Any business in this day and age (whether a small or big one) can make use of Facebook’s powerful reach and features. The platform is not anymore just a tool for socializing, but it has now evolved into a tool for influence and marketing too.
However, since Facebook is free, easy to use and a powerful marketing tool at that, competition in this platform is very stiff. You have to compete with other businesses, and even with other pages for the attention of your target customers.
Facebook users on the other hand primarily don’t go to the page to buy stuff or transact professionally, because Facebook remains to be primarily a social tool. This does not however mean that users cannot be persuaded or attracted to check out businesses, services and products.
As long as you know how to make use of Facebook’s marketing features, they can take notice – especially if you use the following features below:
1. Set up a Facebook page
The quickest way to establish your business is through an official Facebook page. It is also cheaper and easier to maintain, compared to a full-blown website. A Facebook page is the quickest way for your target customers to get to know about your products, services, and even ask about them there. Naturally, a Facebook page is the best channel for you to introduce your brand. It also enhances brand retention among both leads and customers.
Some small time business owners have a hard time letting go of a personal Facebook account in favor of a Facebook business page. Most of them would contend that they have established a certain kind of trust with core customers already because of that account, and that it is easier to manage than an actual page.
Although this is true and others would find it more convenient, it is rather hard for a business to build a brand name through a personal account. This is because the owner would sometimes mix up personal posts and business-related posts. And this is the tendency when you use your personal account rather than set up a Facebook page that is purely dedicated for the company or brand name.
2. Automate responses in Facebook Messenger
As mentioned, a Facebook page is the quickest way for leads and customers to inquire about your products or business. Of course, you cannot be expected to attend to your page 24/7, so your best friend is an automated response that can at least tell customers that you are listening and that you have received their inquiry.
In Facebook Messenger, you can create Messenger bots to do just that. It is the first step towards better customer engagement. It is also an indication for leads/customers that your Facebook page is still monitored actively.
3. Make use of paid Facebook ads
Your Facebook page cannot go far in terms of likes and engagement if you don’t make use of paid Facebook ads. Although growing your fan-base can be done through organic means, the process usually takes a lot of time before you acquire quite a huge following and influence. With a paid Facebook advert, you can jumpstart your marketing efforts by reaching more people at a time.
This is also a way for you to collect data from your target market. Facebook’s analytics will tell you the age, gender and location of users that consists the majority of your acquired likes and engagement.
4. Optimize your page for SEO
Search engines also “crawl” through Social Media platforms like Facebook as part of their efforts to show better results to the user. This is more reason for you to add in the exact name, location, contact details and short descriptions of your business.
So whenever a user tries to search for you in a search engine, your Facebook page would show in their results.
5. Make sure you post regularly
Marketing and engaging customers is not a one-time activity. Its success is dependent on the consistency and frequency of your message. It also has something to do with your approach too. Your Facebook page for example would not generate enough interest if it is not constantly updated with new posts, photos and information each week.
Leads and customers would also lose interest if you don’t make an effort to interact with them through the comment section or through messaging. Lack of interaction in your Facebook pages usually send a negative view to the customer – they may either think that the page is inactive, or the company just does not care about what their customer has to say.
So once you launch a Facebook page for your business, make sure you have a content plan in place – and you should take note which of your posts generated more attention from the audience. Studying what they respond to can make you formulate better messages and catchy ads in the future.
The great thing about marketing through Facebook (or any Social Media platform) is you get actual feedback within just a short period of time. It is also a cheaper way to gather initial marketing data about your target market.
Before this technology, only big firms can actually commission marketing studies because the process is too costly. With Facebook however, small businesses can now profile their target market using its analytical tools. It may not provide in-depth information, but they are still useful sets of data that can be used to add some leverage to a young business.