So you have a local business and everyone said you just have
to have a Facebook page! Now you have one but the only likes you have are from
friends and family and maybe a few loyal customers… What did you do wrong?
Isn’t it supposed to be automatic? Should likes, followers and leads just be
pouring in by now? Having a facebook (or any social media page) is a marketing
campaign all by itself and so it requires a specific marketing strategy like
any other campaign. You need to know who your looking to reach, how to reach
and engage them and just as importantly-A COURSE OF ACTION! This blog will give
you the general strategy that will guide you from setup to upkeep and
everything in between!
1.
Determine
your image and or message and stick with it! You will have to generate
content on a regular basis to keep your followers (once you find them) interested,
reading and sharing your content. DO NOT JUST POST PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL! Your
readers do not want to see one coupon or ploy after another which is the most
direct route to get dropped! 2:5 should be the formula you follow, for every 2
posts of promo you do 5 more of other content you think your readers would
fancy. Use humor and wit if appropriate, but keep it in some way related to
what you want your businesses image to resemble. 2:5 should also be followed
when determining how often you should post, you need to constantly add content
to remain relevant so be sure to post around 2 times every 5 days.
2.
Design
your Facebook page! DO NOT ALLOW YOUR PAGE TO BE GENERIC! People aren’t
interested in boring pages, it makes you look phony! Put the time, energy and
money into the page and it will return the favor. Make it look professional and
follow a specific color scheme with your cover image and your profile image.
Choose a template that is intriguing and KEEP ON TOP OF YOUR CONTENT!
3.
Integrate
your Facebook page! Integrate your Facebook page (and campaigns) into
ABSOLLUTELY EVERYTHING! Put FB posters up in the storefront with the Facebook
page prominently displayed, use QR codes to make it easy for them to find you,
incorporate links on your homepage, digital ads, add the FB Page to your
business cards and promotional material (if you have old promo material without
the FB page-it would make great kindle for the fire!), initiate marketing
campaigns to encourage followers with promotions.
4.
Use the
Facebook ad tool! The Facebook Ad tool is so incredibly easy to use but
TAKE YOUR TIME WHEN SETTING IT UP! You do it wrong and not only will it be an
expensive mistake but most of the money you just spent will be wasted (not to
mention you won’t know where you made the mistake and will most likely chock it
up to the tool itself and not the tool that set it up!) Facebook has by far the
most information on each of its users than any other ad or marketing firm so
use it to your advantage! You can set the demographic by interest, location,
age, gender, relationship status, employment, etc. Go thru the campaign with a
fine tooth comb and be sure to set up your key audience carefully. You can also
set up your ads to show at specific times, so if your key demographic is for
school children for example you obviously don’t want to run the ad before 3:00
pm or after 9:00 pm. It provides apps for contests, giveaways and other
incentives to build your following-use them! Be smart about it and you will
love this tool!
5.
Utilize
the Promoted Posts! Once you have generated a decent following (a few
hundred followers/likes) start to use the promoted posts on both the promo
posts and the “puff” material. Facebook uses an “Edge Rank Algorithm” which
will automatically limit the views of your posts by itself so of the 2-3 posts
you generate a week most of your followers will probably only see one of them
and you won’t know which one so the promoted posts is a good tool to use once
in a while to be sure the message is received.
6.
Add Media
to your page! It is a proven fact the media (images or video) will be
shared and commented on the most so whenever possible add short videos of you
and your staff or professionally produced marketing material, images of your
products or services and also like I mentioned earlier other media that is NOT
promo material. Use “puff” media as well to engage your following, people
aren’t going to share everything you post-they may not share any of it, but if
you post something worth sharing make sure there is a link back to your
facebook page with it!
7.
KEEP UP
ON YOUR PAGE! Use analytics to see what works and what doesn’t. Reinvent
your page every few months, regenerate new ads every few weeks, and add new
content every week! Keep referring back to this list and consistently keep your
FB image fresh! Change your profile pics/cover photo once in a while and try
new things! You will most likely not nail the campaign off the bat, it will
need to be fine-tuned constantly but if you follow these tips you will see the
growth!
NOTHING GOOD COMES EASY! You can do this if you are smart
about it! Who knows… once you see the power behind FB, sharing and social media
with a good return you may just be ready to hire the big boys! Check out my
last blog post on Empowering your product with Blogger Outreach for another
efficient and cost effect way to engage your prospective clients!
