Using Facebook to grow your business

There are plenty of reasons as to why you should be using Facebook to grow your business. Here at The Business Fairy we’ve been using social media to show businesses how they can grow for years, but what’s the science behind marketing through Facebook? We’ve put together our guide on how you can grow your business with the help of Facebook.

If you want to successfully market your business on Facebook, you first need to understand how Facebook is different to other social media platforms. For example, you can’t place a radio ad in a magazine, so why would you market yourself on Facebook like you would on television? Platforms are used for different things, and that’s why you should treat them all differently and use them to your advantage.

using facebook to grow your business with the business fairy

Don’t use Facebook for the ‘hard sell’

Most people who are on Facebook use it as a social place to talk to friends, read some quick news articles and check out photos and videos. Facebook is platform that people are relaxed on, scrolling through their feed as get the bus or wait for an appointment. Facebook is a community so you need to join conversations and become part of a community, rather than being a business ‘outsider’ who tries to sell aggressively.

Using advertising slogans, posting repeatedly about a particular product or service, providing lists of products and prices in isolation from any related conversation, or other hard-sell tactics – will result in other users ‘unfollowing’ you. They may even post negative comments about your business. People don’t want to log on to Facebook while taking a coffee break only to be jumped on in the comments section by a business owner trying to sell their product.

Have a clear goal and strategy

When using Facebook (or any other social media platform) it’s important to have a clear goal as to what you want to achieve for your business, and a strategy to achieve that goal. For example, a restaurant might decide that its goal is to increase sales generated by Facebook by 10% in the next 6 months. Their strategy could include:

  • creating a post every morning featuring a special of the day, and telling the audience that if they quote the word ‘Facebook”, they get a discount. This way the sale can be tracked to Facebook
  • posting a daily photo featuring a customer enjoying their meal (with their permission of course)
  • encouraging users to post their own photos of them enjoying a meal and tagging you.

Setting a goal and strategy gives you direction for your Facebook marketing and a way to measure your success.

Create a human voice for your business

Facebook users love the community feel of the platform and like to talk to other people. They don’t really want the feel an impersonal business on their feed. Whoever manages your Facebook page must be able to write in a voice that sounds real and likeable, using a style that suits your business. They also need permission to express things in their own words, not in the company’s jargon or ‘official line’. A great example of this is Innocent Smoothies. In this image, you can see that their use of wording and branding on Facebook suit the business that they have, and their less formal language really fits on the platform. You can also see that they aren’t pushing you to buy their product. Instead, they are talking about something funny and relatable to their audience, that creates a community. 

using facebook to grow your business with the business fairy

 

Post regularly

Unlike traditional media (such as magazines or television), or other online media (such as web pages), social media are built around frequent updates.

Research performed in Australia shows that Facebook users check their page more than 25 times per week, and they need to see that you are regularly posting new material. Some guides recommend posting at least once a day, but at The Business Fairy we recommend to post whenever you have interesting content. Play around with posting times and frequencies for a while and use it to judge how often your audience wants to hear from you.

Encourage comments and reply quickly

If you’re posting interesting content that people want to see, they will generally reply to your posts or to post their own comments about your business or a topic that’s of interest to them and you. When they do post, respond quickly, at least within 24 hours. Failing to respond will weaken your Facebook friends’ willingness to engage with you, and they will gradually drift away.

 

using facebook to grow your business with the business fairy

As you can see here, The Business Fairy shared some work that we did for a client, along with an offer that they were running to both show off our skills, and the clients product.  The client then commented on this post, thanking us, which we could then reply back to. This will show any potential clients that we provide a service that our customers are happy with.

Use pictures and videos

Pictures and videos are a major element of Facebook’s appeal. Use them with nearly all of the posts. For example:

  • A clothing retailer could post photos of new stock or outfit ideas.
  • An interior designer could post day-by-day pictures of a house under renovation.
  • A yoga instructor could post an instructional video of how to do a particular stretch or pose.

Try to get interactive really interactive, post offers, contests, games, surveys, etc. Facebook audiences love it when content is fun, and when it delivers something that they can’t get any other way. Discounts and giveaways are the most popular reason for a customer to follow a business’s Facebook page. Contests and games can be used to liven up your page and gain followers quickly if the prize is good enough. Building good relationships with other Facebook users takes time, so be patient. Engage in conversations, provide useful and eye-catching content, and develop rewards for loyal customers to help foster positive relationships.

Promote your Facebook account in your everyday business so that your social media works hand-in-hand with more traditional marketing methods. Provide your Facebook address on your letterhead, business card and website, in store, in advertisements, and in your email signature.

Use Facebook Insights to learn more about your customers

A great tool to learn more about your customer is Facebook Insights. The tool will tell you about the people who like your page. This way. once you know your Facebook friends’ characteristics, you can tailor your posts and offers to appeal to them.

As a quick example, if you’re a book shop that caters to customers of all ages, but most of your Facebook fans are aged 18-25 years, your should try to adapt your Facebook posts and offers to concentrate on books suitable for that age group (while your in-store offers are broader). Or, if you’re an online seller who never meets your customers, you might be able to get a clearer picture of what they think and feel by reviewing their interests, ages and locations on Facebook.

 

These are just a few tips to help you to get started on growing your business on Facebook. There are plenty more, but if you use this basic strategy you should start to see results. Don’t forget that these things take time, and although one tactic (i.e. a competition) may work for some brands, they may not work for yours. If you see that something works for you: keep doing it! Facebook is all about keeping people aware of your brand but it’s also about getting to know your customer. Take a look at our Facebook Page or email us at info@thebusinessfairy.ie if you are interested in training.  

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