Did you know that Facebook is the biggest social media network in the world? There are 1.5 billion daily users (of the 2.27 billion active users), according to Facebook Newsroom. While the company has had several scandals, users are still loyal and active.
Because of this, it’s a great marketing tool for companies. It’s worth the investment to learn how to effectively market on this platform.
Facebook Marketing for Beginners:
One of the first steps is to determine if your target audience has a presence on Facebook. If not, you can likely stop here and explore other marketing methods. The good news? They’re likely on the platform, as it features a wide variety of demographics.
As of January of last year, 68% of Americans used Facebook. Instagram was the second most popular platform, but only 35% of Americans are present on this.
There are a few different ways of marketing through Facebook:
- Using Facebook Pages – Pages are like personal profiles for businesses where they can keep their brand image, share updates, engage with customers, etc. Users can ‘like’ pages and see updates in their newsfeed. However, users must click if they wish to see updates from a particular company. Otherwise, Facebook makes companies pay to reach their followers.
Pages are free and easy to set up. There’s also no limit to the number of people who can ‘like’ your page. The sky is the limit!
Important elements to include on your business’ page are:
- Profile photo and cover image
- ‘About’ section
- Helpful updates on your timeline
- Create a call to action (sign up, call now, send message, send email, etc.)
- Organize page tabs
- See if you qualify for page verification
- Using groups, the marketplace, and jobs – A group can be created along with a Facebook page, which gives your brand more control over that group. Groups could be created in relation to your industry as a way to reach out to potential customers. Companies can post questions and monitor discussions between members.
Facebook marketplace is similar to Craigslist, but it’s built into Facebook. If your company sells products, you might consider creating a shop to use this platform to sell as well.
Listing jobs on Facebook can be another great tool for getting your name out there and increasing brand awareness.
Effective Facebook Marketing Tips:
Facebook users spend about 7% of their waking hours looking at the social network. However, only 48% of marketers feel their Facebook efforts are effective.
Do you feel like you’re taking full advantage of the platform?
Inbound marketing involves knowing your customers’ goals and working to achieve them. A great way to make this happen is by being present where they’re already spending time: Facebook.
Marketers can create quality content and authentic relationships with potential and existing customers.
Before you begin paying for advertisements, make sure you’re publishing interesting content, responding to messages quickly, replying to comments, etc. Having a set strategy is important for continuing to grow a following.
Another helpful tip is to create ‘pinned’ posts to keep certain pieces of content at the top of your page. Other posts published later will still show under the ‘pinned’ post.
To pin a post, click the three dots in the top right corner of a post then click ‘Pin to Top of Page.’ This post will remain pinned until you choose to replace it with another pinned post.
Facebook Marketing Doesn’t End on Facebook:
Another important thing to note is that Facebook marketing doesn’t end on Facebook. You can also promote your page on your website. Include ‘follow’ buttons on blog posts to make it easy for customers to engage.
Your company might also try to incorporate the promotion of your Facebook page on emails, receipts, the front of your brick-and-mortar business, etc. You might consider offering a discount to those who like your page on the spot from their phones.
Promotion via other social media channels can be beneficial as well. If you have a following on Twitter or YouTube already, you might encourage engagement with your Facebook page.
Developing Ideas for Facebook Marketing:
Types of Facebook ads include video, offers, leads, canvas, carousel, and more. There’s also the opportunity to boost posts you’ve already created to specific audiences.
With the right strategy, you can reach your target audience, increase sales, spark brand awareness, create new relationships, conduct market research, seek feedback, and develop many Facebook marketing ideas.
Here are some ideas that may help:
- Maximize the Space – Your Facebook page is free real estate where you can generate new business.
- Mobilize your Audience – Some companies have become experts at engaging with their audience and creating interesting content that people truly enjoy.
- Humanize your Brand – Customers like when a brand feels human-like. Consider showing people what happens behind the scenes so they can better relate to your company. According to Search Engine Journal, people are also more likely to be sold on a product or service if they know the effort that goes into the creation.
- Focus on Local Activity – Content should be leveraged to cater to your community. For examples, realtors should be posting photos of real houses in the area rather than just random houses with obscure captions.
- Get the Audience to Engage – This could be done by running interesting polls, asking intriguing questions, creating fun contests, initiating fun activities, etc.
- Remain Responsive – According to Search Engine Journal, “Facebook gives out badges to businesses that respond quickly, and fans expect fast response on social media.”
Examples of Successful Facebook Campaigns:
Over the years there have been numerous successful marketing campaigns which have gone viral and had incredible engagement.
- Ice Bucket Challenge – This campaign by the ALS Association reached 440 million people and raised over $220 million. Engagement through consumers’ individual videos is one of the biggest reasons for success for this campaign. People enjoy sharing content of themselves.
- Society of Good Taste – Gary Poupon wanted to create ‘quality’ likes instead of focusing on quantity. This campaign got national coverage, and people had to apply to like the page.
- Do us a Flavor – This campaign by Lays is used to crowdsource new flavors of potato chips by allowing fans to submit and vote on new flavors.
How do I Start Marketing on Facebook?
While marketing on Facebook may seem like a good idea that could help grow your business, it can sometimes be tough to know where to start.
Have you created a Facebook page for your company? If not, this is the first step. Add photos and add as much information as possible.
Next, create the perfect post. Continue to create compelling posts about three times/week that will spark engagement with your audience.
Once you have several posts published, you might start taking advantage of Facebook’s marketing tools. These include:
- Pinning posts
- Boosting quality posts on your feed to your target audience
- Using the call to action buttons
- Researching audience engagement and scheduling posts to publish during peak times
- Creating a couple of different types of ads and tracking results
It’s important to continue to make changes to keep improving engagement and overall campaign success.
Why Facebook is Good for Marketing:
Here are some reasons why this popular social media platform is an essential business marketing tool:
- Popularity: The number of people that use Facebook and the potential number of people your company could reach is so great.
- Larger Demographics: While other platforms have a smaller range of people, Facebook includes everyone from tweens to the elderly.
- Continued Growth: While Facebook has been around for years, people continue to join the platform every day.
- More Time: According to Metserve Media, research shows that Facebook users spend about 40 minutes each day on Facebook, so they’ll have more time to engage with your brand.
- Opportunity for Highly-Targeted Ads: The audience you target your content to can be very specific based on gender, age, location, interests, job, etc.
Create a Facebook Marketing Strategy:
Steps for creating an effective campaign include:
- Defining the audience – Using your normal target audience and Facebook’s audience insights you can create a group that your ads will be targeted towards.
- Create goals – What do you want to accomplish? Consider the S.M.A.R.T. framework, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
- Have a good content mix – You might consider the 80-20 rule, which includes 80% of posts designed to inform, educate, and entertain, and the other 20% to promote the business.
One beneficial way to rise above the competition is not only in the type of content your company creates, but also in the look of your company page. Consider amping up your cover photo with an eye-catching image or even a video. It’s also important to switch up the type of posts you’re creating by including some link posts, video posts, image posts, etc.
Targeting Facebook Ads:
Facebook has some of the best tools for reaching specific audiences. Businesses can target advertisements towards specific geographic locations, ages, education levels, interests, type of device used for browsing, and more. In essence, ads can be directed towards a person based on almost any aspect of a person’s profile.
It’s also possible to target an ad to people who have moved recently. For example, if your business is a local gym, you can target your ad to those who have recently moved to the area if you wish.
If your company sells basketball equipment or memorabilia, you could target ads to those who are interested in basketball by using various keywords related to the sport.
If you have a solid customer base or list of email addresses for potential customers, ads can also be targeted to a specific list of contacts.
As a general rule of thumb, better-targeted ads often yield better results.
Budgeting Tips:
Advertisements can run on as little as $5, and businesses have the capability to set the daily spend limit and the time frame an advertisement will run to prevent going over-budget.
ROI:
It’s important to track advertising campaigns and know that the money you’re spending is worth the investment. Before running ads and looking at results, it’s crucial for your business to have clear goals in mind.
In addition to the insights Facebook provides, it’s also important to use tracking links to really gauge traffic to your website.
In terms of metrics, companies often look at:
- Reach
- Likes on page
- Reactions
- Impressions
- Clicks
- Click-through rate
- Cost per action
- Frequency of views
Data on these items can be exported and incorporated into your company’s other reports.
No matter the type of company you have, Facebook is a powerful and effective marketing tool. If you don’t have much experience using the platform for advertising, consider setting aside some time to run test campaigns once you have goals in place. Every company is different, so what works for one business may not work as well for another.
In general, for your company to perform well with Facebook ads, it’s important to stand out and to provide helpful information for consumers.
Facebook Video Marketing with Zight (formerly CloudApp):
Compelling content and video are essential aspects of effective Facebook marketing, and Zight (formerly CloudApp) can help. Create a mini-presentation that’s ready for a
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Our tool for instantly sharing visuals can make your life easier in numerous ways.
Do you have questions? Are you interested in learning more about Zight (formerly CloudApp)? We make it easier to communicate via videos, screenshots, GIFs, etc.
Sign up today for a free Zight (formerly CloudApp) account.
Using Zight for Effective Facebook Marketing
Zight (formerly known as CloudApp) is a versatile visual communication tool that can significantly enhance your Facebook marketing strategy. By leveraging Zight’s features, you can create compelling content, streamline your workflow, and improve engagement with your audience. Here’s how you can use Zight to boost your Facebook marketing efforts:
1. Create Engaging Visual Content
Screen Recording: With Zight’s screen recording feature, you can easily create tutorials, product demonstrations, and behind-the-scenes videos. These videos can be shared on your Facebook Page or in Facebook Stories to provide valuable content to your audience. For example, you can record a quick tutorial on how to use a new feature of your product and share it with your followers to increase engagement and educate your customers.
GIFs: GIFs are a fun and engaging way to share content on Facebook. Zight allows you to create GIFs from screen recordings, which can be used to highlight key features of your product, share quick tips, or create eye-catching advertisements. GIFs are perfect for capturing attention in the fast-paced Facebook News Feed and can lead to higher engagement rates.
Screenshots and Annotations: Zight’s screenshot and annotation tools are ideal for creating informative and visually appealing posts. You can take screenshots of important data, customer testimonials, or product features and annotate them to highlight key points. This can be particularly useful for creating educational content or showcasing customer feedback in a visually engaging way.
2. Enhance Customer Support
Instant Visual Communication: Responding to customer inquiries on Facebook can be more effective with visual aids. With Zight, you can quickly create and share screenshots, screen recordings, or GIFs to address customer questions or issues. This not only helps in resolving problems faster but also improves customer satisfaction by providing clear and detailed responses.
Personalized Support Videos: For more complex issues, you can create personalized support videos using Zight. Record your screen while explaining the solution to the customer’s problem and share the video directly in the Facebook Messenger chat. Personalized videos can make customers feel valued and understood, leading to stronger customer relationships.
3. Streamline Team Collaboration
Feedback and Approvals: Zight’s annotation tools are perfect for giving feedback on visual content. If your team is working on a Facebook ad campaign, you can take a screenshot of the draft ad, annotate it with your suggestions, and share it with your team for revisions. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and can make the necessary adjustments quickly.
Collaborative Content Creation: Collaborate with your team to create high-quality visual content for your Facebook Page. Use Zight to share screen recordings, GIFs, or annotated screenshots with your team members. This collaborative approach can lead to more creative and effective marketing content.
4. Boost Engagement with Interactive Content
Interactive Polls and Quizzes: Create engaging polls and quizzes using Zight’s visual tools. For instance, you can design a quiz about your products or services, take screenshots of the quiz interface, and share them on your Facebook Page. Encourage your audience to participate by offering incentives, such as discounts or giveaways.
User-Generated Content Campaigns: Encourage your customers to create and share their own content using Zight. For example, you can run a contest where customers submit screen recordings or GIFs of themselves using your product. Share the best submissions on your Facebook Page to build a sense of community and showcase real-life applications of your product.
5. Monitor and Optimize Performance
Visual Reports: Use Zight to create visual reports of your Facebook marketing performance. Take screenshots of your Facebook Insights data, annotate them to highlight key metrics, and share them with your team. Visual reports make it easier to understand your campaign performance and identify areas for improvement.
A/B Testing: Conduct A/B tests on your Facebook ads and posts to determine what resonates best with your audience. Use Zight to create different versions of your visual content, share the results with your team, and analyze which version performs better. This data-driven approach can help you refine your strategy and achieve better results.
By incorporating Zight into your Facebook marketing strategy, you can create more engaging content, provide better customer support, and streamline team collaboration. The visual and interactive nature of Zight’s tools makes it easier to connect with your audience and drive better results from your Facebook marketing efforts.
Bonus Tips for Facebook Marketing
Leverage Facebook Stories
Facebook Stories are a great way to engage with your audience on a more personal and immediate level. These short, ephemeral posts appear at the top of users’ News Feeds and are ideal for sharing behind-the-scenes content, quick updates, or promotions. Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, they create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.
Utilize Facebook Insights
Facebook Insights is a powerful tool that provides detailed analytics about your Page’s performance. Use this data to understand which types of posts resonate most with your audience, the best times to post, and the demographics of your followers. By regularly reviewing these insights, you can adjust your strategy to better meet the needs and preferences of your audience.
Experiment with Facebook Live
Facebook Live allows you to broadcast real-time videos to your followers. This feature is perfect for hosting Q&A sessions, product launches, or live events. Live videos can generate significant engagement, as they allow you to interact directly with your audience through comments and reactions.
Collaborate with Influencers
Partnering with influencers can help you reach new audiences and build credibility. Choose influencers who align with your brand values and have a following that matches your target audience. Collaborations can include sponsored posts, takeovers, or co-hosting live sessions.
Create and Share User-Generated Content
Encourage your customers to create and share content related to your brand. User-generated content (UGC) is authentic and trustworthy, and it can significantly boost your brand’s credibility. Run contests or campaigns that incentivize users to share their experiences with your products or services.
Use Facebook Pixel for Retargeting
Facebook Pixel is a piece of code that you place on your website to track conversions and build targeted audiences for your ads. By using Pixel, you can retarget users who have visited your website or taken specific actions, increasing the likelihood of converting them into customers.
Engage with Your Community
Building a community around your brand is essential for long-term success. Respond to comments, engage in discussions, and show appreciation for your followers. Building a strong community fosters loyalty and encourages word-of-mouth promotion.
Optimize for Mobile Users
A significant portion of Facebook users access the platform via mobile devices. Ensure that your content is mobile-friendly by using short, compelling videos, eye-catching images, and concise text. Mobile optimization will help you reach and engage a larger audience.
Run A/B Tests
A/B testing allows you to compare different versions of your ads or posts to see which performs better. Experiment with different headlines, images, call-to-actions, and targeting options to determine what works best for your audience.
Monitor Competitor Activity
Keep an eye on your competitors’ Facebook activities to identify trends and strategies that might work for your business. Use tools like Facebook’s Ad Library to see the types of ads your competitors are running and gain insights into their marketing tactics.
Promote Events
If your business hosts events, use Facebook Events to promote them. This feature allows you to create event pages, send invitations, and track RSVPs. Facebook Events can increase attendance and engagement by making it easy for users to discover and join your events.
Implement Chatbots
Facebook Messenger chatbots can provide instant customer support, answer frequently asked questions, and guide users through your sales funnel. Implementing a chatbot can improve customer experience and save time for your team.
By incorporating these bonus tips into your Facebook marketing strategy, you can enhance your reach, engagement, and overall effectiveness on the platform.