Starting a small business is one of the most exciting opportunities of a lifetime. However, learning to market it effectively can be a tricky and time-intensive endeavor, particularly where social media channels are concerned. Facebook is hands-down the most extensively used social media platform for business marketing of all kinds – but while effective Facebook marketing greatly assists conversion, navigating its posting algorithm, advertising system, and crowded marketplace can certainly be tricky. Here are five tips for marketing your small business on Facebook.
Create Well-Written Posts and Descriptions
Your business page should be well-written, descriptive, and informative. When you’re writing your “About” section, make sure that your description is brief and to the point as well as comprehensive. Include important information about what your business does or sells, where it’s located, hours of operation, and appropriate keywords for search engine indexing and optimization. Your potential customers should be able to get an effective idea of what you’re about in a single paragraph, two max.
Time Posts Appropriately
Timing is everything – especially where Facebook is concerned. Metrics data indicates that the best times of day to post are (in order) between seven and nine P.M. local time, noon and one P.M. local time, and seven-thirty and eight-forty-five A.M. local time during the week, and late morning and mid-afternoon on weekends. You can schedule posts ahead of time to fit these time parameters to maximize post viewing and engagement. Evening posts during the week seem to be the most effective with conversion. Keep an eye on your page’s analytics – it’s possible your core demographic might not adhere as much to these time frames as most users.
Don’t Overpost
If users see your content too often, they might simply unfollow your page – even if they still “Like” it. Some business owners become over-focused on barraging the marketplace with content in an effort to maximize reach, but this isn’t an effective strategy. Users simply don’t want to see too much of you, so focus on creating quality and engaging content that’s well-timed, informative and relevant to your audience’s interests rather than overposting.
Make Use of Pinned Posts
Having a hot sale? Pin that post. Introducing a fantastic new product or service? Pin that post. Get a ton of engagement with a particular post that describes your business and its products or services? Pin that post! A lot of users that visit your page will visit it organically just once. Using pinned posts is a great way to get them to engage with your page, hit the “Like” button, and maybe even scroll through a few of your posts. Your goal is to get them on board as a potential customer – once they’ve hit the “Like” button, they’ll see you in your feed at least occasionally if you’re adhering to best practices with your posts.
Integrate
Make sure your other web platforms are outfitted with “Like” and “Share” plugins for Facebook, along with other social media platforms you’re marketing with. Social media buttons should be present on your website’s main and subsidiary pages, and your blog and online catalog or shop should be well outfitted with these same plugins. If you can get users to share your products or blog posts from your website, that’s a ton more reach you’ll get – resulting in better conversion.
Facebook marketing can be somewhat labyrinthine if you’re just starting out with learning to market and writing effective content, but these five tips will help you get off to a great start – and help your small business thrive.
