If you have spent any time trying to market anything, you know that ignoring Facebook is not optional. However, trying to figure out how to market and what to market is a challenge. To help I took a look at a few Facebook pages of some brands – large and small for in this case, size most assuredly does not matter. You will see one common denominator. It is the one rule corporate marketing teams use to create effective Facebook campaigns. It is simple, yet often overlooked.

Know Yourself First

To begin with, scroll through the page maintained by Lancaster Insurance out of the U.K. They provide automobile insurance for classic cars, and have figured Facebook out, literally. A quick scroll through their page and you immediately understand who they are and what they do. The feed is full of classic car pictures. It is pure eye candy for the classic car enthusiast.

Yet make no mistake, these are not just randomly chosen images. On the contrary, Lancaster uses Facebook to raise brand awareness by increasing customer engagement. “We post lots of pictures but we also will ask questions with the pictures as a way to engage with our audience,” says Richard Morley, Operations Director.

Lancaster has integrated a Facebook marketing strategy into their overall brand marketing perfectly. The page solidly identifies their niche, yet constantly engages customers, and potential customers, who own classic cars. It all boils down to one rudimentary, yet complex, issue. The key to incorporating Facebook into a comprehensive brand marketing plan begins with knowing who you are. Lancaster is a niche automobile insurance provider.

Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Corporate Giant? Speak to Brand Unity Through Diversity

Another brand who “does Facebook well” is Nike. However, they don’t spend a lot of time pandering to customers. Why? Because they don’t have to. They know who they are. As a global leader in the shoe/athletic apparel industry, their page is all about brand unity. Many posts center around engineering and testing product designs. Customers like this. It’s what sets Nike apart.

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