In recent years, social media platforms have completely upended traditional marketing and PR with, in particular, Facebook reigning supreme (especially from the perspective of business promotions). Let’s explore the world of Facebook marketing and tips to build your FB business profile.
By building a successful presence on Facebook, your firm can connect directly with your clients (potential and existing) while also benefitting from this valuable extra marketing tool. Perhaps more importantly, promoting your company on Facebook and generating followers means you can place your company front and center in front of your clients, updating them on company news, promotions, etc.
Also remember that social marketing (and therefore Facebook) is just one part of an overall online marketing strategy. Click here to learn the primary differences between social marketing vs online advertising.
The importance of the Facebook feed
In the not-so-distant past, if a user wanted to find out updates about your firm, they would have typically had to go to your site’s news pages. However, with Facebook, if a client has followed your page, they will be presented with your news in their feed, removing the need to visit your site.
Facebook also has the advantage that users can easily share posts among their followers, potentially giving rise to so-called viral content. Given the majority of people tend to have friends with interests similar to their own (and are therefore more likely to share content that interests them with their friends), this can result in hugely effective marketing for your company – and all at zero cost. You can also help users find your content using relevant hashtags.
It’s worth noting, if you really want to capitalise on the marketing and promotions advantages of Facebook, you may well want to consider working with a social media marketing specialist. If that’s the case, you’ll probably need to know how to give another person access to your Facebook account.
Other social sites you could use
Before we look at specific information for Facebook, it’s worth remembering there is a myriad of other platforms that you could use to positively build your online profile – and, in particular, that of your business. Below is some information for the more common social channels used by businesses:
How to set up a Instagram business page
How to set up a YouTube business channel
How to set up an Facebook business page
How to set up a Facebook LinkedIn page
Building a Facebook following
While it’s true that truly successful Facebook marketing is best achieved using a dedicated web and social media marketing company, there are still many tricks you can employ yourself when trying to get followers and build your FB presence. Below are just a few:
Know your audience
This should really apply to everything you do online – from your website to your email style and, of course, Facebook marketing. In January 1996, Microsoft’s Bill Gates penned a paper entitled, “Content is King”, but his message remains as relevant today as it did back then (if not more so). People are bombarded with media every day and, if you’re to stand out, you need to make text, images and videos that grab the attention of users. So, for example, if you’re a web marketing firm based in Tenerife, you might title a post “Facebook marketing in Tenerife”, perhaps outlining a project you’re currently working on. If you keep your content tailored to your users, you’ll be far more likely to build a following.
Knowing your market is essential for successful Facebook marketing and will help you build a following and establish your FB audience.
Post regularly at times when your audience is online:
Although it may take a little time to ascertain when your audience is online, most social marketers agree that posting regularly at the same time can help grow your following. Bear in mind, once you know the best times to post, there is a range of automated social media marketing tools you could use to take the headache out of having to remember to publish your content.
Mix up your posts:
Text-based content is fine online but it has been proven to have much lower engagement rates than photos and videos (video has by far the highest engagement rate). When posting, you should always remember to at least include one photo that summarizes the content and jumps out from the page. Don’t forget you can also tag photos. Click here for tips on how to write successful Facebook posts.
Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve from your Facebook marketing
Different companies have different aims when it comes to social media marketing but to keep direction in your promotional work, you should establish a clear set of aims from the outset. Common goals include building the presence of a business, using Facebook as a recruitment tool, improving your sales and marketing by directly targeting users or just generally adding value to your company.
