While it might not seem like it, you’re actually leaving money on the table if you aren’t using Facebook pages to connect with more consumers. With over a billion active users, it’s almost impossible that some of the people who shop at your small business aren’t using the social media site, which means it’s an excellent platform for getting in touch with new customers.
For many business owners, though, knowing where to begin can be very confusing. You may have used Facebook in the past for personal reasons, but everything gets flipped on its head when you enter the back end of Facebook and view it as more than just a platform for looking at what your friends had for lunch.
To make things even more difficult, Facebook is notorious for changing up its algorithms, and what works today might not work at all, or might even hurt you tomorrow. While Facebook can provide great coverage to reach your customers, it’s Facebook’s platform, not yours, and Facebook will continue making changes as it sees fit -- it’s up to you to keep up.
How to get the most out of Facebook and bring in new customers
It’s often easy to spot someone who just started using Facebook for business, having only used it for personal reasons prior. Their updates come through lacking a bit of polish, professionalism and flair. They might even make the number-one mistake: creating a Facebook profile for their business, instead of a Facebook page.
Because of this, many businesses find it advantageous to hire a Social Media Manager. While this helps to manage the intricacies of the platform more efficiently, it won’t always help you figure out what you should be sharing with your fans.
Should you let them know about your upcoming events and products? Sure. Should you let them know only about your upcoming events and products, and nothing else? No. Should you bombard them with updates at every chance you get? You could, but Facebook’s algorithm would probably ensure none of your fans ever end up seeing them.
The best Facebook pages mix things up and, most importantly, provide value to fans. They don’t just tell them about new products and events, but they also get them engaged. They share relevant articles that their audience would enjoy reading. They ask their audience questions to get people talking and communicating. With your Facebook business page, you want to create a balance that not only ensures fans are happy to spend their time interacting with it, but that they are still interested in your brand when you do pitch a new product or event. When done correctly, your audience will be connected and engaged enough that it won’t feel like a pitch for your small business.
Many people have also seen success buying ads or sponsoring posts on Facebook. This can be highly profitable; however, bear in mind you’ll likely lose money on it at first while you tweak things until it does become profitable.
Facebook marketing gurus say the most successful Facebook campaigns all have one thing in common -- email. The most profitable Facebook campaigns don’t pitch directly for the most part; they just want your email address.
The thought process behind this is that people who are on Facebook are in passive consumption mode. They are relaxing, viewing friend’s updates, and just having a good time. Facebook viewers aren’t often in the right frame of mind to pull out their credit cards. They are in the right frame of mind though to give out their email address for things that interest them.
Once you have an email address, using the email marketing tool of your choice you can continue nurturing that prospect until they become a paying customer. When you connect with someone via their inbox, there is a much higher chance they will be more receptive to your pitches. You can also continue to pitch to them, communicate with them, or send offers and discounts. It will be perceived as more personal, since you’re contacting them through email, whereas things on Facebook are easy to dismiss.
Like any internet marketing tool or platform, there is no one right way to do things. Facebook is an extremely useful and versatile tool for business though, and if you aren’t yet utilizing it to bring in more customers, there’s never been a better time to start.