Why Use Facebook Integration with your website Chapter 2

A continuation of our blog entry from a few days ago...should you be using Facebook in conjunction with your website! YES!!! Here is a summary of why and a quick "why."

 

1.      Is Facebook right for you?

a.       After demonstrating the magnitude and benefits of Facebook, I should warn you that advertising on Facebook is not for everyone. The actual cost of advertising on Facebook is relatively low, often free, but to do it successfully takes time. In the next section I’ll show you some ways to properly utilize your Facebook page and you’ll see how it can easily suck up inordinate amounts of time, however; it can have tremendous returns. In addition to the time commitment, you need to consider your target audience. Are they online? Do they have Facebook profiles? If you sell products from your website, Facebook would probably benefit you, or if you customers do research online, Facebook could probably benefit you. However, if you’re a local store that draws its customers from a 5-10 block radius, you’ll see limited to no results from marketing on Facebook. So before throwing your hat into the Facebook and social media marketing bandwagon, ask yourself two questions. Do I have the time to do it well? And are my customers online?

2.      How should you use your Facebook page?

a.       Your page is the center of your Facebook presence. So it’s important to get your page right. The first thing you’re going to want to avoid is making your page a copy of your website. Do not copy all the text off of your website onto a Facebook page and call it good. Your Facebook page should be complimentary to your website, not the same as or in place of your website. Facebook is full of people so make your page human. Be honest, frank, and let your Facebook be a place where people can get to know your company. Here’s where you’ll want to spend time. Actually talk with your costumers on Facebook. Don’t give them add campaigns and pre-rehearsed press release responses, talk to them. Have a conversation and be honest. People are on Facebook to be social, so be social.

b.      A common mistake companies make on Facebook is doing too much. Don’t feel like you need to make a post about everything you do. Remember, most of the people who are following you on Facebook probably follow you in other ways. They probably get your email newsletters, check your website, or are at least marginally interested in your company. Otherwise they wouldn’t be on your Facebook. So try not to send the same information to the same people multiple times. If you can, think of something different to post on your Facebook that you don’t post in other places. For example, if you’re a hardware company make posts or short videos on how to do various projects around the house. Something related to your business but not a direct advertising campaign. There is obviously much more that you could do with a Facebook page but this should at least get you started.

3.      How should you use banner ads?

a.       Banner ads are like being physic, so use them. It is common for Facebook users to specify all of their interests, likes, and dislikes in quite some detail. Banner ads help you take advantage of knowing all of a user’s interests. Imagine if when you were walking down the street you magically knew everyone’s interests. It would make selling something to them exponentially easier. Banner ads are like that. For example, if you’re a company that sells small figurines of troll ballerinas, you can show your add only to users who ‘like’ figurines, trolls, and ballerinas. While the banner ads are extremely simplistic and not much to look at, the fact that you can target as specific an audience as you desire makes them extremely effective. So be physic and use banner ads.

4.      How should you use apps?

a.       Apps are a unique opportunity for advertising but can be very tricky. Some businesses lend themselves to creating an app more than others. For example, Rotten Tomatoes, a movie review website, created an app that allows people to review and discuss different movies with friends on Facebook. Sharpe electronics created an app that was essentially a giant Facebook game of hot potato and gave out various prizes to winners. The trick to a good Facebook app is simplicity and fun. Users should be able to quickly figure out how to use your app and should want to continue to use it because it’s enjoyable. Depending on the type of app you create you may want people to use it for a long time or use it once and be done. The app that Sharpe electronics made ended when they gave out prizes, but the Rotten Tomatoes’ app could continue to be used as long as users want to use it. So think about what your business has to offer and whether an app would work for you. And remember apps don’t have to be related to your business. Sometimes a fun game app can create brand awareness and get your name out there without directly relating to your business.

5.      How should you measure success?

a.       Social media marketing and Facebook in particular offer several metrics by which you can evaluate how you’re doing. Fortunately, most of them are fairly obvious. For your Facebook page, how many friends, likes and comments do you have? This will essentially be your benchmark for success on Facebook. More friends and likes are good, less friends and likes are bad. It’s as simple as that. While this is the easiest metric to track it is also wise to see what people are saying about your company. Obviously if you’re only getting comments because people hate your product and want to complain, you have a problem. But generally speaking most of the people on your Facebook page will friendly not hostile. We’ll have a lot more on Facebook and social media marketing in the future, but this should give you the basic concept, wet your pallet, and give you an idea where to start.