How to Avoid Making a Big Mistake with your Facebook Marketing
If you are an Internet marketer or you've taken even a few courses on how to market a business online, you know all about the landing page. This page is like any type of infomercial you'll see on television. It has one goal - sell the product to the person reading the document so that you profit from it.
The landing page is the perfect example of the biggest mistake you can make when you are operating a Facebook page.
If you set out with a goal to sell a product or service and you think that using a sales-like marketing message on Facebook, you are going to fail and you will likely fail big time. Here's the thing to remember. People come to the site not to buy something but to socialize. They come to you to learn more about you, not necessarily to buy.
Rather than making this mistake, you need to focus your plan on building a Facebook page that is designed to intrigue people enough that they want to then click to your website and buy from you. This is not the medium for your best used car salesman voice. This is your opportunity to build a relationship.
WHO'S GOING TO FRIEND YOU?
How are you going to get likes on Facebook? After all, you need these "likes" so that more people will see your messages and posts you create on your page. Your goal is to increase the number of people who "like" your page so that you can attract an even bigger following.
So, who is going to like you? What is going to make people click that Like button on the page so that they can follow anything you have to say in the future? It's not so easy to tell you that there's a magic statement you can make or a simple process to getting this type of approval. Rather, you will need to determine what people really want from you and then give that to them.
Consider the following examples of why someone would like a page. Your goal is to find out why they would like your page.
• They hope to learn something value from you. For example, they may follow your page if you are a medical provider if you have something interesting and valuable to learn. No gimmicks are going to work here, but true advice and guidance may.
• They think that later on, you may offer a discount or a sale for your site or product. If they want your product but they do not want to pay full price for it, they may like your page to find out when you are going to run something special.
• They want to get something for free. As you will see later in this book, many people love to connect with companies on Facebook because they think they will get something for nothing by doing so. Sometimes, this is true especially when you are running a tantalizing contest they cannot resist.
• Their friends tell them to like your page. If you trigger good responses from your posts from those already following you, chances are good that they will share that post with others. This ends up allowing you to communicate with a larger audience.
• They know you, know your product or know your service and they want to keep an eye on your industry or service. In other words, they want to stay in the know about a company or product they are interested in.
The landing page is the perfect example of the biggest mistake you can make when you are operating a Facebook page.
If you set out with a goal to sell a product or service and you think that using a sales-like marketing message on Facebook, you are going to fail and you will likely fail big time. Here's the thing to remember. People come to the site not to buy something but to socialize. They come to you to learn more about you, not necessarily to buy.
Rather than making this mistake, you need to focus your plan on building a Facebook page that is designed to intrigue people enough that they want to then click to your website and buy from you. This is not the medium for your best used car salesman voice. This is your opportunity to build a relationship.
WHO'S GOING TO FRIEND YOU?
How are you going to get likes on Facebook? After all, you need these "likes" so that more people will see your messages and posts you create on your page. Your goal is to increase the number of people who "like" your page so that you can attract an even bigger following.
So, who is going to like you? What is going to make people click that Like button on the page so that they can follow anything you have to say in the future? It's not so easy to tell you that there's a magic statement you can make or a simple process to getting this type of approval. Rather, you will need to determine what people really want from you and then give that to them.
Consider the following examples of why someone would like a page. Your goal is to find out why they would like your page.
• They hope to learn something value from you. For example, they may follow your page if you are a medical provider if you have something interesting and valuable to learn. No gimmicks are going to work here, but true advice and guidance may.
• They think that later on, you may offer a discount or a sale for your site or product. If they want your product but they do not want to pay full price for it, they may like your page to find out when you are going to run something special.
• They want to get something for free. As you will see later in this book, many people love to connect with companies on Facebook because they think they will get something for nothing by doing so. Sometimes, this is true especially when you are running a tantalizing contest they cannot resist.
• Their friends tell them to like your page. If you trigger good responses from your posts from those already following you, chances are good that they will share that post with others. This ends up allowing you to communicate with a larger audience.
• They know you, know your product or know your service and they want to keep an eye on your industry or service. In other words, they want to stay in the know about a company or product they are interested in.
Why do people want to like you? To answer this question, you need to consider what you really have to offer those people who you want to target and like your page.
WHAT NOT TO DO
There are plenty of things to "do" to make your Facebook page come to life. However, there are plenty of risks involved in this process, too. As you take into consideration the vast number of ways to promote your page and your product, you also have to take into consideration those "don'ts." That's why we bring them to the forefront now.
Your biggest do not is the most important one - Do not try to sell your company using sales language on your Facebook page. No one will care. Here are some examples of what not to do.
• Do not say, "Click here to learn about our latest sale." Rather, say, "We're busy getting ready for our biggest sale of the season. What do you hope to see us offer?"
• Do not say, "If you sign up today, you'll get a free...." Rather, you may want to say, "We keep our newsletter customers prepared with the latest information and discounts. When you sign up for a newsletter, do you expect something free?"
• Do not say, "Here's a link to where you can buy...." Rather, say, "We've been selling on Amazon.com for years and have a stellar history on the site."
WHAT NOT TO DO
There are plenty of things to "do" to make your Facebook page come to life. However, there are plenty of risks involved in this process, too. As you take into consideration the vast number of ways to promote your page and your product, you also have to take into consideration those "don'ts." That's why we bring them to the forefront now.
Your biggest do not is the most important one - Do not try to sell your company using sales language on your Facebook page. No one will care. Here are some examples of what not to do.
• Do not say, "Click here to learn about our latest sale." Rather, say, "We're busy getting ready for our biggest sale of the season. What do you hope to see us offer?"
• Do not say, "If you sign up today, you'll get a free...." Rather, you may want to say, "We keep our newsletter customers prepared with the latest information and discounts. When you sign up for a newsletter, do you expect something free?"
• Do not say, "Here's a link to where you can buy...." Rather, say, "We've been selling on Amazon.com for years and have a stellar history on the site."
In other words, you want to make your posts engaging. You want people to be able to interact with you from them. Don't just tell them what to do with a "buy this" attitude. Rather, focus on the "what is my reader's opinion, thought or desire in on this topic?"
HOW WILL YOU USE FACEBOOK?
Now that you know what you cannot do to get people to interact with you on this page, it is time to consider what you should do. Rather than a "buy now" message, it pays to put a bit more time into the process and focus on these areas.
INTERACT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS.
Many will use your Facebook page to ask questions. "Where are you located?" "Do you have this or that?" It is a good idea to answer those questions. If the topic is complex, ask them to give you a call.
USE NEWS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Use news media to help stir the pot and to get people talking. If there is something happening in your industry and your organization wants the opinion of customers, ask. For example, if you are an all-organic producer of baby food, you may want to open the discussion about GMO foods. Be sure to state your opinion as it fits your company.
MANAGING THE CRITICS
What about critics? There will be people on your page that want to pick a fight with you. Here's the good news. You can get rid of their messages. Here's the even better news, it is best to work with them instead. Prove them wrong. Make a statement so that others who like your page understand your point of view or your company policy more fully.
GATHER FEEDBACK
Use your Facebook page to help gather feedback. You can always get people talking about the topics you want them to. For example, you could make a post such as this. "We've launched our new line of services. We are excited about these opportunities. We want to hear what you think."
The key to gathering feedback is to get people talking about something that's new, different, not working, or controversial. No one wants to "give away" a free click to your site just because. Rather, they want to know why they should do so. "We are looking to improve our checkout process to streamline it after some customers pinpointed a few problems. Check out our new updates. What do you think? Did we fix the problem?"
EDUCATE THE READER
Another important way to use your Facebook page is to simply educate the reader. Talk to the reader about what you have to offer and why you offer it. The key here is the "why." You want to use this page to tell people about things that are important to your company. Here are some examples of posts that can educate others.
• "Because we are passionate about delivering the best quality to our customers, we go to extremes when it comes to shipping. Here's why we charge for shipping and handling so you get the quality you deserve."
• "During a meeting today, we were discussing the founding of our company. Our philosophy is simple. We set out to establish an organization that really puts the customer first because we were so tired of being disappointed when we purchased this product ourselves."
• "To help you to better understand this disease, we've put together this informative slideshow. There's no charge. Just take the time to read through it to find out if you have this condition."
HOW WILL YOU USE FACEBOOK?
Now that you know what you cannot do to get people to interact with you on this page, it is time to consider what you should do. Rather than a "buy now" message, it pays to put a bit more time into the process and focus on these areas.
INTERACT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS.
Many will use your Facebook page to ask questions. "Where are you located?" "Do you have this or that?" It is a good idea to answer those questions. If the topic is complex, ask them to give you a call.
USE NEWS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Use news media to help stir the pot and to get people talking. If there is something happening in your industry and your organization wants the opinion of customers, ask. For example, if you are an all-organic producer of baby food, you may want to open the discussion about GMO foods. Be sure to state your opinion as it fits your company.
MANAGING THE CRITICS
What about critics? There will be people on your page that want to pick a fight with you. Here's the good news. You can get rid of their messages. Here's the even better news, it is best to work with them instead. Prove them wrong. Make a statement so that others who like your page understand your point of view or your company policy more fully.
GATHER FEEDBACK
Use your Facebook page to help gather feedback. You can always get people talking about the topics you want them to. For example, you could make a post such as this. "We've launched our new line of services. We are excited about these opportunities. We want to hear what you think."
The key to gathering feedback is to get people talking about something that's new, different, not working, or controversial. No one wants to "give away" a free click to your site just because. Rather, they want to know why they should do so. "We are looking to improve our checkout process to streamline it after some customers pinpointed a few problems. Check out our new updates. What do you think? Did we fix the problem?"
EDUCATE THE READER
Another important way to use your Facebook page is to simply educate the reader. Talk to the reader about what you have to offer and why you offer it. The key here is the "why." You want to use this page to tell people about things that are important to your company. Here are some examples of posts that can educate others.
• "Because we are passionate about delivering the best quality to our customers, we go to extremes when it comes to shipping. Here's why we charge for shipping and handling so you get the quality you deserve."
• "During a meeting today, we were discussing the founding of our company. Our philosophy is simple. We set out to establish an organization that really puts the customer first because we were so tired of being disappointed when we purchased this product ourselves."
• "To help you to better understand this disease, we've put together this informative slideshow. There's no charge. Just take the time to read through it to find out if you have this condition."
The goal is to give them something they want and need about your company, your industry, your product, or your service. Educate them in a way that will get them talking. Most importantly, don't say something they already know.
It is also a good idea to use this site to educate about both your business and the industry. However, remember that what you say here needs to fit with your company's goals, not to mention your business objectives!
PUT SOME TIME INTO IT
Though it would be easy to fire off ten posts on Facebook in a short amount of time in the hopes of landing some great new "likes," you'll get more attention if you offer something people can't find elsewhere. Deliver something unique.
This means creating posts as well as blog posts that you later link to in your Facebook page that are thought provoking, interesting and downright strange. The more unique you make it the better off the post will be in the eyes of the reader.
Here are some tips:
• Use photos that are well done and brightly colored.
• Be sure to use words that get people's attention rather than a boring statement.
• Don't be a downer all the time. People are attracted to others who are positive and friendly, not boring and complaining all of the time.
• Imbed a few videos into your page. Remember, this does not have to be just about your business. You can find a fun video on Youtube and share it on your page.
• Be a person rather than a company. This means using "I" pronouns. If you are a large company, say "we" more often. The key here is to encourage people to interact with you. They want someone to talk to, not just a company no-name.
• You can be humorous and charismatic. Think about the guy at the party that gets all of the laughs but is still respected at work the next day. That's who you want to be.
It is also a good idea to use this site to educate about both your business and the industry. However, remember that what you say here needs to fit with your company's goals, not to mention your business objectives!
PUT SOME TIME INTO IT
Though it would be easy to fire off ten posts on Facebook in a short amount of time in the hopes of landing some great new "likes," you'll get more attention if you offer something people can't find elsewhere. Deliver something unique.
This means creating posts as well as blog posts that you later link to in your Facebook page that are thought provoking, interesting and downright strange. The more unique you make it the better off the post will be in the eyes of the reader.
Here are some tips:
• Use photos that are well done and brightly colored.
• Be sure to use words that get people's attention rather than a boring statement.
• Don't be a downer all the time. People are attracted to others who are positive and friendly, not boring and complaining all of the time.
• Imbed a few videos into your page. Remember, this does not have to be just about your business. You can find a fun video on Youtube and share it on your page.
• Be a person rather than a company. This means using "I" pronouns. If you are a large company, say "we" more often. The key here is to encourage people to interact with you. They want someone to talk to, not just a company no-name.
• You can be humorous and charismatic. Think about the guy at the party that gets all of the laughs but is still respected at work the next day. That's who you want to be.
Making your Facebook page come to life means leaving out the sales language and using more of a focused plan of action to get people to talk to you, interact with you and, perhaps most importantly, to go to your page and to buy from you.
Save your sales language for your landing page instead. It will work better than there on your Facebook page.
Save your sales language for your landing page instead. It will work better than there on your Facebook page.
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