Marketing your business through social media is about establishing a loyal fan base through a trustful online relationship. Facebook has made communicating to family and friends quite easy and accessible, and influential in terms of online purchasing. People of all socio-economic status, gender, age and race are using this platform, so why not take advantage of it, too? Everybody is using it, even your competitor, so it is time to join the bandwagon so you won’t be left behind.
Facebook marketing has been a popular strategy for many years. In fact, 92% of marketers list Facebook as one of their most important social media platforms. That means it's time to start harnessing this power and start making your business more successful!
Facebook marketing is a very powerful business marketing tool because using this site to introduce your business will definitely pay off, and the advantages are countless. So, how do you use this #1 social media network to further boost your business?
Through advertising
Placing an ad on Facebook will enable you to reach your target customers. Its users include their location, hobbies, interests, and other useful information in their profile, so you can reach your demographic based on these data. You are also able to track your ad’s performance. This could translate to greater return of your investment.
Fan pages and groups
Creating your business’ fan page and group, and maintaining it regularly, will guarantee interaction with your customers on a regular basis. This can also lead to referrals when their followers can also see your link. You can use these pages for product updates and launches, gathering feedback, questions, and more.
Utilizing the “News Feed”
Another effective tool is posting videos, photos, blog posts, etc. on your network friends’ news feed. It is guaranteed to spread fast within the network.
Track your website traffic
You can also analyze your website traffic and see how much of the traffic and sales originated from Facebook. You can use this guide to improve and modify your marketing strategies.
Utilizing Facebook marketing will give your business the needed exposure and mileage because of the site’s wide reach and coverage. Furthermore, it can also improve your company’s Google rank because of the SEO potential of the Facebook fan pages. Of course, still the best tool to drive traffic to your business is through your personal website. Facebook and the other social networking sites are there to complement and provide support to your marketing strategies.
Having your presence on this networking giant will not only connect you with your customers and prospects by interacting with them, but also fostering a trusting and lasting relationship with them in a social and friendly platform. The advantages and benefits are immense with Facebook marketing with the way it is growing exponentially.
Here Are Some General Rules When Using Facebook Marketing For Your Business
Post once every few hours at most.
Don't wait more than 24 hours before you post again or else people will forget about your company/brand!
Try to space out posts for variety because if all of the content is posted at once, it'll seem like spam. Also, try not to skip days but don't overdo it either by posting too much in one day.
Include relevant content such as questions to followers, helpful tips/advice, photos/videos of work (behind the scenes), and other things like product mentions.
Make sure that you understand basic grammar rules before starting out because otherwise, your posts will seem unprofessional. If someone doesn't have a good experience with your business due to misspelled words, it could decrease sales and damage customer loyalty.
Keep in mind who your target audience is (age, location). The content you post should be relevant to them in order for Facebook marketing to work. If someone doesn't like the type of content that's being posted, they may unfollow/, unlike your page which will decrease the reach of your posts and damage customer loyalty.
It's important to always remember that you're trying to gain a following/ create brand awareness. If there is no one on Facebook who would be interested in your business, then it won't matter how many people like/follow your page because they will not see any of the posts.
It's important to always be relevant/up-to-date. The more posts you have, the less likely people are going to want to read through them all and this will decrease sales of products/services as well as damage customer loyalty towards your brand. Not updating is a sure-fire way for Facebook marketing not to work!
Try to use visuals in posts as much as possible. Visuals are very effective on social media outlets because they're something that's easily shareable. If someone likes a photo, it'll show up in their friends' newsfeed which will increase brand awareness!
Post at times when people are likely to be online. If you post something while everyone is asleep, it will not reach as many people which could damage customer loyalty towards your brand if their expectations aren't met.
Try not to be too salesy in posts because this could turn customers away from your page/business which will decrease sales and damage customer loyalty!
Different content that can be posted when it comes to Facebook Marketing
News and Updates (helpful or behind the scenes information about your company)
Promotions (discounts on products/services you offer) - Contests (promote an upcoming event through a contest)
Controversial or Humorous Posts (get people talking about your company/brand)
Photos/Videos (promote upcoming events by showing some footage)
Behind the Scenes (photos/videos of your company's work)
Helpful Tips or Advice. - Questions to Fans (get people talking about you by asking questions)
Product Mentions (mention your products/services in posts) - Company History or Background.
Engagement Opportunities (promote an upcoming event through a contest) - Controversial or Humorous Posts (get people talking about your company/brand).
This is just a small list of the many different types of content that can be posted on Facebook. However, it's important that you understand the appropriate times and frequency at which content should be posted in order for Facebook marketing to work successfully. If there's too much or not enough time between posts, people will forget about your company/brand! Not only can this decrease sales of products/services but it could also damage customer loyalty towards the brand if their expectations aren't met!
