ADVICE AND TIPS
10 Facebook Marketing Tips For Small Businesses
With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the value of social media marketing into the spotlight, more businesses are trying out Facebook marketing for the first time or stepping up their existing campaigns.
If you’re not getting the results you hoped for from Facebook marketing, here are 10 cost-effective ways to improve your strategy in 2020.
Facebook is now an essential ingredient in every marketing mix. Read this quick guide to improve your Facebook marketing strategy in 2020.
Be Authentic
Your Facebook feed isn't a static billboard. Social media marketing requires businesses to put a human face on their brand and engage with their followers to nurture long-term relationships.
You can do this by responding to comments and private messages in a timely manner and not being too 'salesy' with your content. Experts recommend the '80-20' rule – using no more than 20% of posts to promote your brand with the rest aimed at educating or entertaining, building your reputation and your audience.
Always be mindful that Facebook’s algorithm will penalise businesses that push sales too hard.
Offer Support
Many small businesses find that Facebook becomes their primary channel for dealing with customer enquiries. Facebook users expect fast replies, so you should check notifications regularly.
When you're not available, Messenger chatbots can be set up to solve general enquiries or alert your team if more assistance is needed.
Use A Content Calendar
Facebook users demand varied, high-quality content regularly, something that can be daunting to many businesses at first.
Make sure you don’t run out of things to talk about by planning your content strategy in advance, noting down key dates like holidays and product launches so you can plan around them. To help you get started, we’ve created a free content calendar you can use to help you keep your posting on track.
Here is how you should consider planning your content vs. promotional posts:
• One-third of your content should share ideas and stories
• One-third should involve interactions with your followers
• The remaining third can be to promote your business
The goal with this formula is to provide more value to your followers so that it keeps them engaged.
Your calendar should also consider when and how often to post, and it may take some trial and error to get this right. Some things to consider include always posting for your most active time zone and using your audience demographics to find the best time to post.
Optimise Your Page
If you haven't reviewed your company's Facebook Page since you created your account, some fine-tuning could help more people to find you.
Check that the information is up to date, add links to your website, upload appealing profile and cover photos and customise your tabs to highlight the main features you want people to see.
Start A Group
Communities are becoming ever more prominent on Facebook, with 1.4 billion people visiting Facebook Groups every month. Think of Groups as a place for people to share ideas and information.
Brands are welcome to create or join relevant Groups to share their expertise and build trust, but being overtly promotional won't go down well.
Sometimes fans will create their own Facebook Group with a focus on your brand – it’s a good idea to join these groups to make sure what is being said is positive and factual.
Right now, Facebook Groups are all about organic interactions, but predictions are being made that advertising will make its way into Groups over the coming years. If you can start building a Group, then get in early to make sure you’re ready to take advantage of advertising opportunities if they do come along.
Make Use Of Stories
More than half a billion people watch Facebook Stories every day. Images and video content posted as Stories will reach more people than standard posts as they will be featured at the top of News Feeds.
The catch is that Stories disappear after 24 hours, but this also gives creators the excuse to produce something less polished and more casual, which can help to personalise their brand or start conversations.
Stories don’t necessarily have to pertain to company-specific news; they could be anything from fun questions to interesting links, anything to keep your audience engaged and cause a higher likelihood for clicks to your profile.
Open A Shop
As well as shoppable posts, e-Commerce businesses can now set up a storefront in Facebook Shops to list and organise their products directly on the mobile app.
Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they don't have to leave the app to do it. Facebook is also working on new tools to help small businesses build and grow their Shops.
Stream Video
If your business hasn't already embraced video marketing, you're missing out on the most engaging type of online content, and Facebook is one of the main video platforms.
Facebook videos play automatically in the News Feed, which can be a powerful way of making a quick impression. Live video is even more popular, and whether you're answering questions, giving a tutorial, hosting an interview or live streaming events, Facebook video remains a fantastic way to actively engage your audience.
Test Your Ads
If you're worried about your marketing budget, you might be averse to paid ads, but sponsored posts can be a cost-effective way to grow your audience and support your organic posts.
Facebook offers a huge range of advertising options to suit every budget and business goal, so you can test out a few small campaigns to see what works for you without breaking the bank.
Track Insights
Once your Facebook campaigns are up and running, you can't just leave them to it. Facebook Page Insights provides a wealth of data on what content is working and what isn't, so you can continually improve your Facebook marketing strategy.
If you want to know more about advertising on Facebook, contact our team to receive a free proposal and strategy session with our marketing experts.
