6 Facebook Marketing Strategies for New Businesses
March 25, 2019
Facebook is one of the largest social spaces on the internet, bringing in millions in marketing revenue each year. While the company has faced some ups and downs over the past few years, there’s been a Facebook resurgence in the marketing world.
Facebook offers several advertising features for business owners, varying in price and purpose. As a new business or startup, it’s not always feasible to invest in paid advertising right out of the gate. Fortunately, building an online presence and brand awareness doesn’t always cost an arm and a leg.
Here are 6 of the top Facebook marketing strategies for new businesses on a budget.
1. Use External Tools to Create Eye Catching Cover Art: The cover art you see on most Facebook pages is taken on mobile phones. This includes selfies and family photos. For businesses, these types of cover art aren’t considered professional. Many businesses, therefore, consult with photographers to create brand specific images for their social media pages. While this guarantees beautiful high-resolution images, it’s costly.
For business owners looking to create aesthetically pleasing cover art, there are third-party tools that work just as well. Canva is one of these tools, offering a variety of design templates, including one specifically for Facebook. Canva isn’t free, but their templates are cheap, some costing only $1 to use. Easy peasy!
2. Use Creatively Engaging Content: The content you post on social media is just as important as the content you use on your company blog. It needs to represent your brand effectively and in a way that invites the consumer to engage. Some marketers hire outside agencies to write copy for everything from landing pages to Twitter feeds. Again, this requires a budget with available funds for a marketing writer. If this isn’t in the cards for your company right now, you can still have well-scripted, relevant content.
Consider your audience and build a template for a perfect social media post. It should include features like:
- An eye-catching headline
- A witty introduction
- A call to action
- An ending question
Ending your post in a question, invites your audience to respond. The more comments, likes, and shares your content receives, the more likely it is to feature at higher ranking positions on Facebook and Google.
3. Use Analytics to Guide You: Marketing metrics are data collected by your content and ad endeavors to tell you how successful your current campaign is. It includes the numbers of visits to your page, how many consumers have shared, liked, and commented on your posts, and other variables. These analytics help you see where your current campaign is lacking and what could be improved.
The best part about these reports is that any Facebook business page can access them free of charge. Of course, you can purchase CRM software that will sync metrics from all active sites and pages, but if you don’t have the funds for that yet, at least you can monitor social media success.
4. Draw Inspiration from Outside Resources: You aren’t responsible to invent blogworthy news and details all on your own. Of course, some of the content you post will be specific to your company only; for example, if a new product is launching or you’ve hired a new sales member to your team. However, for fun, interactive, and unique content ideas, you can consult resources like Buzzsumo.
This tool allows you to search through popular subjects online today. It shows you what others are looking for, which helps you better understand what could make a social media post share more quickly.
5. Get Exclusive with Your Followers: Social media followers don’t just show up for no reason. Many business setup Facebook accounts in the hopes it will drive up traffic but wind up with no followers. There are many reasons for this, but one is simply that people don’t know you’re there. Exclusive contests, promotions, coupons, and content will increase your chances of growing your user base.
All it takes is one follower to see that you’re offering 20% off to new Facebook followers, and all their friends will be next in line. Remember to request shares and likes from your followers to grow your presence.
6. Use Mixed Media: Text-only content is fine sometimes, but it shouldn’t be the only medium on your Facebook page. Video is a hugely popular media-type, and it’s growing every day. Sites like YouTube are on par with Google for a number of searchers every day. Having visual content on your page makes it easier for those on the go to see what’s new with your business.
Infographics, photos, memes, GIFs, polls, and any other interesting content will increase interest and shareability. When using videos, be sure to include captions, as not all users want people around them to hear what they’re watching.
The marketing world is full of simple tips and tricks for businesses on a budget. Don’t be afraid to draw inspiration from other leaders in your industry, and search for new tools to help you grow. There are so many apps out there for marketing today, it’s impossible not to get started, even with a small budget. As your company grows, so will your advertising budget, and that’s when you will see real movement.
The best advice any new business can take regarding marketing is to stay true to your brand. Share content that represents your business and products and reflects your company mission. The rest will come in time.