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How to Use Facebook Groups for Business Growth

July 10, 2018 No Comments

By Baishali Mukherjee

It is now a reality to use groups for positioning yourself, acquiring new customers, and many things more

Today, most of us are part of one Facebook group or another. But have we considered using the groups for business growth? Probably not! But it’s high time we start doing it effectively. Leveraging a Facebook group for business can yield delightful results. But before you create a group and start inviting others; it is important to know certain things, so that the group and its activities, create desired impact.

Wondering how to promote your brand in Facebook groups? You can do it either by creating your own Facebook group or by joining one managed by others. It is now a reality to use groups for positioning yourself, acquiring new customers, and many things more.

Scroll down to know more from experts about how to use Facebook groups to support and market your business.

According to Skannd Tyagi, founder, E Info Solutions, Facebook groups are a pool of people with common interest areas. “By joining such a group you have access to people who match the profiles of your target audience. These groups will provide numerous opportunities to create awareness about you and your brand simply by being proactive and helpful. To explore such opportunities, just write the keyword in the search section at the right-hand menu of the group’s page, and get going,” he shared.

Pramod K Maloo, founder Kreative Machinez, a digital hub for business promotional and marketing, believes, there are multiple benefits for entrepreneurs who are part of Facebook groups. He enumerated six of them-

Discussion – Facebook groups are sort of like the new kind of online forum. They have great features like polls, and large-format status updates to encourage group members to interact with your content. You will get regular updates on what is going on in the page, other social media handles.

Polls – Polls can be used to get customer insights and to understand what the customer wants and to receive immediate feedback from polls. Groups are a great source of immediate feedback, and if you build a niche group from the beginning, the feedback you receive will be extremely valuable.

Selected People, group – People who have been in constant interaction with a business page are definitely the ones who are interested in the services they provide. Therefore, making a group of those selected people and giving them the required content and information for what they usually look at. Drive these people to get engaged with the call to action, via campaigns, contests, takeaways etc.

The credibility of the brand – Having groups can help increase the credibility of the brand. The discussions that happen in the groups can also be used as answers or questions in Quora. By doing this we will increase engagement and presence on other social media handles.

Reach – It’s a viable way of building a highly engaged community of individuals who are likely to be interested in your business. You can reach out to masses without spending on Facebook ads.

Economical– If you can reach out to the masses plus targeted masses without pinching your pocket, it`s a great deal. So remember to always provide value to the customers and give them reasons to stay in the group.

Maloo also advised against talking about one’s business and products every time. “Sometimes small talks are important to make your products worthy. If you keep on talking about your products, things will be monotonous and people will lose interest. Also add company employees in the group, to increase the number of positive reviews about the services/ product offered,” he advocated.

Potential to Attract Future Customers Absolutely Free

Ajay Mittal, Founder, Kolkata Clean Air and Mera Workshops, has over the last few months, spent time talking to individual business owners to understand about how they generate business. Interestingly, one of the top platforms for them was Facebook and Whatsapp groups which were helping them attract more customers. He found that these groups can really help grow all business, be it, small or large, B2C or B2B.

The point Mittal wants to make is the sheer potential of Facebook group in attracting thousands of members, many of whom could be your customers, absolutely free. “If you compare this with any other marketing techniques, and the cost of reaching out to 10k eyes balls which are mostly targeted as potential audience having one or more common factors, and you will understand the immensity of the potential. That is not all, Facebook group posts allow easy communications and response which results in much higher engagements,” he opined.

Another interesting thing is that the posts stay in the groups forever so many people who view these posts can always search back when they are in need of the requirement, even months after the post was made.

Starting a Facebook group could be a great strategy if you are ready to do some hard work in building a successful group as Facebook Group Admin has much higher visibility and privileges than any other members. Mittal maintained that if you are into a business that has potential to take a community along you, should start building a group today.

Engaging successfully in a Facebook group

To engage successfully in a Facebook group you must make interesting posts. Now, what is engaging to a Facebook group might be very subjective and it depends on the target audience. It also matters what is the time you have made that posts.

There is no real secret to what makes a post successful, but a few things that you can consider as tips from Mittal’s observation:

1) Keep it short, easy to understand and very clearly highlighting the value proposition.

2) Most responsive posts are that are linked to a current event for e.g. Posts on beautiful hampers on Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day will attract more response around those days.

3) Ensure you have a completely updated and active Facebook profile as that is important for people to trust you before enquiring or buying from you. Most people after reading a post will visit your profile before connecting with you to buy.

4) Make sure you engage in other posts but somehow connecting your comment with the post and not randomly posting your comment on every post. Best is to read through comments and reply to people who you see as your target audience.

Isn’t it a great opportunity for business owners to grow their business using these free techniques? All one needs is to be consistent and explore more and more groups to discover platforms that help to generate business, find ways to engage with target audience. What is even more interesting is that it is not limited to just B2C business; in fact B2B businesses have much higher potential but with a totally different strategy of selling directly but through education based marketing and engaging communities by sharing tons of value to appear as an expert in your domain.

Feature Image Credit: graphicstock

By Baishali Mukherjee

Sourced from Entrepreneur

In News

Facebook Expands Monetization With Branded Content Marketplace, More Ad Breaks

July 2, 2018 No Comments

By Sam Gutelle

While YouTube continues to frustrate creators by continuing to demonetize their videos based on the nature of their content, Facebook is looking to attract more videomakers with promises of prosperity. The social giant has announced several new and expanded monetization options for its creators, including the launch of a marketplace that connects brands to like-minded influencers.

The marketplace, titled Brand Collabs Manager, had previously been available to a small group of users but will now be opened up more widely. It gives brands the opportunity to search for creative partners with whom they can make deals. It’s a tool that sounds a lot like other branded content matchmakers on the social web, such as Google-owned FameBit.

Facebook has also announced expansions of both its ad breaks and fan subscriptions features. The former tool, launched last year as an answer to YouTube’s pre-roll ads, are now being offered to a larger group of creators in the US, particular those who specialize in long-form content. The recently-launched fan subscriptions, which let buyers unlock additional features on creator channels by paying a $4.99 fee each month, will be rolling out to more hubs as well.

By developing both of those features, Facebook is offering multiple monetization solutions in order to meet the needs of a growing and diversifying creative community. “We want to provide different ways for creators to make money on Facebook, so they can choose what makes sense for their content and community,” reads a blog post co-attributed to Facebook VP of Product Fidji Simo (pictured above). “For example, creators with longer content that fans come back for can monetize effectively through ads. Creators with super-fans or niche content can earn money directly from their audience through fan subscriptions or digital goods.”

For creators who, according to the post, upload “longer, authentic content that brings people back, that are focused on building a loyal community of fans, and who meet our monetization standards and follow our content guidelines for monetization,” Facebook is launching the Facebook for Creators Launchpad, a program that will help those videomakers further their digital careers. Applications for that program are available here.

By announcing all of these new ways to make money on its platform, Facebook is sending a clear message: If you’re a creator who is dissatisfied with YouTube, come to us. To hammer home that point, the social giant is expected to have a big presence at VidCon, where some of its top stars will hold court at a booth on the Exposition Floor.

By Sam Gutelle

Sourced from tubefilter

In News

Why Advertisers Shouldn’t Leave Facebook

June 27, 2018 No Comments

By Jacob Snelson

If you’ve followed the media lately, you would think Facebook has crashed and burned. You’d be under the assumption that millions of users have run for the hills by deleting Facebook, and that advertisers are questioning how they are going to continue to reach their customers. Surprisingly, that isn’t the case and, honestly, Facebook has even strengthened its position and remains at the top of every advertiser’s list.

Leverage purchase behavior to shift the risk to Facebook customers.

Facebook isn’t removing the ability to target by using purchase behavior; they are just putting the risk of using other people’s data onto you, the advertiser. Facebook knows how they collect their first-party data by keeping track of what users do on Facebook. But, they cannot control the data they purchase. Instead, they transfer the risk to you through the purchasing process.

Facebook will soon launch a custom audience verification tool that allows advertisers to use purchase behavior from another third party, But, if you upload it as a custom audience, Facebook just wants you to say, “Yes, I purchased this data legally and in good faith. If not, you can say it’s my fault, not yours.” I see this type of data getting more competitive and, as an advertiser, third-party companies are going to try to lure us in to use their data.

The user base is still on Facebook.

Facebook released a stellar Q1 earnings report with revenue from advertising up 50% YoY and daily active users up 13% YoY. When asked about advertisers being weary of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, said they have not seen a meaningful trend in advertisers leaving. Per Facebook, one in every four minutes on mobile is spent on Facebook. Even if there were to be a small drop, the efforts Facebook has made in regaining trust will be evident as the users and the advertisers will come back, maybe even twofold.

So with the competitive landscape increasing, how do you continue to differentiate? We have found that by using influencer content while leveraging paid targeting we can place highly relevant, highly clickable content in a user’s feed at CTRs 2-3x Facebook’s average of .9-1.00 percent CTR. This content is genuine and much less “ady” than your traditional ads.

You can still create custom audiences despite the changes.

Another major change to Facebook’s structure is custom audiences. As mentioned, you can still get access to user purchase data either through owned data or purchasing from a third party and uploading via custom audiences. But one thing that was briefly mentioned is the ability to share custom audiences across business accounts.

This is a common practice among media agencies — sharing lookalikes to other media companies that are focused on different parts of the funnel. Company A is for brand awareness and Company B is for direct response “click here to buy now.” How do these two work together? Since the sharing of audiences has changed, the workaround would result in multiple pixels on your page owned by each company. We’re still waiting for Facebook for further instructions, so stay tuned.

Finally, this is an opportunity to look at how you collect your own data.

Tis the season to look inward. Since Facebook is shifting the risk to its user base, everyone has taken a deep look at how they collect their data. As everyone is walking on eggshells at the moment, it’s best to make sure your audience trusts you.

By Jacob Snelson

Sourced from MediaPost

In News

AppNexus takes on Google and Facebook with tool that offers ‘100% viewable buying’

June 25, 2018 No Comments

By Rebecca Stewart

AppNexus is looking to take on the Facebook-Google ‘duopoly’ with a tool it has claimed will give advertisers “100% viewable buying at scale”.

The product, dubbed ‘guaranteed views’ will give brands the chance to purchase only ads that they classify as ‘viewable’ against their own standards across the web, offering a solution to the typically complex process brands and agencies often have to go through when setting up threshold viewability targeting online.

Allowing clients to target “the entire open internet” AppNexus’ latest feature will let buyers use viewability as a given outcome. The company didn’t reveal which buyers had been testing the guaranteed views, but said clients “typically” see improvement in cost-per-view, unique reach, click-through rate (CTR) and cost-per-click (CPC).

AppNexus, which has been vocal about the “considerable strain” it believes to have been placed on the industry through the dominance of the duopoly, said it believes this fresh tool “will help reverse the disproportionate flow of advertising dollars going to walled gardens like Google and Facebook.”

Viren Tellis, senior director, marketplace management, AppNexus claimed a point of difference for guaranteed views was that instead of layering multiple optimization types, “buyers can assume viewability is a given” and focus on achieving the performance KPIs advertisers care about.

While the move from adtech firm doesn’t guarantee buyers 100% in-view ads; instead giving them the option to purchase their inventory only against their measurement standards, it comes amid ongoing discussion between advertisers about what exactly that standard should be.

Just months ago, the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (Isba) launched a 100% viewability standard in the UK, calling for brands to be given the facility to buy digital display ads in 100% view.

Key industry figures are split on what exactly the viewability standard should be. Unilever’s top marketer Keith Weed, for instance, subscribes to the 100% view. Others like rival Procter and Gamble (P&G) believe in the standard set by US-based body the Media Ratings Council (MRC) that ads should be at least 50% in view.

According to the World Federation of Advertisers, in the UK alone almost £600m per-year is believed to be wasted on non-viewable ads, with 63% of members saying they are now only investing in viewable impressions which meet industry standards.

Facebook currently offers buyers 100% viewability on some products in tandem with Moat. Google, meanwhile, lets advertisers, agencies and publishers using its active view product to see custom metrics that allow them to go beyond transacting on the Media Ratings Council (MRC) defined industry standard for viewability (which is 50%).

By Rebecca Stewart

Sourced from The Drum

In News

How Facebook makes money from your data, in Mark Zuckerberg’s words

May 21, 2018 No Comments

By Ben Gilbert

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress for over five hours on Wednesday, where he answered questions from senators on a broad range of subjects.
During an exchange with Senator John Cornyn, Zuckerberg laid out a simple explanation for how Facebook makes money with user data.
Zuckerberg’s explanation is a concise walkthrough of how your data is turned into profit.

You’re forgiven if you didn’t watch all five-plus hours of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answering questions during a joint Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees hearing on Tuesday.

Even if you were watching, it’s entirely likely that you missed a crucial, brief segment around the two-hour mark, where Senator John Cornyn asked Zuckerberg about how Facebook handles ex-user data.

Though somewhat unrelated to what Senator Cornyn asked, Zuckerberg’s answer was a fascinating, concise look into how Facebook turns its vast quantity of user data into profit.

“There’s a very common misperception about Facebook — that we sell data to advertisers,” Zuckerberg said on Tuesday. “And we do not sell data to advertisers. We don’t sell data to anyone.”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is surrounded by members of the media as he arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees joint hearing regarding the company’s use and protection of user data, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.Reuters/Leah Millis

Indeed, Facebook makes it money through advertising. Facebook doesn’t provide data to advertisers — it does the work for them.

Here’s Zuckerberg explaining it to Senator Cornyn on Tuesday’s Senate hearing:

“What we allow is for advertisers to tell us who they want to reach, and then we do the placement. So, if an advertiser comes to us and says, ‘All right, I am a ski shop and I want to sell skis to women,’ then we might have some sense, because people shared skiing-related content, or said they were interested in that, they shared whether they’re a woman, and then we can show the ads to the right people without that data ever changing hands and going to the advertiser.”

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which revealed that at least 87 million Facebook users had their data used without consent by a political firm to influence elections (including the 2016 US Presidential election), general users, celebrities, tech executives and politicians have begun openly questioning Facebook’s handling of user data.

Facebook now admits fault for allowing third-parties to access user data inappropriately, which is what led to companies like Cambridge Analytica possessing user data in the first place. The company has since shut down loopholes in its social media service that allowed third-parties to “scrape” data from its users.

All that said, Facebook still directly relies on user data to make money — it’s just not in quite the way you may have thought.

Feature Image Credit: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a joint Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees hearing.REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

By Ben Gilbert

Sourced from Business Insider UK

In News

Adblock Plus creates feature to stop Facebook tracking you across the web

May 18, 2018 No Comments

By Emily Tan

Spurred by the recent outrage over the misuse of Facebook’s data by Cambridge Analytica, Adblock Plus has introduced a feature that lets users disable social media buttons.

These ‘like’ buttons allow Facebook to track users’ browsing behaviour beyond its walled garden, even if users do not touch them.

“What most people don’t realise is that buttons used to share content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and others are placed on almost every website that you visit,” Ben Williams, director of operations at Adblock Plus, said.

“Even if you don’t click them, these buttons send requests to the social network’s servers, which then uses the information to create a profile based on your browsing habits. This is one of the key ways that social media sites such as Facebook are able to access consumers’ private data.”

Adblock Plus promotes this feature as a way for consumers to have more control over their online data, without having to quit social media altogether.

“For consumers, this scandal highlights how easy it can be for their information to be gathered and misused without their consent. The social media giants’ policy of self-regulation is clearly not working as it should, and is making users’ data more vulnerable; it has therefore never been more important for consumers to demand their power back,” Williams added.

Despite worldwide consternation over the Cambridge Analytica relelations, adspend on Facebook was up 62% year-on-year for the first quarter of 2018, according to research revealed this week.

By Emily Tan

Sourced from campaign

In News

Facebook’s Problems Cause Some Instagram Problems

May 17, 2018 No Comments

By Rich Duprey

A heavy-handed approach to the latest privacy breach may damage its fast-growing social media platform.

As Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) reels from its latest privacy scandal, and global government regulators investigate the possibility that it violated privacy laws by allowing personal user data to be collected by third parties, the social media platform is seeking to wall off its sibling apps, Instagram and WhatsApp, from a similar backlash.

A blanket approach

Tech journals reported that Instagram last week abruptly cut off developer access to the site’s API while limiting how often others can use its API to collect data on users. APIs, or application programming interfaces, are programming instructions for accessing a software application by other software; they’re not user interfaces. Sites like Facebook and Instagram open them to developers who use the API to build third-party apps that are able to function with the site.

Image source: Getty Images.

What Facebook did with Instagram was apparently limit the number of times a developer can use the API to ping the site for updated information, reportedly dropping the number of calls per user per hour from 5,000 down to just 200.

Because there was no warning that the limits were being imposed, developers were caught flat-footed from angry users who reported the apps were no longer working properly with the site. Industry site Recode notes that some industries such as customer service or brand marketing need near-constant access to Instagram data if they want to keep up with customer complaints or posts, but the limits are preventing them from doing so.

It seems Facebook took a ham-fisted approach to a problem it had and layered it on top of the rest of the organization to prevent its recurrence, without thinking through the intricacies of what it was doing.

A history of privacy woes

Instagram is Facebook’s billion-dollar baby. Purchased in 2012 for $1 billion, Instagram has quickly become a cash cow for Facebook. It had some 30 million users when it was bought, and no revenue, but it has since grown into one of the premiere social media platforms. Every day, 500 million people log into the site, some 800 million people log in at least once a month, and Instagram is expected to generate $10 billion in revenue by 2019.

User privacy has seemingly long been an afterthought for Facebook, which has weathered numerous criticisms over the years with the way it’s played fast and loose with user privacy. Because it has grudgingly modified its settings at different times as concerns flared up, it may not have realized how serious the current situation was.

Yet in something of an apology tour to media outlets, CEO Mark Zuckerberg now admits that most users have probably had their personal information “scraped” by third parties, and Facebook has since estimated that as many as 87 million people had their information exposed to Cambridge Analytica, the political analysis firm. That is a much greater number than the 50 million that was estimated before.

The risk here is that the company faces a backlash not only from regulators and politicians, but now from users who will be leery about sharing information on social media, whether it be Facebook or Instagram, and also developers who may become leery about developing apps for the platforms.

Trust is hard to regain

Almost all of Facebook’s revenue is derived from third-party advertising on Facebook and Instagram. For the past three years, advertising accounted for 98%, 97%, and 95%, respectively, of its revenue. If users aren’t using the platforms to engage with friends, families, and companies, advertisers may very well shut down their advertising streams.

Warren Buffett once noted, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Having held such a cavalier attitude for so long, Facebook may have damaged its reputation and broken the bonds of trust between it and its users. Yet in trying to rectify the situation all at once, Facebook may also be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

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Feature Image Credit: Getty Images.

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Sourced from The Motley Fool

In News

Everything you need to know about the hidden ways Facebook ads target you

May 16, 2018 No Comments

By Dan Ming

Facebook executives often talk about their mission as “bringing the world closer together.” With more than 2 billion users, it’s true that the platform does connect people. But one thing CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony highlighted is that simply connecting people is not how Facebook reached a market cap of nearly $500 billion.

At its core, Facebook is an advertising company. In 2017, 98 percent of its $40 billion in revenue came from advertising. It’s not your data that Facebook is selling; it’s your attention.

Facebook’s ad platform translates your clicks and posts into “user attributes,” and places you in certain categories for advertisers. For example, your activity could suggest that you recently had a child, that you’re a Bernie Sanders fan, or that you have an “affinity” for certain racial groups.

One of the most powerful features, “Custom Audiences,” allows an advertiser to target individuals based on offline information such as email address and phone number. An advertiser can upload that data to Facebook, which will match it with its user base to find who that information belongs to. Then there are so-called “dark posts,” a feature Facebook is now changing, which only show up in the news feeds of specific audiences and are completely hidden to everyone else.

Full disclosure: VICE News (along with almost every other major news organization) uses some of these advertising tools.

The tools can be used by anyone who wants to advertise on Facebook, and critics say that’s an open invitation to malicious actors. Watch this video to learn more about how Facebook’s ad targeting works, and why it’s so effective.

Gabriel Connelly and Michael Shade contributed to this report.

By Dan Ming

Sourced from VICE News

In News

Podcast: Facebook or Google Re-Targeting Ads?

May 11, 2018 No Comments

By Scott Ayres

Full Episode Details:

Which is Better: Facebook or Google Re-Targeting Ads?

Can Google Display Network convert website visitors into customers better than Facebook?

This is something we really wanted try out and test in the Social Media Lab.

Our Hypothesis:

In This Episode:

What the heck is Google Display Network (GDN)?
Explanation of Facebook re-targeting ads
How we setup the experiment
What the data says about re-targeting ads
Our conclusion based on the data

Quotes in This Episode:

“Google Display Network is a network with over 2 million, and counting, websites that Google serves ads on.. letting us target those visitors by interest and activity.” – Michael Angiletta

“Well I guess we have an obvious winner here, and that winner is… ??” – Richard Beeson

Resources:

Social Media Lab powered by Agorapulse

Facebook vs Google Re-targeting, which one Converts Better?

What Is The Social Media Lab?

The Social Media Lab is a project powered by Agorapulse dedicated to spending $15,000 per month to bust the myths, rumors and stories related to social media marketing.

We’ll test mainly organic reach, but also will run paid experiments.

The experiments are conducted by myself, Scott Ayres, and Jason How.

We typically publish 1 blog post and podcast per week.

The podcast is co-hosted by Richard Beeson and myself.

By Scott Ayres

Sourced from Social Media Lab by Agorapulse

In News

18 Effective Ways to Grow Your Business with Facebook

May 4, 2018 No Comments

By Courtney Baird-Lew

With over 2.13 billion active monthly users worldwide, Facebook remains the most popular social media platform year after year. And while the beginning of 2018 has seen the network’s trust put into question amid a large-scale data breach, projections still see Facebook’s user base increasing well into 2019. In short, Facebook remains an unbeatable force in the digital (and social) sphere.

Taking advantage of Facebook’s resources used to be a simple formula: post frequently, engage occasionally, and expect your customers or clients to follow on your brand’s journey. This is not the case in today’s highly-competitive landscape.

Setting goals specific for Facebook has become increasingly important. While these may vary according to industry, the three main goals to keep in mind are: to increase Facebook “likes”, to improve engagement, and to increase sales. These big three are umbrella goals that should be monitored frequently. If you’re unsure of where to begin, we’re here to help. Here are 18 ways to help you work towards your goals of growing your business with Facebook:

1. Email existing prospects

While Facebook is ubiquitous, many of your current and potential prospects may still be unaware that you have a Facebook page. Craft an email that reminds people of your online presence, and get them excited to see your work. In addition, consider putting a link to your Facebook (and all social channels for that matter) in your email signature.

2. Embed a website plugin

Adding a little Facebook widget to any (or all) pages of your website will help boost the likelihood of current or prospective customers heading to your page. Provide the functionality for readers to “like” your page even when they are not on Facebook. Given the sheer popularity of Facebook, and knowing that the platform has 1.15 billion mobile daily active users, sending your prospects to your Facebook page will be beneficial rather than detrimental.

3. Create a landing page that encourages “likes”

Even when a person is not on Facebook, they can still “like” your page. Adding a “like” button on a landing page is an easy way to get clicks, while keeping the reader on your website at the same time.

4. Create exclusive content that’s only available when you “like” a page

As simple as changing a video or image post from “private” to “public on your Facebook page, this small amount of exclusivity can make them feel like they are part of the ‘club’ that you have cordially invited them to join.

5. Partner with influencers

With an extensive reach and a community of committed followers, partnering with Facebook experts will spread the word of your brand in an indirect way; resulting in a promotion that looks casual and organic, rather than pushy.

6. Join Facebook groups and share your content

Without being overbearing or coming across as too self-promotional, joining Facebook groups that relate to your industry expertise is a great way to connect with B2C and B2B prospects who would otherwise have not come across your page. Consider it a more colloquial form of LinkedIn groups, wherein you are sharing your vision, but also commenting on others’.

7. Embed email subscriptions into your Facebook page

Adding this feature is a solid way to help generate leads from the prospects heading to your page. This can be as simple as “sign up” button that links back to your landing page.

8. Conduct polls

Found in your “status” bar, a poll can heighten engagement between you and your current followers and prospects alike. You can also Implement ‘third party” survey tools, like the popular Survey Monkey, which can provide further resources than the basic Facebook “questions” feature.

9. Share your blogs and any relevant news

Immediately after your blogs go up, publish them on Facebook! In addition, create enticing, action-oriented copy that will further propel your audience to click back to your site. Encouraging your peers and business partners to share any news or articles will also maximize the post’s reach.

10. Respond in a timely manner

When comments or messages come in, make sure to respond quickly and eloquently. If you have a slow response rate, Facebook will point this out directly on your page. A good response rate will be listed in green, whereas a bad one is listed in shades of yellow, orange, and red.

11. Run a Facebook offer or competition

To sweeten the pot, create a set of rules such as: sharing the post, liking the post, and tagging a friend to be able to enter. Here is an example of a contest that garnered thousands of shares:

12. Share your SlideShare presentations

Since LinkedIn has embedded SlideShare into its platform, your presentations now have even more reach, and across multiple platforms. Share your presentations on Facebook to show your business savvy.

13. Consider an F-Commerce function

Convert and sell within your Facebook page with the Facebook commerce (F-Commerce) function. With the aim of increasing conversions, having the “shop” feature on your Facebook is an excellent way to amass further e-commerce transactions.

14. Share your visual media

The medium is the message! Media that is visual, like static images, Gifs, and Facebook live videos, are always more appealing when you’re in direct competition with viral videos for views. Create media that’s appealing to the eye.

15. Boost your posts

The act of “boosting” a post will require some pocket change on your end, but will give you a great ROI. Boosting a post will not only extend your post’s reach, but will also give you the ability to narrow who to target, and where to target.

16. Use Facebook ads

Facebook ads are categorized in a variety of ways. Use the ad type that’s most appropriate to your business goals.

There’s the popular (and effective) domain ad, which is comprised of a single image with a link to your website below. You also have the multi-product ad, which shows a carousel of images that lead to your domain. This a great way to test which products your audience desires the most.

Offer ads are a bit different. Instead of just sending people to your website, these ads target those familiar with your brand and usually offer discount codes with an expiration date.

Video ads (which are self-explanatory) work well for both brand awareness and retargeting.

Lead ads are great for collecting information from a Facebook user without them leaving the platform. Facebook will fill in as much information as possible, while the user can fill in the rest.

Here’s an example of a sponsored domain ad for the brand SSENSE;

An offer ad for the brand J. Crew;

An example of a “carousel” or multi-product ad;

And a Facebook lead ad;

As with any ad content, Facebook ads should not just be visually compelling, but should have a prominent call to action.

17. Post at the appropriate time

Timing is everything. And while the “right” time may vary according to your industry, location, and audience, there exist a set of general guidelines to abide by when scheduling your Facebook posts.

18. Consider marketing automation

Use a marketing automation tool to gauge which posts are the most successful, and to gather intel and which ones will provide the best ROI in future. Scheduling your posts with marketing automation platform will not only keep things simplified and organized, but will help provide further analytics in regards to your page’s performance. Overall, the aim is to enhance your potential results and build your reputation.

SUMMARY

Build to look simple, Facebook is a complex platform that can be used to every business’ advantage. The most popular social network, Facebook is forever changing and improving its performance, and ridding itself of seemingly inconsequential things like outdated metrics that could have an impact on your page’s performance. That being said, always monitor your Facebook page, treat it with care, and watch those sales flourish.

By Courtney Baird-Lew

Sourced from Digital Doughnut