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Facebook Marketing - How To
Why Facebook Marketing ?
Facebook marketing offers the potential for companies to offer a more personalised and integrated version of their brand.
The advantages of Facebook as a marketing venture were almost immediately picked up on. Facebook offers the word-of-mouth phenomenon times over 750 million.
With both local and international users, Facebook allows for social networks to interact and share their likes and dislikes. Users will not mind being associated with a brand if it has an interactive reputation and is prepared to become engaged with the consumer.
Many brands fail to adopt this attitude of constant engagement and think creating a Facebook page is enough. Users will catch on pretty quick to this form of lazy social media marketing and will quickly dislike, unfriend or no longer be a fan of a brand that cannot be bothered.
The main appeal of Facebook lies with both the amount of active users (audience base) the global appeal and the cost (its free!).
How Do You Market On Facebook?
There are several approaches to marketing on Facebook and these include:
1. Facebook Fan Pages these are pages that are custom built by a business or organisation and invites users to ‘like’ them or to ‘become a fan.’
Fan pages will contain general information about the brand but their key aim is to connect to as many fans as possible, spreading the word and their reputation.
In order to both attract and keep fans, a fan page must interact with its users. This can be achieved through frequent updates that invite a debate or discussion. What a fan page should not do is blatant promotion. Fans will get sick of repeated advertisements clogging up their news-feeds and will be likely to leave. Updates therefore should be broader topics of interest.
Another tool of engagement is the use of behind the scenes information, this could include photos and videos that aren’t already available. Revealing a gem like this will let fans be more part of your brand community and encourage them to get others involved.
Special discounts and promotional offers are also commonly used to attract and excite. This idea continues on from the behind the scenes tip as it will make fans feel special and offer them a reward for their interest/loyalty.
2. Applications can enhance a brand with good functionality being offered. An app’s main purpose is to provide a function, and provide it excellently. Therefore when choosing an app make sure there is a market and interest for it before treading down the gimmicky app pathway (which tend to lose popularity quickly).
3. Advertising is a more traditional route to gaining interest on social media networks. Facebook can offer companies ad space that is based on the interests or background of the target audience.
This for example could be advertising wedding photographers or venues to be advertised around couple who have newly engaged statuses. This results in a heightened access of interest and hopefully a sale.
4. In-app Advertising serves as an even closer form of advertising. By choosing relevant apps to your company’s interest you secure the niche market as well as the added bonus of having users see your banner every time they use their app.
The Future for Facebook Marketing
The future of Facebook marketing lies within the rise of the social network. A concept that seems to be gaining speed and popularity, one that businesses are wise to get involved with.
The 800 million strong community of Facebook international suggests the phenomenal power of Facebook marketing, harnessing some of this audience will do wonders for your awareness and as its free you haven’t got anything to loose.
Article submitted Thursday, January 26, 2012 & read 1 times.
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