It’s not quite a ‘rags-to-riches’ story, more of a ‘dormitory-to-stock
market’ story. Surely Mark Zuckerberg and his pals couldn’t have foreseen the
global potential of their social networking program which, at the time, was
called Facemash. Facebook is a phenomenon. (Okay, so tell me something I don’t
know.) Did you know just how much of a phenomenon it really is? Here are some
stats -
- The social media giant will very soon reach 1 billion users worldwide
- If Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd largest country in the world
- 50% of users log on every single day
- More than 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook every day
- In Ireland, 2.2 million people are users of Facebook (that is 47.23% of the population or 71.76% of the online population)
- 47% of users are male, 53% female
- Traffic is highest midweek between 1-3pm
- Engagement is 18% higher on Thursdays and Fridays
- The average time spent on Facebook is 20 minutes per visit
- The chart below shows the split by age in Ireland.
So, the stats act as a reminder for what we already know. If
you are marketing to just about anyone, you have got to include Facebook in
your plans. And, if you don’t, you better have a very good reason. But what
specifically should you be doing? Here are 5 tips for marketing on Facebook.
1. Facebook
Advertising – Facebook advertising is powerful, not just because of the
potential reach but, more importantly, because of its ability to hyper-target.
Seth Godin put it well when he said “Selling to people who actually want to
hear from you is more effective than selling to strangers who don’t”. Facebook
advertising lets you sell to people who want to hear from you. How? Before your
ad goes live, you select the exact demographic you want your ad to appear to,
by ticking various boxes based on age, gender, interests, even location. The
result? A much higher chance that the ad will be relevant to those who see it,
meaning they are far more likely to act on it. And guess what? If they don’t
act on it, you don’t pay. Facebook advertising is pay-per-click, so you only
pay when users click on it. Facebook will give you a click rate, which is based
on the target audience they reckon you will reach after you select your
demographic choices. You then set your daily budget and, when that is reached,
your ad will not feature again until the next day. You can very easily see if
the ad is working or not and you can stop it or adjust it at any time. But,
because your advertisements are highly relevant to those seeing them, they tend
to be highly effective. 53% of shoppers who click through from Facebook make a
purchase. This is smart advertising. That mass marketing stuff was for the
cavemen.
2. Contests
& Competitions – This is a sure-fire way to get engagement from your
Fans. Facebook users love contest and competitions, especially if they are
relevant to them and you are offering something that is useful. Very simply
offer a prize when users answer a question correctly to encourage engagement.
The prize can be anything, so long as it is relevant to the user; one free
month’s service, discount off their next purchase, free product, event tickets,
a free t-shirt, whatever. And when the competition relates somewhat to your
business (and it should) you are encouraging relevant engagement that gets them
thinking about you.
3. Provide
Exclusives – Your Facebook Fans like to feel like VIPs, so they feel it is
worth being there, that you are doing something for them they can’t get
anywhere else. Is there anything you could share with your Fans that isn’t
currently available anywhere else? Could you announce a new product launch,
give sneak previews to new product designs, provide priority purchase for an
event? Again, the exclusive must be relevant to the user, not just to you. If
you share unique content like this with your Facebook community, they are
encouraged to return.
4. Upload
Videos & Photos – Have you heard of EdgeRank Algorithm? It’s a little
bit like how Google decides what shows up in search. EdgeRank algorithm decides
what shows up in a Fan’s News Feed by giving different types of content a
weighting. Videos and photos have the highest weighting, because this type of
content is the most engaging, users love them. On average there are 300 million
photos uploaded to Facebook every single day. So what could you upload? A
series of product demos, customer testimonials, a series explaining various
industry jargon, recorded interviews from experts in the industry, quick
snippets from your team inside your organisation, content from events you are
involved in. If you think about it there is a lot you can do with a cheap
digital recorder (or i-Phone) and a bit of creativity. But make sure to be
creative.
5. Simply
Engage – It would be a real shame if you were to create a Facebook audience
and then neglect it. Facebook communities need someone around to keep prodding
for engagement, stimulating conversations, and various forms of content. And,
don’t just pump automatic updates from other sources; provide relevant content
that users will appreciate. Hang out with your community, that’s what “Friends”
do. Make a few comments back to some who have taken the time out of their busy
day to engage with you. 95% of wall posts are currently not answered by brands.
Just being there keeps people interested and puts you ahead of a lot of
companies, probably even your competitors.
There is so much more marketers can do with Facebook. It
deserves some careful planning if you are to get results. “I have to get on
Facebook because everyone else is” is not a good enough reason to get involved.
If you are to do it, do it right. And treat it with the level of importance it
deserves. Don’t just hire a marketing junior to ‘do a bit of Facebook marketing’,
the channel is far too important for that. Plan a Facebook strategy that is
right for your business and execute
it professionally. Oh, and if you have any questions or if I can help in any
way, let me know.
