Facebook Advertising is a great media, if you can keep up with the constant changes. It also takes a lot of time, and the myth that you can grow your fan base organically is just that… a myth. As of September 2014, the reach of brand pages without advertising dollars dropped. Companies that had poured time and effort into building fans and likes are now finding that they can only reach this audience through paid advertising. But still, paid advertising on Facebook is cheap when you compare it to mass advertising, plus you are able to target, track and see the results. Can you see results from Facebook advertising? Absolutely!
In one night, Aim pulled in over 900 cars to see a drive thru light show for a Christmas Tree Farm using Facebook and e-mail marketing. Spending less than $500 on both combined.
Aim saw the interaction between dealer and customer that sold a Chevrolet Spark on Facebook. Aim set up a contest giveaway for NASCAR tickets for the same dealer. We spent $300.00 on Facebook plus the cost of the tickets. We built over 1,000 new fans and some post had over 200,000 impressions. At the end of the contest we were able to give the dealer over 80 new names, addresses and phone numbers of fans within a 50-mile radius of that dealer. That Facebook page has over 9,000 fans today.
To get the full value of Facebook you should hire an agency like AIM, but if that is out of the question then here are five great tips that you can do yourself.
- Post often. Use the scheduled post button (click on the clock) and do a whole month in one setting. Posts need to have value, link to other content, include photos and videos, interact with other users, etc.
- Build your fan base with paid advertising. We use Facebook for top of mind awareness (TOMA). Once you have a large fan base, your ads are more likely to work. Obtaining new fans is part of an ongoing strategy that ultimately can influence a customer when they are finally ready to buy.
- Make sure your website and Facebook are controlled by one web designer/developer/master. Social Media integration and communication is all one marketing strategy.
- You get involved; even if you do hire an agency, it should not be entirely in their hands. It needs your input. You should be following the feeds, looking at the content that is being shared, and offering feedback on all things. You should be involved in the creative process know where information is coming from, and how the message is spread.
- Social media should be part of your overall marketing strategy, so don’t hire someone just for social media. They need to understand content, copywriting, SEO, analytics, advertising, research, and many other marketing fundamentals and principles to create effective strategies and campaigns.
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