We all know someone who’s spent way too much money online.
One minute you’re looking at a pair of shoes on your laptop, the next you switch to your phone to check your Facebook messages and are hit with an ad of those same shoes. Before you know it, you’ve entered in your credit card information and are deciding between express and standard delivery.
Sound familiar?
Well, that is one sign of effective online marketing.
What if we told you that Facebook can affect service-based businesses, too?
According to Bizjournals, smartphone users check their Facebook 13.8 times, on average, a day.
Beyond the birthday reminders and interesting posts from old friends, Facebook has a number of tools that affect the way that B2B businesses can do business. And now that we are not physically available to conduct business, social platforms like Facebook allow us to show how creative we can become when marketing and advertising our services online.
Facebook Marketing: A Tool for Growing Business
Sometimes posting on social media can feel a lot like throwing spaghetti to the wall to see if one will stick. But tools like Facebook’s Page Insights, can help you figure out what kind of content your audience enjoys beyond the “like” button.
Your Page Insights are like a magic 8 ball: If you’re wondering, “am I posting the right kind of content?,” they’ll tell you how many people saw your post, and if they interacted with it in any way. In addition to these details, your Page Insights will also show you your reach, the number of clicks your last five posts received, and the actions taken on your Business page.
Your Facebook Business Page’s reach is the number of people who saw or received your content, and is presented as a graph. When compared to the engagement on each piece of content, you can start to analyze why a post received low engagement: was it just not seen, or does it need more TLC?
This is a great way to get a big picture look at how your Facebook page is working for you, and where you have opportunities for growth.
Understanding Your Audience Insights
Audience Insights is another powerful tool that breaks down your audience demographics and behaviors. Not only do Audience Insights show you these details for your own Facebook Page, but they also show you these details from your competitors’ pages. These details mean you can find out the gender, purchase activity, and overall interest of your potential customers within minutes, giving you a better understanding about who you’re reaching and how you can best add value to their lives.
The Audience Insights tool is crucial for small businesses, especially those who are temporarily away from their usual brick and mortar location, because social media will likely be the first interaction you have with many prospective clients.
In addition to making sure you’re reaching the people that you want to reach, your Audience Insights can also show you when they’re online. Knowing when your audience is online is vital to timing your posts.
For example, if you notice your target audience is rarely active Tuesday nights but overindulges on Sundays, then you know that Sundays are the best day to post new content to your Facebook page.
Using Facebook’s powerful analytics not only gears you toward success in content marketing but also shows your audience that you care about their needs.
Now that you get the gist of the insights that Facebook offers, we can dive deeper into how to make sure you’re taking the right steps on your Facebook page.
Go The Extra Mile
Once you’ve set your Facebook business page up for success and applied all the necessary touches to look official, it’s time to put in some work.
Social media gives small business owners the opportunity to reach new people. This means that when some people visit your Facebook page, it may be the first time they’re hearing about you. Take this time to let them get to know you.
One way you can do this is by keeping your content posting consistent. Consistency in the number and quality of your posts allows you to become a dependable resource for your audience. It can also increase your shares and help you grow your audience.
Speaking of sharing: strategic sharing of your posts (using the data from your Insights) can be used to promote your business. You can also invite existing clients to like and follow your page, since they already know and see the value in the work that you do.
Another option to encourage engagement on your page is to feed people’s freebie-and-money-saving sides. Offer a discount for liking for your page, or sharing a specific piece of content.
Engagement Creates Connections
Aside from incentives, people also love engagement. As a business owner, you know how important word of mouth referrals are, so use this opportunity to create posts that are so compelling your audience wants to share them with everyone they know.
Facebook’s algorithm is designed to strengthen the value of people’s time spent on their site, which means that Facebook favors posts and pages that people interact with. Plus, a big part of social media is being social! Engage and connect as much as you can.
Did you know you can also engage with other businesses on Facebook? Not only does it increase your network but it also makes your business appear friendly, which can make a difference in a decision-making process.
So, feel free to like and share posts from other businesses.
Cultivate Results You Can See
Facebook has proven to be a powerhouse for business growth, meaningful connections, and integrating businesses within online communities. Using this social media platform correctly is great for both generating and nurturing leads.
Wayward Kind’s approach to digital marketing is based on having conversations that actually matter. We show B2B business owners how to create meaningful content, and use it to build a community. Let’s tackle content marketing together.
We can help you master your digital marketing strategy with CRO tips. Our team of strategists are experts at understanding you and your audience. Whether it’s setting up Google Analytics, or creating great landing pages, Wayward Kind is all about action. Ready to convert to a mindful marketing strategy? Contact us today!
