The past two weeks we’ve covered website content and website SEO. This week we’re going to shuck and jive our way out onto the Social Media dance floor with some basic tips for operating on Facebook.
Content is King
Just like with your website, the content you generate will be the driving force behind traffic to your page. However, the difference here is that you have to be cautious about how often you post. With your website, the more you update the better. Facebook is a bit different.
On Facebook, anyone who has “Liked” your page will see anything that you post on their news feed. If you post too much, they will become annoyed with the constant bombardment and “Unlike” your page. You don’t want that. People who have liked your page are potential outlets for free advertising. Any post has the potential to be liked and shared by them, thereby causing it to show up on their friends news feed. It’s a viral form of marketing that has the potential to go very far afield.
Remember to use the medium effectively. Much like a standard website, Facebook lends itself to photos and graphics as well as text posts. There is room to say whatever you need to say, but ensure that it pops visually to get the reader’s attention. It’s also okay to talk about things that may pertain to but are not specifically about your business. Find out what’s trending and see if you can use it!
Promotions
How do you get people to share your posts? That’s easy. Just run promotions! One day you may choose to offer a coupon to anyone who has liked your page. The people who have already liked you will share the post so that their friends can benefit from the coupon as well. Those people will navigate to, and like, your page. If your page is interesting and well designed, they may take some time to read over who you are and what you offer.
If your particular business model does not lend itself to coupons, do not fret! You can always run a “Fan of the Week” or similar promotion. Encourage people to interact with your page by hosting a weekly contest. Maybe they send in a photo of themselves enjoying your product or write a post declaring their excitement. You select one of these posts as the winner, and give that picture or the fan’s profile picture some face time in the corner of your banner. You’ll generate a lot of traffic at no actual cost to you!
Culture
It’s important to understand, and promote, the culture of your followers. You will discover what this is through interactions with them. You may cater to a certain age demographic or maybe your niche is middle-aged women with small children. Whatever your customer base, you will find that a majority of the people who follow you have certain interests in common. You can use those interests in your posts to keep your followers happy and give them a reason to continue following.
Marketing with Facebook is not difficult, it just takes a little genuine interest in the people who choose to follow you. After all, they call it “social” media for a reason. Use those skills you’ve learned while manning the counter of your business online, and you will see positive growth!
Join us next week for a focus on marketing with Twitter!
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