No matter what you have on your social media marketing plan, do not forget about Facebook. It may be exciting to explore new ways to connect with potential customers, through Vine’s short video clips or vivid Instagram photos, but Facebook still remains the most diverse social media platform, in terms of the type of content you can share and the possibilities of one-on-one engagement with people.
Content specific platforms are great if you are an established business and want to share inspiration among a large audience. If, however, you wish to find potential customers, and create a powerful and ongoing traffic and sales funnel to your website, Facebook rules.
So, what are the best ways to approach and engage potential customers? Here are 5 useful tips:
1. Embrace the Festive Spirit
And we don’t mean only Christmas. Take into account all the major holidays throughout the year and make sure that you prepare special cover photos, special content and special discounts.
People love to see the human side of businesses – especially on the social media. Share inspiration, joy and some holiday cheer and help your followers celebrate special moments together with you. Remember to be genuine, and don’t be afraid to share personal messages. They will not make you look unprofessional; on the contrary, you will increase your credibility.
2. Encourage Direct Interaction
Facebook Live is the place where you can interact with your prospects in live podcast sessions. But this is not the only way of creating engagement. A very popular way of getting people to comment on your posts is to share an intriguing photo and ask your followers to think of a good caption for it.
Polls and questions are other great ways, not just to create engagement, but to find out more about your potential customers. With this information at your fingertips, you can create meaningful content, products and services which solve their needs and problems.
3. Offer Tailored Promotions
Your Facebook fans want to feel special – so offer them special offers and promotions. This is a great way to find prospects because after they benefit from a discounted offer on your product, they will Like your page and check it out from time to time, trying to find other similar offers.
4. Use Your Personal Profile to Join Groups
Pages cannot join groups, but you can do it with your personal profile and share interesting content from your page. However, be careful not to spam groups with irrelevant and mistimed links and posts. For example, if you have an e-book on house-training dogs and someone in a group complains about their disobedient dog, you can suggest them to check out your website or Facebook page.
But it is totally not okay to open a topic on a group with the sole purpose of promoting your links and website. Getting banned from the group is just one of the unpleasant things which can happen. The wave of dislike may extend to your Facebook page, as well.
5. Share and Embed from Other Social Media Accounts
If you want to come across as a knowledgeable source of information, it is a great idea to share your Slideshare presentations and YouTube videos on Facebook. A rich and varied content mix is one of the best ways to build a likeable page which encourages engagement and brings more potential clients to your website.
These five simple tips will help you create and maintain a Facebook page which attracts the right kind of people – those who are genuinely interested in your products and services, and are willing to become your customers.