Are you struggling with your Facebook marketing? If so, ask yourself this: who are you trying to reach on Facebook?
Just because "everyone is on Facebook" doesn't mean that everyone on Facebook wants to do business with you. To wade through the masses, flesh out a buyer persona - a well-defined profile of a person most likely to be interested in your products or services.
Your business might uncover several types of people who'd benefit from your products or services. While this might be true, focus on one persona at a time. Again, hone in on the person most likely to do business with you..
Jot down some notes about this person. Is this individual most likely female? How old is she? What type of job does she have? Does she watch her news on MSNBC, FOX, a local network, or public television? What does she find frustrating about the products or services in your niche? Really flesh out this person.
Now draw a portrait of her. Seriously! Is she wearing heels, clogs, or sneakers? Is she holding a Coach bag or a diaper bag? Don't worry if your sketch looks like you had one hand tied behind your back. This image is for your eyes only. And it's for you to keep in mind as you interact on Facebook. You are marketing to that person.
With this buyer persona in mind, you'll be better able to do the following:
Shape your Facebook content. If you understand what fuels (and turns off) your target buyer persona, you'll be able to post material of interest to that person.
Style your messaging. You'll also be able to deliver these posts in a style that agrees with the persona. For example, some personas are fine with lots of exclamation points and smiley faces in your posts - others are not. Look at your drawing and decide: would this woman like smiley faces in her news feed? Then act accordingly.
Time your messaging. When is your target persona most likely to log on to Facebook? Your business hours might be from 9-5. If your persona's work hours are the same, she might not have enough down time to see your latest post.
Advertise on Facebook. Facebook has unparalleled targeting capabilities. You can instruct Facebook to serve your ads to fans of a particular television character or mall restaurant. The more precisely you sketch out and understand your buyer persona, the more precise you can be with Facebook advertising.
Determine the value of marketing on Facebook. While you might spend more time on Facebook than any other social network, your buyer persona might not. Teens and millennials are spending an increasing amount of time on Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter. Many women aged 25-45 spend more time - and money - on Pinterest than Facebook. If your target age group is spending less time on Facebook these days, shouldn't you revise your social marketing plans accordingly?
The more you tailor your Facebook content and advertising to align with the lifestyle of your buyer persona, the more you'll attract that person to your business. Conversely, if you neglect to consider your target buyer persona in your Facebook marketing, you're doing nothing more than waving a magic wand each time you post to your fan page and hoping the post will attract your customers.