We asked our digital marketing guru Morgane Cazaubon for her top five tips on getting the most from Facebook. Here’s her take on what you should (and shouldn’t) do.
1. Remember, social media is not for selling
One of the biggest misconceptions about social media is that people want to see ALL your services, and only your services. Wrong! People are on Facebook to be entertained, to find news and stay in the loop with gossip. Sure, your Facebook page should describe what you do and how to get in touch (like the listings we used to do with the white pages or Yelp). However just opening a display page isn’t enough. Because social media is for INTERACTING with a community.
2. Start the conversation
People often use Facebook for what we call ‘solomo’ marketing: getting a response straight away on their requests, wherever they are. If they need to know if you do bookings for private events at your restaurant, they will ask on Facebook. Be ready to interact with your customers quickly. And it’s even better if you can also jump ahead of their needs: join the conversation on a public page like ‘What’s on in Gippsland’ and answer the enquiry about what’s on this Sunday. Well your restaurant has pizza specials and hosts bands on Sundays. Yes this is how it works.
3. Be consistent
Why didn’t you get any ‘likes’ on the fantastic post you spent two hours preparing and published two months ago? It may be that you need to post more often and spend less time on each post.
Sharing short posts, less corporate than usual, will get you more engagement than a long post about your services. If you don’t have time to create posts on a regular basis, you can schedule your posts ahead of time. Another great way to engage with your audience (and gain more audience) is by sharing popular posts or links that relates to your business. Example: you have seen a really nice recipe on your favourite cooking website, so share it and say: I’m thinking about trying this on the restaurant menu, what do you think?
4. Visual content trumps all else
More than words, images and videos grab the attention of the Facebook reader. Make sure you add personal images and even ‘backstage’ images from everyday life at the office. You can also fetch good images from the links you share.
5. Time is of the essence
Think about the times of the day you go on Facebook. When do you NEVER go on Facebook? When you drive home from work? When you have dinner? When you start early in the morning? Posting too early in the morning or in the middle of afternoon might not work for your business because the audience you are trying to reach isn’t on Facebook at this time. Try varying the times you post to see which ones have the biggest ‘reach’. You can read this other great article about the best times to posts on Facebook (but be aware that it can vary depending on your audience): http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/best-time-to-post-social-media/504222
- For assistance with your digital marketing strategy, contact the Scribblevision studio on 5174 9437.