How To Do Social Media Marketing for Businesses (Facebook)

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How to Use Facebook for Business in 2020: Facebook Marketing

We probably don’t have to remind you that understanding Facebook marketing is essential for any organization hoping to…

Christina Newberry is a fictional character.

6th of January, 2020

We probably don’t have to remind you that understanding Facebook marketing is essential for any business hoping to flourish in 2020.

You are well aware that Facebook has a big user base. Every month, 2.4 billion individuals access it.

But you might be surprised to see how frequently customers use Facebook to communicate with businesses of all sizes. Two-thirds of Facebook users, for example, say they visit a local business Facebook Page at least once a week.

Customers are already searching for businesses like yours on Facebook. The only way to get into this current audience is to have a clear, concentrated Facebook marketing plan. According to Facebook, your Business Page is “a cornerstone of [your] online identity.”

Here are our top Facebook marketing suggestions for the next year.

The following is a table of contents.
Setting up Facebook for Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
Facebook Post Types
In 7 simple steps, you can develop a Facebook marketing plan.

Download a free eBook that shows you how to use Hootsuite to convert Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps.

Setting up Facebook for Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

A Facebook Page does not cost anything to create. You may use your Page to post material, link to your website, and engage with Fans and followers for free once you’ve made it.

As a result, a Facebook Page is an extremely beneficial tool for any marketer operating on a tight budget.

Before you can use paid marketing methods on Facebook, such as Facebook advertisements, you must first create a Facebook Business Page. So, the first step in learning how to utilize Facebook for business is to create a Facebook Page.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Establish your Facebook Business Page.
Go to facebook.com/pages/create to get started. To begin, you must be connected into a Facebook personal account, but your personal information will not display on your new business page.
Select your page type: a company/brand or a popular figure
Enter your company’s information.
2. Include brand images

Upload your cover and profile photographs. Use the finest picture sizes for Facebook to ensure that your images appear their best.

3. Complete your Page information

Fill up the following fields by clicking Edit Page Info:

Description: 255 characters to describe yourself and your work.
Information about how to reach us: Fill in all of the methods you want people to contact you (including your website).
Optional extras: Add your operation hours, pricing range, and privacy policy if applicable to your business.
4. Make a Facebook username (aka your vanity URL)

Your Facebook username assists people in finding you. To create one, click Create Page @Username. It can have up to 50 characters.

Ideas for Facebook marketing using your vanity URL:

Choose a Page name that is easy to find. This will most likely be your brand name.
If feasible, use the same login across all social networks.
5. Incorporate a call-to-action button

A call-to-action button allows customers to easily contact you, shop for your products, or otherwise interact with your company. To create one, click Add a Button beneath your cover photo.

6. Go over your Facebook Page’s settings.

Your Facebook Page settings allow you to specify who sees what on your page. Examine the privacy and security settings in particular to ensure you understand them.

That’s all! Your Facebook Page is now up and running.

If you need a little more assistance with the setup, we’ve got you covered. See our complete guide on creating a Facebook Page for Business.

Facebook Post Types

After you’ve made your Facebook Page, you’ll need to decide what type of material to share.

Here’s a rundown of the many post kinds you may use to interact with your followers. We’ve included some excellent Facebook marketing examples from well-known businesses to serve as inspiration.

Facebook text message (a.k.a. status post)

This is the most fundamental kind of Facebook post. It is absolutely nothing except the following: There were no images, videos, or even a link.

A text-only post cannot generate conversions or send visitors to your website, but it may be utilized to increase engagement on your Page. As Kylie Jenner did in this post, asking a question may be a fantastic approach to get others interested.

This simple query drew almost 2,000 responses.

Even better, it generated a lot of consumer feedback, which Kylie can now utilize to create YouTube video that she knows would be popular with her followers. Asking your audience what they want might be an excellent method to determine what to post.

Photo on Facebook

A photo post, like a text post, is intended to raise awareness or generate engagement. In general, visual postings receive far more engagement than text posts.

Photo postings are an excellent method to showcase your items, especially if they have a strong visual appeal or are something that people must see in action to properly appreciate.

Of course, not every company uses Facebook to advertise tangible things.

If you’re selling something less physical, stock pictures may be really useful. We’ve collected a list of 25 free stock picture sites where you may get some of the greatest photographs to illustrate your posts.

You may be tempted to share photographs found elsewhere on the internet, but this can lead to difficulties. To be safe, stick to our list, or make sure you grasp the fundamentals of picture copyright.

Remember that the “picture” in your post does not have to be a photograph at all. It might be any picture, such as an infographic, drawing, or other visual.

Posting a video on Facebook

If your product has a great visual appeal, a short video post might be intriguing.

Because videos begin to play automatically in the News Feed, even a short clip of a few seconds may be a terrific way to attract someone’s attention. Check out this seven-second Orville Redenbacher’s video:

Short films are also suggested by Facebook for announcements and surveys.

Longer video postings are better suited for continuing series or delivering memorable information. If you’re utilizing video to convey a tale, Facebook suggests giving yourself at least one minute, preferably three minutes or more.

A wonderful example is Buzzfeed’s Tasty’s Edible History series:

It is obvious that video postings may be an effective approach to interact with followers. They receive even more interaction than photo postings.

Check out our six important ingredients of a superb social video for additional video Facebook marketing advice.

Posting a Facebook Live video

Facebook Live video is, as the name implies, live video broadcast on Facebook. It may be an excellent opportunity to provide followers with a behind-the-scenes glimpse at your company, product, or the people behind your brand.

People are interested: More than two billion people have seen a Facebook Live broadcast since its debut in 2016.

Live is an excellent format for making real-time announcements or interacting with your audience.

For example, whether you like him or dislike him, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson recognizes the potential of Facebook Live. Hundreds of thousands of people watch his #PeoplesPMQs videos.

Remember that anything may happen when you go live, so prepare ahead of time by reading our comprehensive guide to Facebook Live video.

Download a free eBook that shows you how to use Hootsuite to convert Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps.

Get your free guide today!

Post with a link (aka link posts)

A linked content post is exactly what it sounds like: it is a post that connects to information that is not on Facebook.

These receive more attention than status updates but less than photos or videos.

Link posts are perhaps the simplest type of Facebook post to produce. You only need to copy and paste a URL into the status box. Facebook fills up the meta description and photo for you. That implies you can create a visually appealing post with little effort.

Make sure to provide some more content to explain why readers should click through. Then you’re done.

While the majority of your link postings should provide your own material or connect to your own goods, you might also share content from other industry thought leaders.

For example, we used a link post to share an article from Entrepreneur.com about Instagram Live:

Post a poll on Facebook

As previously said, asking a question might assist engage your Facebook audience. A Facebook poll takes things to the next level.

A poll allows followers to vote for one of two possibilities. The results are made public once the voting is completed.

On its Facebook page, the UK domain company 123 Reg frequently employs polls. Many times, the topics are unrelated to their product providing, yet they are nevertheless an effective strategy to keep fans engaged:

This type of low-key Facebook marketing tactic can aid in brand exposure.

Stories on Facebook

Facebook Stories are vertical photo or short video updates that vanish after 24 hours. They are always at the top of the News Feed. Photos are shown for five seconds, while movies can last up to 20 seconds.

Every day, almost 500 million people watch Facebook Stories. When considering how to utilize Facebook for business in 2020, consider how Stories may be a strong opportunity to interact with followers. Stories are also immune to the Facebook algorithm because they display at the top of the News Feed.

Post has been pinned

A pinned post is simply an ordinary post that has been “pinned” to the top of your Facebook Page.

It’s the first thing visitors see when they land on your Page.

What do you want to pin? Perhaps you have one piece of content that stands out from the others. Something that truly captures your brand and demonstrates to potential followers why they should Like your Page.

This space can also be used to:

publish critical news, display a stunning video, and create awareness about a current campaign

You can really utilize it for anything that would drive people to interact with your brand. You may also modify your pinned post as frequently as you like.

When you see a small blue thumbtack icon on the upper right of a post, you know it’s pinned.

How to Select the Best Post Type

So, how do you determine which sorts of posts to use?

Engaging in social listening is a terrific approach to uncover what could resonate with your audience. This can assist you in learning:

What do current consumers like about your firm or your products?
What problems do people have that you believe your product can assist them solve?
How can you set yourself out from the competition?

Begin by sharing material that is working well on other channels. Have you tweeted any stuff that has received a lot of attention? Share it on Facebook as well. Have a page on your site that is always receiving fresh comments? That’s another possible Facebook post.

Instead of merely cross-posting, use cross-promotion best practices to distribute your material for the best effects.

Of course, if you really want to know what your audience wants to see, you can always ask them to model Kylie Jenner.

In 7 simple steps, you can develop a Facebook marketing plan.

Now that you’ve learned about the various types of Facebook postings, let’s take a look at some Facebook marketing ideas to help you develop a good plan for this powerful social platform.

1. Identify your target audience.

To effectively engage your audience, you must first establish who your target audience is.

Consider the following questions:

How old are your intended audience members?
Where do they call home?
What are their occupations?
What are their difficulties and pain points?
When and how do they access Facebook?

To begin, make sure you grasp the fundamental Facebook demographics. Examine Facebook Audience Insights once you’ve determined who utilizes the platform and how that relates to your target client.

Use Audience Insights to get into the nitty-gritty of potential clients. This tool can help you discover information on topics such as:

Age\sGender\sEducation
Relationship status Language used on Facebook
Previous buying activities

This is one of the most significant Facebook marketing strategies for making the most of the platform: Always be clear about who you’re attempting to reach.

2. Establish objectives

It’s easy to get caught up in vanity numbers like Likes. However, unless those Likes are part of a larger marketing strategy, they will not generate a significant return.

To be effective, your Facebook marketing plan must have defined goals that are linked to genuine business objectives.

Every company’s goals will be different, but they should all be focused on activities that have a significant influence on the bottom line. As an example:

lead generation
Increasing website conversions and boosting customer service.

These broad categories are a solid starting point. Next, you must make your objectives far more clear and quantifiable. In this case, we propose employing a well-known goal-setting framework, such as S.M.A.R.T. goals or the O.K.R. goal framework.

In our piece on social media goal setting, we describe both of these goal-setting methods and provide examples of how they operate in reality.

Everything you do on Facebook—every post, every remark, every ad—should help you achieve your objectives. It’s a good idea to simplify your approach into a Facebook mission statement for your brand to keep things on track.

Having a clear vision of your objectives can also assist you in creating a successful Facebook style guide for your business. This will ensure that you maintain a consistent brand voice that supports the goals you select.

3. Determine your content mix

After you’ve determined your objectives, you must devise a strategy for achieving them.

Choosing the correct content mix is an important aspect of that strategy. Starting with the 80-20 rule or the social media rule of thirds is a good place to start.

If you adhere to the 80-20 rule:

80% of your Facebook postings should be used to inform, educate, and entertain.
Use the remaining 20% to market your brand.

Remember that the goal of using Facebook for business is to establish relationships, and self-promotion is not an effective method to do it. However, if you give enough value, your audience will be open to learning about your products and services in the 20% of sales-focused pieces.

The social media rule of thirds also recommends a healthy balance of quality information and promotional posts:

One-third of your content should be dedicated to sharing ideas and tales.
One-third of your time should be spent engaging in personal conversations with your followers.
The remaining third might be used to market your company.

To keep followers interested, deliver more value than advertising stuff.

Brands that push sales too aggressively will always be penalized by Facebook’s algorithm. Facebook wants information in its users’ news feeds that they want to Like and share.

That is something you should want as a marketer. All of those Likes and shares serve to broaden your reach and expose your brand to new audiences.

The next step in preparing your content mix is deciding when and how frequently to post.

This will need some trial and error (using engagement data gleaned from Page Insights). However, studies suggest that the ideal time to publish on Facebook is:

For B2B brands: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST.
12 p.m. EST on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday for B2C brands

It is critical to post on a regular basis. Create a content calendar to help you balance your content kinds and stay on track with your posting schedule. You may get a free content calendar template from our website. Another excellent resource for planning and managing your Facebook content mix is the Hootsuite Planner.

Check out our post on how to construct a social media marketing plan for more strategic planning ideas.

4. Make your Page more engaging.

To meet the Facebook marketing objectives you specified in Step 2, you must make it simple for people to locate your Facebook Page. And you must persuade them to Like your Page once they arrive.

Begin by ensuring that your Facebook Business Page is thoroughly optimized for success, as demonstrated in this video:

Tip: Put some thought into your Facebook Page cover image because it will be the first thing people see when they visit your Page.

Then it’s time to start accumulating views, likes, and followers.

First, make it simple for those with whom you already communicate on other platforms to locate your Facebook Page:

In your email signature, newsletter, and other platforms, provide a link to your Page.
Include Facebook Like and Share buttons on your website and blog to make it simple for visitors to find, follow, and share your Page with a single click.

Of course, if you want people to share your material, you must ensure that the stuff you provide on Facebook is highly shareable. The greatest method to increase your organic reach is to create valuable and engaging content that your fans will be pleased to share with their contacts.

It is worth noting that Facebook is a social network. Why should your followers be engaged with your Page if you aren’t? Followers who find themselves chatting into the vacuum will leave your Page in favor of more responsive companies.

Reply, reply, reply is your slogan. Respond to each message and remark. Respond to inquiries.

Finally, make certain that your Page is always up to date. Schedule an audit of your Facebook Page on a regular basis to look for and remove any obsolete information. Check that your About section is correct, up to current, and on-brand.

More specific tactics may be found in our guide to increasing Facebook Likes and this collection of little-known Facebook tips and tricks.

5. Think about utilizing other Facebook features.

Once you’ve begun to establish your following, you might want to consider using some more tools in your marketing strategy.

Facebook Pages

With 1.4 billion people using Facebook Groups each month, it’s a huge enough audience to ignore. Consider Groups to be the internet version of your local coffee shop or community center. They serve as a forum for individuals to exchange information and thoughts.

You may also use Facebook Groups to demonstrate your knowledge and give value to your followers. This is an excellent strategy to foster trust and long-term loyalty.

Shirley Weir of Menopause Chicks, for example, provides a private Facebook Group where women may discuss and learn about personal midlife issues. Shirley may create deep relationships with new fans thanks to the group’s low-commitment, high-value initial point of contact.

Shirley highlighted the organization in a handful of media appearances, and it garnered 5,000 new members in 60 days. Through organic development, there are currently over 17,600 members, who generate 35,000 questions, comments, and reactions every month.

When you’re ready to use this tool into your Facebook marketing plan, follow our step-by-step instructions for creating your own Facebook Group.

Sometimes followers will start their own Facebook Group dedicated to your company (search Facebook Groups for FitBit to see this in action). Joining these organizations may help ensure that the discourse is constructive and truthful.

However, in general, this is a fantastic thing. It demonstrates that your company has a devoted fan following that is passionate about what you do!

For the time being, Facebook Groups are all about organic connection, but eMarketer forecasts that adverts will be introduced to Groups in 2021.

Chatbot on Facebook (a.k.a. Facebook Messenger bot)

Every month, Facebook users send 20 billion messages to companies. According to Facebook’s own data, people expect a company to reply very instantaneously. One Facebook user polled indicated he would only wait 10 minutes for an answer before switching to another brand.

Facebook argues that chatbots on Messenger might be the solution.