9 Essential Rules Of Facebook Marketing

Facebook is an awesome social media platform.
It also helps people connect with your business.
Facebook pages are free – which we all totally love.
They’re pretty easy to set up and start using.
Just fill out a few fields….upload a few pictures and BAM….you’re all set….or so you thought…
If you want to have a business page….just to have a business page, than yeah, I guess you’re good to go, but if you actually want to take advantage of Facebook Marketing, there’s some rules to follow:

• Keep it Current

  Keeping your Facebook business page up to date is like a complete and total MUST. When I hear about new businesses, or I’m curious about one, I usually look for their Facebook page.
  It helps me to look at everything in one place.
  For Example:
  – Ratings
  – Reviews
  – Address – and the location on a map
  – Hours – especially if it’s a holiday
  – Phone Number
  – Email
  – Customer Service – through messages
  – Website
  – Deals/Promotions
  – Events
  – Pictures
  The more current & up to date you stay on your Facebook page, the more likely people are going to engage with it. No one wants to engage with a Facebook page that hasn’t posted anything in months. That gives off the vibe that you don’t care about your Facebook marketing or audience.

• Ask Questions

  One way marketing….is a thing of the past.
  Using Facebook to speak TO your audience, instead of WITH them is completely inefficient.
  Not only does Facebook value connections & conversations….so does your audience.
  They want to feel like you value their thoughts & opinions.
  Are you launching a new product?
  Reach out to your audience and ask them what they think.
  Have a question about a special your promoting? Try this: “Would you prefer this option or that option?!” Who better to ask than your target audience & your fans….ya know, the people that would potentially buy from you….

• Branding is Key

  Facebook is ultimately free marketing for your business.
  As soon as someone clicks on your business page….what do they notice first?
  The visual elements: Your profile picture & your cover image.
  
  All Facebook business pages essentially look the same.
  Take the two most powerful visual tools you have & use them to your benefit.
  Your profile picture is the image that’s shown in the newsfeed.
  Use it to help your business & brand become recognizable.
  Don’t just put up a fun picture of a beach…..what does that have to do with the BBQ restaurant you just opened up? Nothing.
  Staying visually consistent with your branding is one way to earn trust from your target audience. The more they see you, the more they’ll start to recognize you, the more they’ll trust you…….the higher the chances of them purchasing from you.

• Stay Engaged

  The goal of Facebook marketing is to grab your audience’s attention.
  Get them interested.
  It’s about staying consistent & interactive.
  Answer their questions.
  Responding to their comments.
  It’s not about marketing TO your audience anymore, it’s about connecting with them and building trust.
  It’s social media, it’s hard to keep people’s attention for a long time.
  Keep it interesting & keep the conversations going.
  Answer their questions. Comment on their feedback. Respond to their opinions.
  Take the time to understand your audience.
  Cater your content directly to them. Give the people what they want.
  The more connected you are to your target market, the more success you’ll see from Facebook.

• Measure Your Success

  Facebook has insights. Use this free information to your advantage.
  These analytics can tell you so much about what your target audience likes, doesn’t like & what they’re more likely to engage with. It shows you a visual breakdown of your most recent posts, what kind of content they were, if they were organic or paid, and what type of engagement happened on each one.
  This information makes it super easy to compare them & draw useful marketing conclusions.
  Facebook insights also have a “Pages to Watch” section, which lets your compare the performance of your business page, with posts from similar pages on Facebook. That’s like….a look into the competitors engagement.
  Take a second and go to your Facebook business page insights, if you haven’t already….you’ll be mind blown by the information they collect for you. Super useful for marketing!

• Quality Vs. Quantity

  Posting post after post after post…..just to post….is annoying.
  For everyone involved.
  It’s annoying for you, the business owner, having to stay on Facebook for hours at a time, when you totally have other things to do….and it’s annoying for your audience. No one wants their newsfeed to be flooded with the same things over & over again. They’ll not only ignore you, they’ll unlike you….and start to kind of resent you.
  Get to know your audience.
  Get them engaged.
  Two interesting, engaging posts a day are WAY more effective than 10 lame ones.
  Try switching up the types of content you’re sharing to your audience.
  It’s a good way to keep people on their toes & interested.

• Utilize Offers & Contests

  Who doesn’t like a deal?
  Who doesn’t like to save money?
  Offering promotions or deals to your Facebook audience can increase their engagement.
  If a company is offering a deal on their Facebook page, I’m more likely to not only like their page, but stay up to date on it, so I don’t miss out on future offers.
  What about a contest?
  I’ve seen Facebook contests get CRAZY amounts of engagement.
  Give away a product or service to people who “Share & Like” the contest post.
  Giveaways have become super useful in growing not only your following, but people’s trust in your brand. It helps your audience notice that you care about your customers & that you reward your fans.

• Benefit From Ads

  Facebook as a social media platform is free, but have you ever considered paying for a Facebook ad? They’re not expensive compared to other forms of marketing AND you can put a cap on them.
  For example: $50 max for entire campaign OR $5 a day, and you specify the dates that you’d like your ad to run….or you can run it until you reach your budget. They key to Facebook ads is posting to the right people, at the right time.
  The more you advertise with Facebook, the easier it will be to target down your audience – this is where your Facebook page insights can come into handy!
  Since organic reach for Facebook business pages has dropped dramatically, paid ads have been becoming increasingly popular.
  BUT, just like any other form of marketing, it’s all about strategy.
  You have to be clear about what you want your ad to accomplish.
  Are you promoting an ad or service?
  Are you running an event?
  Do you want more engagement?
  This can be extremely overwhelming at first, but it’s totally worth digging into.

• Connect With Groups

  Facebook groups are used as a form of interaction.
  You can join an existing group, create your own group…..or both.
  Creating a Facebook group is a great way to build a community that focuses on your business, industry or related subjects. It can help you connect with your audience, answer questions & build engagement.
  If you just want to join a group…
  You can go about this two ways:
  – Join Facebook groups that are related to your business or in your industry. These can help you to stay on top of current trends & network with other professionals in your field.
  –  Join Facebook groups where your target audience hangs out. This has the potential to give you inside knowledge of what your target audience wants.
  When you’re a member in a Facebook group you can post questions, comments, suggestions and sometimes even promotions. You can interact with people, build trust & even establish yourself as an expert in your field.
  It really all depends on your business & goals but honestly…..Facebook groups have been the most beneficial marketing technique that EVER hit my business. I’m not kidding.

How do you maximize your Facebook business page?!