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The marketing world as we know it changed forever with the emergence of Facebook as a tool for ecommerce marketers to communicate — in real time and in two directions — with their customers. With roughly 1/8th of the entire world’s population using Facebook, according to Statistic Brain, it’s time to get over thinking that you’re customers aren’t social. When you think of these numbers in relation to your business, just know that close to 71% of all social media users are more likely to buy something from a business they follow online.
Provide Accurate Info
According to recent statistics, 77% of companies have acquired customers through Facebook. If you’re hoping to be one of these companies, whether for an ecommerce site or a brick-and-mortar store, you must provide the latest information. By having the most updated and accurate location, hours, prices, and employee names attached to your Facebook page, you can be sure you will gain and keep your customers’ trust.
Timing Your Post for Maximum Exposure
Once you’ve decided to put your business out on Facebook for the world to see, it’s a good idea to know when to time your posts so they are seen by the largest audience. Mashable posted about a study done by Vitrue, a social media management company, which indicated the times Facebook was used the most during the day. During the week there are three major usage spikes that happen around 11:00am, 3:00pm, and 8:00pm. Out of these, the highest usage fell around the 3:00pm time. Out of the entire week, Wednesday around 3:00pm was the busiest time for Facebook users.
This may, of course, be very different for your audience than it was for the Vitrue test audience. Make sure that you’re constantly tracking metrics for which posts get the most engagement, when people are likely to “like” your posts, and which posts recieve the most views according to your Facebook insights. Constantly experiment with different times in addition to the ones you know work well.
Encouraging Feedback
Just like the way you use Facebook in every day life, to keep connected and get information, your marketing presence powers a similar relationship. Brands want some type of response from the fans. One of the easiest ways to get this attention is to ask a question or pose a vote. Anyone that has liked your business’s Facebook page will be able to see your posts, and if you ask them a question rather than just making a statement, they are more likely to respond. If a fan comments on, shares, or likes your post, their friends will see it and see the business to which you are. At this point you’ve just reached another potential customer at the same time you’ve received feedback from an existing customer.
Post by Overstock.com.
With 22 shares and 40 likes (maybe more by now because this module updates live), Overstock.com may have reached thousands more potential customers through just one post.
Long-Term Investment
Once you have an established Facebook page for your business, the best way to keep relevant is to never stop posting. Too many businesses begin a page and then abandon when they don’t see results. Updating your page is an investment of your time that will pay off in the long run. If something exciting comes along that you want to share with your fan base, be sure to post about it on Facebook. If something changes with your business, like pricing structure or future promotions, update your page. When nothing new is going on, you should still find other options for posts, such as news articles that would interest your target audience, humorous cartoons that fit your buyer personas, and even reviews that feature your products. When even those are scarce, you can pull content from your site to post, such as how-to videos, popular blog posts, and favorite products.
Have you discovered any Facebook tips that result in high levels of engagement? Let us know in the comments.
By: Ted Ammon