Are you making the most of Facebook?

You might already be active on Facebook, and you may get the odd enquiry from your profile now and then – but I bet you’re not using this platform fullest potential.

Showing up isn’t enough. To really get the most from your Facebook marketing campaign, you need to be making the most of the network’s many incredible features.

Here, I’m going to talk you through five tips and tactics I often share with clients who are keen to grow their Facebook following.

How to use Facebook for marketing your business

1. Don’t give your followers the ‘hard sell’

Well, OK, there will be times when promoting your latest offer or your newest offer definitely makes sense. But for the most part, you need to be using your Facebook content to share information, add value and connect with like-minded people.

Don’t bark orders at your followers, or continuously post about your products and services - strike up conversations and become part of the community.

2. Set up a proper Facebook company page

Marketing via a personal Facebook profile works some of the time – more so for owner-managed businesses and multi level marketers, actually – but if you want to add some extra professionalism and credibility to your social presence, you should set up a separate company page and pack it full of  content, images, videos and links your audience will enjoy.

You can customise many aspects of your page to make it easier for users to find what they need. For example, you can add a call to action (CTA) button to your cover photo section that fits in with the action you want your potential customer to take, whether that’s simply ‘Contact Us’, ‘Book Now’ or ‘Sign Up’ or something less sales-y and more in line with your engagement strategy, like ‘Watch Video’ or ‘Use App’. You can create your own Page Sections, too, to make sure your most important information takes centre stage.

3. Trial a Facebook Ads campaign

Dip your toes into paid social media marketing by setting up and running a campaign with Facebook’s own ads platform! Facebook has made sure its Ads manager is very easy to use, and you can target highly specific demographics to make sure none of your ad budget goes to waste.

If you’d rather pay a flat rate to get your posts out to reach a certain number of your followers, you can use Facebook’s Promoted Posts feature, instead.

(And if you need help with either of these things, drop me a message – I’m something of a Facebook Ads pro!)

4. Use hashtags to your advantage

Some people believe that you should never litter your Facebook posts with hashtags. While I think it’s important that every hashtagged phrase has a purpose, and you shouldn’t overuse them to the point where they distract the reader from what you’re trying to say, they are incredibly useful tools when it comes to making your messaging more searchable.

Research the terms that are trending in your industry, and feel free to make up your own branded tags to help generate loads of lovely user generated content!

5. Don’t be afraid to post fun Facebook Stories

Want to post some more casual, on the fly kinds of images and videos? Facebook has a channel for that! Facebook Stories are only live for 24 hours, so make sure you post at a time that’s going to guarantee maximum visibility – and be sure to add in a link to your website, blog, or another business-related resource to encourage as much cross-platform engagement as possible. Be sure to always respond to any interactions to your Stories via Facebook Messenger, too.

From setting up exclusive groups to customising your behind-the-scenes reporting dashboard, there’s SO much more you can do to gain extra traction on Facebook and keep a handle on how your campaign is progressing. It’s a digital treasure trove for businesses that want more reach and better customer relationships. Contact me now and let’s have a chat about how Jelly Bean Social can help you make the most of your social media marketing resources and become a bona fide Facebook business wizard!