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If we think of Facebook as a human being, we would be talking about a teenager. A look at Facebook’s history traces its origin to October 2003 under the name Facemash. In February 2004, the platform changed its name to TheFacebook. What makes this “teenager” so outstanding is how much it has achieved within its few years of existence.
While the initial aim was to provide a site for connecting and socializing with others, Facebook has transformed into a robust platform that has changed the face of marketing.
Is Facebook marketing worth it? According to industry statistics, the answer is yes. In 2023, the number of people you can reach through Facebook advertising has reached 2.11 billion. That can explain why over 10 million active advertisers are utilizing the platform. Facebook is especially useful for shoppers from ages 18 to 24. This demographic spends up to 75% of their time watching Facebook video ads.
With all the potential Facebook marketing has, many marketers struggle with tapping into its full potential. The reason is because of a lack of proper marketing strategies. Advertising on such platforms requires more than just creating an account. There are many factors that are involved in the process and are worth being educated on.
If you are interested in learning how to turn around your Facebook marketing strategy, keep reading this blog.
How to Use Facebook Marketing: A Step by Step Guide
If you want to see any ROI with Facebook marketing, you need to be strategic about how to go about it.
To get the most out of Facebook marketing, you must start by creating the right plan. It all comes down to answering five important questions: who, what, when, how, and why.
1. WHY: Start With Clear, Achievable Goals
Any Marketing 101 class shows one of the most critical steps is to start with clear goals. Without clear objectives, you will be like a rudderless ship struggling to navigate uncharted waters.
Goals will help focus your efforts on areas that generate results. Also, it is the only way to measure performance or progress.
A look at your current business position and marketing needs would be a fantastic starting point. Examples of Facebook marketing goals include:
- Improving sales with better targeting.
- Awareness creation for the company, products, or services.
- Increase traffic to your website via Facebook.
- Elicit specific action amongst audiences to take a particular action. This can include signing up for newsletters or downloading apps.
- Increase the number of organic followers, etc.
When coming up with goals, stick to the SMART principle. That means your goals should be:
- Specific answers to what you need to accomplish, who will be responsible, what steps you will take, etc.
- Measurable and sets key performance indicators (KPIs). An example would be to get 500 organic followers within three months.
- Achievable or realistic. Having lofty expectations for your Facebook marketing plan is a recipe for failure. Narrow down the goals to something you can accomplish within a set period.
- Relevant to your marketing needs. An example could be to grow the number of app users with targeted Facebook Ads campaigns. Time-bound and require the setting of timelines.
2. WHO: Know Your Audience and Create a Persona
It is a well-known fact that you can reach millions with Facebook marketing. However, your plan will be more effective if you come up with a target audience. Who exactly would you like your brand’s messages to reach? If you are unsure, Facebook has the Insights tools to help with this. It gives you all the relevant information you will need about specific audiences.
The first step to targeting a new audience is to create a persona. This is a representation of what your ideal customer looks like. It requires extensive research into factors like:
- Age of your target audience
- Economic status
- Educational background
- Race
- Religion
- Pain points
- Likes and dislikes
- Shopping behaviour
- Lifestyle choices, etc.
With such information and the right buyer persona, it becomes easier to develop ads or content your audience will respond to.
3. HOW: Decide On the Tactics You Will Use for Your Facebook Marketing
As we mentioned earlier, Facebook is a robust marketing platform. There are so many tactics you can utilize to reach target audiences. You can back to your goals to help you choose the best ones for your marketing strategy.
You should also allocate a budget for your campaigns. Facebook definitely has a lot of free opportunities you can use to reach target audiences. But you can also boost your campaigns with paid avenues, like Facebook ads and page boosting.
Let’s check out some practical Facebook marketing examples to include in your strategy:
a) Optimize the Facebook Business Page
Optimize your Facebook business page to increase engagement and interactions. The simple steps you can take include:
- Adding a profile photo which could be in the form of your business logo
- Powerful Call to Action button
- Contact details, including phone numbers, email, and website URL
- Focusing on creating an engaging About Section
- FAQ, promos, special offers, etc.
b) Generate the Right Content
Always have it at the back of your mind that Facebook users are there to socialize and network, so it helps to utilize tactics that will get them to engage with the content. Ensure relevant, engaging, and informative content is being used.
If you generate engaging content from a place of understanding, your audiences will likely interact with it. This could be in several areas, including articles, industry news, reviews, company news, etc.
c) Include Plenty of Visual Elements
Visuals, like photos and videos, will increase interaction. A good idea is to tap into the power of user-generated content (UGC). Ask the audiences to share photos or videos of them using the products or services.
93% of marketers agree that consumer-created content performs better than branded ones. 75% believe it makes their brand more authentic. 31% of customers attribute greater memorability to UGC content.
d) Networking
Networking groups on Facebook introduce you to many like-minded individuals. You can have plenty of exciting conversations in such groups.
But there is a lot more the brand can achieve regarding marketing. Networking Groups are excellent for increasing brand awareness or visibility.
Do take time to understand the industry very well. Any contributions you make should be new, relevant or provide solutions. The more you position yourself as an authority or a thought leader, the more people gravitate toward you for information. It is an excellent way to increase organic traffic to your website.
Furthermore, you can use the same tactics for link-building opportunities. Sharing resources like white papers, original research, infographics, and other shareable/linkable assets can get you quality links to your site.
e) Facebook Messenger
Utilize Facebook Messenger for direct communication with audiences that want that option. For the brand, it is an effective tool for building relationships and improving customer service. This could result in higher conversions for the brand. If your budget allows it, incorporate technologies, like chatbots, to streamline processes and ensure faster handling of customer queries.
f) PPC Ads on Facebook and Post Boosting
PPC Facebook ads and post boosting allow you to increase your reach. They are also excellent for retargeting, brand awareness, and lead generation.
That is why we advised setting aside a budget for your Facebook marketing. The two critical components you want to aim for are relevance and cost-effectiveness. Come up with a monthly budget and see how to utilize it best. There is no point in overexposure if the clicks you are getting are not helping to achieve your set goals.
Please take time to design your PPC ads on Facebook. Always try to achieve engaging and eye-catching graphics and messages. Social media puts a lot of emphasis on having engaging, visually attractive content. Without it, you will not get the results you are looking for.
Additionally, keep repurposing or updating the ad content. As a social media user, you know how easy it is to ignore ads you keep seeing repeatedly. So, avoid user fatigue by switching and improving the ads every week or two weeks.
4. WHEN: Create a Posting Schedule
Do not post content haphazardly. The trick is to know when your target audiences are most active on Facebook. Once again, Facebook insights can give you relevant information, but an overall look shows the following ideal time slots:
- Weekdays between 9 am and 3 pm have the highest engagement.
- If you were to choose a time and day to post, you should opt for Wednesday at 11 am and 1 pm.
- Avoid Sunday because of low engagement. The same applies to early morning before 7 am and evening hours after 5 pm.
However, do take time to find out when your target audiences are on the platform. Take note of the window time when followers are active on your pages. That should give you a clearer idea of when to post.
Also, the schedule you create will help with maintaining consistency. You could lose followers if you post for one week and then disappear for two.
5. Keep Up With Analytics to Measure Performance
Do you remember that we talked about KPIs in one of our points on setting Facebook marketing goals? Well, the only way to know if your strategies are working is by measuring results. Facebook Analytics has a lot of information you can use for this.
Make sure to also check what has changed within the business. For instance, are you getting more sales-related calls? Has the website traffic changed within a specific period?
Measuring performance also plays another critical function. In other words, it allows you to see what is not working and needs to be improved. By keeping up with the analytics, you will save time, money, and energy and can boost your brand’s bottom line in the long run.
Final Thoughts
We have shared some of the most critical components to include in your Facebook marketing strategy. Facebook provides a robust and flexible marketing tool, but without the right strategies, you could be running around in circles. Start with clear goals and create a buyer persona to understand your target audience better. Decide on the most suitable tactics and keep up with measuring performance.
If you need assistance with your Facebook marketing strategy, we are just a phone call away. At Techwyse Internet Marketing, we provide a complete range of digital marketing services such as, strategy and consultation, web design, traffic building, paid media, and more. To book an appointment, call (416)-410-7090 or contact us here.
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