The competition is fierce on Facebook. With over 2.41 billion users and counting, this platform is worth it for businesses of all sizes and industries. It has become a well-known channel for connecting with audiences, building brand awareness and nurturing consumers.
Moreover, Facebook is part of the growing evolution of social commerce. Not only is it becoming a strong influencer in purchase decisions, but also users can buy products directly from the platform without having to navigate to another site.
Here is everything you need to know before using Facebook to increase your chances for success.
Post Frequently
Posting relevant content to your Facebook page will make a difference in your response rate. Keep in mind that Facebook is very competitive and businesses post a ton of content. To ensure that users get the best, most relevant content, Facebook filters out a lot of the posts. This means that many of your followers aren’t seeing your content.
Because fewer people are seeing your posts, you can post more often to reach a larger percentage of your audience. That said, don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. There must be a balance between the two. Mix up your content with visuals, videos, memes and links to educational content.
Leverage User Generated Content
It’s crucial that your brand and products appear as authentic and transparent as possible on Facebook. While you can post a lot of great content from your brand, the most trustworthy content comes from your fans. User generated content, or UGC, is content that comes from customers who have tried your products or services. It can be any type of content, including texts, videos, images or reviews.
Here are some ideas for collecting UGC on Facebook:
- Ask top customers to send photos using your product or service
- Host an event and ask attendees to share memorable moments
- Start a hashtag trend
- Run a campaign
- Create an album of UGC
- Partner with an influencer
Use Remarketing
Facebook lets you target your ads to a highly select audience. Remarketing ads are highly effective because they reach out to people who have already interacted with your business. They know who you are and have a need for your products and services, making them more likely to convert.
To use remarketing effectively, look at the people who visit a page or pages on your website. Segment your visitors based on the pages they have visited and create custom ads to show them on Facebook. Keep in mind the different reasons why people visit websites in the first place, which is usually to:
- Gain relevant information about you, your product or your industry
- Get in touch with someone to ask a question
- Buy a product or service
It can take some time for people to convert, and remarketing helps with this. It keeps your brand front and center, completes more conversions and lowers your cost per acquisition.
Offer Discounts
Reward loyal fans and followers with special discounts and promotions. Using Facebook Offers, you can post discounts, sales and coupons to your Facebook page, boosting sales and conversions. There are three types of Offers you can create: In Store Only, Online Only or In Store and Online. This lets customers know where they can use your offer.
When sharing special offers with your audience, make them generous and easy to use. Consumers feel positively toward promotions that don’t have exclusions and can be used easily on basic purchases. If you’re asking customers to spend $100 just to save a few dollars, you can expect conversions to be much lower.
Create Shareable Content
When you create content, one of the goals is to get it seen by as many people as possible. Making your content highly shareable is a great way to spread it further, but exactly how can you be successful with this?
First, understand why people share content in the first place. Generally it’s to:
- Learn something new
- Inform others
- Help friends and family
- Show identity
- Spread the word
- Connect with people
- Lend support
When creating shareable content, make sure it fulfills the needs of your followers so they are more likely to click the Share button. Also, follow other good practices for shareable content including a compelling headline, a great photo and easy share buttons.
Share Native Videos
You can drop a YouTube link on Facebook, but sharing a native video is always the better option. Facebook favors native content over a link from YouTube, so you’ll get more visibility with freshly created videos. Also, followers are more likely to engage with your native videos because they play automatically in their news feeds. This will help you generate more views and clicks.
To make the most of your videos, create a video gallery where you upload all of your videos. This keeps them organized on your end, plus makes it easy for users to find your video content in one place. Generating a lot of high quality content also boosts your organic reach and provides useful insights.
Use Facebook Live
Facebook Live is a platform that allows you to interact with your audience in real time. You can host live Q&As, unveil new products, introduce new team members and so much more. It’s especially useful for small businesses that have limited budgets to work with. All you need to be successful is a smartphone, a good internet connection and a microphone.
Facebook sends out a notification to your followers when you’re live. This increases the chances of them engaging with your video. Plus, Facebook Live makes it easy for you to stand out on your users’ news feeds because your video stays at the top for as long as you’re live.
Looking for suggestions for Facebook Live content? Check out some of the most popular ideas for small businesses.
- Host a Q&A session
- Interview an industry expert
- Stream an event
- Unbox a new product
- Show off in-store stock
- Do a behind-the-scenes look at your business
Facebook continues to be a profitable channel for businesses of all sizes. If you don’t have the time and resources to handle this on your own, reach out to WSI Net Advantage for help. We know how to make the most of our clients’ budgets while getting them the attention they deserve. Contact us today at 510-687-9737 or fill out our online form.
