MASONIC MARKETING SERIES

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Social Media
USING A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
Introduction
In today’s increasingly digital world, social media is an essential tool for
communicating. Social media platforms like Facebook allow us to share
content with a large audience, network with our communities, and engage
in conversations with people all over the world.

As Masons, we can use Facebook to connect with our Brothers and show
the world what Freemasonry is really about.

However, it can be hard to know where to begin. Whether you have only
used Facebook for your personal account or you are new to the platform
altogether, managing a Facebook Page for your Masonic organization is a
whole new project.

That’s why we have compiled this list of Facebook tips and best practices
for Masons. This e-book will help you set up a Facebook Page and learn how
to use common features to better connect with the Masonic community.

WHAT IS FACEBOOK BEST USED FOR?

Of all social media platforms, Facebook is best for building an online
community. As Masons, we can use Facebook to share events,
announcements, inspirational stories, educational resources, and more.

Below are a few content ideas to get you started, but feel free to experiment
with other types of Facebook posts. Test out your ideas and see what
resonates with your Page followers:

• Announcements of upcoming Masonic events

• Photos and recaps of recent meetings or gatherings
• Fundraising initiatives
• Charitable efforts in local communities
• Spotlights on Brother Masons
• Stories of Brothers’ accomplishments
• Masonic trivia and historical facts about Freemasonry
• Quotes from famous Freemasons

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Facebook Pages
WHAT IS A FACEBOOK PAGE?
Everybody who signs up for a Facebook account gets a Facebook profile for
his or her personal use. Your personal profile is meant for sharing updates
about your personal life and connecting with family and friends.

When using Facebook for your Masonic organization, you need to set up a
Facebook Page, which is the equivalent of a Facebook profile for businesses
and organizations. Just as you do on your personal profile, you can post
updates to a Page. Instead of adding friends, people can “like” your Page
to see updates about your posts, photos, and videos in their news feeds.

If a Page already exists for your organization, ask the current Page admin
to give you access to manage the Page. If your Masonic organization
does not already have a Facebook Page, you can create one by going
to www.facebook.com/pages/creation and following the on-screen
instructions.

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TIPS FOR SETTING UP YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE
Facebook offers many ways for you to customize your Page. We recommend
starting with the basics:

• Add a profile photo and cover photo

• Show off your Masonic logo or seal in your profile picture.
• For the cover photo, you can feature photos of Brother Masons,
Masonic buildings, or images to promote upcoming events. We
recommend updating your cover photo regularly to keep your Page
fresh and relevant. For example, you can highlight a photo from a
recent event by making it your new cover photo.
• Photo specifications: Profile photos should be 170 x 170 pixels.
Cover photos should be 820 pixels wide x 312 pixels tall.
• Looking for a photo to use? Check out our “Not Just a Man. A
Mason.” campaign at www.notjustaman.org/facebook for free
Masonic images that are already sized for Facebook.

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UPDATE YOUR PAGE INFO
• Add basic information to your Page to tell people what your Masonic
organization is all about. You can include a concise description of what
you offer to current and prospective members. You should also include
contact info and a link to your website so that people know where they
can learn more.
• To add info to your Page:
• Click About on the left side of your Page.
• Click Edit Page Info.
• Click the section you want to edit and add info.
• Click Save Changes.

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• Customize your Page’s tabs
• On the left-hand side of your Facebook Page, you will see a list
of tabs such as “Home,” “About,” “Photos” and “Videos.” Explore
each of these tabs to see what sort of content you can include
for your Page.
• Beyond the default tabs that are on every Facebook Page, you
can also add other tabs like “Events,” “Groups,” or “Shop.” We
recommend only including categories that are relevant to the
content you post on your Facebook Page. This makes it easier
for people to navigate your Page.
• To add, remove, reorder, or customize your Page’s tabs, go to your
Page and click Settings. Then click Templates and Tabs in the left
column.

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Posting
Posting regularly on Facebook is the best way to keep your followers up
to date and inspired. You can post stories, quotes, photos, videos, events,
and more. We recommend posting a variety of content to keep your page
interesting and your users engaged.

How often should you post? We recommend posting at least three times
per week, but no more than once per day. This frequency gives you the best
chance of having your posts appear in your followers’ news feeds.

Typically, the best time to post to Facebook is during the afternoon between
1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., but the best way to truly find the right times for
your audience is to experiment with varied times and monitor how well your
posts perform. Each audience is unique, so find what works for you.

HOW TO CREATE A FACEBOOK POST:

• In the center of your page
underneath the cover photo
is a button that says “Create
Post”. To publish a new post
immediately, click here. (See below for instructions for scheduling
posts for a later time.)
• Within this field, write your post copy, including any photos, videos,
or article links you want to share.
• To schedule a post to be
published on a later date or
time, you’ll need to publish
your posts in Creator Studio.

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• Once in Creator Studio, click the box at the top of the page that says
“Post Something…”. A pop-up window will appear where you can add
text, photos, and videos but also see a preview of what your post will
look like on users’ desktop and mobile feeds.
• You can also schedule a post to
be published at a later date by
clicking on the small arrow next
to the blue “Publish” button.
Another pop-up window will
appear where you can select
the day and time you wish to
schedule.

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Photos
We recommend including images in your Facebook posts as a way to visually
tell your stories. Images are extremely easy to add to Facebook and are far
more likely to capture viewers’ attention than plain-text posts. (Videos are
even better, so if you have compelling videos, you should use them!)

You can insert images into a post by clicking “Photo/Video” and selecting
image files from your computer. You can also drag an image file directly into
the post box.

You can “tag” individuals who like your

Page in photos after the photos have
been published. This means that the
individual can see that you’ve added a
photo of him or her on Facebook, and
your audience can also see and visit
that individual’s profile. Click on the
photo, click “Tag Photo” at the bottom
of the screen, and type the person’s
name to tag him or her.

Creating a photo album is an easy way to feature a group of related images

(i.e., photos from an event). Albums can also help you organize your photos
in a way that makes it easy to access them in the future. Here’s how to
create an album:

1. On the left-hand side of your Facebook Page, click “Photos.”

2. Select “Create an Album.”
3. Import your photos into the album.
4. Enter an album title.
5. Optional:
• Add an album description
• Add a location where the photos were taken
• Tag individuals in the photos

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Events
Creating a Facebook event listing is a great way to spread the word about
an upcoming event. You can use this function for monthly meetings, charity
events and fundraisers, degree dates, family gatherings, reunions, large-
scale meetings, and training sessions. It’s also a great way to keep an eye on
RSVPs so that you know who is attending your event.

Below is an example of a Facebook event page. It tells the audience what

the event is, where and when it will take place, and who is hosting the
event. You can include all important details about the event and post in the
days leading up to the event with any relevant updates for guests.

HOW TO CREATE A FACEBOOK EVENT:

1. On the left side of your Facebook Page, click “Events.”
2. Click the blue “Create Event” button.
3. Add a catchy event photo, title, location, and description. Make sure
to note the date and time of the event, too. All of these are important
details about why people should come to your event, and where and
when it’s taking place.
4. When you create your event, it will show up on your Page feed, but
you’ll want to make sure to keep promoting it regularly in the weeks
or months leading up to the event. You can simply copy the URL of the
event page and paste it into a new post on your Facebook Page.
5. You may also want to keep attendees updated and excited about the
event in the days leading up to it. You can post a message or photo
within the event page, and attendees will receive a notification about it.

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Likes, Comments, and Shares
Facebook users can engage easily with the content you post in a variety
of ways. Maintaining engagement is key to retaining and growing your
audience, and getting users to take action, whether that be signing up
to be a member or attending an event.

Users can “react” to your post, choosing to simply “like” what you
published, or respond with a more specific emotion: Love, Haha, Wow,
Sad, or Angry.

Users can also comment on your post. Comments may be as simple as

someone saying he or she enjoyed your post. Or a user could ask a specific
question about what you posted. Users can also “tag” their friends in a
comment if they want that friend to see your post. Users and Page admins
can react to others’ comments with reactions (Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad,
or Angry) or directly reply to a comment by clicking “Reply.”

Users can also share posts from your Page with their friends by clicking
the “Share” button. This is a great way to extend the reach of your content
because more people will see what you’re posting.

It’s important to monitor all of this activity by checking notifications and

messages regularly. You can do so by clicking “Notifications” at the top
of your Page. When you regularly check notifications, you can see if your
followers are enjoying and engaging with what you’re posting. You can see
which posts perform better and which aren’t as popular.

It’s also important to review your notifications for anything that needs
a response. It is essential to respond to comments and direct message
inquiries within a timely manner. This ensures strong customer service,
while also showing your audience that there is a real human behind
the Page.

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Private Messages
Facebook makes it easy for individuals to ask Pages questions via private
messages. This means that no one else can see the conversation. At the top
of your Page is a “Send Message” button. A user may reach out to you with
a specific inquiry. It is important to respond to these messages in a timely
manner, as these people may be potential new members, or they may be
members with concerns that need to be addressed immediately. You can
access all direct messages you’ve received by clicking “Inbox” at the top of
your Facebook Page, and then clicking “Messenger” on the left.

Boosted Posts
WHAT IS A BOOSTED FACEBOOK POST?
Boosting a Facebook post means that you’re paying Facebook to extend the
reach of your content. You can boost a post that’s already been published
on your Page or boost a post right away, the moment it goes live.

WHY WOULD I WANT TO BOOST MY POSTS?

Just because you post something on Facebook doesn’t mean that people
will see it. Why don’t all Masons see what you post on Facebook? Well, there
are two reasons:

• They don’t “like” your Facebook Page, so the content you post isn’t
featured in their news feed.
• Even if they do “like” your Page, they may not see everything you post.
Due to the amount of content being published, Facebook has made
updates to its platform so that users are more likely to see things that
Facebook believes they will enjoy and engage with. Unfortunately, this
means that not all content is visible by all of your followers, even if it’s
great content!

Boosted Facebook posts address both of these concerns. Boosting a post

helps you to:

• Reach a larger audience, even among your followers

• Get more people to like, comment, share, and click on your content
• Reach new people who are likely interested, but who don’t currently
follow your Page

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THREE VARIABLES
You can control how big a reach your post gets by setting the following
parameters: audience, budget, and duration. We explain how to adjust each
of these in our step-by-step guide below.

• Audience - Who do you want to see your boosted post? You can select
demographics like age, gender, location, and interests.
• Budget - How much do you want to pay? You can control your spend
with budgets as low as $1/day.
• Duration - How long do you want your post to be boosted? You can
run your ad for as long as you’d like—a single day, a week, or until you
manually turn it off.

STEP 1 - SELECT A POST TO BOOST

You can either boost a new post from the outset or an existing post that has
already been published.

NEW POST:
If you’re posting from the home
page of your Facebook page, you
can boost a post by switching the
blue “Boost Post” tab on.

A pop-up window will appear open that will allow you to select the
audience, budget, and timeframe of the promotion (see below).

EXISTING POST:
Sometimes, you may notice that a post’s engagement is lower than you’d
like. Or you may want a high-performing post to be distributed to new
people who don’t already like your Page. In either case, you can choose
to boost the post to get better results.

To boost a post after it has been

published, find the post that you
want to boost and click the blue
[Boost Post] button.

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STEP 2 - TARGET YOUR AUDIENCE
After clicking the Boost Post button, choose your target audience. Targeting
your audience is an excellent way to share your post with those who are the
most likely to be interested in your specific content.

You can target only people who currently like your Page, or even target their
friends. Sometimes you may want to target a specific demographic based
on age, location, gender, or interests, which allows you to reach people who
don’t already like your Page.

Select “People you choose through targeting” and click “Edit.” From there,
you can define your audience however you’d like. You can add or remove
locations, set an age range, and even include people who are interested in
specific topics or pages.

STEP 3 - SET A BOOST DURATION AND BUDGET

Once you’ve defined your target
audience, decide how long you
want your post to run—a day,
a week, two weeks, or until a
specified date in the future. Keep
in mind that if you’re boosting a
post about an event or specific
recruitment period, you’ll only want
to boost it during the time you’re
accepting sign-ups.

Next, select a budget. The minimum

is $1 per day, but the more you

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spend, the more people your post will reach. You can experiment with
different amounts on different posts to see what works best.

STEP 4 - PAY AND FINISH!

To pay for the boosted post, you
can use a credit card, debit card,
or PayPal account, or you can pay
directly from your bank account.

You won’t be charged right away.

As your boosted post runs, the
costs will accrue and you will be
charged later. Facebook will charge
you when you reach your billing
threshold or on your monthly
bill date, whichever comes first.
So don’t be surprised if you see
multiple charges or if the charges go
through after your boosted posts have stopped running.

YOU’RE DONE!
Once you select your payment method, you’re done! Note that Facebook
reviews all boosted posts, so it may take a while before you see yours
published. You can check the status of your boosted posts at any time by
looking at the Delivery column of your Ads Manager.

Be sure to keep an eye on how your boosted post is performing—you

can find this in the “Insights” tab at the top of your Facebook Page. Here,
you’ll see a list of all of your posts (including boosted ones) and how many
reactions, comments, shares, and clicks they have each received.

Try experimenting with different boosted post parameters—audience,

duration, and budget—and see if any works particularly well for your posts.

Conclusion
We hope that this introduction to Facebook helps you get started in the
world of social media. If you follow these simple tips and tricks, you will be
well on your way to creating a Facebook Page that brings Brothers together
and shares the light of Freemasonry.

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