How to Achieve Shock Factor with your Facebook Posts
What you need when you are using Facebook to market your business product or service is a wow factor. Let's say you sold newspapers in the local area. Your newspaper did okay but with three others in the local market, it was hard for you to get a large amount of the market share. Instead of saying the same thing as the other guy, you strike out to be unique.
Your newspaper features in-depth reports that affect real people. You break the stories sooner. You deliver more controversial subjects that get people saying, "Did you read that?" Because people are interested in what you have to say and they cannot find that information anywhere else, they buy your paper instead of the next guy. You've created enough interest, then, to spark their attention long-term. Instead of just buying one paper, they subscribe and they are yours for the long-haul. With Facebook, your goal is the same.
BEING REAL BUT BEING REALLY REAL
The difference here is that you do not want to be a tabloid that spreads false rumors or gets the negative attention. Rather, when it comes to building a business through Facebook marketing, you need to do something different. For example, you need to give them what someone else is not. Be real about what you are selling and saying but also be authentic in creating something that's new.
SHOCK WITH GUERILLA MARKETING TACTICS
Have you heard of guerilla marketing methods? Employ that concept online. This type of marketing is all about doing something that no one expects. It is not predictable but it creates a lot of noise. This helps sell through interaction. This is not your standard television commercial but something that gets people thinking.
Guerilla style marketing gives them something unexpected. This is an essential component to Facebook marketing. Here are some examples of off-line marketing techniques that have worked.
To educate an audience about a new product, some companies have held events outside of big stores in high traffic areas. They use iPads (some did this right when the iPad was originally released.) The iPads contained educational infomercials and great graphics. While people could not put down the iPad, they were also getting a bit of sales through the commercial playing for the company.
Another example is the use of stencil drawings on the sidewalk. With arrows pointing the way to the sale, the attention of the potential customer was immediately held. They were easily able to walk right to the store they always missed.
MAKING IT YOUR OWN ON FACEBOOK
How could you translate something like this into an online event that you could use to market your Facebook page with? You'll need to be creative to develop something that's going to get the click. Here are some ideas.
• Shock them with a statistic. It seems simple enough but if you have a fact-based statistic that relates to your general audience, you are going to get attention if that item is indeed shocking.
• Post a provocative and thought provoking picture. Does it have to be over the top sexy? No, don't go that route. Rather, post something that people need to click on to enlarge. Make it unique or strange.
• Post a video of your company's top executives doing the latest dance craze. Does this make your employees seem real? There's no better way to get people to share something than to use the embarrassment factor as part of it.
These types of techniques get people to stop. They read what you have to say and they think, "What in the world is this?" They click on it, they read more. Then, they share it. That's exactly what you want them to do. Use spice, strangeness and plenty of shock in your posts to get attention.
Challenge yourself to come up with a post that's interesting and even over the top at least once a week. Though you should be posting something to Facebook at least one time a day (though we recommend far more than that if you want to gain a lot of attention), you do not have to shock with every post.
MAKING A NAME FOR YOUR BUSINESS
What is your business?
Who knows about it?
What do you want them to know about it?
Carefully consider that last question. What is it that you want other people to know about your business? When you can really answer that question, you will be well on your way to making a name for yourself.
The fact is, on Facebook, you do not want to blend in with every other diet-education-ebook seller or every other real estate agent. You need to be known for yourself in some way.
What can you do to make a name for your business and, more personally, for yourself? You actually can do a great deal in this regard.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME?
To make a name for yourself on Facebook, you need to decide who you are going to be.
• Do you want to be the Kim Kardashian of Facebook? If so, then all you have to do is be prolific in your posts. You will be known for your Facebook posts.
• Do you want to be the Paris Hilton of Facebook? If that's the case, you may be doing nothing more than publishing trashy information and non-fact based information.
• Do you want to be the Oprah of Facebook? If so, then you want to be the person who is compassionate and thought provoking in your industry.
• Do you want to be the Dr. Oz of Facebook? In that case, you will want to be the expert in your field, the one with the latest and greatest information.
Challenge yourself to come up with a post that's interesting and even over the top at least once a week. Though you should be posting something to Facebook at least one time a day (though we recommend far more than that if you want to gain a lot of attention), you do not have to shock with every post.
MAKING A NAME FOR YOUR BUSINESS
What is your business?
Who knows about it?
What do you want them to know about it?
Carefully consider that last question. What is it that you want other people to know about your business? When you can really answer that question, you will be well on your way to making a name for yourself.
The fact is, on Facebook, you do not want to blend in with every other diet-education-ebook seller or every other real estate agent. You need to be known for yourself in some way.
What can you do to make a name for your business and, more personally, for yourself? You actually can do a great deal in this regard.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME?
To make a name for yourself on Facebook, you need to decide who you are going to be.
• Do you want to be the Kim Kardashian of Facebook? If so, then all you have to do is be prolific in your posts. You will be known for your Facebook posts.
• Do you want to be the Paris Hilton of Facebook? If that's the case, you may be doing nothing more than publishing trashy information and non-fact based information.
• Do you want to be the Oprah of Facebook? If so, then you want to be the person who is compassionate and thought provoking in your industry.
• Do you want to be the Dr. Oz of Facebook? In that case, you will want to be the expert in your field, the one with the latest and greatest information.
Who do you want to be? That's the type of information you should create on your Facebook page to get attention. In other words, think about what you want this page to say about you and about your company and then be sure every page is going to offer something interesting in that way.
MAKING A LOCAL STATEMENT THAT MEANS
SOMETHING
Another way to make a point about who you are and what you have to offer in order to get people to like your page is simply to be the good person or business that does something in the local community to make a difference.
Ask yourself what your business contributes to the community. You do not have to dish out free products every week or donate thousands of dollars of resources to charities. However, you should have something positive to say about your business in that light if the business is a local one. For example, if you are a real estate agent, insurance agency, a retailer, a doctor's office, or a dentist's office, you have a local office. You have a community. What are you doing within that community to make a difference?
Here are some great examples that will have people loving (Not just liking!) your business on Facebook.
• You sponsor a little league team. Talk about their successes. Post photos -parents will love following your page to check out the photos. If those parents are your customers, this is a win-win situation.
• Donate a product or service to a local event or charity. For example, for a small donation, you may be able to help a local charity to advertise a Make a Wish event. You don't have to pay for it all - just pay for the promotion.
• Do a matching contest. If you get X amount of "likes" by this date, you will donate $1 for each to a local animal shelter or other nonpartisan event. Encourage people to share information about your organization to increase the number of likes you do get.
• Did something in the local community affect your business? Are you passionate about a specific tax or law that is being passed? You can and should talk about it. However, do be careful not to alienate the opposition at the same time.
• Are you a member of a church, charity or other type of organization in your local area? Perhaps you sponsor the food bank or you plan to do something for the holidays through a local church. Be sure to use this as a way to gain Facebook attention for your business.
MAKING A LOCAL STATEMENT THAT MEANS
SOMETHING
Another way to make a point about who you are and what you have to offer in order to get people to like your page is simply to be the good person or business that does something in the local community to make a difference.
Ask yourself what your business contributes to the community. You do not have to dish out free products every week or donate thousands of dollars of resources to charities. However, you should have something positive to say about your business in that light if the business is a local one. For example, if you are a real estate agent, insurance agency, a retailer, a doctor's office, or a dentist's office, you have a local office. You have a community. What are you doing within that community to make a difference?
Here are some great examples that will have people loving (Not just liking!) your business on Facebook.
• You sponsor a little league team. Talk about their successes. Post photos -parents will love following your page to check out the photos. If those parents are your customers, this is a win-win situation.
• Donate a product or service to a local event or charity. For example, for a small donation, you may be able to help a local charity to advertise a Make a Wish event. You don't have to pay for it all - just pay for the promotion.
• Do a matching contest. If you get X amount of "likes" by this date, you will donate $1 for each to a local animal shelter or other nonpartisan event. Encourage people to share information about your organization to increase the number of likes you do get.
• Did something in the local community affect your business? Are you passionate about a specific tax or law that is being passed? You can and should talk about it. However, do be careful not to alienate the opposition at the same time.
• Are you a member of a church, charity or other type of organization in your local area? Perhaps you sponsor the food bank or you plan to do something for the holidays through a local church. Be sure to use this as a way to gain Facebook attention for your business.
At the end of the day, you want to do good because it is the right thing to do, not just because it is going to get you likes on your Facebook page. However, using this as a vehicle to getting attention does make sense and it can be one of the best ways you market your business on Facebook because you are giving back in such a profound manner. Who doesn't like that?
ZONE IN ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
A final point to make about marketing your product or service on Facebook is that you need to make it customer service oriented. In other words, you want people to want to talk to you, interact with you and get to know your organization. To do this, keep the following in mind.
• There's no place for any of the Internet marketing tips and guidelines you've followed all of these years with marketing your website.
• You do need to interact with those who post comments on your page - don't just let those comments sit!
• You also need to use this as a great resource for information about your company, product or service. Provide information about your organization on your page without really having to be asked for it to encourage people to interact.
• Say thank you. Be cordial and friendly.
• Use humour but keep things friendly for all audiences.
ZONE IN ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
A final point to make about marketing your product or service on Facebook is that you need to make it customer service oriented. In other words, you want people to want to talk to you, interact with you and get to know your organization. To do this, keep the following in mind.
• There's no place for any of the Internet marketing tips and guidelines you've followed all of these years with marketing your website.
• You do need to interact with those who post comments on your page - don't just let those comments sit!
• You also need to use this as a great resource for information about your company, product or service. Provide information about your organization on your page without really having to be asked for it to encourage people to interact.
• Say thank you. Be cordial and friendly.
• Use humour but keep things friendly for all audiences.
What would you do if a customer with the buying power of a million people walked into your storefront today? Would you be right there to help this person with a purchase? Would you spend time getting to know them? Would you ask them about their day and greet them? Would you spend a small amount of your time each day interacting with them and answering their questions?
Of course, you would! That's what your Facebook page is going to offer to you. The only thing you need to do is to avoid selling to the customer and instead, become a customer-oriented business that's there to serve the needs of your very finest customer.
Of course, you would! That's what your Facebook page is going to offer to you. The only thing you need to do is to avoid selling to the customer and instead, become a customer-oriented business that's there to serve the needs of your very finest customer.
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