Using Facebook for businesses: what you need to know to succeed
Social commerce is growing day by day. And Facebook is a big part of this growing revolution. People are buying more products / services online because of the recommendations and promotions they offer on Facebook. A trend that will not fade soon.
While the social media giant does not achieve Google's status in terms of being a shopping channel, it is definitely becoming a strong influence on buying habits and decisions. For anyone who uses Facebook for business, that's a big plus.
In fact, studies show that Facebook is the main social media platform that influences people when it comes to making purchasing decisions.
Shopping on social networks Although Facebook has improved the game for companies (many ways than one), many still dare to take advantage of the full power of Facebook marketing. But by ignoring it, they only leave room for their competition.
With more than 2,200 million users (and counting), Facebook is a platform where your company or any company can take advantage of. It's where everyone is hanging out. So, why would not your target audience stay out?
The days when marketers had to rely on the slow marketing methods of the old school, such as printed newspapers and the Yellow Pages to connect their products / services to the market, are over. Facebook is where the action is happening now.
In the next article we will see how the use of Facebook for companies not only makes sense, but it can also be the smartest marketing move you make.
Here are some things that every entrepreneur / marketer should know before using Facebook for business to increase their chances of success.
Frequency of publication issues
Posting relevant content on your Facebook page consistently can and will make a difference in the type of response it generates. So, if there is something that a brand should never worry about, it has to be "publish too much".
Keep in mind that Facebook has become too competitive. Which means that many companies (of all types) are competing for attention. Facebook, on the other hand, wants to serve its users in the best possible way by showing them the most relevant content.
The result? Not everything you publish on your page is seen by your fans. Only a small percentage is.
This reduction in organic reach has led companies to publish more often. But the ones that are most successful with frequent publications are the brands that do it without sacrificing quality. Therefore, there must be a definite balance between the qualities of the content you are publishing with the quantity.
Now, the question is, what kind of publication frequency should you point to?
There is no doubt that your participation rates will improve when you publish regularly. But it has to be done in an optimal way taking into account the quality.
According to a study carried out jointly by Buffer and BuzzSumo, the pages are now moving towards the publication of more content.
The volume of publications of Facebook after analyzing 43 million publications of 20,000 popular brands that use Facebook for business, discovered that the pages that published at least 5 times a day received 2,466 commitments on average. However, the pages they published 10 times experienced 50% less participation. Therefore, it could be said that publishing 5 times in every 24 hours is an effective publication frequency.
Is this frequency of final publication? Not absolutely not.
When it comes to using Facebook for business, nothing is engraved in stone. The strategies are evolving as Facebook evolves.
Therefore, there can never be a perfect approach for everyone that provides the best results for everyone. Keep experimenting to discover how often you should post for more commitment.
Take advantage of user-generated content jobs
When using Facebook for business, it is crucial that your products appear as authentic as possible. The level of authenticity that resonates from the content generated by the user or UGC cannot be denied. This is why you get the most amount of participation in Facebook and other social media platforms.
If you take a look at the marketing arena of Facebook, you will find that some of the most profitable Facebook marketing campaigns had an element of UGC involved.
This simply shows that the content created by your followers, prospects and customers is not ignored. In fact, you get much higher conversions.
One of the greatest examples of successful implementation of UGC can be found on the Coke Facebook page, which was created by two Coke fans. A lot of shared content on this page came from real people (and from normal people), which fueled their growth. Since the page had achieved an amazing amount of participation, Coca-Cola allowed the kids to continue publishing content generated by natural users. UGC's social media audiences are smart enough to differentiate stories related to those that are made exclusively for marketing. UGC not only helps brands to create awareness, but also allows them to establish strong long-term relationships.
Looking at recent research, it is not surprising to know that users of social networks consume a large amount of UGC per day (more than five hours).
Not only that, Facebook advertising campaigns that take advantage of UGC have approximately 20% more influence on purchasing decisions when comparing other types of promotions.
UGC is growing by leaps and bounds. The proof is in the numbers ... Using UGC there are many ways to use UGC, such as promoting your product / service by showing how your customers use it. But, again, there are also ways to be creative with UGC, so do not hold back.
Remarketing means higher conversions
There is little doubt that proper guidance plays a key role in making your Facebook advertising campaign successful. In other words, using Facebook for business works best when you are sure of your target audience. And a proven way to do that is to target prospects who have already shown interest in your product / service.
That's right, we're talking about Facebook remarketing that generally gets better conversions.
Remarketing is a common (and successful) tactic that helps you show your Facebook ads to only those people who have...
· I visited your site in the past
· Showed some interest in your product / service
· There is no space science involved here. It's pretty simple if you look at it...
· People visit a page or pages on your website.
· You segment your visitors according to the pages they have visited.
· Create custom and personalized ads that are shown to these visitors on your Facebook.
Using Facebook for business Ask yourself, why does someone visit your business website in the first place? It is usually one of the following three reasons.
· They want to obtain relevant information about you, your product or your industry.
· They want to contact you with a question or suggestion.
· They want to buy your product or service.
Obviously, what concerns us is the sales numbers. We want more and more people to buy us. But the point is that buying decisions are rarely impulsive and may take some time. This is especially true in the B2B marketing arena, where purchases are large and commitments are long.
However, through the remarketing of Facebook, you can continue to expose them to your offer and try to eliminate your doubts or doubts. Increase the chance of them changing their minds.
Facebook remarketing really works when it runs well, and it mainly helps you...
· Increase your conversion rate
· Lower your cost per acquisition
Now, as to why Facebook remarketing can be such a good strategy it's who you're watching your ad for. The people you re-market are familiar with your brand and have a greater interest in your product / service. This includes….
People who are not familiar with your product / service but want to buy it.
People who have already visited your website, have seen your product / service but have not yet clicked on the purchase button.
People who have bought your product / service and have become customers.
The good thing about remarketing is that it raises its commercialization from where it is standing. And that also taking advantage of the audience or traffic that has already created.
Creating content that can be shared is important
Going viral on Facebook can send you a lot of traffic, if that is what you are looking for. But how often do you see that Facebook content goes through the infamous viral marketing loop? That is correct, not very often.
However, it can increase the chances that your content will be further disseminated and shared by the right people. How? Ensuring that your content is as sharable as possible.
The use of Facebook for business becomes easier and much more fruitful when you prioritize the creation of content that encourages people to share with others. It's the way you finally improve your social media content strategy. The resources shared by type of content to understand how you can create such content, should know why people share content in the first place. What exactly pushes them to hit the most coveted share button and spread the word?
A study by the New York Times, appropriately called "Psychology of Sharing," found that people share content for various reasons and different motivations that need to be exploited. They share it...
· Learn something new
· Inform others and influence them.
· To help your friends and family.
· Show identity and make yourself known.
· To connect with people in your circle.
· To simply participate and spread the word.
· Provide support to those who need it.
So, whether your publication on Facebook gives, inspires or surprises, you have to touch the right emotions of your target audience so that they are willing to share it. Give them a reason to share and make sure it's worth it.
Native video sharing is better
Dropping a YouTube link works on Facebook, but in the long run it's not worth it from a marketing perspective. Why? Because Facebook favors native video content over a YouTube or Vimeo link. They want you to upload more video content directly to your Facebook page. Therefore, every brand that uses Facebook for companies must understand the power of native videos.
In addition, sharing native videos is also much better from the point of view of commitment. Because the videos are automatically played as your followers browse the news source. This not only helps you generate more visits / clicks, but also gives a positive impression to both your fans and Facebook. Which leads to more comments in your video.
Native Facebook videos
Here are three real benefits of uploading native videos...
Help create a video gallery
Having a separate section for your social media videos makes a lot of sense. And that's exactly what happens when you use native videos. Facebook creates a dedicated video gallery for your page to store all your video content. People who like your videos can navigate to this section and access them later. What gets more exposure to your videos and increases commitment.
Improve the organic reach
They say that content is king, which is true. But due to the growing popularity of visual content, video is becoming highly effective and attractive. If you want to improve your organic Facebook reach while adding variety to your content mix, then native video is the way to go.
Facebook's algorithm has changed over the years and continues to evolve. And since Facebook is trying to become bigger than YouTube in terms of viewing / video participation, its algorithm clearly favors the native video.
On average, a case study was reached and it was discovered that native video content leads to a 135% increase in organic reach compared to links and photos. In a different case study conducted by Quinsy, they found that native videos on Facebook have 4 times more interactions than video links from other sites.
Gives access to better analysis
The success of your campaign on social networks depends on how well you read your successes and failures. One of the advantages of using native videos is that it helps you gain access to better social analytics. What can you use to improve your results?
For example, if you analyze Facebook Page Insights, you will see how many people watched your video for ten seconds or more. Not only that, you also learn how your best videos behave in terms of participation.
Perspectives of the Facebook page
The use of Facebook Live improves the reach
Are you working with a limited marketing budget? Then Facebook Live is something you should focus on.
While there are many benefits of using Facebook Live, such as lower quality requirements, free cost, etc. One benefit that clearly makes it worthwhile is that it can help you increase your organic reach on Facebook. Sometimes, the scope is even greater than that of the native video. Facebook Live vs Native Video When you have a better reach, you have more audience that consumes your content. What directly affects the type of results generated with Facebook marketing? Facebook even sends a notification to your fans when you go live. What increases the chances of getting involved with your video?
In addition, Facebook Live makes it easier to stand out in the news feed of your followers because your video will stay on top while you're live. So, if you are not taking advantage of Facebook Live, you are leaving money on the table.
Below are some ideas of live Facebook videos that your company can take advantage of.
Organize a question and answer session: if you receive many inquiries from customers regarding your product or the industry you are in, you can invite your potential customers to participate in a question and answer session through Facebook Live. This will allow you to clear your doubts / questions and also show your own knowledge.
Do an interview: Know an industry expert who can comment on an important issue? Do you have a colleague who can shed light on current industry trends? You can interview almost anyone who brings a unique value to the table. And broadcast it through Facebook Live.
Broadcast an event: be it a trade fair or some other type of event in which your audience can benefit, you can broadcast it live through Facebook Live. The whole idea of capturing a live event and transmitting it screams "value", which means that your audience will love to tune it.
Advertise a new product: regardless of the industry you are in and the type of product you sell, you can use social networks to announce the launch of your product and get more people to join the event. Facebook Live is great for doing this because it not only helps build the right level of anticipation but also allows you to attract viewers with a little preparation.
Create a daily / weekly program: if there is something you must do to grow your business, you have to be providing regular value to your fans. It helps to consolidate your relationship with them and makes you stand out from the crowd. You can use Facebook Live to create a daily or weekly program to connect to them on a personal level.
Committing to your fans / clients with a regular show is a sure way to increase your influence with them. It is perfect for the brand of social networks. Just make sure you are consistent in your efforts. Choose the time of day you are comfortable with to answer any fan questions.
An additional advantage of doing this is that you will be able to explore and understand the latest trends as you share them with your audience.
Offering discounts increases sales
How about making your followers / customers feel very special by giving them an exclusive discount? That's exactly what you can do with Facebook offers, a popular feature to take advantage of if you're using Facebook for business.
With the Facebook Offers, you can post generous discounts, special offers and coupons on your Facebook page. If you are the administrator or the publisher, you can create a relevant offer.
Facebook offers
These are the three types of Facebook Offers you can take advantage of:
Only in the store: these offers can only be exchanged by the customer in the store where they have to present an impression of the offer or show it on their mobile phone.
Online only: these offers cannot be redeemed offline in a store. Rather, customers can make use of them on their website or in some other online destination.
In-store and online: this option offers the best of both worlds, since customers both online and online can redeem their discount.
Here are some tips on the efficient use of Facebook offers...
Be generous: granting a small discount would void the whole purpose, so make sure your discount is substantial. A good rule of the thumbs is not to grant a discount lower than 20% of the normal price. You may also want to experiment with the delivery of free bonuses along with the purchase, since they generally give better results.
Practice simplicity: the more complicated your terms and conditions, the harder it will be to convert them. Remember to keep things simple for your potential customers. Additional, unnecessary steps should be avoided.
Use an attractive image: it is a good idea to choose a photo that shows your client the use of your product in some way. If you simply post the image of your article, it may not be as attractive. And yes, use an image that is different from your profile because they will appear side by side.
Use natural language: in addition to making your owner attractive, you should also make sure there is enough clarity for your potential customers. The more natural and direct your language is, the better results you will see. Try adding the USP of your product to its owner so that people can see the main benefit.
Have a practical expiration date: you do not want to give your clients too much time, but also avoid rushing them. Giving them the right amount of time is crucial so they can see, understand and claim their offer. By offering some time, it also increases the chances that people will discuss their offer and spread the word about it.
Promote the offer: you may want to place your offer at the top of your Facebook page for more exposure. It's hard to track too many offers, so (according to Facebook's recommendation), keep sharing your current offers. Avoid creating new offers when they are not necessary.
Start using Facebook for business
Now is the time to put all this information to work. If you are already using Facebook for business, now you know how to use it even more efficiently to capture the results you want. If you were not using Facebook for business, now you know what you are missing and the next steps you should take.
Do not you want to tackle this project on your own? That's where we come in. We have a full team of Digital Marketing Company ready to help you grow using the social media giant. It is the favorite tool of a seller and the best friend of a small business owner. Contact us today to discuss a personalized plan on how you can start using Facebook for business growth.