An Internet marketing mix does not work without its “social media” branch. In addition, no social network is more effective than Facebook for developing its brand image ( brand building in English ), its customer relationship, and for managing its reputation.
This is explained by the very large number of long-range advertising possibilities offered by the social network. You will only benefit from Facebook as a marketing tool if you properly exploit the potential of its possibilities. Discover 8 Facebook marketing tips below that will help you optimize your social media presence and get the most out of this online channel:
1. The Basics Of Facebook Marketing
The basis of success on Facebook is to set up a business page. This is why it is advisable to take your time to make the best use of this page. All important information should be stated first.
In addition to the location and opening hours, details such as the product range or the history of the creation of the company can be of interest to users. A fully completed profile containing relevant information in the background gives an impression of seriousness.
Images must also convey professionalism and be of good quality. When it comes to profile and cover photos, you have to be careful that your images have an ideal resolution and corresponding dimensions.
2. Coordinate All Channels
If you want to use Facebook as part of your online marketing mix, you should harmonize the different channels used with each other to take advantage of synergy effects and integrate a link to your business website.
These referrals generate social signals ( social signals ) that are considered important for Google and constitute a factor for SEO optimization on search engines. Many comments and a high sharing count reflect the importance and relevance of a site for users, but also for Google.
Those responsible for running the company’s social networks, commonly called community managers, must ensure that all content can be quickly and easily shared and communicate well on the social networks used.
Typical actions are:
Share Buttons (Social Plug-ins)
Buttons to social networks
Facebook page management plugin
RSS feeds and “favorites and bookmarks” services
3. Don’t Forget The Mobiles
In France, the leader in social networks records 31 million active users each month, 25 million of whom have already connected from a smartphone or tablet. In fact, 80% of French users connect from these mobile devices.
Worldwide, according to the same source, 1.6 billion users connect every day in the first quarter of 2016, of which 1.4 are exclusively from a mobile. These figures speak for themselves and reflect the importance of mobile optimization.
This also applies to social grids, beginning with the structure and images. In this regard, Facebook indicates the exact dimensions for the profile and cover photos. Mobile users present a low level of attention on Facebook and can thus decide in seconds to scroll down when content does not interest them. Any magazine must therefore present concise and appropriate images.
4. Increase The Engagement Of A Community Of Fans
Do we measure the success of a Facebook page by its number of likes (or “likes” in French)? Not really. A “like” only benefits the company if the user is active.
Unethical practices in Facebook marketing, such as buying “likes”, should be avoided. Indeed, acquiring a large number of likes will not increase the reach of your publications. The real goal is to achieve fans and get them to interact… Fan concentration increases with the applicable range.
Whoever keeps current trends and those of community insight and reacts accordingly, makes sure to gain new fans and increase the reach of their page accordingly.
A community can develop very quickly by snowball effect thanks to the sharing and the various contacts of each active fan, which can turn into interested parties or customers.
5. Communication And Interaction
Having your own Facebook page is ideal for sharing information and news. On the other hand, we should not use this platform only to deliver information, but above all to set up a dialogue and react to the various questions of those concerned.
If we react to questions by providing clear added value, this helps to build customer loyalty and consolidate their relationship with the company.
We get interaction through contests or surveys. In addition, surveys provide multiple benefits: by including fans of your page in the decision-making process., you not only increase their confidence in the business, but you also gain valuable insight into your customers’ expectations of the business.
6. The Right Timing
Facebook marketing by nature never stops. But thanks to the management tools for existing social networks that allow posting content offline, no employee has to stay in front of their computer all the time.
The time aspect plays an important role on Facebook, however. On the one hand, consistency is important: abandoned pages, on which we have not found new content for years, do not convey an image of seriousness or professionalism.
On the other hand, the timing should be right and a post should ideally be posted when as many users as possible are logged in. Anyone who wants to be sure of the numbers can use a tool like a fan page Karma.
7. Video Is The New Selfie
Thanks to the introduction of Facebook’s new video player (and auto-play function), the use of videos on the social platform has become very profitable.
Thanks to this, companies quickly gain the attention of their target. Images that are animated in this way convey more emotions in communication and often allow a professional representation of products or services.
Additionally, Facebook is great for spreading viral videos. Two good examples from recent years are the Ice Bucket Challenge and the Harlem Shake.
8. Advertise With Facebook
If you have not managed to naturally get the desired number of fans on your Facebook page, there is still the possibility of advertising on Facebook.
With the help of Facebook-Ads, companies specifically reach their target by showing advertising content in their news feed. Find out more about Facebook ads in a dedicated article in our Digital Guide.
Focus On An Online Marketing Mix
Facebook is an influential company that can give your posts and promotions great reach, especially if you take our Facebook marketing tips into account.
Facebook, and social media marketing in general, should be seen as part of the total marketing mix, not its focal point. Like on all other networks, you are not in control of your campaigns, and the reach they have on your target is only “lent” by the American giant.
Using Facebook for a company has an unexpected aspect because everything counts on the conditions and restrictions imposed by the web. However, companies must still use Facebook because it is a major source of traffic.
