Nowadays, most of us have a Facebook account that we use to keep track of friends and family. But have you thought about the value of Facebook for marketers and business owners? There’s a reason why you see so many advertisements while scrolling through Facebook. And unlike the old days, they aren’t just plain text ads. Facebook has become a powerful marketing tool, and as a business owner it is advantageous to take advantage.
When most of us think of social media, Facebook is the first website that comes to mind. But have you ever thought about how powerful this network is? For one thing, it is the largest network out there, with 3 Billion visitors every month. More than two Billion visit monthly. Members tend to be early in their working lives and have a variety of income levels. People like to follow their favorite brands on Facebook, and it is often used for shopping. For these reasons, the vast majority of marketers use Facebook ads.
One of the things that changes constantly on Facebook is its less common features. While core offerings change rarely, others are constantly being updated. For instance, did you know that you have the ability to put your friends into categories? While some of us are familiar with basic groupings for the purpose of deciding who gets to see a post, it’s much more complicated than that. So, you might decide to sort friends IRL from family and networking contacts. Facebook has other groups that are a community, and you can leverage these to achieve your marketing goals. Other features include the ability to livestream to multiple pages, legacy contacts, and scrapbooking capabilities.
No matter which forms of marketing you choose to start with, it can seem like a daunting task. Even worse, a network like Facebook is such a big forum that you might be wondering what techniques to use. So, I’ve rounded up some posts that will give you advice to start with.
Did you know that your Facebook presence is a great way to drive traffic to your website? By using a few tricks from Mike Gingerich, you can drastically increase your reach through Facebook. One technique is to configure your brand page in a way that encourages website visits. For instance, you can post links to the latest blog post, or even just include your web address in the profile information. Another option is adding Facebook buttons on your website. This way, you can introduce people who went to your website first to the online brand community. Optimize your Facebook posts for searches and be sure to keep posts on your website fresh. At the same time, don’t forget to post the links on your Facebook page. Big, beautiful images capture people’s attention and boost engagement. Making your written material compelling has the same effect. Finally, use short updates and invite people who pay attention to your page to follow you.
If you want to generate sales leads, your best choices are Facebook and LinkedIn. However, there are several differences between the two. For one thing, B2B brands can benefit from Facebook ads, though targeting decisionmakers is somewhat easier with LinkedIn. On the other hand, Facebook reaches a larger audience and delivers excellent ROI for B2C brands, including very small ones. Both networks do a great job with paid advertising options, which are excellent both for immediate sales and lead generation.
However, if you can only use one option it’s best to know which one is better. For LinkedIn, the membership is more professional. It tends to be a better place for advertising in the B2B sphere. As a result, you can target people from specific companies and industries, which Facebook doesn’t allow. On the other hand if you are targeting a specific consumer demographic, Facebook is much better. You can target based on location, age, hobbies, and more. Plus, Facebook tends to be a less expensive place to generate high-quality leads. The bottom line, though, is simple. If you’re selling to businesses, go with LinkedIn because you’ll spend the money to reach corporate decision makers. On the other hand if you sell to consumers use Facebook. LinkedIn is much too expensive for consumer marketing, and people don’t like ads that are irrelevant to their jobs on there anyway.
Think Facebook pages are great? Here are some tips on how to use them. These cover the basics, but I’ll also introduce you to some more advanced techniques as well.
Now that Facebook is penalizing business pages in their algorithm, it’s harder than ever to get “likes.” Here are some tips to overcome this problem. First, make sure your content is consistent in its quality. Then, optimize it for Facebook viewing and invite your friends. “Like” your competitors and others who target the same customers in an attempt to draw people to your page. Promote your page everywhere by adding links to your website and email signatures, and even by “liking” with your personal account. Remind customers to “like” you, hold contests, and share content from your Facebook page in other places. Invest in a few Facebook ads, and you’re well on your way to meeting those engagement goals.
Over the last few years, engagement on Facebook has been declining. However, that isn’t to say that you can’t boost engagement for your business page. Here’s how to do it. First, you should craft the type of text people want to read. This includes making it short, and making it clear. Also, you’ll want to structure it carefully so that Facebook doesn’t see your links and decide it’s advertising. Without your paying for it, advertisements get buried. For images, be sure to optimize the picture. Otherwise, Facebook will do it for you, and there’s no guarantee it’ll look as nice. Also, interactive content is king, especially when it’s a how-to, a livestream of some sort, product announcement, or answers to user questions. Finally, for best results target the right people for an audience.
Want your content to get shared more often? There are ten ways to achieve this goal. Make the content interesting, and ensure it’s something people agree with. Post at the right time of day, and with the right frequency. Target the right audience and ensure your story has a broader appeal. Encourage your fans to check out those posts, and don’t make them too similar to each other. Lastly, post on the right day, and don’t duplicate content.
Optimizing your business page isn’t as easy as it used to be. No longer can you just post all the time and win, or ignore negative comments. Now, it’s necessary to be proactive. Make the page people friendly, with great profile pictures and cover shots. Pay attention to the “about” section, and don’t forget to announce corporate milestones. Post at the right time and be sure to respond to comments. Use ads that people want to look at. Also, you’ll want to optimize your page for SEO with custom URLs and the right keywords. Don’t forget a call to action, either. Lastly, mobile is increasingly popular so you’ll want your page to look nice there, too.
Like any other website, Facebook is indexed by Google. For this reason, you’ll want to try and get your Facebook page ranked well for relevant searches. Your first choice is to use a Business Page, not a Group or Profile. Then, be sure and fill out that page completely so that there’s more for Google to index. Verify your page with Facebook, and then add links to and from other websites. Make your posts engaging, and don’t forget testimonials. Finally, make sure that the privacy setting on your Page allows cataloging by Google and easy access for search.
Back in the day, Facebook dark posts were the only way for marketers to target specific audiences, because they wouldn’t be seen by everyone visiting your Page. This post type is created using instructions in the blog article. So why use them now? Well, as they always have it’s a great way to target only a few people. However, they’re also useful for micro campaigns that test the effectiveness of content, to get feedback, or when you want to show different posts to relevant audiences.
Groups on Facebook are generally communities that center around a particular product, service, or common interest. Sometimes they’re also used for alumni of a school or other constituency, too. Naturally, in the right hands Groups are an excellent business tool, as well.
Want to use Groups for lead generation? Mike Gingerich gives us a few ways. For instance, you can configure the group so that there’s a gatekeeper, and ask for information as a condition of signup. Plus, this makes your Group an exclusive place for fans to hang out. Combine your Group with ads, include links, and promote special offers. Other techniques include holding special events and asking for criticism here, before it turns up on public forums. This way, you’ll create a great community around your brand, and your fans will have a deeper connection with the brand.
Once upon a time, the only way to contact customer service was by sitting on telephone hold for what seemed like forever. Those days are, thankfully, over. One of the awesome ways to generate leads and help customers is with Facebook Messenger bots.
Especially with the current reality of social isolation, it’s nice to know that Facebook has released new features that help us reach out. One of those is the return of Messenger bots. Did you know they’re excellent for lead generation? The way to do this is by programming your bots to come alive when certain keywords are mentioned, or when folks visit your Page. The idea is to get people to give you information that helps you help them, either by advertising or improved customer service. Author Leanne Peard describes how to accomplish the setup for both types. However, you’ll still need to program the bot first.
Especially now that Facebook has changed its algorithm to make organic reach for Pages more difficult, you need to consider placing paid ads. However, there is plenty of information available that can help you design your first ad campaigns, or even dig deeper and make them more effective. This means knowing your audience through analytics, understanding how to design ads, and using the right tools.
No matter what type of ads you decide to place, chances are you can benefit from some tools. Whether they include general ad management apps that let you keep track of what’s being done or simple design tools, this post has something for everyone. Some are exclusive to Facebook, such as the Ads Manager, and this one is critical to any campaign. On the other hand, there are tools which can be used for several networks, such as Hootsuite. No matter which of these tools you decide are worth a try, there’s something in just about every category.
For a while, Facebook had a limit on how much text could be in an advertisement. While it’s still in force somewhat, the rules have been changed to allow more flexibility. Mike Gingerich explains the differences. Briefly, Facebook has five tiers of text saturation, and each of these come with different pricing structures. Ads with a lot of text cost a lot more and are seen much less often. However, these ratings do have exceptions that keep the type of graphics and business in mind. This way, there’s some flexibility to allow everyone to participate.
Before it was changed, the 20% text rule for Facebook ads was a big pain. For one thing, it wasn’t initially clear how the percentage was calculated, and how much was human vs computerized review. So, Gingerich gives us a number of ways to check and see if you have too much text. Sometimes it’s obvious, like if there are only a few words in a small space. On the other hand, big letters make it harder to know if you’re OK. So, before the rules were changed you could post it into a grid tool. Playing with the font size and type, among other techniques, became highly effective.
One of the great things about Facebook Ads is that the platform lets you carefully target who to advertise to. This is awesome, because it costs less money to get higher quality leads than if you just show everyone the same ads. Therefore, you’ll want to build a buyer persona and use this to set the targeting settings. Targeting isn’t exclusively for Ads though: you can use it to maximize your ROI on boosted posts, as well.
Sometimes things aren’t as easy as you’d hope. Knowing how to adapt as a marketer is often key to success. Fortunately, most common problems have been faced before, so there are practical suggestions available.
Facebook has a dark side. No, this isn’t the use of the platform for cyber bullying, repugnant as that might be. Rather, the dark side of Facebook is its often capriciously shutting down accounts or ad capabilities. Even worse, it usually happens without warning and winning appeals is difficult. Sometimes this results in the loss of business. Isn’t there a better way to ensure “safety” on the platform?
There are at least four ways in which you can massively fail at Facebook marketing. The first involves a failure to plan, which leads to spending a lot of money to get basically nothing. Second, you can have a plan that doesn’t include content strategy. This kind of plan is incomplete and will likely fail to deliver. Third, if you fail to generate traffic and leads then your plan is clearly failing. Fourth, you can fail to get a decent return on investment. For the last two, you need to change your targeting options.
Advertising on Facebook isn’t exclusive to businesses. Rather, it’s an excellent place for individuals to do personal branding. This type of branding helps advertise who you are and what your interests might be.
In order to build your personal brand, it’s important to know who your audience is. Besides those who have “friended” you, it can include friends of friends. Both groups can be found just about anywhere, including industry influencers. Next, build your profile to impress your audience. Choose the appropriate privacy settings. Finally, craft awesome content to engage your audience, just like you would on a business Page.
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