If you have a pulse, there is a good chance you’re familiar with the social media platform Facebook. The once-obscure college friends app has since blossomed into a worldwide trend. A whopping 68 percent of Americans have a Facebook account, and about three-quarters of those people say they check their profile every day, according to Pew Research Center.
So, it’s no wonder marketers are flocking to this platform to grow their business. Back in the day when Facebook was considered the Wild West, it was easy enough to generate organic traffic, but things have changed.
Business owners and marketers are knee-deep in algorithms and restrictions, making getting organic traffic a challenge for even the most skilled. With these tips, I hope to help you get the most use out of your business page on Facebook. Here is how you can “hack” your way to higher profits and more visibility on the social media giant.
Target your audience.
It was great when you didn’t have to worry about targeting specific audiences because people who liked your product could see all of your posts. There’s no doubt an intensive amount of research that has gone into determining who fits a certain audience persona. Being able to identify that information is crucial to the success of your business.
Luckily, you can use a free Facebook tool called “Preferred Audience Targeting,” which can be found in your business page settings. Once you activate it, you can set up a targeted audience for your Facebook posts.
It’s absolutely necessary that you create these potential customer personas. You don’t want to leave it up to chance that the right people will see the right post, at the right time. There’s too much risk involved. You can grow your business and reduce the risk by targeting the correct audience.
Use your SEO marketing skills.
When you think about search engine optimization, chances are you think about your blog. While you do need proper optimization for your website, the same can be said for your Facebook account.
When you think about your target keywords, you’ll realize there are multiple ways to implement them in your profile. For starters, try to use long-tail keywords, or long, specific keywords that will draw in audiences who are looking for something precise.
If you operate a business that babysits pets, for example, it’s not enough to just include “pets” in your description, title and posts and hope that you’re doing enough to bring in a proper audience. Instead, you might want to consider using something like “best pet sitters for cats and dogs.” When customers are searching for a pet sitter, they are more likely to include the type of pet they have, and since most people have cats and/or dogs, it only makes sense to use long-tail keywords in your profile.
Publish more videos.
Out of all of the content that’s considered “shareable,” nothing quite fits the bill like video content. In fact, videos and images tend to get much more of a response over traditional text marketing, especially on social media. There is a reason Facebook purchased the same artificial intelligence technology IKEA uses to help customers find items similar to ones they have photos of — users simply respond to these stimuli and features.
The key to growing your business with video content is simple. You have to blend together valuable information, a friendly, approachable attitude and a call to action that will lead consumers to your blog or online shop.
Let’s go back to the pet sitter example. You may want to record a video where you provide dog owners with ways to care for their pup’s fur, which is the point of value in your content. Make sure you put your all into it, show your personality and people will be drawn to your video.
Lastly, include your call to action. You can offer them a free e-book you’ve published, tell them to visit your website to plan their next pet sitting experience or even just ask them to follow you so they can see more great content on how to care for their pets. All of these factors can help drive your business, increase the number of eyes on your brand and potentially boost your sales.
Facebook can be finicky at times, but it’s necessary for substantial growth and to maintain a steady audience. You’ll find that as you make ground and establish a name for yourself on social media, you’ll tend to have more people engage with your content.
When it comes to Facebook, it’s not how it used to be when you didn’t have to work much to maintain your audience. You’re going to have to put in the effort even after you have millions of followers. But once you see your business blossom into a world-renowned name, you’ll find that it was all worth it.