Facebook ads getting expensive?
Achieving sustainability might be one of the most significant challenges for small businesses. Being able to generate leads and grow your customer base is essential for the future of your business. Facebook is a platform that can be leveraged in your favor. Focus your efforts around a few key areas and you’ll grow your brand while bringing in paying customers.
Recent changes have made advertising on Facebook a little trickier than it used to be. Consider the algorithm Facebook uses to display content, for example. The platform is now putting an emphasis on the way user interact with other users, rather than how they engage with businesses.
While this can be considered a good thing in some respects, it may also mean that your ads are less likely to be seen. It also doesn’t help that Facebook has undergone a drastic decline in organic reach. The good news is that we have solid tips for you to leave your competitors in the dust in 2022 Facebook marketing
Speed Up Your Response Time
Sometimes standing out among your competitors means providing the best customer care.
People have high expectations from brands when it comes to responding to their questions and concerns. In fact, the average consumer expects a response from brands within four hours on social media.
So don’t let your comments section gather cobwebs. While you can’t be everywhere at once, you should make a conscious effort to respond to alerts and notifications rather than sleeping on them. Doing so shows that you value your followers’ time and could be the difference between losing a potential customer or follower for good.
The need for speedier brand responses signals yet another reason why social scheduling is so critical. By having your content sorted out in advance, you can focus more on follower outreach and engagement versus scrambling for a new post.
Create more video content – but keep it short
Video content is incredibly popular among online consumers. 75 million people in the U.S. watch online videos every day, and merely mentioning the word ‘video’ in an email’s subject line can improve its Click-Through Rate (CTR) by 13%.
So it’s no surprise that digital marketers are frequently prioritizing video content. However, in order to get the best results, it’s important to keep this content short and snappy. On Facebook, videos that run for less than 21 seconds are more likely to be completed. What’s more, nearly 50% of all videos are watched on mobile devices.
This suggests that people watch them while casually scrolling through their feeds during meals and breaks. They don’t have time to watch lengthy content, so they favor shorter videos. Plus, studies suggest that videos under 2 minutes long get the most engagement, so that’s a good guideline to aim for. No matter how long your video is, however, one of the best Facebook marketing tips is to place the most important information at the start.
In addition, remember to include captions in your marketing videos. Research carried out by Facebook found that adding subtitles increase viewtimes by 12% on average. This has a lot to do with the fact that most Facebook videos are watched without sound. Therefore, your videos should be able to communicate your message without the need for audio.
Focus on Building Your Community
Build a Facebook Group centered around your customers’ interests. The tighter the community you create, the more trust people will have in your brand. Not all small businesses can benefit from the creation of a Facebook Group, so you’ll have to first think about if your audience needs this and then figure out what conversation topics would engage them.
What’s in it for them to want to join your group? People enjoy having a dedicated space. Think of ways you can give back to your community and support your clients. This will definitely pay-off, as you’ll soon see an increased brand loyalty and you might even discover some brand ambassadors!
Also, be sure to engage in other community interest groups. By placing your business as an authority in your space, you’ll build a loyal following, which will translate in sales and brand equity.
Don’t Ignore Your Analytics
As part of putting these Facebook marketing tips into action, make sure that you’re keeping a close eye on your social analytics.
Analytics clue you in on which type of content gets the most clicks and impressions, helping to optimize your Facebook strategy in regard to which types of posts drive engagement.
If you find that you’re spinning your wheels or your audience isn’t growing, chances are it’s time to make a change.
But until you look at your presence by the numbers, you’ll never know.
Hone in Your Ad Targeting
Optimising Facebook ads ultimately boils down to your target audience.
Many first-timers make the mistake of trying to run an ad that’s way too broad and quickly blowing out your budget as a result. Facebook ads allow you to get ultra-granular in terms of targeting location, demographics and interests, meaning brands can zero in on a specific audience versus settling for a shot in the dark.
In addition to trying out new ad formats, honing in on your target audience may take some time. Given the ROI of Facebook ads, though, doing so is definitely worthwhile in the long run.
Include Facebook Messenger in your strategy
Facebook messenger can be an incredibly powerful feature, yet it is often under-utilized by businesses. This communication tool has a lot to offer – especially when combined with chatbot technology.
Chatbots are virtual assistants designed to communicate with your audience in a natural, conversational way. They can be programmed with information about your entire product catalog, and are a handy way to ramp up your customer service efforts.
A perfect example of this is the ASOS chatbot, Enki. Enki asks users several questions about their personal style, and instantly recommends clothing options based on their answers.
This is a great way to put your products directly into the hands of potential customers. It takes the hard work out of making a purchasing decision, and the fast response times are a great way to increase the likelihood of successful conversions.
In addition, the highly-tailored service they can provide makes chatbots incredibly popular among customers. In fact, 45.8% of consumers said that they would rather communicate with a business through a messaging app than email. Using chatbots is one of the Facebook marketing tips that can save your business the most money – up to almost $8 billion per year.
Fortunately, chatbots are relatively easy to set up. There are numerous tools available that will get you started. Your chatbot can be as complicated or as simple as you like – it all depends on how much information you wish to provide.
Take advantage of the new augmented reality tools
Facebook has recently implemented Augmented Reality (AR) tools for advertisers in Facebook News Feed ads. Users can now try on wearable products, such as glasses and makeup, within the ads in their news feeds. What’s more, they can do this without having to launch a separate application.
This isn’t just a useful option for fashion brands. For example, Kia enabled
users to customize and personalize its KIA Stinger car within Facebook Messenger. There are numerous ways AR can be used to drive a creative, successful marketing campaign.
Crafting AR technology can be tricky, of course, so you may wish to source outside help. However, the benefits can far outweigh your initial investment. For instance, one ISACA survey found that 66% of shoppers believe the use of AR adds value to their shopping experience.
Using AR can even help you build a deeper connection with your audience, as you’re actively encouraging their participation. Users love to feel as though they’re involved with a brand, and may be more likely to convert as a result. Therefore, AR is a particularly viable strategy when you want to demonstrate how a product can fit into and improve your customers’ everyday lives.
Final thoughts
Facebook is a robust platform, with over 2.6 billion monthly active users. With so many people spending their time on Messenger, in groups, and just browsing their feed, your business’s target audience could be on Facebook as well. If they are then turn them into paying customers with an effective marketing strategy.
The best way to go about applying Facebook marketing for your small business is to incorporate both organic and paid methods. Monitor your metrics to track engagement and compare your methods and results against the top players in your market.
With over 80% of businesses being active on Facebook, why leave the extra revenue on the table, for someone else to grab? Your small business website, together with a solid Facebook marketing strategy, can generate leads and sales even when talking about smaller budgets.
And, even more important, you’ll have a chance to strengthen your relationship with your audience. This can only result in greater business authority and will also contribute to higher conversion rates.