Did you know that more than 2 billion people use Facebook each month?
Even with all those people browsing the newsfeed, it can still be hard to get your business noticed. But, what if I told you it’s not as hard as you think. Just follow the tips listed below and see for yourself.
First things first, choose your target market!
What is a target market? They are the people that need your product or service. They may not know they need it yet, but they do. Your target market needs to be very specific to be effective. It won’t matter how great your posts are if they aren’t seen by customers that care.
A fun exercise to create your ideal customer is to write down everything about them. Some questions you can ask yourself are:
· What is their age?
· What is their gender?
· What do they do for fun?
· Do they have kids or pets?
· Where do they work?
· What are they scared of?
· What do they wish/hope for?
· How can your product/service make their lives easier?
Once you have these traits narrowed down, really focus on that last question. How can your product or service make their life easier? That is your selling point!
Now for the fun part, engagement!
And, I don’t mean asking your customers to marry you. That would just be weird! What I mean is talk to them. If they comment on your post, comment back. Share posts that add value to their lives. If a customer sends you a message, respond back in 1-2 days.
If you find a negative comment or review on your page, politely address the issue. If it’s something you can fix, fix it. For people that leave positive comments and reviews, make sure to say, “thank you.”
Become a Facebook “Groupie”
A great marketing tactic that is often overlooked is utilizing Facebook groups. Join groups that relate to your target market.
Let’s say you sell baby bibs. Start joining parenting groups, crafting groups, etc. Think outside the box.
Once you get inside the group, don’t start posting sales pitches and ads. Acting “salesy” and “spammy” in groups will do nothing but turn customers off. It's also an easy way to get blocked from the group. Instead, add value and be an active member in the group. Join the conversation as much as possible. Wait until the time is right before mentioning your product or service.
Make sure to drop links to your website or Facebook business page when it's appropriate. Some groups offer business postings on certain days of the week. Be sure to follow all rules associated with the groups you're active in.
Create Ads that Convert
Facebook has made many changes in the way they get information out to users. Most businesses are seeing a decline in the number of viewers and engagements on their posts. Like it or not, the only way around this is to use Facebook ads. You can set these ads to show up in the newsfeed of your target audience.
Ads come in all shapes and sizes. You can increase traffic to your posts, your Facebook page, and even your website. Pricing depends on many different factors, but you can run ads for as little as $5/day.
Stop Selling, Start Sharing
No one goes to Facebook for a sales pitch. They just want to see pictures of friends and family. Maybe even take those quizzes that tell them what “flavor of potato chip they are.” For your business to succeed on Facebook you have to build a relationship with your audience.
Post videos and photos. Videos and photos get the most engagement on Facebook. The most effective videos are usually no longer than 10 seconds long. Create videos for specific products or services you offer. Another good idea is to post photos of your other customers using your products or services.
You can find free resources for photos and short videos online. A few of my favorites are Pexels, Giphy, and using IMovie on my phone to create custom videos. Make sure to add a little bit of you to your page from time to time. Posting personal photos of you or your family can give your brand personality.
Offer a giveaway or prize. Everyone loves free stuff. To really ramp up your leads and conversions try offering a product giveaway or discount. Giveaways are really easy to run. All you need to do is:
1. Create an engaging post about your product or service
2. Ask your followers to “like and share” the post
3. Anyone that does step 2, add their name to a hat
4. Draw a name from the hat
5. Announce the winner by tagging them in a new post
6. Deliver the FREE item to the winner
And there you have it. A few ideas for using Facebook to your marketing advantage. You won’t see overnight success when using these tricks. But, if you keep up the hard work, you will see growth in numbers.
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