There’s a definite middle ground between electronic billboards & websites (which speak at the client) and individual Facebook accounts (which are a dialogue – interactive with the client). A Facebook page allows you to have a professional online presence and enables you to present your business while engaging the client. It allows you to publish instant updates, specials, news and activity information on a daily basis; whereas print copy takes months to produce & publish and website updates require a specialist.
By using the ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ feature, you can poll your marketplace and determine its wants, needs and opinions. Facebook pages allow you to create highly leveraged channels as your services spread virally to your network of friends and through updates on news feeds and ‘likes’ to their network of friends.
It’s important to test the effectiveness of your campaigns and change out what is not working. Since this marketing method is fast and inexpensive, you can feel free to try everything. Determine what content doesn’t engage and remove it. An experimental approach leads to the best outcome. You may be close to great success, but may have little response. Small changes may promote great results. The key is to experiment and trial your approaches.
To be successful, it’s vital to define and understand your target market. It’s essential to develop an in- depth understanding of to whom you’re talking. In essence, you need to share the same reality or way of thinking as your client.
To acquire that initial following:
1. Develop some useful and enticing content for a broad market. Build your fan base first.
2. Develop a schedule. Fans will look for weekly / bi-weekly or daily updates. Stick to the schedule and don’t disappoint. Keep it regular and keep it engaging.
3. Monitor results and measure the success. Use offers and click-thrus to web pages and Facebook Insights to determine your page stats and success.
4. Consider your timeframe. There are no overnight successes with the exception of Charlie Sheen and the other already famous or infamous. For business purposes, set up campaigns with strategies and goals and expect to spend months maintaining them and seeing them through.
The challenging part of all this is creating content that engages and entices. At the end of the day, consumers will interact with your business if they feel it is to their benefit. Clients are only interested in what’s in it for them. Remember, it is not about ’you’, it is about your customer. So, provide them with some tangible incentives to visit your Facebook Page. For example:
1. Discounts
2. Coupons
3. Prizes
4. Exclusivity
In some businesses, such as real estate or mortgage brokering, prizes are a possibility, and although discounts and coupons might present more of a challenge, one possible promotional tactic is to create an exclusive network that clients or potential clients want to belong to. To do this, you could feature insights about and photos of properties in their areas. The exclusivity of filtered information and the ability to comment (like or dislike) on properties or attributes of properties may act as an enticement. A Facebook Page that features homes in a specific area (and includes photos) can become something that neighbors and potential clients will want to subscribe to. Producing that tangible benefit can make all the difference to your customers! And, not only will it keep them coming back for more, but they’ll also be inclined to let their friends know about you. It’s all about networking!For more on the virtues of Facebook, why not join one of our workshops and we can teach you everything you need to know to win fans and talk to your clients! Please visit:
http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20
