Episode C.014 Your Online Presence - Facebook

Why Facebook For Business? 

• Helps you reach a new target audience, therefore, acquiring new customers.
• Facebook is a powerful lead generation tool.
• It is essential for the retention of the existing clients.
• Helps your organization achieve its goals.

Facebook Post Strategies: Be Engaging
Always aim for fan engagement. Posting blanket statements & opinions are not going to get a great response. Post in a way that catches people's attention & motivates them to take action.
Use Images to catch your reader's attention. Be sure to add videos and go Live and consider running contests. Use Hashtags Carefully and always show your humanity to build credibility and engagement.

​Mistakes to Avoid in Facebook Marketing

• Never have a personal profile to represent a brand. Create an authentic Facebook Business Page.
• Never publish personal content on your brand page. Always assign page roles on need-to basis and post as a brand not as a private person.
• Never spam your followers. Aim to be classy yet perceptive.

​Facebook Marketing Strategies: Target, Analyze, Adjust

1. Define your audience: To engage your audience effectively, you have to first understand who your target audience is. Start with broad questions about demographics and then use ad analytics to get more specific. 
2. Set goals: For your Facebook marketing strategy to be effective, you’ve got to have clear goals tied to real business objectives. Goals will differ for every business. Popular goals include generating leads, increasing conversions on your website, improving customer service.
3. Plan your content mix: Determine the right content mix. Consider either the 80-20 rule or the social media rule of thirds. The 80-20 rule: use 80% of your Facebook posts to inform, educate, and entertain and the other 20% to promote your brand. The social media rule of thirds looks like this: one-third of your content should share ideas and stories, one-third should involve personal interactions with your followers, the remaining third can promote your business. Also plan when you post. Research generally shows that the best time to post on Facebook is: For B2B brands: between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. For B2C brands: 12 p.m. EST on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday
4. Incorporate Facebook ads and the Facebook pixel: Organic reach just isn’t enough. Facebook ads allow you to target news feeds and guarantee you will get seen. An important note: Even if you don’t plan to use Facebook ads right away, it’s a good idea to set yourself up with a Facebook pixel now.The pixel will start collecting data as soon as you place it on your site, so you’ll have remarketing and custom audience information ready when you start your first campaign
5. Track, measure, and refine: Facebook marketing is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. You’ve got to track and measure performance so you can see what worked and what didn’t. This will reveal how you can improve your strategy in the future.

Grow Your Facebook Business Group

• Build Trust With Your Members by raising awareness about your mission. Make sure to be transparent. Make sure that every new group member feels welcomed, accepted, and supported.
• Post and Interact Consistently
• Promote Your Facebook Group online and offline and across other social media platforms. Offer something valuable for those who join! 
• Create A Specific Content Marketing Plan For Facebook Groups
• Create, Publish and Adhere to Group Rules
• Assign Badges To Your Group Members Nobody joins a group to feel excluded. Facebook allows you to recognize your members with badges. 
• Group Metrics and Insights are a great tool to measure the effects of your marketing activities. 
• Reduce Spammers by Ask Pending Member Questions
•  Welcome New Members 
• Use Your Group Description to entice potential members to join. Keep it clear and feel free to add your freebies! Include the following in your group description: Welcome, Who is a great fit for the group, What’s in there for members, What do they do once they join, Important details