Generate More Leads with These 4 Best Practices for Facebook

With two billion active users, Facebook now has a larger population than the United States, Russia, and China — combined. This social platform presents business owners with an endless stream of marketing opportunity, thanks to its expansive reach in nearly all demographics. But, it takes time to build and maintain an audience and increase exposure to potential clients. Paid advertisements are an excellent tool for attracting an initial interest to your page, but you have to give your followers a reason to stick around. Front Porch Solutions has a breadth of experience managing social media accounts, and we’re here to share what we’ve found to be the best practices for Facebook.

4 Best Practices for Facebook

We all know how destructive social media can be when it’s mismanaged. But, when used properly, Facebook offers an unparalleled opportunity to build brand awareness and generate more leads and sales.

Integrate Video Marketing

Consumers are taking to video content for more than just quick recipes and funny cat clips. In fact, 87 percent of consumers say they’d like to see more video content from their favorite brands in 2019, which means marketers must adapt. It’s no longer an option to ignore video marketing, as it’s already making its way to being the most consumed content on Facebook. Many marketers have been wary about implementing short clips into their social strategies, but adding videos isn’t as time-consuming or expensive as you may think. Most of us already have simple video-editing software on our computers or laptops, such as iMovie, and there are plenty of other cost-effective programs available, too. If video-editing isn’t your forte, you can also host live chats or even take some “behind-the-scenes” footage of a day in your office.

Research Target Audience

One of the most common pitfalls in social media marketing is a cluelessness about one’s target audience. Once a post goes out, it’s there for everyone to see, which is a risk in itself. You can mitigate that risk by researching your demographic and determining what they find appropriate. Use the information you find to craft text and media that resonate best with your specified audience and their interests. If you don’t know where to start, consider looking to one of your top competitors and see what they’re doing right. Even better, if you can pick up on something they’re not doing, that is your opportunity to step in and sway a customer!

Maintain Engagement — Good and Bad

Social media is where conversations transpire, which can be a good or bad thing. Not every comment you receive is going to be from a happy customer (which is actually a good thing). But, that’s okay. What matters most is how you respond to negative feedback. It feels unfair to have someone criticize you or your brand online, but it’s a best practice to always take the high road and refrain from engaging in any foul play. Instead, offer a solution to the customer’s complaint to show you’re willing to work through an issue. If you find your business isn’t racking up as much feedback as you’d hoped for, try adding any of these five strategies designed to encourage positive reviews.

Timing is Everything

The average Facebook post hits 75 percent of its reach within two-and-a-half hours after being published. As more businesses struggle to compete for visibility on the social platform, one of the best tips you can keep in mind is knowing when to post. Online times vary between demographics, but a general rule-of-thumb is that early afternoon, between 1 – 4 PM generate the most activity. You should also consider the frequency at which you post. If you’re new to Facebook, you may want a more frequent posting schedule than someone who already has a following. New users can post around once or twice a day, whereas someone with a following may want to stick between two and four times a week.

As with all inbound marketing strategies, you’ll want to track your Facebook results to determine what contributed to your successes and even your fails. Between social monitoring and maintaining a frequent posting schedule, social media can take a bit of time and effort. Luckily, Front Porch Solutions offers social media marketing and management services to those looking to create or grow their digital presence. Contact our savvy marketing team today for a social media plan driven for success!