Social media is a quick and effective way to market your small business. Not to mention, it’s free. By creating and operating a company page, small businesses are able to increase their fan base and quickly get information out to their target audience. But soon, Facebook is going to change the way company pages operate.
Just last week, Facebook announced that consumers would be able to choose whose content is shown at the top of their new feed. This change will dramatically increase the expectation of company pages. Company pages that rarely post and are not accurately tuned into their target audience will be pushed to the bottom. Since Facebook is allowing customers to choose, small businesses need to perfect their social media marketing to ensure their target audience is choosing to see their content first.
1. Know your target audience
It’s important to know by whose preferences you need to adhere. The biggest demographic factor to note is the age of your customers. That not only gives you a great awareness of the types of things you should be posting, but also the frequency of the posts. For example, with a younger audience, a small business may post YouTube videos daily to keep their fans entertained. Define a target audience before opening a company page, as everything from the logo to the content should be tailored.
2. Use links and videos to your advantage
Links and videos serve two different purposes. Posts with links are more likely to pull traffic to your site and directly generate revenue. Videos, on the other hand, should be used to increase engagement on your company’s page. Video posts are the most shared items on Facebook and are often the most valuable in communicating a complex idea. Videos and links should also be used to add valuable content to your page. People are more interested in dynamic posts and thus more likely to push your content to the top of their news feeds.
3. Keep your audience engaged
Ask questions. Make conversation. Not only will you learn more about what your target audience wants, but also your company page boom with activity. The combination of shares, likes, and comments makes up your posts’ engagement, and will ultimately lead to happier fans of your small business.
4. Surprise your audience
Surprise, don’t scare. By this I mean, you should periodically post content to your company page that is unlike anything else. One way to do this is to advertise seasonal promotions on your company page. Because they only happen periodically, they excite fans and drive business. By doing so, you are keeping your fans interested. If you post the same kind of content every day, fans of your small business may get bored. One way to do this is to advertise seasonal promotions on your company page. Because they only happen periodically, they excite fans and drive business.
Facebook’s News Feed changes can definitely benefit your small business. By creating content that captures and engages your core audience, small businesses will more effectively market to their fans. People will push a great company page towards the top of their Facebook news feeds, and that ultimately drives revenue. Social media marketing can be a great free way to expand your small business, just make sure to stay up to date as social media changes frequently.