How To Grow Your Business with Facebook
Ready to grow your business? First stop: Facebook. Think the 16-year-old social media giant is aging out? Not a chance. If you want to show up in searches and garner trustworthy social proof, you need to know how to use Facebook to grow a business.
Even if Facebook isn’t where you typically engage in your personal life, it’s very much a part of your ideal client’s online experience. Of Facebook’s 2.6 billion active users, more than 1.7 billion of them use the site daily. And Facebook is still the leader: the platform reaches more than 60% of all internet users, more than any other social site. As far as your ideal clients go, you can pretty much assume that everyone has it and that they’re scrolling. A lot.
Before we get to the tips, there are two things to keep in mind: Facebook is the place for user-generated content and the place for paid ads. Let’s explore these a little further:
Social proof
Facebook is ground-zero for social proof—that’s marketing language for the opinions and influence of other people. Facebook reviews, for instance, are an almost unavoidable tool if you want a robust online platform.
Any time I ask a client for a testimonial, I suggest that they leave me a review on Google and then copy and paste that review to Facebook. I want the review to show up in Facebook specifically because Facebook is the place for fans. This is where you gather your brand evangelists, generate discussion about your products or services, and develop relationships with people who are discovering you, cheering you on and spreading the word to their friends.
Paid ads pay off
Facebook is also where to put your paid ad dollars, if that’s part of your strategy. A paid ads specialist can help you cut through the platform’s ever-changing algorithms.
For instance, the 2020 algorithm for Facebook focuses on 3 things: Who a user typically interacts with, the type of media used in a post (videos, memes, still images and the like) and the overall popularity of the post. That would be a lot to keep track of on your own.
A paid ads professional can help you keep up with changes and position your ads so they reach the people who make the most sense for your business.
Tips for using Facebook to grow a business
Now for the tips! There are lots of things you can do on your own to engage with people and get your business visible on Facebook:
Be a conversation-starter.
People like content that engages them. They want to respond. So post things that are inviting. Funny videos work. So do interesting topics. Throw things out there that make sense for your industry and also things that make you (and probably your followers) curious.
Timing is important.
Post when your people are online. Not sure when that is? Search your page insights and look at each day of the week. Note when it’s best to post on Mondays, Sundays and every day in between. Schedule posts for those times. Then check back monthly to see if your engagement is up. Change your timing whenever you need to.
Keep it accurate.
Do your homework. Don’t ever post sketchy stuff. No dubious health information, content that’s offensive (even if it's not strictly prohibited), links to resources that have plagiarized from other sites or conspiracy theories. Ever. These things not only compromise the integrity of your business, they can get you officially downgraded by Facebook.
Get into video.
Original video is killing it on Facebook. People love to see you! What goes on behind the scenes? Who are you and your employees informally? How would you describe your work if you could say it directly?
Don’t re-post videos you find somewhere else. Create your own. Videos that are pre-recorded (not live) and natively uploaded (directly from your device) perform best. Make sure each video is more than 3 minutes long and that it’s original. Also: have fun! People love to laugh and learn along with you.
Keep the Stories going.
Stories aren’t as important on Facebook as they are on Instagram, but they’re still a great way to show up and to give people moment-to-moment looks at your business, especially since it’s so easy to post.
Cross-posting your Instagram Stories to Facebook is one way to ensure that your profile photo always has a ring around it and appears in the active Stories bar at the top of the page. You can also post Stories from the Facebook platform, of course.
Consistency is queen.
Post frequently. The more your audience sees you, the more they feel cared for and seen. Far from being annoying or over-the-top, when your stories show up it develops something that’s pure gold for your business: Familiarity.
Start a Facebook group.
Facebook groups are the most effective place to connect directly with your biggest fans. Begin by starting a business Facebook page if you don’t have one already. Then join other groups for businesses you like (from your new business page), to learn what you can about running one of your own.
And... there is so much more! Stay tuned for a full post about starting, growing, creating content for and nurturing a Facebook group of your own! :)
