Facebook has been around since 2004, making it basically the “grandfather” of social media platforms.
With this in mind, it could be tempting for organisations to migrate to platforms which promise newer, more exciting opportunities. Though exploring these opportunities certainly isn’t something we’d discourage, we continue to use Facebook to enhance our clients’ brand images on a daily basis.
We’ve found that Facebook is still highly relevant to social media marketing, offering plenty of potential for audience reach and engagement in particular. Here are a few of our favourite Facebook features and how you can make the most of them:
Facebook’s advertising platform is the most powerful of any social media network. Users can set varying objectives, from brand awareness to website traffic, and take advantage of very specific targeting criteria to reach their exact audience. Ads Manager also integrates with Instagram, so advertisers can maintain a presence in front of Instagram users as well, plus there’s usually the option to add a call-to-action button to an advert to maximise your chosen conversion.
There are two primary ways that Facebook page managers can use the platform’s advertising options. The first is by clicking the ‘Boost’ and ‘Promote’ buttons found across the page and setting up adverts then and there; or more detailed campaigns, including advert sets, A/B testing and detailed results can be created and monitored through Ads Manager.
Our advice: Post your content and allow it to gain momentum for a day or two before putting money behind it, as boosting it straight away may curb organic reach and interaction.
The ability to share and promote events with pages separate to the main feed is one of our favourite uses for Facebook. Not only does an ‘Events’ section add an extra layer to a Facebook page, which can be regularly refreshed, but having a separate space to convey information about various events allows for specific targeting, while avoiding overwhelming a wider audience with information that isn’t relevant to them.
Share an event with your audience by going to the ‘Events’ section on your page and clicking ‘Create Event’. You can then add a variety of information, including:
Those following your page will get a notification when you publish the event. Once a Facebook user has said that they are ‘Interested’ or ‘Going’ to an event, they will continue to receive notifications about any updates or promotions you post onto the event page - a great way to capture an audience who have already expressed interest.
Our advice: Promote your event to reach the target audience for the occasion, including those who may not necessarily like your page already.
There’s no better way to manage your reputation and gain credibility than through visitor recommendation. Reading about the thoughts of others makes it easier for potential customers to relate to and believe in the experience you’re offering.
Reviews on Facebook give businesses the opportunity to accumulate recommendations and feedback in a very visible way, along with a star-rating which displays on the main feed of the page. A collection of personal thoughts and comments will help your audience to have faith in your values and the service or experience you provide.
Our advice: Negative reviews aren’t necessarily a bad thing and can be used to demonstrate the strength of your customer service to other users. Rather than ignoring negative comments and running the risk of appearing to be neglecting your audience, respond to them, be helpful and make an effort to resolve the issue.
The fact that Facebook has been around since 2004 and is battling the 'new kids on the block' does not make its marketing power redundant. Its established userbase and array of helpful features give marketers the power to reach their audience, increase engagement and build their reputation, benefits that we take advantage of every day for our clients.
If you want to find out more about developing your brand image on Facebook, explore our blog and see how we can help.
You'll receive an email update every 2 weeks with insight and advice to support you in your digital marketing journey. We treat your email address with care, and you can unsubscribe with just a click.