Using Facebook For Social Media Marketing

By Adam  |  8 Jul 2015 10:00:00

"Are you on Facebook?" that's a question which you have doubtlessly heard many times! Facebook has become so big that it is a large part of many people's lives; not only do people use it for social interactions, but they also use it to keep up with popular people and organisations which they are interested in and as a source for news. This is why Facebook has proved to be such an effective marketing tool. Social media is huge right now and Facebook is the biggest of them all; with so many people on there you should really think about getting your business on there as well.

If you've not already got your business on Facebook, it can be a little more confusing than signing up for other social media sites. You can't just go to Facebook and create a page for your business, you need to create a page for yourself and then use that page for yourself to make a page for your business. This might sound off-putting to you, either because you aren't comfortable with having your name on a Facebook account, or because you don't like the idea of your personal account being linked directly to your business page, but don't worry! Both of these are non-issues. Firstly, if you already have Facebook but you don't want your business page associated with your personal page, rest assured that nobody will be able to see that your personal page is connected to the business page (other than you and anybody else you permit to administer the business page). As nobody can see which personal page was used to create a business page, it doesn't matter if you create a totally fake account in order to make a page for your business. If you don't want Facebook having your name on file, that's fine, just create an account with a fake name and make the business page with that fake name!

Anyway, once you get your page set up, you need to get people to find it. Getting your existing customers to 'like' you on Facebook means that you've then created a lasting bond with them; they'll see your posts on Facebook whenever they check their feeds and so you'll always be fresh in their minds. Returning customers are a good source of continued sales, so it's a good idea to do all you can to make sure people come back after their first purchase. To get people to find you on Facebook, you should be sure to advertise your Facebook page on your website's homepage, use nice social media buttons if you can, but just make sure that it is clear that you're on Facebook. If you send out regular newsletters to people on your mailing list, make sure that you tell them there too; this might just be the most effective way to get your existing customers to 'like' your page. You could also try adding a feature to your site so that, once an order has been finalised, a message that says something like "Thanks for using our service! Why not go and like us on Facebook?" could be quite useful.

So, you've got your Facebook page set up, you've got your existing customers to 'like' it... Now what? Well, now you just post whatever seems most appropriate. Are you in a very aesthetically pleasing location? Take a photo and share it! Does your website have a blog? Share each post on the Facebook page. Does your product look nice? Take pictures of it and share it! Doing something fun at the office? Let them know on Facebook! It's a great way to show people the human side of your business, while also showing that you are reliable and provide a top notch service. Your existing customers will 'like' your posts and their Facebook friends might see that and ‘like’ your page too. Facebook also offers the paid service of letting you 'boost' your posts, which means it specifically targets the people in your target demographic and makes sure that they see your posts, which will hopefully lead to them giving your page a 'like' and using your business!

Hopefully this has been a useful introduction to Facebook marketing and you will be able to use it to enhance your eCommerce business.