For many businesses, social media is a big mystery. Many businesses cannot see the value in it and so they throw it to the side. That is a mistake. Millions of potentials customers use social media every day to connect with family, friends, and business. A business that fails to include social media in their marketing plans is missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with their customers and secure new ones.
For businesses that want to begin adding social media to their marketing plans might wonder how to use social media to benefit their business best. To start, businesses must familiarize themselves with some of the best Facebook practices in the business.
1. Be Engaging
It is arguably one of the most important rules about using Facebook. With each update that you post on your page, your goal should always be fostering engagement with your followers and future followers. It is not enough to post opinions and general statements. The post should either aim for an emotional response, catch their attention, or motivate them to take action.
2. Develop a Posting Strategy
It is not a good idea for any business to take on social media without a plan or goals in mind. Business must develop a clear and simple plan of attack for their pages. Business should determine the kind of identity and tone they want to establish on their pages. It should also determine the kinds of content it needs to develop to get the best reaction from its fans and potential followers.
It is important for a business to come up with a plan and perhaps a posting calendar at least a month in advance. It is a great opportunity to map out the days of your upcoming promotions and sales. There are many benefits to posting ahead of time. It allows you to free up your time. If you know ahead of time when you will have posts, it allows you to be ready to respond to any comments. Plus, it frees up time to post about trendy things that may suddenly appear.
3. Be Personable
Social media is exactly what the name implies. It is for businesses and people to be social and communicate with each other casually. When people use social media, there is an expectation that people talk to one another naturally. That extends to businesses too. People want businesses that seem human and engage with them. That is why it can be okay to talk about current issues as long they are relevant and appropriate. Each post should be personal. For example, a post should be written in a way that makes customers want to reply and engage.
Here is an example:
We have jeans on sale for $29.
Or
Julia is rocking our latest jeans! Grab your pair today, they’re on sale for $29.
Customers who see the second post are more likely to engage with the 2nd post than with the first post. They would be interested in what the model is wearing and put themselves in her shoes. The more personal the post, the more it give your brand an identity and a personality. Fans and followers connect better to those kinds of posts.
4. Take Advantage of Facebook Ads
There is no escape. If you want to build a brand on Facebook, you will need to use Facebook Ads. It is such a vital part of Facebook and your marketing plan. There are cases where things go viral, but that is the exception, not the norm. Intelligent page owners invest their money in ads to find the best and qualified potential customers.
Include a budget for Facebook in your marketing plan. It is well worth it.
5. Hashtags
Hashtags are still relatively new to Facebook. However, it is a great way to reach people who are looking at posts in your topic or trending topics. Still, hashtags are different on Facebook than on other platforms like Twitter. Here are some things to avoid if and when you decide to use them.
- Don’t use them in every post.
- Don’t just add random hashtags in your post as a way to sneak into a result search.
- Don’t use hashtags senselessly like using hashtags for words like #awesome.
- Never stuff you post with hashtags. It is not necessary, and it can be unsightly. One hashtag should be enough.
6. Keep an Eye On Your Page Insights
The word analytics is enough to send people running and packing for the hills. However, analytics is your friend, not something to be feared. Checking on your page analytics allows you access to an in-depth look behind the scenes. Facebook has worked hard to make analytics easier to understand and give you an edge when as you develop new strategies and calendars.
7. Photos
We live in an image-driven world. Photos are a great way to catch the attention of your audience and are easier for followers to consume. Photos are more likely to garner interaction and get a reaction from your audience base.
SEO Brand to Your Social Media Rescue!
There are many other best Facebook practices that businesses must implement to help foster a successful social media plan. However, businesses don’t have to do it alone. SEO Brand has helped dozens of companies develop and implement social media campaigns that are effective. For more information to build the best social campaign, call us today.
