than one language is better than the rough auto-translations. I just wanted to point out that the auto-translation is provided for cases where posts are not in the reader’s language. I’ve had a few posts on my page from fans who posted in languages that I do not read or write. So the auto-translate meant that I could read and respond to those foreign language posts even if imperfectly.
Premium Warmbloods has also joined the Facebook world and invites everyone to “like” our Facebook page.
We are looking forward to sharing all our photos, updates and news on our Facebook Page!
Done 
As an outside person I thought that I would throw in my two cents:
-
Do not use your page as a way to talk about personal problems, health issues, politics, animal rights, etc. I have unliked several farms for this reason. Often times I love the horses they produce and I want to hear updates but I don’t want to hear their opinion about a new bill or that their daughter has the flu.
-
Communicate with other pages. If I am on Farm XX page and Farm YY makes a thoughtful and interesting response to a post then I am much more likely to click on Farm YY and read up about them.
-
Have an about section. Make sure that it is succinct, interesting, and informative. I don’t want to hear the entire Farm’s history but it would be nice to know if you have an external website, how long you’ve been around, and where you are located.
-
Upload GOOD pictures. If you have a nice colt on the ground then don’t do him a disservice by uploading 10 blurry pictures taken on your phone. If you are not a very talented photographer than I think it is a wise investment to hire a competent photographer. It instantly makes your page look more professional and makes the reader want to flip through your pictures, scroll down your wall, etc.
Having just rolled over 9,300 fans of our farm page, we have interesting statistics. Because we are producing an American product, lots of our fans are foreign. A high percentage are in the Middle East, South America, The Pacific rim and eastern Europe. Ellie (Tasker here) has a university degree in fine art photography so she can put her skills to use. We update often.
A sense of the daily joy this business brings is as important to share as successes to add to the sense of community.
Having fun with our fans is as important as sharing our news and daily updates.
Nothing is more off putting than arrogant stupidity or sanctimonious superiority. If we post something silly, we try to have the capacity to laugh at ourselves. We enjoy our daily grind and really enjoy hearing from and about others who have chosen this strange difficult path that brings such joys one minute and can break your heart the next.
[QUOTE=tbmorgan;6249202]
Wow, what a wonderful and timely thread! I have just recently developed my business presence on Facebook as well as my own website, so the tips and hints here have been extremely helpful (and I haven’t even worked my way through all the posts yet!)
Anyway, I have claimed my FB URL and put it as well as my website in my siggy here, so if anyone is so inclined, I’d love some feedback! Mine isn’t a breeding farm, but it is horse-related!
Thanks,
Katja[/QUOTE]
I love the halter/bridle combo:yes: Nice stuff !!
I have liked everyone that I didn’t already have
I mostly enjoy facebook. My farm page is River Oaks Farm - facebook page .
I don’t post much, this time of year it’s mostly cute foal photos. I just posted a new one today
I agree with the others who’ve mentioned keeping the farm page relatively professional, and leaving politics, relationship drama, health problems, and so forth on a personal page.
Reasons I’ve unfriended and/or “hidden” people and/or pages:
– ranting about politics.
– people who exploit the “free advertising” aspect of facebook.
– when I’m afraid I won’t be able to bite my tongue any longer, usually about FHOTD-worthy breeding choices or a breeding program headed down a bad path.
– people who post photo after photo after photo, virtually hijacking facebook so that you’ve got to scroll past a dozen photos from the same person to see if your other friends had anything to share that day. Facebook lets you upload photos in groups of five, which I find infinitely preferable if you’re uploading several photos at the same time.
There are also more subtle tasteless and manipulative things which people do to promote themselves and their businesses, which I don’t like – you know it when you see it. Some people dance around COTH’s no-advertising policy in a similar subtly exploitative way.
I also manage the facebook presence for two significant “horse businesses”, so maybe by having to stay aware of “what not to do” it makes me more aware when I see those mistakes made by others. You don’t want your facebook page to be the cyber equivalent of the pushy loud party guest who drowns out all conversation to brag about themselves all night
Wow! This is some really great information. Thanks everyone for posting! I feel like I’m on the right path here with all the stuff you can do on fb.
We have used the advertising and have mixed feelings about it. (I always take advantage of the free advertising $$ that I get occasionally) We do increase our fans by a good bit when we run the ad, but I find it hard to renew and the billing can be confusing. Does anyone else use paid advertising? What results have you gotten?
We use the FB ads and it seems cost effective.
Excellent post, RiverOaks.
There’s an interesting thread on Off Topic Day right now about what not to do on FB (or, what sort of posts make people annoyed). Reiterates exactly what you’re saying.
The title of that thread? “Why I’m Starting to Hate Facebook”:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=354946
[QUOTE=GraceLikeRain;6342329]
As an outside person I thought that I would throw in my two cents:
…
-
Have an about section. Make sure that it is succinct, interesting, and informative. I don’t want to hear the entire Farm’s history but it would be nice to know if you have an external website, how long you’ve been around, and where you are located.
-
Upload GOOD pictures. …[/QUOTE]
Everything GLR says.
And 3 & 4 are SOOO important. Be sure to give your contact information and web address on the INFO or ABOUT page.
Make sure it is REALLY EASY to contact you and to find your website if you have one.
lol, what a timely coincidence hansiska, thanks for sharing. I forget about the Off Topic Day forum.
I try not to post too much but just enough to keep the info about my horses out there…like show results and breeding plans, horses for sale etc…anything “personal” I keep to my own page, and even then I only post things for certain groups if you will…most people don’t need to know about my kids and what not 
I did find this thread very helpful and I believe my audience has grown by 50+ people since…long way to go but we are getting there!!
Yes these are great suggestions and very helpful. I try to organize pictures in albums so individuals horses are easy to follow up on. It’s way less work than with the ‘real’ website as I don’T have to minimize pics before uploading but can just bulk-upload and then delete the ones I feel are dispensable.
[QUOTE=Kareen;6347743]
Yes these are great suggestions and very helpful. I try to organize pictures in albums so individuals horses are easy to follow up on. It’s way less work than with the ‘real’ website as I don’T have to minimize pics before uploading but can just bulk-upload and then delete the ones I feel are dispensable.[/QUOTE]
Yes and this too ^^ :winkgrin:
Thanks for the ideas. Linked my COTH siggie right away!
Very nice thread! thanks for the tips! Our page is pretty quiet I usually post only once a week or so.
I liked a lots of FB page going thru these pages :yes:
[QUOTE=TrinitySporthorses;6255980]
Did you know that you can target your advertisments? You can choose the gender, age(s), location, and more so your ad appears only to your best audience. For example, you could choose females ages 40-60, that live in the same state as you, who “like” dressage (on FB) and/or Smartpak and/or Dover Saddlery, etc! Then, you are only charged when someone actually clicks on your ad.
I had not realized all this from what people mentioned above about FB ads, so I thought I would share.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for posting this. This thread has been extremely helpful. I am finally putting some time into my facebook page.
