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Six Facebook Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

Written by , Posted in Marketing, Social Media

facebookMany have heralded Facebook as the best way to reach new customers and spread the word about your business. However, knowing how to use it properly can make a big difference. By following these tips, you can ensure your social media marketing is more effective than most traditional advertising.

1. Post Regularly: Many business owners set up their social media accounts and then promptly forget they exist. Posting once or twice a day keeps your business name in front of potential customers. Of course, it’s also important to post useful and interesting posts. Pictures and videos always help, as do links to news stories or websites related to your brand or product.

2. Don’t Simply Self-Promote: Facebook changed their algorithm earlier this year in response to complaints that people were tired of seeing sales-driven content. While it is important to highlight your great products, you want potential customers to see you as more than a billboard. Try posting stories about how people are using your products, or other related but informative information. The purpose is to add value to the post for anyone who reads it, above and beyond how it may increase your sales.

3. Turn Facebook Fans Into Customers: Many small business social media page administrators love to see their “likes” and “seen by” stats climb, but how important is this really? Many businesses have thousands of likes, but no interaction on their page. Fans aren’t liking their posts, or commenting on them. They certainly aren’t sharing your posts with friends. In order to engage fans, you must post quality content regularly and continue to interact with fans. This requires checking Facebook throughout the day, and making a point to answer any questions or messages within 24 hours.

4. Offer Coupons and Facebook Promotions: Offering special “fans only” discounts is a great way to get Facebook fans in the door. Consider a discount for first-time customers, or first access to great sales through a special promotion for Facebook fans. Many businesses also offer a discount if the fan checks in while in the store. This will serve as word-of-mouth advertising to their friends on social media.

5. Plan Your Social Media Campaign: Facebook makes it easy to schedule posts ahead of time. You can take an hour early in the week to type up all of the posts for the week and schedule them to post each day. Make a calendar, and determine when you will need to push which promotions, and post accordingly. While this is a great tool for time management, beware that you will still need to be checking your page regularly and be engaged.

6. Use Facebook’s Statistical Information: Facebook offers business owners a lot of information about their fans through Insights and the “Posts” tab. Knowing the day of the week and time that most of your fans are interacting with your page can help you to schedule important posts. You can also check the location of your fans, and ensure you are posting content that is relevant to them.

Facebook marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, or time consuming. By setting aside an hour a week and a few minutes each day, social media sites allow business owners to interact with their customers in a way that has never before been possible. This translates to more return customers, and more word-of-mouth recommendations of your brand.

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