Out of all the social media platforms on the internet, Facebook is one of the giants. Facebook helped shape the future of social media, both personally and for marketing, before anyone else was thinking about the potential. Even though users and businesses disagree on certain Facebook updates, there is no denying that the platform is not going anywhere anytime soon, especially with its 1.3 million active users.
Many businesses believe the only way to be successful on Facebook is to pay for targeted advertising. Don’t get me wrong – paid advertising is extremely helpful. You can gain an outstanding number of Likes on your page, as well as a better chance for interaction with your brand and more exposure for your posts. Often, Page Likes do not turn into customers. This lack of ROI is making businesses rethink their presence on Facebook.
Here is what these businesses don’t realize and the secret I am going to share with you – native advertising is actually more effective than paid advertising on Facebook. While paid advertising can get you Likes, those people do not really care about your brand. Instead, employing these native advertising tactics can turn disinterested Likes into brand evangelists.
- Make your content high quality. This is the first rule of Facebook posts – they must be high quality. Otherwise the Facebook algorithms will think you are spam and stop showing your posts on users’ feeds. How do you make content high quality? Write engaging posts that are not sales-y. Go for authentic communication.
- Include a call-to-action at the end of every post. People want to be told what to do next on the internet, especially if they are browsing Facebook as a time killer. At the end of each post, tell your audience what you want them to do. It can be to review your business, share the page on their feed, like or comment on the post, go to your website, check out a new product…whatever you want your audience to do, tell them!
- Use images and links that show website previews. The internet has spoken – including photos on posts increases your chance of receiving engagement exponentially. Try to include a high quality and inviting image to attach to every post. Or, if you are including a website link, make sure the link shows an inviting photo preview.
- Respond to all comments – even the bad ones! This is a biggie. Social media is a great customer service tool because users are getting on social platforms to share their love for a brand, attempt to condemn it, or ask for help with a product or service of theirs. You need to be responding within 24 hours to all customer service inquiries, from “I love this!” posts to “I hope your company dies a slow death.” If they are asking a question, then absolutely respond quickly to help them solve their problem.
By taking a customer service approach, you not only help these commenters become brand evangelists, but also show other customers how much you care about them with a public feed of your communications.