Still Not Convinced About Facebook For Business?

Still the most popular social media network on the planet, Facebook currently has an impressive 750 million users worldwide and is soon predicted to top the 1 billion mark.

If you’re in business, but you’re still not convinced by power of social media, ask yourself how much longer can you afford to ignore the massive marketing potential of the Facebook phenomenon?

For most business owners who haven’t yet dipped their toe in the water, the main deterrent to engaging in social media appears to be the sheer vastness of it all. I mean, where do you start?

Yet getting your business on Facebook needn’t be nearly as daunting as you might imagine.

Here are 6 of the very best proven tips for ensuring your success with Facebook:

1.Start Your Own Fan Club

Don’t think of the people who sign up to your Facebook page as your ‘list’, because they’ve not. They are your Fan Club. How exciting is that! These people have said they ‘Like’ what you stand for. They’ve given your brand an endorsement. Entertaining your Fan Club with creative and engaging content will underline their commitment to you and give them all the more reason to remain loyal fans.

2.Run a Facebook Contest

Everyone loves the chance to get something for free, so why not run a contest and generate more followers at the same time.

You could run a creative contest:- “best funny photo with caption”, for example, or a non-skills-based contest like a prize draw, where people just have to submit their name and email for a chance to win.

Facebook has certain rules about running contests and promotions, so do check them out at the Facebook site first. You’ll also need a third-party app such as Wildfire, Strutta, Easypromos or Shortstack to enable you to run your Facebook contest.

Contrary to what you might be thinking, the prize doesn’t need to be expensive to create a buzz and win you some new fans. Recently a chocolate company ran a Facebook contest offering a box of ‘love truffles’ to the winner. They got 700 entries and 400 new ‘Likes’ over the course of a week.

3.Take Account of People’s Moods to Plan Your Postings.

Did you know Facebook has a Happiness Index that keeps account of when its users are at their happiest (or otherwise)? Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ‘HI’ reveals a 10% ‘spike’ on Fridays, that savvy marketers are using to their advantage, since happier people are more likely to want to join in and engage in social activities.

By posting on your Facebook page when users are at their most receptive, you will stand a much better chance of increasing your fan base significantly.

4.Ask Fun, Easy-to-answer Questions.

Okay, here’s a question for you . . . what is your favourite topic of conversation?

It might not be the done thing to admit it publicly, but if you’re like 98 per cent of the population, you will actively enjoy talking about yourself. People love to be asked for their opinions on all manner of topics – it makes them feel ‘included’. So go ahead and ask them. Get them involved in the conversation. Who knows . . . it might go viral.

5.Photos are a Vital Element of Your Facebook Campaign.

If Twitter is all about real-time links, then Facebook is all about engaging with photographs. If you’ve ever happened across a Facebook page that contains solid blocks of text, you’ll know how off-putting it can be.

Photos are great for creating conversations and a buzz around your business. You can never have too many of them, but the secret is to crop your photos so they contain only the focal point of your image. You don’t want lots of people’s stray feet intruding unless it’s relevant to the point you’re making.

6.Measure Your Facebook Activity for Better Future Promotions.

Measure your Facebook and other social media marketing activities as fully as you can. In using metrics to keep track of your unique users, conversions, clicks, loyalty, retention, and so on, you’ll really be able to understand what drives your fan base. This valuable information will enable you to produce even better targeted offers in future.