Effective Facebook Marketing Strategies

Actively Engage Your Facebook Fans

With thousands upon thousands of companies trying to leverage their Facebook pages, many are coming up short with their loyal fans. Despite efforts of putting out fresh content, their pages have become idle, a phantom, a ghost, a memory of better times past.

So why have pages that have seen tremendous success at the beginning of their young, adolescent Facebook life, suddenly fall off the face of the Earth?

The biggest reason companies become idle on Facebook is because they cannot figure out how to execute one of the most important pieces of a Facebook marketing strategy – Engaging fans!

Here are some tips how your company can engage with your fans and further the success of your Facebook page.

Facebook Marketing Strategy

Get Creative

Let me reiterate the first sentence of this blog post, there are thousands upon thousands of companies trying to leverage their Facebook page to improve their business as a whole. No matter what industry your company falls into, there are bound to be competitors on Facebook.

In order to get noticed and obtain more fans, you must make your company profile page stand out. There are hundreds of things that you can do to help your company “break through the clutter” and get recognized. Some simple suggestions include a large, unique profile picture, a custom welcome page, video sections, contests, promotions, giveaways, celebrity endorsers, and the list goes on.

In other words, put in the effort make a creative and unique Facebook page and fans will notice.

Example:

Red Bull has identified the interests of their target audience and created a Facebook page that caters to these interests. Their welcome page includes videos, songs, a Twitter feed, and a World Tour calendar.

Ask Questions, Get Opinions

Facebook users are flooded with information each and every time they login to their account. Their newsfeeds are overflowing with news and updates from their friends, family, and other companies they may follow. Although releasing fresh content is very important, it’s not the only activity that is needed on your company Facebook page.

Ask the fans questions that let them express their opinion. It’s no secret; people love to voice their opinions. The good news for you is that once they voice their opinion, it is shared with all of their friends on Facebook.

If you are a cola company, ask questions such as, “Which cola flavor of “Insert Company Name” is your favorite?” or “When do you enjoy an ice cold “Insert Product Name Here”. When fans respond to these questions, this activity is posted on their wall, which gives your company more reach.

One organization that has done a phenomenal job of actively engaging fans is Major League Baseball. They have created a Polls and Quizzes section that lets fans vote on their favorite plays, moments, shirts, hair styles, etc.

Use Promotions to Engage

Give your fans a reason to engage on your Facebook page. Promotions don’t have to be big, extravagant ordeals such as giving away a brand new car. Offering small, simple prizes can be just as effective. One great way of implementing this idea is by offering incentives to fans who comment on your wall posts. When you ask for their opinion, have a small giveaway for those who reply.

Remember, when a fan responds to one of your posts, this activity is posted to their profile for all of their friends to see. Your company is gaining reach and visibility by actively engaging with your fans.

Example:

You are a snowboard manufacturer and you want to find out which snowboard of yours is the most popular. You can make a post on your wall that says:

“Hey fans, what will be your snowboard of choice going in to this season? Comment below and on Wednesday we will choose one fan at random who will win a $50 gift certificate to our online store.”

Keep it Up

With these basic ideas, you can begin to engage your Fans on your Facebook company page and keep them coming back for more.

It’s important to think about whom your target audience is, what their interests are, and what they would like to see. Once you have a grasp on this information, you can continue to generate quality material that not only promotes engagement, it helps strengthen your overall Facebook marketing campaign.

Welcome Your Facebook Fans in Style

For thousands of companies worldwide, Facebook has become an important tool that allows them to communicate and interact with their loyal fans and customers at a more personal level. For companies, much like any relationship, first impressions really do matter. On a business Facebook page, there is no better way to grab a visitor’s attention and make a good first impression than by creating a custom “Welcome” page.

Listed below are some reasons why it is important for you to create a custom Facebook page for your company. By following these tips, you can be assured that you are making a better first impression with potential Facebook followers.

Branding, Branding, Branding

Like any good brand, it is important that you keep your messaging consistent across all channels and forms of communication. Whether it’s traditional advertising, online marketing, website design, or social media, a consumer must be able to recognize your brand immediately.

Think of your “Welcome” page as the homepage of your website. It’s the first page that a visitor is going to see when they decide to check out your company profile on Facebook. It is crucial that they recognize your brand right when they land on the page. All branding styles, colors, and messaging on your landing page should be consistent with the rest of your marketing.

Example:

Coca-Cola has done an excellent job of branding their homepage. It would be nearly impossible for a visitor to mistake their Facebook page to that of Pepsi or some other competiton.

Differentiate Yourself

Make your company standout from the competition. No matter what market your company falls into, there are going to be countless companies that offer products/services similar to yours. This landing page is your opportunity to break through the clutter and show everyone how and why your company is superior to the competition.

Showoff your products, services, sales, promos, giveaways, contests, etc. and let the world know how your company is different from the all of the others and display it proudly on this landing page.

Example:

I am the world’s largest distributor of organically grown beets. This allows me to offer the lowest prices available. If I want to separate myself from the competition, I am going to show off my products on my landing page with the lowest pricing possible.

On the other hand, if I own a small beet farm, I can’t compete with the prices of the big guys. What I can offer the customer is service that is next to none. On my landing page, I may offer the visitor a look at testimonials about how great my customer service is and how much my customers have enjoyed working with me.

Get “Liked”

As a company, you need to remember the primary purpose of creating your Facebook page- more business. Facebook is no doubt an excellent tool for customer service and enhancing your public relations, but let’s be honest with each other, you wouldn’t be putting in all that hard work into your Facebook company page if it wasn’t going to bring more business your way.

Like traditional advertising, frequency plays a heavy factor in social media. The more a user sees posts and updates from your company, the more likely they are to do business with you. In order to put that content in front of them, it’s necessary to get this user to “Like” your Facebook page.

Many times, it’s beneficial to give the user an incentive to follow your company. Discounts, coupons, contests, and future giveaways are all great ways to entice a visitor to follow your company. Whatever the method, it’s important to get those “Likes”.

Example:

In conclusion, it has almost become a necessity for companies to personalize their Facebook pages with a custom landing page. If you are going to create a custom page, be sure to do it right: proper branding, differentiate yourself, and get some “likes”. With these tips, you can be assured that your company Facebook page is off in the right direction.

Top Five Ways You Can Improve Your Facebook Ads

So after reading my last blog post, you may have decided that Facebook advertising is in fact a perfect fit for you and your business. The precise targeting options and low cost make Facebook a great option for paid online marketing.

After setting up your campaign, you must be aware of one of largest factors that will determine whether or not your campaign is successful….the ads themselves. Below you will find five useful tips for creating successful Facebook ads.

1. Understand Your Audience

As discussed in my last post, one of the main advantages of Facebook advertising is the precise targeting that you can apply to your ad campaign. The fine folks at Facebook have given us many options for targeting; Location, age, gender, interests, education, work, and the list keeps growing. We would be doing a disservice to Mark Zuckerberg himself if we didn’t use these quality features.

Once you have targeted your ad at a specific group of people, be sure to write the ad in a way that is reflective of you r target group instead of just a generic ad.

2. Strong Call to Action

Having a strong call to action is one of the most important aspects of your Facebook ad. When creating an ad, you should never assume a viewer knows what to do after seeing your ad. Give them a reason to click and push forward in the purchase process.

Use phrases such as “shop now”, “get started today”, “start saving”, “click for discounts”, etc. In order to be successful, make sure that you audience knows what to do after seeing your ad.

3. Be Concise

I hit on this topic a little bit in my last post, but one unique feature of Facebook ads is that you are given 135 characters to work with, which almost doubles the character limit of Google AdWords. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Yes, this can be helpful, but don’t fall into the trap of writing long ads.
Be certain that your message is clear and simple. There is a fine line between attracting the attention of a viewer and burying them with boring, wordy content.

4. Testing and Repeating

Just like any other paid search marketing campaign, it is important that you aren’t limiting yourself to one ad. Facebook gives you the ability to run multiple ads at once and measure the results to see which ads are working and which ads can be paused.

Take advantage of this option! Test different pictures, titles, ad copy, etc. and see what works for your campaign. Once you find an ad that is successful, test minor changes to that ad and see if you make any improvements.

5. Be Wary of Fatigue

We’ve all had that one ad on television that was just played so many times it drove us insane! Almost to the point where we despised the company just because of the ad!

Make sure that this doesn’t happen to your company and your Facebook ads. No one likes to see the same ad week after week after week. Make an effort to generate new Facebook ads when possible.

With these simple tips, you are well on your way to creating successful Facebook ads. Best of luck to you!

The Top 5 Reasons Why Facebook Advertising is Perfect for Your Business

Are you interested in beginning a paid search marketing campaign for your business? With options from Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter to advertising on various social media sites, it can be hard to decide which option is best for your business.

Now, you can obtain success with any of these options. However, if you are trying to advertise your small local business, Facebook may be the road you want to travel. Here are five advantages that Facebook advertising offers to local business.

1: Location Targeting

Being a local business, you aren’t going to have the millions of dollars per year ad budget that Ford or Coca-Cola have. But let’s be honest, you aren’t trying to target nearly as many people either. By targeting less people, you are going to spend less.

Facebook allows users to create ads that are targeted at very specific locations. You can go as far as targeting specific zip codes.

2: Interest Targeting

Have you ever seen an ad on Facebook and thought, “Wow, how did they know I’d like that?” Let me assure you, it was no mistake that that exact advertisement found its way on to your computer screen.

Facebook allows companies to target their ads at an audience who has specific likes or interests.

Example:

Being the Michigan State alumnus that I am, I decide I want to open up a store that sells strictly Michigan State merchandise, and more specifically, Michigan State college basketball memorabilia. I can use the tools on Facebook ads to target specific groups that may be interested in my merchandise.

3: Visuals, Pictures, Graphics

Facebook has taken note of how big of an impact visuals can have on an individual in this society. Within Facebook’s advertising tools, you can add an image 110 pixels wide by 80 pixels tall.

As a small company, be sure that you are taking advantage of this space and using an image that highlights your company and the products and services you offer.

4: More Characters

One of the biggest drawbacks using a service such as Google AdWords or Microsoft adCenter is the limited space offered for text.

Google AdWords & Microsoft adCenter:

Title: 25 Characters
Body: 70 Characters
Facebook PPC:
Title: 25 Characters
Body: 135 Characters

Facebook offers almost twice as much room to advertise your product or service! While this is usually a great feature, be careful to not draw out the message and bore the viewer. If you make your ad too wordy, no one is going to be interested.

5: Inexpensive

With so many different options for targeting your audience, Facebook has proven to be one of the most cost effective forms of paid search marketing available. Advertising your business has become a necessity. If you are looking for an inexpensive and cost effective way to advertise, Facebook may be for you.

I hope this blog post has been effective in demonstrating the ways in which Facebook advertising is becoming a popular option for many businesses. Look for my posts in the future on how you can refine your Facebook advertising campaign to run as successfully as possible.

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Effective Facebook Marketing Strategies