Remember back when Facebook was only for college students? You needed an .edu address to access it and when you did, it was just a profile. No pictures (except for your profile picture), no apps, no timeline.
That was 11 years ago. And since then, Facebook has become more than just a way to stay in touch with people you know or reconnect with people you haven’t seen in awhile. It’s a marketing tool. And a very powerful one at that.
If you don’t have a page for your business, you need to get one now! Once you do that, here are a few really important things you should be doing to maximize potential for your business:
Target your audience with ads.
Facebook allows you to choose exactly who sees your ad. Select your demographic by gender, age, location, etc. You can also target people with certain behaviors (ie: someone who might need to buy a car), people who already like your page vs. people who don’t, and so much more. Take the time to zero in on your target market and customize your ads to reach them.
Interact directly with people who are interested in what you provide.
Consumers love interacting with brands. It’s important to have a relationship with your consumers and gauge their feedback. Were they happy with your new product? Did they enjoy your new service? Ask them! Actually read their comments and gauge their satisfaction and make changes if necessary. Commenting on a post or responding to a comment also keeps your post active and showing up in other people’s newsfeeds. More interaction=more exposure.
Share awesome content.
Share different links daily and drive traffic to your site. Do you have a blog post to share? An interesting article? A new product? A sale? Share the link on your Facebook page and get people there. If they see something interesting in their newsfeed, they’re more likely to click it and check out your website. Sharing a picture with the text is a bonus too.
Know your engagement analytics, and maximize them.
Facebook allows you to see patterns among your audience; what time are they most active? Did they respond best to pictures, videos, or plain links? Pay attention to this. This will show you how many people are visiting your website after visiting your Facebook page and which types of content they prefer.
Boost your page.
For the most part, having a Facebook page for your business is free. However, Facebook has recently put some limitations on how many people can see your posts. It’s beneficial to “boost” your page once in awhile so that you can reach more people. For example, if you you have a big event, product launch, or sale coming up, that would be a great time to boost your page and get more followers.
Like all forms of social media, Facebook can be a great way to connect with your target audience. With the amount of time our society spends on social media, they’re most likely to see a Facebook post from your page sooner than any other form of advertising. The biggest key to being successful is interaction; show your audience you’re a brand with a voice and a brand who cares about their customers.
They’ll come running in no time.
