Using Facebook as a Marketing Tool to Promote Your Business
As a vehicle through which to share information, it is probably fair to say that social media is fluid and constantly changing. For younger users, “traditional” platforms like Facebook and Twitter almost represent the establishment, and a host of new options provide new ways to spread gossip and share images and events in real time.
However, from a purely business perspective, Facebook is still a surprisingly easy-to-use option for getting your product or service out there, and with a little imagination you can still reach audiences in the tens or even hundreds of thousands with little to no financial outlay. .
1. Paid Ads
Like most social media platforms, Facebook offers an option to pay for advertising, and the special appeal of this is that instead of your ad being run randomly, you can carefully target your preferred audience.
Once your ad is ready to run, you will be prompted to enter demographics, allowing you to determine the location, age, gender, and interest groups of those you want to reach. If what you are selling may be of special interest to a specific target group or groups, this allows you to place your ad in the feeds of only those who are likely to be attracted to it.
2. Use your friends list
However, with a little imagination, it may not be necessary to spend money at all to call your market. Let’s face it, your first and most accessible audience will generally be those who really know you. That’s why your own timeline should always be the first port of call when it comes to letting the world know what you have to offer. It is your bulletin board, you can use it however you want.
3. Set up a Facebook group
Most services belong to a particular niche, so if you have time to build slowly, it may be a good idea to create your own Facebook group that other people interested in that particular topic can join. As a group manager, you have full control over the content that is posted to the group, and as such, when you display your products, you will do so to an audience of people with a special interest in your business line.
4. Join existing groups
Most Facebook users will join groups with a dedicated focus on a particular topic from time to time. Most of the time this is a leisure interest, but with a little research it is possible to search a large number of different groups within your niche in order to use them to discreetly market your product or service. Do this methodically by creating a database of all the groups you belong to and bookmarking them so that you have the links available at your fingertips.
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules of each individual group and follow them. Many enforce a strict no-advertising policy, and spamming them will not only earn you a ban but also a bad reputation within the industry. When in doubt, you can always message the group admin before posting and ask for permission. Managers are generally grateful when people go to the trouble to ask, and even if your request is resolved with a rejection, you will have cultivated some goodwill with a major player on the field.
Ultimately, how successful you are in your efforts will depend on how organized your marketing strategy is. Getting it to work properly takes time, but planning ahead is the key to achievement in any field of work.