Social Media is here and it is not going anywhere. Many brands focus on specific social media sites because of the type of updates they can make or the activity level of their target market. Facebook is no different even with the changes to organic reach, the social media giant is still often the first choice for businesses that are seeking to get started on social media to promote their business and communicate with customers. Rescue a CEO asked some businesses how they use Facebook to help their business.
#1 – Amplifier
I use Facebook primarily as an amplifier for my company’s blog on my website, to showcase great PR results we’re generating for clients or to add to the ongoing discussion about communications in general. I’ve received several good leads from my company’s FB presence despite the insistence by someone that FB is a consumer-only social network. Lots of companies do marketing and some rather poorly, so I like my FB page to show the way to better communications rooted in the truth and solid ethics. Bad marketing is a disease and my company tries to do its little bit to be part of the cure through education and intelligent conversation about marketing topics.
Thanks to Scott Robertson, RobertsonComm
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/RobertsonComm
#2 – Adding a Human Element
Facebook is one of my most important platforms. As a business owner, I want to reach out to my target audience via all social media channels. I want to add human elements through my posts, which I do so by adding myself. I want people to connect with me. My business is my baby, I want people, women in particular, to relate, and feel they can reach out, comment, share and so forth. Facebook allows for this. I can engage with customers, or potentials, whether on a post or via private message. We must remember, businesses are run by humans, and we are reaching out to humans. It’s easy to have a disconnect through technology, so remaining as organic as possible is important to me for my business. People communicate with me via Facebook when they have a quick question, this allows me to reply quickly. I connect some Instagram posts to Facebook to maintain consistency, but it is important to create individual content for each platform too. Not all posts are pitching for sales. Don’t do this. When building a brand, you have to keep the overall image in mind. It’s not just a market place to sell sell sell products. You’re also selling your brand. If you want to keep people interested, they need to be interested in the personality of your brand, and Facebook provides this opportunity to connect with people on a more personal level.
Thanks to Chantal Mossess, Boyajian Trend Gallery
#3 – Developing a relationship with our customers
Facebook is a great social media tool to communicate directly with our customers. It's most effective when our customers can feel and understand what our brand message is and what we support. Letting our potential customers know what we represent helps establish a strong bond with the same beliefs. I believe having a passionate customer base is the key to a successful business. Using Facebook to establish a relationship is very effective when we encourage our customers to share their experiences wearing our clothing. Engaging with our customers also shows that we care about their opinion and we take into consideration of everything they want to see to be improved. Facebook is another branch to our marketing campaign and we would not be able to grow a a business without it.
Thanks to Lisa Chu, Black N Bianco
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-N-Bianco-Childrens-Formal-Wear
#4 – For Three Things
I use Facebook for three things with my business. The first, and most is as a form of advertising where I post links to new products and sales that I think my customers might enjoy. The second is that I use Facebook comments on my site as a way for customers to offer feedback on my products without forcing them to signup for an account. Finally, I use Facebook as an extension of my customer service network. While I have a fully staffed customer service desk, a contact form, and an onsite chat, I know that not everyone is comfortable using these methods. So to reach them, I monitor my Facebook page and actively respond to questions and concerns that customers leave there.
Thanks to Matt Behnke, Orthotic Shop
#5 – Adding value to your audience
The most effective marketing that any business can ever do is to always be adding value to their customers at all times. Whether you're a local restaurant offering free glass of wine to their customers, a clothing store showing your customers how to dress better, or an entrepreneur that can teach their followers about starting a business, every business has an opportunity to build a better relationship with their fans on social media. Find out what kind of content resonates with your audience and give it to them. If you do this right, they will remember it next time they are ready to make a purchase.
Thanks to Seth Hanes, Seth Hanes
#6 – Leveraging
We found that leveraging private Facebook Groups yielded a much higher engagement level than Pages, not only because members get notifications any time there is an update, but because the feeling is more conversational and communal. We have found that many brands have tried this and failed, but we've managed to succeed with a highly engaged audience because we focus on current fans rather than worrying about earning new fans (it's risky, but helps us to grow quickly). Lastly, we use Facebook to listen. When launching ad campaigns, we learn quickly who is interested and who is not, and we are often surprised!
Thanks to Benn Rosales, TheAmericanGenius.com
#7 – Target People
We have found that Facebook impacts the growth of our business the most. Facebook ad campaigns have been extremely successful in helping us grow our customer base. Because we are able to target people with our ads according to certain demographics, locations, and whether or not a person is already a fan of Isabelle Grace Jewelry, we are able to reach the exact people who are more likely to become new customers or repeat purchasers. We also always make sure to include a special discount code for Facebook fans in our ads as well, which has resulted in many new fans and customers. We try to have a conversation with our fans on Facebook via liking and responding to their comments, as it allows us to really engage with our fans on a very personal, 1:1 level that builds and maintains a high level of trust in our company.
Thanks to Claudia Montez, Isabelle Grace Jewelry line
#8 – Adjust your Strategy
Facebook for business has been tricky over the past few years. We've seen the transition in their algorithm slowly decrease the total views a post gets from a business page, unless you pay to promote your post. I've managed several Facebook Pages for small businesses since 2009, and I've realized you have to adjust your Facebook strategy as they make updates to Pages. My current strategy for Facebook is to use a combination of my personal profile page, my business page and Facebook ads. Important sharing and post updates will be posted via my personal page for higher views, and I use my business page to share regular updates such as blog posts, relevant articles, motivational images, updates on my business, etc. I then use Facebook ads for posts that will increase revenue, drive traffic or convert users to email subscribers. I only spend money on Facebook advertising if the post will convert a user to a customer. Otherwise, it is wasted dollars. I like the combination of using all three platforms because it reaches a larger audience.
Thanks to Meredith Davis, Excelerate Online
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ExcelerateOnline
#9 – Showing them the Right Content
Facebook has become a significant part of our marketing mix, both for reaching new audiences and engaging with current customers. My biggest piece of advice for getting the most out of Facebook is to continually refine your target audiences and the content you deliver them. Facebook posts — whether sponsored or organic — should include timely, valuable and entertaining content, tailored for the relevant audience and contextualized for the device they are read on. At JamesAllen.com, we sell engagement and wedding rings — time-sensitive, life-stage products that are relevant at a very specific point in someone's life. Therefore, we're constantly testing and adjusting our audience sets to be sure we are reaching appropriate consumers with the products most relevant for them. Once we have that audience, it's all about showing them the right content at the right time. This is where the importance of sequencing and storytelling comes into play. We use Facebook across all stages of the buying cycle: as part of overall brand awareness, consideration, and purchase. Where a consumer is in this cycle impacts the creative that we show them, both in terms of the content itself and the tools that we employ (video, image ads, multi-product ads, etc.). It's also important to remember that Facebook is a key source of information and entertainment for most people today. If you want your ads (or organic content) to cut-through, your content must be genuinely valuable and engaging.
Thanks to Oded Edelman, James Allen
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/JAMESALLENRINGS
#10 – Unique Approach
It is important to understand how your followers across various social media channels engage because they all require a unique approach social is not one size fits all. When it comes to Facebook, our company has evolved over time from us simply regurgitating company information with the hopes that our followers would like or share the content. Now we have shifted our approach to align closer to how we, as individuals use Facebook. Meaning, post pictures of company events and activities, highlight employees and their successes, offer prizes for the best Caption this related to a #TBT (throwback Thursday) to add a more human element to our Facebook page and inspire engagement amongst our followers.
Thanks to Bayan Towfiq, Flowroute