Social media can be unchartered territory for many business owners. Creating content, approving content, posting content, responding, engaging, sharing, repeating - it never ends. If only there weren’t over 2 BILLION people hanging out in this arena looking at you and your competition, you might be able to treat it as nonchalantly as an occasional radio or newspaper ad. But, we all know that just won’t do in today’s market.
For all of you out there who are frustrated with the hard work you and your social media-savvy staff have invested in your Facebook business page, there are 1,000 blogs and courses telling you what you ‘should’ do. We’ll be a little different and tell it like it is. Ultimately, it’s up to you to work out what you ‘should’ do. However, for advice relating to all things marketing on Facebook, you might like to read through our guide for advice on how to master the key features of the platform.
A lot of the common issues brands experience, and you might have encountered, with Facebook include:
- Uncertainty in how to build engagement
- Confusion over how the algorithm works
- Not utilising all of Facebook’s potential
- Not understanding how ads work
Though we can’t help you will every single issue, we can definitely provide some helpful pointers to assist you in your Facebook marketing efforts. Read on to get some insight on how to maximise Facebook’s features for your digital marketing campaigns.
Why isn’t Facebook working for your business page?
Quite simply, unless you lucked upon a huge hyper-engaged audience a good three to five years ago and nurtured the page like your business depended on it, the organic approach to social media just can’t cut through since the network became a mega-big business. IF you’re jumping on the band-wagon a little late, you might be a little disheartened at the lack of progression upon just creating content on Facebook. Perhaps, you’ve been told you should just sink some advertising dollars into it like everyone else right? Perhaps, you should. Or, alternatively, you could really work on your content strategy before branching out to advertising. Not only does content marketing cost 62% less than outbound marketing, it can also generate three times the leads. Further, in their 2018 report, Yellow outline that 50% of social media users say they are more likely to trust brands that create engaging and relevant content, and update it regularly. Most strikingly, Yellow found that 68% of consumers will read a review or blog before making a purchase decision. Utilising these features on your own social media account gives you the advantage of being able to control and share key messages directly with your audience, without needing them to look elsewhere for information. With over 44% of the population following business brands on social media, good content is a must. However, despite being affordable, the saturation of content in today’s world can make it hard for you to get noticed. Considering consumers are bombarded with 600 messages a day, it’s harder than usual to capture and hold their attention. That’s why developing content strategy focused on strong keywords is vital. Need to work on developing your content strategy to improve SEO? Here are some tips you may find useful.
‘Make it go viral’
We all have a vision of creating content so potent and contagious it catches on and is shared around the entire world. Viral trends are sometimes unexpected. However, we know a few things that make a video more likely to be shared virally. Videos that generate a strong emotional response are more likely to go viral, regardless of whether that emotional response is positive or negative. What else does it take to create viral content?
According to viral video expert and motivational speaker, Jay Shetty, there are five types of viral content. All types relate to ways that the content makes people “feel”. People enjoy content that draws on themes of:
- Adventure “That is exciting”
- Comedy “That is entertaining”
- Emotion “That’s sad / joyful / scary / relates to me”
- Inspiration “This is amazing! Or something I believe in”
- Surprise “Wow I wasn’t expecting that”
So, how does your content make your audience ‘feel’? You should consider this in regard to all content referring to your brand - organic and paid advertising. Everyone online has an opinion, and everyone also wants to look good, or smart, or funny. The key feature of the types of content above is that they are shareable. And in the world of social media shareability = currency.
Facebook and social proof
If you’ve decided to walk down the path of Facebook marketing, there are a few important things you need to consider. First and foremost is the theory of Social Proof. Social Proof, in psychological terms, describes the phenomenon of people looking up to experts or celebrities to guide their behaviour. This is a necessary concept to understand in our current marketing climate as it is becoming increasingly relevant (think influencer marketing, but more involved). Social Proof is a very important element of the buying process - purchasing behaviours are replicated or heavily influenced by socially admirable groups or individuals.
So, how can you use Social Proof to improve your Facebook marketing strategies? The following are some steps you might take to build your influence on your audience.
Use expert endorsement
The more high-profile the expert, the greater the influence they will have, and the more they can potentially contribute to your brand. Creating video content or blog content to share on your Facebook page is great because it can be reposted and shared. Alternatively, you can create Facebook stories, which are brief videos that are recorded in the moment and kept on the site for 24 hours. Of course, the 24 means that you need to build up your engagement first. Facebook Live is another in-the-moment recording that is broadcast on the platform as it is recorded. Users are able to comment on the video and receive instant responses directly from the expert. This is a good way for consumers to engage directly with your brand and receive needed advice and information.
Share your successes
Show gratitude for mentions by sharing them on your Facebook page with a comment expressing your appreciation. This is a good way to encourage engagement from your supporters by acknowledging them. Your supporters feel respected and appreciated, and will be more inclined to think positively of your brand. If you’ve been mentioned for an achievement from other media sources, it also shows that as a brand you making accomplishments and are successful. Don’t forget to share key milestones such as reaching a certain follower count, or customer count, or number of donations achieved. This is easy content and fosters positivity within your audience.
User-generated content & influencer marketing
Take advantage of the positive experiences your customers have had and encourage sharing on social media. Be constantly searching relevant hashtags for content you can share on your Facebook page. When you do find a suitable post, it’s a general rule to ask the account holder to share and tag their account. If you want content that’s a little more curated and professional, consider enlisting macro influencers and micro influencers to work with your brand. Micro influencers in particular can be quite cost-effective, and reach a relevant audience for your business.
Social proof isn’t limited to social media either. Website can be a good place to add items like customer testimonials, user-generated or influencer images and blog posts. As you expand your business, it helps to expand your social proof to match or exceed customer expectations. SO, at the moment we’re going to assume you don’t have a lot of spare time, and your staff are pretty stretched too. If the timeline you’re working within is constrained, a good way to get your brand noticed is by using Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads just might save the day to help you build that proof FAST.
Our hot tips for Facebook Ads
Simply boosting organic Facebook posts is no longer enough for many. There are some beautiful brand designs and killer content in the market that you have to compete against. Facebook Ads are a great way to boost your efforts. Facebook provides targeted advertising to help you reach your desired audience. You can target specific geographical areas, ages, education levels, and devices you would like your ad viewed on. With so much data collected from users, Facebook offers the most precise form of targeted advertising available. There are also many types of ads you can create, including: photo, video, offers, stories, messenger, carousel, slideshow, playables and collection. After you select the profile of your audience, you can create your ad and budget for bids on each click.
Before you go to Facebook Business, here are some tips for nailing the perfect Facebook Ad.
- Clearly define your goals. What do you want? More followers? Brand awareness? Click-throughs to your site or landing page? Big fat sales? Probably all of the above, right? Make sure you choose a specific goal for each ad campaign to focus your efforts.
- Choose your words carefully. Does the headline and description capture attention and make people want to read on? Always consider the length of the text on mobile and ensure you get your message across in the most concise, and clever way. Be mindful of the amount of text you have - short, sharp messages might work better than lengthy posts on social media but it’s always a good idea to A/B test your ads to make sure.
- Great quality video is the most compelling content online. If you go to the effort to shoot an irresistible, shareable, likable or buyable video, make sure you use captions. Not only can this boost your video shares by 15% by reaching out to those with hearing difficulties, but you can improve your SEO this way too. According to PLYMedia people watched videos with subtitles 91% to completion, versus 66% for those without subtitles.. Not to mention, people are increasingly watching videos in silence. Who has time to open every video they encounter on Facebook?
- Target well. Facebook algorithms change all the time (sigh). One micro-targeting option that we loved yesterday, may not be here the next. Therefore, always target deeper than just a geographic area. Think interests, education level, industries and job titles.
- Choose the types of Facebook Ads wisely. There are a bunch to choose from that will suit different audiences, goals and creative elements.
- Consider Facebook retargeting/remarketing to people who have already visited your website. This can be particularly powerful for eCommerce businesses.
- Track, test, analyse and tweak! Did we mention that analytics and data is everything?
What do you do now?
You might be feeling a little overwhelmed right now, but don’t worry. Facebook Ads are relatively easy to set up, and very powerful. For now, getting your digital reputation, your content and audience is priority. As business people we just want to tell everyone about what we do, and what amazing products we have. However, with such a saturated market, it’s getting increasingly difficult. That’s why it’s important to master the features of each platform. With the large number of users currently on Facebook (2.38 billion and counting), it’s essential to understand how marketing on Facebook works.
