For some years now, Facebook™ has been moving on a clear path of being the social media platform for individuals and businesses, an online forum where people can connect with friends and celebrities. and discover shopping opportunities in an integrated manner. This is visible from the solid Adverts Manager and ad creation platforms for pages, from the various types of ads and bidding options available to marketers.
In 2012, Facebook™ introduced Offers, a simple and cost friendly way in which companies could promote their special discounts directly in their page and on their followers’ newsfeed. Compared to ads and boosted posts, this feature was not so popular among marketers. Rather than take it out, the Facebook™ team did some investigating and tweaking and in the summer of this year they relaunched Offers as a brand new promotion and shopping experience both for marketers and for potential clients.
Today we will discuss the most important new features and changes which make Facebook™ Offers an efficient conversion tool in your marketing strategy.
1. Mobile Integration
Facebook™ Offers is now customised to have a distinctive, native look for the mobile app. The design, look and feel of the offers were optimised for the most popular mobile screen sizes and operating systems (Android and iOS) and have a strong appeal for customers.
The offer looks like a regular post, where you can add a caption which is not restricted in number of characters (as is the case of ads), and features the large Get Offer button at the bottom right side. The simplified and ergonomic design of these offers created a major boost in sales for companies using it – a clothing store reported 31% higher ROI for their Facebook™ advertising.
2. Promote Both Online and Offline Sales
Facebook™ ads are generally more effective for companies and brands operating in the online environment. However, the new Offers option represents a powerful advertising and sales platform for offline businesses as well. The offers promoted in your page using this tool can be available either only in store, only online or both in store and online.
In this way, your business can maximise its sales opportunity and create a wide variety of offers, targeting both people who love traditional shopping and those who are in a hurry and prefer to do their shopping online.
3. It Works Great for Special Discounts
There is one aspect which the Facebook™ team has noted after nearly half a year since the launch of the revamped Offers option: this advertising tool works best for significant discounts, generally above 20%. The term “offer” is associated by people with a real bargain, so they will be less impressed by your regular 5% to 10% off promotions.
Another way in which Facebook™ Offers work well is by offering a free item on a purchase. Therefore, this is an advertising tool to be used with care, on special occasions such as the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.
4. Easy to Create
Compared to ads, Facebook™ Offers is the perfect blend between an ad and a native post, making it easier to create. If you have your graphics ready, in a few clicks and with a little typing your offer is ready. There is one caveat to keep in mind: once created and posted, an offer cannot be edited in the manner of regular posts.
5. Easy for People to Use
The new Offers option generates a barcode and/or a redemption code (for online offers) which people can save into their smartphone and print with ease. In this manner, the process of following through with an offer is much simplified, user friendly and, as mentioned above, adapted both for in store promotions and for online discounts.
There is only one last issue to mention and that is the fact that your page needs to have at least 400 Likes for the Offers option to be active. However, if you followed our social media marketing tips and advice so far, you surely have many more followers than this threshold number.