With more than 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the network to promote your brand and connect with your target audience. You see, many consumers are leveraging this platform to engage with their favorite brands and discover new ones - in fact, one-third of Millenials say they actually prefer to communicate with brands via social, as opposed to over the phone or in person. As such, it's important to maintain an active presence to appeal to modern consumer habits.
Yet with so many brands competing for attention in the News Feed, how can you separate your brand from the sea of content being shared daily? In what ways can you better promote your business on Facebook to foster engagement, expand your reach, and gain new followers?
Here are three simple, yet effective tactics to help boost your Facebook presence.
1. Host Facebook Contests
Social media contests work well in generating buzz and increasing brand awareness - it gets existing followers more involved in your content while attracting new followers. The big advantage you have is it doesn't require a lot of planning or time to execute a campaign. You can host one as early as tomorrow and start boosting engagement on your Facebook Page.
Additionally, winners have an opportunity to experience more of your brand through your free giveaway, whether it's a product or service - which, in turn, can also lead to more user-generated content to use in future.
An easy Facebook contest is the "Like My Post to Win Contest" - simply ask participants to like your post and follow you to enter. You can also encourage participants to share the post to get their networks in on the fun - though it is important to be aware of Facebook's rules on such promotions to ensure you don't violate the usage guidelines.
Don't forget to also email your list for more responsiveness.
2. Focus on Quality-Rich Content
This may be an obvious one, but is it worth re-iterating. The simple fact is that value-rich content always wins - it's the cornerstone of your inbound marketing strategy and will take you far wherever you market.
It also important to consider this from a platform-specific perspective - what works on Facebook won't necessarily be the same thing you post on, say, LinkedIn. In order to maximize your success on each social network, you need to take the time to research what works on each platform and implement your strategy based on those lessons. On Facebook, for example, shorter posts, less than 50 characters, tend to work best, along with videos.
BuzzSumo published a study earlier this year on key Facebook engagement data
The best way to implement an effective content strategy on Facebook is obviously to share your original blog content, but take note of the presentation tools and ways in which you can adapt your material for the Facebook audience. Done right, you can feed your audience with amazing value, while also highlighting your expertise in the industry.
And when followers are interested in your content, they'll also be more likely to share it with their like-minded networks. You should look to use Facebook as your platform to solve problems, inform, educate and inspire your followers with rich content aligned to their behaviors.
Another way to share remarkable content is through social content curation. By gathering, organizing and sharing the best sources in your niche, you'll never run out of content to share with your followers. People will also look to you as a valuable resource, building your credibility. Leverage content strategies to your advantage.
3. Facebook Retargeting
Did you know approximately 96% of visitors coming to your website are not ready to buy? The solution: retargeting.
This paid strategy enables your content to "follow" your recent visitors everywhere they go online to serve as a reminder of their latest website visit. The more people see your brand, the more likely they are to engage with your content.
Facebook retargeting gets new eyeballs to your landing pages and can build your following. It's simple to implement, through the creation of custom audiences, and should be an ongoing strategy in your social media marketing process.
Conclusion
Amplifying your Facebook presence is vital for almost every social media marketing strategy. As the world's number one social network, it's important that your marketing is effective in reaching your intended audience for success.
Utilizing these tactics will help to expand your reach, boost engagement and grow your followers.