Web Marketing Strategy Update

In recent years, Facebook has become an important marketing tool for businesses throughout the world. You’ve no doubt heard the buzz about the influence of social media in today’s marketplace; and if you are a business owner, chances are you are interested in cashing in on the trend.

But social media marketing, as with all important business decisions, isn’t something you should rush into. Without careful planning and conscientious strategizing, you can easily waste a tremendous amount of time and company resources. Here’s how to successfully run a Facebook marketing campaign.

Selling Takes Style

Every effective marketing campaign establishes a unique iconography and public image for the business. Spend time designing or selecting an eye-catching cover photo and profile image. Ensure all your posts fit with the distinct aesthetic you are trying to advance. Make company logos prominent, but not gaudy or in-your-face. In general, focus on producing a clean, visually interesting, and evocative style––one that doesn’t look like an advertisement.

Get Clicks

You won’t (and shouldn’t) be making sales directly on Facebook. The goal is to get users interested enough to follow links within your Fan Page that lead to your company website, your online sales platform, your blog, and any other online content your business might have. Try to embed links wherever possible. It is also a good idea to give sneak-previews or excerpts of your blog posts and products so that fans/followers will want to find out the whole story on your other sites.

The ‘Act Now’ Tactic

Spontaneous sales are an old tried-&-true marketing method. Facebook provides a unique platform for flash sales, last minute bargains, and limited-time offers. Give your niche Facebook audience access to spur-of-the-moment deals and bargains. Not only will you inspire their loyalty, but most businesses can also prevent corporate waste and move time-sensitive products that would otherwise go unsold by offering these last minute bargains.

Provide Value

Regardless of whatever else you decide to concentrate on in your Facebook campaign, the most important thing to understand is that you are doomed to fail if you can’t produce consistent quality content. The easiest way to do this is to establish a unique theme behind your campaign, and stick to it. Give your fans something to keep them coming back––and not just discounts and special offers. Provide industry relevant information, stunning photos, humor, games, trivia contests, or anything else you can think of to promote engagement. Find something that works, and stick with it.

Make Note of Past Successes

You can find inspiration by watching others. Make a note of what has been successful for others. What did they do that worked so well? How did they engage with their fans? Did they go down the route of competitions or money off vouchers? As with any aspect of business, market research is the key to success. Learning from others can inspire an idea of your own, and taking aspects of past successful campaigns can help the development of your own.

The most successful Facebook campaigns are engaging, memorable and clever. Make sure your campaigns are just that. Larger big brand companies hire and whole team of marketing and social media experts to develop and plan their campaigns. If you are a sole trader or a very small company, it is likely you won’t be able to secure this sort of help. However it doesn’t mean you can’t compete. A clever and unique idea can be created no matter what your budget.

When marketing through social media, it is important to keep in mind that traditional sales tactics do not apply. In fact, selling is exactly what you need to avoid in your Facebook campaign. The quickest way to lose fans is to impose advertising and overt solicitations on them. Instead, look at your social media campaign as a tool for building customer loyalty, disseminating your brand, and broadening your sales base. It’s not called social networking for nothing.

Kirsten is from vouchercloud.com where she works alongside companies looking to develop effective tactics to attract new customers.

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