In the previous blog, we get to know what is social media and different types of it and today, I will explain why the business should use the Facebook in details. Firstly, Facebook is a social networking site and has 665 million daily (Smith, 2013) active users and now many companies use Facebook to promote their brands as well as their products. Also, in the past the business often uses one-way communication but the Facebook helps to turn it into a more interactive model of communication which is the business can delivery its information to the customers and the customers can give their feedback and thoughts back to the business (Sengupta, 2012)
There are many benefits that the business can get by using the Facebook for marketing (Smith,2013; Belicove, 2009; Shen & Bissell,2013):
- Build relationships with customers:
The first benefits is building a relationship with your customers because Facebook provide the opportunity to let you connect with your customers and build a trusting relationship gradually. When people likes the Fan page of the business, it means that they are interesting in this brand and they can find out more about the brand through the posts of business. If the post is useful and meaningful, people will trust the business gradually and willing to share it with their friends and family.
2.Engage with the customer and influence your prospects:
The customers can engage with the brand on a Facebook Fan Page by posting them ask and answer questions, share their video and photos about the products on the business’s Facebook Wall. And the business can also communicate back with the customers by replying the comments or posts.
Moreover, the customers can become brand ambassadors of the business. For example, If the Dove share the tips to take care of skin on its wall, and the customers see it and think it is useful. So they share the post of Dove to their friends and may influence theirs friends to like the Fan page and even become aware of Dove or its products.
3.Increase brand awareness and reinforce brand loyalty:
The business can introduce its new products, promotions or campaign in its wall and the post will pop up on the newsfeed of the customers, so the customers will know about it. Those posts also help to remind the customers about the brand, thus it will Increase brand awareness and reinforce brand loyalty.
4.Drives Traffic to Your Website:
Most of the business will leave a link to their website in their Fan page and their posts. Then a small portion of Facebook huge amount of daily active users that redirect to the business’s website could improve the amount of qualifies traffic on their sites
Example: In the Dove’ Fan page, it has more than 26,000,000 people that can see its new post on their newsfeed and the business can leave its information which including its website in the “About” box and as you see in the picture, Dove also leave the link to its website in their post as well. So if people see the Dove’s post pop up on their newsfeed and they are interesting about it, they will click to the link and go to the Dove’s website.
Picture 1: Dove Facebook Fan page (Source: https://goo.gl/p1w3We)
5.Improve your business:
The customers may let down their guard and be honest to share their information with the business and others about how do they feel about the products and services, the good and bad experience and also some of their opinions or comments will helps the company improve their business.
For example: The link in the post below of Dove was not working, but then the customers noticed and comment to tell the Dove about it, so the Dove can fix the link right away.
(Source: https://goo.gl/p1w3We)
6.Improve your SEO:
The new Social Search feature of Google is now listing contents that are created on sites such as Facebook, your Fan Page content therefore will have the potential to generate favorable search engine results. By connecting your Fan Page to your website, you can use Social Search to drive even more viewers back to your site.
Example: When people type the brand on the search engines like in picture 1, it is not only shows the main website, but also shows the Facebook’s page of the business and in picture 2, the customers use the Social Search of Google, they will leaded to the Fan Page as well. So that will increase the chance that your customers will redirect to your website.
Picture 2: Search “Dove” on Google (Source: https://goo.gl/P0Pi3q)
Picture 3: Search “Dove” on Google Social Search (Source:https://goo.gl/hkKohB)
Overall, the beauty companies should use the Facebook marketing because it has lots of benefits, but like other digital marketing, the major disadvantages of the Facebook marketing is the business can not control the content, comments, post that post by the customers about its products or services. However, the business can contact the customer and solve the problems right away and it will helps to increase the reputation of the business as well.
Reference:
Belicove, M. E. (2009) 10 Ways a Facebook Fan Page Helps Your Business. [Online] <https://goo.gl/AnX9yC> [Assesses 9 May 2016]
Sengupta, S. (2012). Facebook’s prospects may rest on trove of data. The New York Times. [Online] < http://goo.gl/zwAqpU> [Assesses 9 May 2016]
Shen,B. & Bissell K. (2013) Social Media, Social Me: A Content Analysis of Beauty Companies’ Use of Facebook in Marketing and Branding. Journal of Promotion Management. Volume 19 (Issue 5).
Smith, J. (2013) 3 Reasons Why YOUR Business Should be using Facebook Marketing. [Online] <http://goo.gl/aWT8hR> [Assesses 9 May 2016]