Social media marketing while popular, requires a different approach than typical marketing. Most people when they start a marketing campaign still think in terms of ‘interruption’ marketing rather than content marketing or engagement marketing. Companies used to shout their message and hope the right people at the right time would hear them and buy something. Generally this doesn’t work well on the internet and even less so on social media. Social media marketing is about engagement with the long term view of building trust and eventually selling a product or service. So when it comes to Facebook marketing, we need to ask, how can I engage the right people with the right content?
Tip #1 Provide an Incentive for Becoming a Facebook Fan
Sure there are big brands out there that already have fans which will click the Like button without hesitation. However most of us don’t have that luxury. Instead, we need to give people a reason to to Like our Facebook pages. The most common incentives are discount coupons and downloadable material. In my opinion the latter is the better option because it follows the engagement model of marketing. By providing a prospect with a high quality downloadable resource you get both a click and the attention of a prospect.
Tip #2 – Co-create with your Fans
One of the most common mistakes people make with Facebook marketing is broadcast sales messages. People are sick of sales messages when there is so much incredible content on the web. Instead, engage them by asking for their input on your product or service. Let your fans decide the details of your products and services. One famous example of this is the Lego website which lets users design their own lego constructions online, then order the pieces needed to build their design. The highest rated designs then become real lego products. That’s some pretty amazing engagement right there.
Tip #3 – Run a Competition with Viral Features
Competitions are common, but they can go viral very quickly with the right audience and tools. Harness the sharing power of the Facebook platform by telling participants to spread the word and help generate new fans. For example a band could announce their newest album and release a behind the scenes video only available on Facebook. Fans must share the video. For every like over 1000, the new album will be discounted by 5 cents. So in summary, don’t broadcast your sales messages. Create genuine interaction to capture attention. When the fan is ready to buy, they will come to you because you have provided so much value and engagement for them.
