How to Promote your

Business on FaceBook?

In the last few years, companies have used FaceBook as a marketing channel to promote brand awareness. A research taken with 98 global brands identified eight factors that increase the numbers of “Likes” and “Shares” on FaceBook. The three factors below are the most successful ones.

Express your company through photos: Every picture tells a story, but this must be communicated quickly, easily and more importantly creatively. It requires more thought and effort compared to a text posted in order to receive many “likes”.

Humour is the best social medicine: People like to laugh. Posts that generate a chuckle receives a significant boost in the number of “likes”.

Humorous post, like this photo on Heineken’s FaceBook page received many “likes”.

Another example is if you are a local footwear store, you might consider posting a video like this:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=booba%27s+new+shoes

Educate the fans: Brands that generate or passed along information designed to fan’s enrichment and education, through wall posts also gained a high number of “likes”.

Messsages that prevent posts from being liked are:

• Long Messages.

• Event Pictures or Description: ie: “coming soon” event do not get many “likes”.

• Social Causes Affiliation: consumers do not care about the same causes as you.

• Enter contests Messages: Funnily enough does not receive many “likes” even if it liked upon.

Malhotra et al (2012) suggests another technique. In order to drive comments to wall posts are is necessary to ask questions. When brands asked, people answered. There is a sense of “talking back” to the brand. Brands are now asking fans ideas on how to improve offers and also to design new offers. This practice propagates a brand’s philosophy of customer inclusiveness. Engagement though FaceBook is becoming a critical element of any organisation’s marketing strategy as it generates richer conversation and also converts consumer into ambassador of the brand. Shonner (2011) stated that the average user spends more than 15 hours a month on FaceBook, so its no surprise that business are scrambling for a way to make use of this marketing channel.

For an ad to be effective on Facebook is important to have high relevance, a compelling call-to–action and a solid value proposition.
Below there are some ads on FaceBook and we will look at the strength and weakness:

This ad was on my FaceBook homepage. What a better time to advertise male presents? Near Valentine’s day. Of course! FaceBook’s power of customisation, as they know that on my profile states “I am on a relationship”. The picture chosen and the call-of-action above is great as Beckham easily gets attention from girls.

Advertises can target specific types on FaceBook users on a cost per 1,000 impressions basis. This option requires a minimum spend commitment of [Euro] 5,000. One of the attractions on FaceBook it is claimed targeting ability. For instance, if an advertiser wants, it could create targeting filters for its ads so that they just reach girls aged between 18 and 21 living in a specific city who are in college (O’Connel & Siobhan, 2010).

It’s very clear: Free shipping and $10 off if you spent more than $100 and the coupon given on the FaceBook page. However, the call-to-action needs some improvement.

Forouzandeh et al (2014) stated that social network could change and revolutionise e-commerce. The broader and stronger the communication among the users is, the higher the level of sale and service provision will be. This leads to an understanding of users, and the higher the level of understating, the higher the chance of selling goods, because knowing the users according to their behaviour and needs causes better prediction about what services should be provided next (Forouzandeh et al 2014)

The video below gives an idea of how important is Social media is important and also the amount of people that have engaged on it in the last couple of years, so why not to engage your company on Facebook?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pahLo5TTy4

References:

Forouzandeh, S; Soltanpanah, H & Sheikhahmadi “Content Marketing through data mining on FaceBook social network. Available at: http://www.webology.org/2014/v11n1/a118.pdf

Malhotra, A; Kubowicz, C & See A.(2012) “ How to Create Brand Engagement on FaceBook”. Mitsloan Management Review. Available at: http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-create-brand-engagement-on-facebook/

O’Connel & Siobhan (2010) ‘Wher eyeballs go, advertisers follow as ‘cost per click’ draws FaceBook fans’. Irish Times. Available at: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.brighton.ac.uk/docview/744208000/fulltext/2FF0360C5E9D40C5PQ/1?accountid=9727

Shooner, J (2011) “ FaceBook Marketing”. Landscape Management , Vol 50 Issue 10 p.120-122

Slagen, D (2012) “10 Examples of FaceBook Ads that actually work (and why). Available: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33319/10-Examples-of-Facebook-Ads-That-Actually-Work-And-Why.aspx