Social media is a great tool for expanding your business, because it reaches such a large audience. Most people are on their phones for much of the day, and they often find themselves scrolling through Facebook. As they do, ads will pop up for products they might be interested in, or their friends might suggest a business or product. There’s a reason that so many businesses market themselves on Facebook: it remains the most popular social media network. With some smart Facebook marketing tactics, you can get your business noticed on the platform; but if you want to grow your business successfully through Facebook, you need to know what to do and what not to do.
Do:
Create a Page, Not a Profile
When you begin to promote your business, it might seem like the easiest thing to do is to post on your personal Facebook profile. But you will look more professional if you have a Facebook page for your business.
Share your content often and optimize the posts by using hashtags.
People will follow you and take the time to look at your posts if they are engaging and interesting. Don’t just post text-based content; instead, take things a step further with visual content such as live video, photos, and GIFs. People love GIFs! The key is entertaining your audience as well as catching their eye. Don’t just constantly post about your business and what you can do for them; post relatable information, have them engage in polls, and share relevant news stories. Try to post between 12 pm and 3 pm on weekdays and between 12 pm and 1 pm on weekends, and use scheduling software to help manage your posts.
Optimize Your Posts
Sharing engaging content is the first step, but the next is to optimize your posts. How do you do this? By using hashtags and tagging other pages. Don’t overdo it with the tags, use about 1-2 per post and no more than that, or you risk compromising engagement levels. In addition, limit your posts to 50 characters or less to grab the attention of your audience, and include a clear call to action like asking them to “share” the information with others.
Respond To Comments
One of the most important things you can do when Facebook marketing is engage with your audience when they comment or have questions or concerns. Respond as soon as you can to comments and questions, especially if they are complaints. You should generally aim to respond within the hour of the comment or complaint being posted; if you do not, you risk losing that customer or prospect to your competitor!
Don’t:
Just Promote Your Business
As we mentioned earlier, you should be posting about more than just your business and how great you are. The purpose of Facebook marketing is to promote your business, but the best way to do this is by building relationships with people. You cannot do this if all you do is constantly promote your business. Aim for 5 informational posts, 3 original content posts, and 2 fun posts per week.
Ignore The Negatives
Never use clickbait or you will lose your customer’s trust.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to ignore all those pesky and annoying comments people make on your post. If someone decides that they are unhappy with your business and then voice their opinion about it, address it! Do not ignore it or it will hurt your reputation. Nobody likes to be ignored, and by ignoring the negatives, people will think that you lack in customer service. Respond to the comment and then send them a private message to further talk about the issue and find out how you can help.
Use Clickbait, Ever
Everyone hates receiving spam emails, texts, and spammy content. Posting clickbait content is a sure way to lose your customers’ trust and their business. Focus on authentic content that is not misleading. After all, you want to get more traffic to your page, not the other way round.
