Nine ways to improve Facebook Marketing for Small Business

 

As a small business owner, you probably don't have the time or resources that large corporations possess to spend in complete digital marketing strategies. Without a professional marketing staff or a large budget, unpaid social media marketing can help you expand your business.

Facebook is the most popular social network, with 2.9 billion active members. Your consumers are almost certainly on Facebook, regardless of the type of business you operate. Furthermore, two-thirds of Facebook users visit the page of a local company at least once a week. It's no surprise that 93 percent of marketers use Facebook, with 54 percent ranking it as the most crucial social media platform for marketers.

Facebook can assist you in increasing brand exposure, attracting new consumers, nurturing client loyalty, increasing website traffic, increasing revenue, and improving customer service. To get started, all you need is a free business page.

Is it possible for your small business to succeed on Facebook?

Whether you own a small tea shop, an ecommerce store, a hair salon, or a landscaping company, you can succeed on Facebook. You can be successful on Facebook if your clients are already there.

If you only have time to focus on one or two social media sites, make sure Facebook is the most popular among your present (and potential!) clients. This is how you can find out.

1. Consult your clients

Asking your clients if Facebook is a good location to contact them is the simplest approach to find out. Send a quick survey to your consumers inquiring about their social media activities if you have an email list. Inquire as to the platforms they like to utilize and where they prefer to follow businesses.

Two free survey programs to test are Typeform and SurveyMonkey. You may get started with a social media survey template from Typeform. Make it your own so you can collect the data you need about your consumers.

Is there no email list? Customers should be asked anytime you have the opportunity, whether it's at the register in your physical shop or during a client's visit.

2. Make a comparison between your target audience and Facebook users.

On some social media sites, different audiences are more engaged than on others. You may compare your target audience's demographic (gender, age, geographic area, income, and so on) and psychographic (interests, values, beliefs, and personality) attributes to the social media platforms you're investigating.

Millennials, for example, are the most active on Facebook.

Apart from teenagers, the network has over 290 million users, making it worthwhile to investigate. If you're targeting teenagers, though, you should go into networks like TikTok, which has a quarter-million subscribers aged 10 to 19.

3. Examine your rivals

It's likely that your target audience is on Facebook if businesses comparable to yours have a huge following and receive a lot of audience involvement via comments and likes. After all, the clients of your rivals are also possible customers for you! It's simply a matter of getting started.

It's possible that Facebook isn't the best platform for you if your rivals aren't there. If several clients have expressed an interest in following you on Facebook, it's possible that your niche has undiscovered potential, and you'll be the first to find it.

For small businesses, here's how to get started using Facebook marketing.

Are you preparing to publish your first article? Set your business up for success by using these Facebook marketing tips.

1. Create a Facebook business page that is fully functional.

Your Facebook business page serves as your platform's homepage for small businesses marketing on Facebook. It explains who you are and what you do as a company to potential customers. As a result, it's critical to create a page for your company that is easily identifiable.

Start with your profile picture: This is the most crucial step in ensuring that your audience recognizes your brand. Make your profile image your logo or brand emblem.

Add a photo to the cover: Your audience's initial impression of your brand is formed by your cover photo. The best ones create a feeling or prompt a certain action, like as taking advantage of a seasonal bargain. Take a photograph of your product in action, your physical shop, or your staff, or share a photo of your most recent promotion.

Fill in the following information: This should include your website, email address, and/or phone number for customer support, as well as your location, so people can discover you and engage with you.

In the about section, be specific about your company: It's critical for browsing fans to be aware of what you do! Concentrate on what makes your company stand out. Perhaps you own a clothing company that specializes in high-quality, adaptable designs. Alternatively, perhaps philanthropy is a priority, and you give to charity with every purchase, like Bombas does. Here's where you can let your fans know.

Choose the proper page template: Facebook offers a variety of pre-made themes for various sorts of companies. Choose the one that best reflects your company and start customizing your page from there.

Make your call-to-action (CTA) button unique: Would you like your Facebook admirers to visit your website? Do you want to make an appointment? What's the number for your store? Customize the CTA button at the top of your Facebook page to encourage your followers to take the most beneficial action for your objectives.

Create a vanity URL by following these steps: You may obtain a vanity URL for your page if you have 25 followers (for example, facebook.com/thediamon). This will appear more formal and will be easier to enter than a big URL with random characters and numbers.

2. Recognize the various sorts of material

The highest engagement rates are seen in video posts. Those with photographs also have a greater engagement rate than posts with links or plain text. However, depending on how you're attempting to engage your audience, every sort of content has a place on Facebook, and it's worth employing all of them.

Plain-text postings: These  are excellent for generating discussion. Plain-text postings may be used to ask your audience questions or solicit feedback.

Postings links:This  provide a sample of the website, allowing the aesthetics to draw in more attention than plain-text posts. When you want to encourage a certain action, such as shopping a deal or promoting a blog article, you may use them.

Photo postings: When individuals are going through their Facebook news feed, they notice posts featuring photos. They need less time and effort to produce than films while yet improving the likelihood of interaction.

 Videos posting: Facebook videos play immediately, making it even easier to pique people's interest. It also doesn't have to appear professional. Viewers perceive casual films recorded on a phone as genuine and can aid in the formation of bonds. Use video to demonstrate new goods, behind-the-scenes footage, and Q&As, among other things. Go live to engage your audience in real-time.

 Stories:Post a Facebook Story instead of using the news feed algorithm. 62 percent of consumers got "more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in stories" across the Facebook family of apps, according to Facebook. Casual content lends itself well to stories. Post entertaining questions, fascinating links, polls, or anything else that will keep people interested.

3. Be relatable rather than salesy.

Your customers come for your products and services, but they remain for your style and how you interact with them. Consider social media to be a natural extension of your company's personality.

You can still upload promotional content; it simply has to be mixed in with a lot of other interesting, non-salesy stuff to make your business worthwhile to follow on Facebook.

Bombas, a clothing company, expresses its individuality with a humorous poem that also reminds customers of their guarantee:

4. Instead of connecting out, post material directly to Facebook.

You may want to send visitors to your blog or website at times, but when you can, publish material straight to Facebook.

Facebook's algorithm prefers content that is published directly on the site to content that is linked out. As a result, you should minimize the number of times you publish to other websites. Plus, posting directly on Facebook allows for direct dialogue, which improves engagement and leads to more people seeing your material.

On their Facebook page, food blog Ministry of Curry offers a video version of a recipe with a link to the full version on their site.

5. Instead of copy-pasting from other channels, adapt your content for Facebook.

Many of your fans are likely to follow you on multiple platforms. They may be on your email list or follow you on a social media platform such as Instagram or Twitter. You must give a one-of-a-kind experience for these individuals in order for them to want to follow you.

Adapt your content for multiple platforms, rather than just sending the subject line of a recent email that advertises a new blog article, so your fans have something new to connect with. Consider posting a TL;DR version of your blog article on Facebook or asking pertinent questions to get people talking.

6. Engage with your audience

Building relationships with your followers on social media is more than just posting great content. So interact with your followers!

To keep the dialogue continuing, like and react to their remarks. It will encourage others to communicate with you on Facebook in the future.

7. Think about forming a Facebook group.

Facebook Groups are a fun way to build community around your brand and a loyal following, with over 10 million groups and 1.4 billion people using them on a monthly basis.

Your company may use groups to keep people engaged through challenges, give sneak peeks or unique discounts, or serve as a resource for individuals seeking guidance on common interests.

etee, an eco-friendly home goods company, has an exclusive Facebook community for its Plastic-Free Club, which offers members discounted rates on the company's items. Steve Reble, the company's CEO and co-founder, provides members with sneak peaks, solicits product input, and initiates environmental dialogues. Fans gather to encourage one another in their efforts to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

8. Consistently post on Facebook

It will take some time to create your fan following, but don't give up! It may appear that you aren't reaching anyone at first, but if you keep posting regularly, your followers will develop a habit of connecting with you, and your Facebook presence will gradually expand.

To begin, once a week will enough.

9. Determine the correct success metrics.

You'll want to be sure your efforts are paying off as you expand your Facebook profile.

In the beginning, you will have a small number of admirers and likes. That's perfectly typical! Taking off will take some time. What matters is that these figures improve over time. Make more of the sorts of content that your audience are engaged with by using your data.