Facebook still reigns as one of the most widely used online platforms by adults. And the vast majority are using it daily, which continues to provide brands and businesses with an opportunity for maximum visibility when implementing a Facebook marketing strategy. Show
Often times, the toughest part is simply getting started, but we’re here to provide you with seven steps to help get your Facebook marketing efforts off the ground. Read on to ensure you’re getting the most out of this ever-powerful social media platform. 1. Set goals for FacebookThe first step to any marketing strategy is setting the right goals. This roadmap will be an essential reference to measure against to make sure your Facebook strategy is successful. But to set goals, you’ll first want to do a little research to ensure your plan is attainable through the platform. In the 2018 Sprout Social Index, we found that marketers on Facebook had a few top goals in mind:
So, if you don’t have Facebook goals of your own yet, these survey results are a great place to start. Additionally, if your company has already set general goals, look for how these overlap with your own plans for marketing on Facebook. Addressing Your GoalsHere are some common yearly goals for businesses and how an effective Facebook strategy can help you:
2. Know your Facebook audienceUnderstanding who is on Facebook and what your current audience breakdown looks like will be important in determining which Facebook marketing strategies you should employ and how. Sprout Social’s deep dive into social media demographics is a great starting point for getting a general sense of who is using. the platform and how. Once you’ve studied up on that, spend some time getting familiar with your own Facebook demographics using either Facebook Page Insights or a tool like Sprout. 3. Engage proactively with your audienceLike most social media channels, they’re built as networks to converse, discuss and share content. As a brand, you can’t forget that basic idea of what makes a social media network. That means conversation and engagement should never be put on the back burner. Instead, try to be a community for your audience. Facebook is a great place to hold industry chats or discussions, whether it’s with a different audience or your own customers. While Twitter often gets all the limelight of being a social customer care mecca, don’t forget about Facebook too. You can help drive Facebook engagement by asking people to simply engage in the first place. However, you can’t sit back and wait for your followers to interact. You can’t reach everyone, but there are ways to increase engagement. For example, Zippo does a great job at interacting with users on several comments and continues the discussion on Facebook. The brand also acts as a source for info for loyal customers. Post at the Best Time on FacebookFacebook is still one of the most difficult social networks to use for organic content. Again, algorithms make it a challenge for businesses trying to find optimal posting times. However, our guide on the best times to post on social media outlines the do’s and don’ts of posting on Facebook:
Erin Supinka Start Your Free Trial 4. Schedule your Facebook contentContent creation and curation are important components to any social media strategy. On Facebook, you have many more choices on the types of posts you can use. This ranges from Stories to status to Group posts. With the selection of options comes the specific types of content your audience is interested in, which should also be kept in mind while evaluating the techniques for marketing on Facebook that will work best for you. Our 2018 Index analyzed what type of posts consumers want from brands. Thirty percent said they would like links to more information and 18% want more images. Videos came in a close third with 17% of people surveyed. The same report also discussed what social marketers need to succeed. For Facebook, the top priorities included video and a budget for ads, which we’ll go into next. For scheduling content, you have both free and paid options available to you. Facebook’s Page controls allow you to schedule your posts right from your own page. Sprout’s ViralPost feature will pick the best times for you based on your highest expected audience engagement. Scheduling and planning your calendar makes it easier for you to see where gaps are in your posts. Using a tool like this will save you time in the long run. 5. Determine your Facebook ads strategyWhether you’re just starting out on Facebook or you’ve been on it for a while, it’s difficult to escape the need to pay for brand exposure. Our comprehensive guide to creating your Facebook advertising strategy is a great place to start learning more about Facebook ads. However, growing your audience and brand loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. You have to earn it. But there is one shortcut to get there a bit faster–social media advertising. Specifically on Facebook, there are more than four million advertisers with just an average click-through rate of 9%. Advertising on Facebook is simpler, but not easier. You still have to effectively build your brand and showcase it perfectly with ads. Aim for Higher Brand AwarenessYou Facebook ad campaigns should always be focused on two things:
For starters, you want to stay within your allocated weekly or monthly spend with Facebook to avoid over exposure and useless clicks. Ad spend can shoot up in a hurry when you’re targeting isn’t effective or set appropriately, which brings us to the next step. Your Facebook ad has to be relevant. Targeting a broad audience isn’t a bad thing. At first, you want to actually see what works best to build awareness. However, relevance is crucial toward great Facebook ads. Try to build custom audiences and address customers who would best fit your Facebook content. If it’s a retargeting measure, make sure the content provides something recognizable but also something new. Decide on Creative ContentEarlier in this post, we did a deep dive into the types of content on Facebook. Now it’s time to choose which pieces of content you think are worth advertising in front of a much larger audience. Some of the best aspects of your ad content should include:
Keep Facebook Ad Content FreshFacebook ad content is literally squeezed between your friends and family feed, which means it’s seen often. Have you ever deemed a TV commercial the worst ever and seen it replayed endlessly through your favorite show? This is the same thing. Don’t let your content get stale with viewers, so make sure to update and repurpose your ad content every week or two. The whole purpose is to drive users to a specific site or purchasing page. So don’t let old content ruin your Facebook retargeting or remarketing efforts. Create a spreadsheet and document your core metrics. Each metric will provide you with unique insights into what you specifically want to achieve with your ad:
6. Encourage employee advocacyYour employees should be your biggest cheerleaders. In the Sprout Brands Get Real report, 72% of people reported feeling more connected with a brand when its employees shared information about it on social media. Employees put faces to the brands, making them more relatable to consumers. While you can try to wrangle employee advocates using company announcement emails, a solution such as Sprout Social Employee Advocacy is specifically designed to streamline the process and make it easy to transform employees into brand ambassadors. Your employees are an invaluable asset when it comes to messaging amplification, social selling and authentic engagement. And unlike industry influencers, their services on social are free. Use Employee Advocacy to easily curate content for employees and track your advocacy program’s performance. When considering employee advocacy, don’t forget about the CEO. In the same report, 70% of consumers feel more connected to a brand when its CEO is active on social media. 7. Track & analyze your resultsThe last step of your strategy is to keep an eye on the metrics you identified earlier in goal setting and analyze the results. This also includes determining your ROI. Sprout makes Facebook data analysis a breeze. Quickly measure Page impressions, Fan growth and how your Facebook content is performing using intuitive, interactive reports that can be downloaded and shared with stakeholders in seconds. Paul Newton Start Your Free Trial And don’t forget to see how you measure up against the competition. With Sprout, you can directly compare your performance against industry averages and competitor’s data to ensure your Facebook marketing strategy is on the right track. ConclusionWith this seven steps in hand, you can begin plotting your Facebook marketing strategy today. To keep your strategy rolling, check out our free toolkit on using data to elevate your social success. How can I use Facebook to promote my business?Promote Your Page. On your Facebook business Page, select Promote. Go to your Page and select Promote in the left column. ... . Choose a goal. ... . Choose your ad creative. ... . Create your audience. ... . Set your budget. ... . Set the duration. ... . Review your payment method. ... . Submit your ad.. How Facebook can be used in marketing?Facebook's tools cater to the business that wants to form an authentic relationship with their audience. It allows marketers to create and distribute quality content that's helpful for users. And it allows sales and customer services reps to connect with consumers interested in a brand.
How does Facebook marketing help business?Facebook marketing is the practice of promoting a business and brand on Facebook. It can help businesses build brand awareness, grow an online following, gather leads, and sell more products or services. Facebook marketing tactics can include: Organic text, photo, or video content.
What is the best way to market on Facebook?7 steps to an effective Facebook marketing strategy. Set goals for Facebook. ... . Know your Facebook audience. ... . Engage proactively with your audience. ... . Schedule your Facebook content. ... . Determine your Facebook ads strategy. ... . Encourage employee advocacy. ... . Track & analyze your results.. |