Facebook is simply massive. What started out as a simple networking site for college students is now the largest social networking site in the world. It’s got even Google drooling. And though it started out as only a networking site, Facebook has become an indispensable marketing tool that every business is trying hard to master. Facebook is not only evolving in terms of the number of people it is attracting, however; it’s also incorporating new features that make marketing either more challenging or much more rewarding, depending on how you want to look at it. If you are using Facebook as a marketing tool, or you hope to eventually, you should explore and take advantage of the following features. Pin to Top To ensure that your most important or most engaging post gets the attention it deserves, use Facebook’s Pin to Top feature. This keeps the designated post at the very top of your timeline for multiple days, even when newer content gets posted to the timeline. So your premium content stays where visitors will spot it easily. To pin to top, hover over the upper right corner of the post and click on the pencil icon. Click Edit or Remove and choose Pin to Top. How long a piece of content remains in position at the start of your timeline is entirely up to you. Highlight post With this feature, you will make your content extra engaging to your visitors. What this does is expand the content across the entire width of the page. It becomes bigger than the other neighboring posts, and therefore more arresting. To do this, click on the star icon resting on the upper right corner of your post. Cover photo This is one of the most useful and attractive features of Facebook. Yet it is probably also one of the most under-utilized options. You can add a custom cover photo that runs across the entire width of your Facebook page’s most prominent section, like an extra-size graphic banner. This gives you the opportunity to inform your audience what your business is all about in a single image. The cover photo is your Facebook page’s personality, if you will. When utilizing Facebook’s cover photo, though, be sure to keep the following guidelines in mind: Cover photos may not contain contact information or even web addresses Images must not include price information Images are not allowed to include calls to action Images cannot include requests for likes The About section Right below your Facebook page’s thumbnail photo is the About section. Be sure to fill in all the information in this area to help your audience find your business’s official site, contact numbers, and other relevant information. Profile content One of things that really annoys people who wish to know more about your business is discovering an empty profile section. Take Facebook marketing seriously by completing your profile content. Keep in mind that customers will probably want to learn as much as possible about you without having to leave Facebook. Thus, you should fill in your profile page with relevant information such as contact information, email address, and web address, and make the section as appealing as possible. Also, be sure to include a description of your business that’s as engaging as you can make it. Interact with your audience Your Facebook page is there for a reason. It’s a way for you not only to attract followers for your business, but more importantly to engage and interact with your audience. When people leave comments on your posts or when they type in questions, be sure to act right away by providing valuable responses. It’s an opportunity for you to strengthen your relationship with them and build trust. It’s also a way for you to showcase your expertise. You should take advantage of every opportunity to show you care about your followers. However, if you find some user comments are just not worthy of a thoughtful response, you can always simply click the “Like” button to show your appreciation and acknowledge their contribution. Photos and videos I can’t stress this enough: We are now in an age when people have become more visual than ever. Some of the most engaging updates on Facebook are photos and videos. If you haven’t done it yet, start including photos and videos in your marketing campaigns. The photos and videos you use could be from other people as long as you provide proper attribution to the source. Also, when you do post images and videos, be sure they are highly relevant to your line of business. Whenever your business hosts or sponsors an event, take photos and videos to share with your fans on Facebook. Perhaps you can post images or videos that showcase your headquarters, the people in your organization, and so on. It’s also a great idea to post how-to images and videos that will show your audience exactly how to use your products, how to subscribe to your service, or how to solve their most pressing concerns. Mailing list No, email marketing is not dead. It’s alive and well, and it’s steadily integrating into social media. In fact, Facebook has a feature that allows you to add a mailing list sign-up tab to your Facebook page for free. That is, if you’re using Constant Contact. To implement this: Log in to your Constant Contact account Click on Contacts Click on Grow My Contact List Click on Install Facebook Application. This will take you to Facebook to sign in, and then it will automatically add the application to your page. After adding Constant Contact into your Facebook page, click on the Constant Contact icon on your page and tweak the application. You can include a welcome paragraph. Facebook Ads Social media ads are not really a service that we at AudienceBloom are offering, but it’s something that could be worth your while to explore. Many businesses that have used Facebook’s advertising service have reported a dramatic increase … Continue reading →
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