How To Make Facebook Ads

When Facebook’s developers introduced the “Like” button, the very experience of being on the social network changed. Now people had a way of evaluating content based on the number of people who had clicked the “Like” button.

The formula behind the “Like” feature on Facebook was simple: the more votes a particular item has, the more likely people are going to take interest in an ad, News Feed item, etc. So the more votes your ads get, the better the results.

Below are the basic forms of advertisement available on Facebook.

Ad # 1: The Basic Like Ad

The most common type of ad on Facebook is the Basic Like Ad. Basic Like Ads are usually preferred by established and up-and-coming brands to increase brand awareness and strengthen brand loyalty. This type of ad has four components:

-        The title of the ad (maximum of 25 characters)

-        Thumbnail (the thumbnail can feature either an image or a video)

-        Like statistics (this part of the add will show how many people have already clicked “Like” on your ad)

-        Sales copy (the text or story on the ad)

Ad # 2: The Poll Ad

The Poll Ad allows you to get feedback directly from targeted Facebook users whether or not the users are already fans of your Facebook page or not. This advertisement presents a simple question to the Facebook user.

The Facebook user can then select an answer from a drop-down list of choices. Once the user has made his selection, aggregated statistics from other user responses are shown. This Poll Ad has the following components:

-        The title of the ad

-        Thumbnail

-        Sales copy

-        Poll question (maximum of 40 characters)

-        List of responses to the poll question (minimum of two choices)

Ad # 3: The Event Ad

Like a regular Event, the Event ad allows people to ‘attend’ events through the Facebook home page. Facebook users can also invite their contacts to attend the same event.

When a Facebook user responds to an Event ad, a drop-down menu appears automatically so the user can type the names of friends that he/she wishes to invite. Facebook users also have the option of adding a customized message to the invitation before sending out the invites. The components of the Event Ad are:

-        Name of the event (maximum of 25 characters; the title of the event must match what the event is all about. Also, the title of the ad itself must link to a page within the Facebook network)

-        Thumbnail

-        Date of the event (Month and day, plus the time)

-        Location of the event (maximum of 28 characters)

-        Sales copy

-        RSVP feature (will have three buttons for three answers: yes, maybe, and no)  

-        Drop-down invitation feature (search box for contact selections, text box for customized message for contacts and a “Send Invitations” button)

Ad # 4: The Sampling Ad

If you are selling food, clothing, or other consumables and you want people to discover how awesome your products  are by giving away samples, the Sampling Ad is a good option. If you want your brand to be tied strongly to a particular class of products, this is the way to go.

People will automatically associate a particular product with your brand. The Sampling Ad is simple and features a call to action that people will not ignore because they are getting something of value for free right off their Facebook home page or profile page.

Once a person clicks the link that states “Get a free _____”, a drop-down menu appears so the person can select what type of product they want. They will also be able to provide you with the shipping address. The components of the Sampling Ad are:

-        Title

-        Thumbnail

-        Specific product (includes information about contacts who have also opted to receive the free product)

-        Sales copy

-        Drop-down menu (contains three text fields: address, town/city, and postal code)

Ad # 5: The Video Comment Ad

Sometimes a regular video upload is not enough to draw attention to a video that simply has to go viral. That’s where the Video Comment Ad comes in.

People are able to watch videos directly from the advertising pane (located on the right side of the Facebook home page or Facebook profile) and comment directly on the advertisement.

Facebook users who see and interact with your advertisement can read the comments from other Facebook users who have seen and responded to the video. The components of the Video Comment Ad are:

-        Title

-        Thumbnail

-        Comments section

-        Sales copy

Before you start making advertisements on Facebook, follow these essential tips:

• The easiest way to attract attention to an advertisement is by presenting the reader with a burning question or a striking question.

This is one of the oldest yet most effective copywriting techniques and is still considered effective in the age of social media marketing. Think of a question that people will answer with a wholehearted yes and you’ve got a winning ad on your hands already.

•  Urgency is another important factor that forces the Facebook user to look specifically at the contents of your advertisement.

The word “today” is an effective anchor when you wish to create urgency in a Facebook ad. For example, if you want people to sign up for a special newsletter, you can write “Sign Up Today” on your advertisement so people look at the reason why you have to sign up immediately. Then follow up with some convincing text on the body of the advertisement.

•  If your promotion involves discounts or other special privileges, don’t forget to highlight these in your ad. Instead of trying to introduce your brand directly to your target audience, introduce your special offer to get them to click on your ad.

People normally look at the incentive before looking at the brand. If a person sees “Get 80% Discount Today!” he will click first and look at the source of the discount later. That’s how the market generally responds to special offers.

• The language that you use in your Facebook ads also has a large bearing on their success. If your advertisement comes across as unclear because you use long-winded language, your ads will not generate the results that you want.

So as a rule of thumb, express big things with small, simple words. It may take some practice, but this particular tip will carry your ads a long way because your message will be understood by everyone.

•  Every advertisement on Facebook has a thumbnail image. Don’t just upload any old image for your ads. Choose the most memorable and most engaging images you have for your ads. Pictures can draw even the busiest Facebook user toward the advertisement pane.

If the image generates enough interest, the Facebook user will read your ad and click on the “Like” button or may even click the link to your website or Facebook page. This type of result will only appear if the elements of your advertisement are memorable and come together beautifully when presented to your targeted audience.

•  If you want to sell something outright to your audience, there’s no point in directing them to a Facebook page that does not have an extension of your online store. So if you want them to buy directly, don’t make the process more difficult than necessary.

If the advertisement presents a 50% discount on shoes, give them a link that leads them to a web page where they can buy shoes at 50% discount.

You only have a few seconds to convince someone to buy – take full advantage of those seconds so you can maximize your return on investment (ROI) when you begin spending for Facebook ads.

•  If you’re selling products to just one state or city, limit the presentation of your ads to a specific state or city. There’s no point in showing your ads to Facebook users from other countries or states if they aren’t your actual market.

Every ad impression should bring you closer to an actual sale. By limiting the viewership of your ads geographically, you are zeroing in on your actual customers.

•  Utilize existing customer data so you can determine your ideal target audiences on Facebook.

•  If you want to draw in people based on what they like, focus on genuine human interests instead of lone keywords. Broaden your scope when creating content for your ads to draw in as many likely customers or fans as possible.

Instead of targeting just one large mass of customers, create custom advertising campaigns for specific segments of your market. That way you can zero in the specific interests of people and the response to your ads will increase significantly.

How to Have Successful Facebook Pages

In an earlier section of the my blog, we discussed the main parts of a Facebook page or profile. Let’s move on to the smaller (yet brilliantly useful) elements of a Facebook page.

Note that all of these elements come together to increase the informative nature and usefulness of your Facebook page. Don’t forget to use each element when the need arises.

•  Picture. I’m going to repeat another old adage here: A picture speaks a thousand words. So don’t waste the opportunity of creating a lasting impression on potential fans by posting a bad picture on your Facebook page.

If you run a business, it is considered a best practice to post a shiny, well-crafted logo or insignia as the Facebook page’s main picture.

It’s a worthy investment because people might forget about your status updates and all, but a striking logo can make people remember your business long after they’ve clicked the “Like” button on your Facebook page.

If you run a business such as life coaching or business coaching and you want your name and face to be out there, visit a photo studio to get a bright and winning portrait shot. Themed shots are a great choice because people will associate your business with your physical likeness. There’s instant recall and instant recognition at the same time.

•  Information. People click on the Information tab of Facebook pages to find out more about a business. If you run a specialty burger joint, people will expect to see your operating hours, location/address, ownership details, etc.

If you own a computer retail shop, people will likewise want to know when your store opens and how to contact your store for sales inquiries, repair inquiries, and warranties.

So when you’re filling up the Information area of your Facebook page, think broad and specific. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and think: What would I want to know if I were a customer?

•  Photos. If you have relevant photos to share with fans, don’t hesitate to tag people in your photos. By tagging people, specific photos will appear on the fans’ Facebook walls. At the same time, this creates a unique item that will appear on your fans’ News Feed.

When you tag someone, people will be able to re-trace the source of the post. This actually helps spread the news of the existence of your page. If done correctly, this may increase the number of fans you have on your Facebook page.

•  Events. Inviting people to events has never been easier with the Events feature in Facebook pages. This feature allows you to send an instant alert to your fans about an upcoming event. The alert will show up on your fans’ home pages.

•  Videos. Whether you have a pricey HD video camera or an iPhone, you can shoot, upload, and share videos with your fans instantly on your page through Facebook’s video platform. In addition to high-speed sharing, you can also tag people in your business videos. Neat!

Facebook Page Design Guidelines

•  Simplicity is still the best way to go even in the age of social media marketing. People are already barraged by endless advertisements throughout the day. When potential fans visit your Facebook page, they’ll appreciate a simple, neat design that’s easy on their eyes.

Avoid bright colors and painfully stimulating animations on your Facebook page. Provide stimulating and engaging content instead.

If you have to use Facebook apps, choose the ones that absolutely have to be on the page and discard the rest. The less the clutter on you Facebook page, the better.

•  As I have mentioned before, content is king. You need to keep your Facebook page fresh and interesting and give your fans a reason to return. If you update your Facebook page once every six months, I can assure you – people will not be interested in what you have to say.

When a Facebook page is rarely updated, people get the impression that you’re only there to dabble in some social media experiment and you don’t really care about your customers. People are very sensitive about these things and if you want participation and feedback from your customers, you have to first interact with them.

•  Always keep in mind that your Facebook page is there for your customers and fans. It’s not about us (the marketers); it’s about them. If your Facebook page is all about “me, me, me and more me”, people will take one good look and never come back.

But if you are able to hook them in with engaging status updates, contests, and other special promotions, you will win over fans for life. And real fans will go to bat for you if your business seems to be in ill shape because of bad press.

Imagine fans voluntarily defending your business when others are more interested in attacking it. That’s the true power of establishing a deep and meaningful connection with customers. Treat them well and they will treat your business well, too.

•  Page visitors can easily trust your business if you show them that you’re an authority or expert in whatever it is that you do.

The key word here is excellence. Position yourself in such a way that people believe that you’re the best in your chosen market. This may take a few hours or a day or two of serious brainstorming, but trust me – it works!

• When it comes to brand awareness, nothing beats a Facebook page that has been designed to project a likable personality.

Remember: people spend a lot of time on the Internet and folks generally have a good idea of what a likable website looks like. A Facebook page is no different. It’s still a website, even though it’s part of a large social networking platform.

Visit the Facebook pages of your favorite brands and see what those companies are up to. You’ll get instant inspiration just by studying what other businesses are doing.

Of course, I don’t recommend that you imitate another Facebook page completely. Focus on how things were done rather than the specifics of the final product.

•  Let’s not take away the social nature of social media. I have observed this in many, many Facebook pages: page administrators/owners simply do not take notice of feedback from fans. Some fans even express their frustration that they seem to be commenting on an inactive business page.

Some Facebook pages may be genuinely inactive, but I bet more than half of those pages have owners who don’t know how valuable customer feedback can be. So don’t be like those guys. When someone leaves a sensible message on your page’s wall, respond to the comment.

If someone complains, respond tactfully. When people see that you value people’s feedback, they’ll fall in love even more with your business or brand.

•  Never forget to reward your fans for any efforts they may exert on your business’ behalf. The reward system is the easiest way to convince someone to be a Facebook page fan, for example.

Many Facebook pages offer exclusive material that will only become available to a Facebook user if he or she clicks on the “Like” button located on the top of the screen.

If a person is really interested in your business, the choice is easy: click once and get exclusive content! Other business owners also use their fan base as a think tank.

For example, if you sell donuts and you want a snazzy slogan for your business, you can offer discounts and freebies to people in exchange for their feedback.

For the price of a few freebies, you’ll be able to access the very heart of your niche or market. And that itself is a priceless opportunity that no marketer worth his or her name should miss.

Read Facebook’s specific rules and guidelines before making your own Facebook page.

How to Set Up Your Facebook Page’s Fan Base

A Facebook page with zero fans is utterly pointless and is of no use to the business owner who wishes to connect to consumers through the social network. Building a Facebook page is the easy part – getting the word out that your page exists and that people should become fans is a completely different challenge.

Is it possible to amass hundreds of thousands of fans? Of course! Anything is possible if you really work on it. Facebook marketing is not a shortcut method though. Just like other marketing approaches, Facebook marketing requires a lot of hard work.

Communicating with people is easy; it’s the search for actual fans that’s hard. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been down that road and I’ve learned a couple of things that will help you amass a large number of fans. Let’s get started!

Fan Base Strategies

It’s time to make your Facebook page shine like a rock star!

The following are some easy-to-follow strategies that you can use to increase the number of fans of your Facebook business page.

      I.     In an early section of this book, I suggested that you create a regular Facebook profile. There is a reason for this. You see, when you start adding personal contacts to your profile’s network, you are actually gaining potential fans for your Facebook page.

We all have to start somewhere, and what better place to start than your own Facebook profile? Your acquaintances will be easy to convince, too! There are several ways to inform your friends and acquaintances about your business page. The simplest way is to take advantage of your contacts’ news feeds.

When you log on to Facebook, the first thing that you’ll see is your news feed. On the top portion of the news feed is your status update box. Write a short, compelling description of your Facebook page and then add a link to the page. Then click “Share.” Your status update will appear on your contacts’ news feeds.

Another way to get your contacts’ attention is by creating a special image of your Facebook page. Put the details of your Facebook page on an image and tag your friends. You can tag many friends in just one picture so feel free to click away.

When an image has reached its maximum tagging capacity, simply upload an identical copy of your first digital poster/image and tag your other contacts. Don’t forget to click “Done Tagging” on the lower left side of the page so any changes on your images will be saved.

Your Facebook page also has a basic sharing feature that will allow you to send an automated message about your page to up to twenty individual contacts. Use this feature, too. I recommend that you use multiple approaches when spreading the word about your Facebook page.

      II.    A Facebook page can be optimized so that search engines will be able to index it more quickly.

The idea here is to help interested folks find your page faster when they type specific keywords in a search engine like Yahoo! or Google. (Just make sure that your page can be viewed by anyone. If not, search engines won’t be able to index it!)

For example, if your page is about your sporting goods store, you can add content that is related to sporting goods.

You can add quality information about gym equipment, sports equipment, etc. Use free online keyword tools like Google Adwords (adwords.google.com) to find keywords that have a high local (or global, if you are targeting an international market) search volume.

There are many considerations when choosing keywords to utilize in on-site optimization (and this topic alone will require several books’ worth of discussion), but I can give you this advice: choose keywords with a high monthly search volume but with little or no competition.

This way you won’t have to exert so much effort in outdoing others for specific keywords. You can also try advertising your Facebook page using search engine advertisement programs. You can choose to “pay per click” or pay based on number of impressions or views.

The name of your page also has a large bearing on Facebook search results and search engine results. For example, if you are selling special ice cream with fresh fruit but your Facebook page’s name is just “Judy & Ben’s”, people won’t associate your page immediately with special ice cream with fresh fruit.

Think of more creative ways of representing your page through your page’s title or name, so people are enticed to click when your page appears on search results.

Remember: until your potential fans land on your actual Facebook page, the only thing that matters is that they click on the link that leads to your Facebook page.

People may write a gazillion things about keyword relevance and all that, but in the end, it’s the click that matters. Once a potential fan clicks, your Facebook fan page must then act as fly paper so you can get the most out of each person’s visit.

Of course, the first goal is to get them to click on the  button. You can type something like “We love you guys! Hope you ‘Like’ us too, okay?!”

If you think this won’t work for your particular market, as I’ve already discussed earlier, you can offer them something of value in exchange for clicking the “Like” button.

Offer exclusive content and even resources. If you’re selling products online, offer a small discount for fans (give away digital coupon codes that you can post when someone clicks on the “Like” button).

      III.      Do you see those little boxes on the right column of your Facebook home page? Those are advertisements. As you can see, many of those advertisements are for Facebook pages. If you have the budget for it, you can also try advertising on Facebook to get more Facebook fans to join your page.

Who is Your Audience?

Identifying and connecting with your target audience is your primary goal when marketing on a social network like Facebook.

Facebook marketing offers the luxury of having access to a virtually unlimited pool of customers. However, the nature of Facebook (as a social network) also means you have to perform a little paradigm shift if you want to succeed. A social network is not an online marketplace.

People log on to Facebook to connect with friends and family, not to buy stuff. (Well, not primarily.) If people do decide to buy stuff from Facebook, it’s because they are really interested in a product. However, unlike an online marketplace like eBay, a person does not have a buying mindset when on Facebook.

Conventional marketing usually involves making a hard sell to people. That’s the equivalent of using a megaphone to attract people so they buy something from you. Do not use this type of marketing on Facebook. If you want to establish a long-lasting relationship with your buyers, this is not the way to go.

Instead of creating a Facebook page that simply advertises your product or service, it’s better to create a page where people who are interested in your product and service can come to talk about what your business is offering.

Alternatively, you can create a “general interest” Facebook page that easily attracts lots of people – not because of your brand (not outright), but because of the general topic of your Facebook page.

If your Facebook page becomes a viral hit because of the number of fans and the topics being discussed, you can easily make a soft sell of your brand. If you have a good product or service, people will turn to you if they need your product or service.

In Focus: Facebook Members That Matter

Don’t expect everyone to be interested in what you have to sell or what you have to say on your Facebook page. Only your market or specialized niche will respond, and this is a good thing.

If you have hundreds of thousands of fans on your Facebook page but no one is actually buying, that doesn’t do your business any good. So before heading out to market your business on a social network, put yourself in the shoes of your average customer.

Here are some things that you should research so you can engage in effective Facebook marketing:

1. What age bracket will most likely be interested in your product or service?

2. If you represent an organization, what specific personal values will be important to potential fans of your organization?

3. What common interests are shared by those in your niche or market?

4. In what way does your product or service enhance the life of your niche/market?

5. How can you attract others to take interest in your product/service?

6. Why would anyone want to hit the “Like” button on your Facebook page and participate in any of your contests, surveys, etc.? What can you offer people so they will willingly participate in brand awareness campaigns, etc.?

The Four Main Goals of Facebook Marketing

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out in the business, your general marketing plan should always include the following:

- Brand creation and brand awareness

- Boosting actual sales

- Community-building

- Collecting and utilizing feedback about your product or service

Crafting a Brand

Branding allows people to immediately recognize and differentiate a product/service from similar brands/services available in the market. A brand is essentially an anchor that reels in people so that they purchase from your business instead of other businesses. A brand attracts and gains loyalty over time.

It’s the brand that penetrates and stays in a person’s buying mindset. That’s why it’s so important to create a strong first impression with your brand. The same principles apply when you’re creating a brand on a social network like Facebook.

Your business/product/service brand is not just the shiny logo and name that you post on your Facebook page. A brand is much more than just a sign or symbol. Your brand personifies a unique experience tied intimately with the use of your product or service.

If you’re selling food, your brand is tied intimately with the texture, color, and flavors that your food products provide when someone purchases some from your business. If your business sells furniture, your brand isn’t just a name – it’s the entire package that your business has to offer.

One of the best things about building brand awareness on a social network like Facebook is that social interaction can occur naturally. People can post their comments and feedback easily.

Other people can respond to fellow fans and the business owner can also respond to negative or positive feedback. Your primary goal when you want to generate interest in what your business has to offer is to get your name out there.

You have to post and share as often as you can to reach as many customers as possible. Your posts also have to generate social stories that will help push along your message. When your Facebook fans begin marketing your business for you, you’ll have the full benefit of Facebook marketing.

How to use Facebook for Business and Marketing

Succeeding in Five Crucial Areas

Building a profitable and sustainable business is possible with social media marketing. You just have to be aware of how to implement the best practices for each crucial area of your business. This section I will reveal to you the most practical and most effective practices for each crucial area.

Product Creation

Product creation can be extremely tricky and risky if you have no idea what your market wants. You can end up spending a lot of money or time in developing products that no one wants to buy. Take your time, research see what others are doing, make a plan and then implement.

You can eliminate this risk by working closely with your niche/market through Facebook marketing. Here are some ways that you can use Facebook to help your product creation efforts:

•  Launch a campaign to gather feedback from your market. You can have a general idea for a product and then ask people what they want to see in the product.

For example, if you’re selling a new book for a specific niche like beekeeping, you can ask beekeeping enthusiasts what they want to see in a new, up-to-date beekeeping guide.

You can convince people to respond to your new campaign by offering something of value. Many businesses run contests to encourage people to join the conversation on Facebook. Once you have enough feedback from your market, you can tighten loose ends by having your fans vote for the features or product characteristics that they like the best.

•  Create awareness about your campaign. Again, never underestimate the power of advertising on a huge social network like Facebook.

Don’t forget to send an email blast to your email list (if you have one) and promote your new Facebook campaign offline as well. The more people that you can drive to your event or campaign, the better. The higher the number of participants, the better the chances of getting quality feedback that will help your product creation efforts.

•  Be active! Once you’ve launched your campaign, stay on your toes. The worst thing you can do to a campaign of this nature is to ‘leave the office.’ Just because Facebook pages will automatically accept comments and other input doesn’t mean that your work is done.

All forms of social media marketing require regular monitoring. If you want your efforts to succeed, you have to watch how your campaign develops throughout the days, weeks, or even months (if it was geared to run for months).

Increasing Awareness

Increasing awareness is not limited to your Facebook page in general. You can generate attention for a ton of other things such as actual promotional events, contests, etc.

•  Effective Facebook ads. Read just a little bit about copywriting before designing your Facebook ads. Trust me – the time you spend reading about this form of writing will pay off almost immediately. In the world of advertising, there are only two kinds of ads: ads that generate interest and ads that people absolutely dislike.

Of course, we want our ads to be liked, so you have to write effective ads before launching your Facebook ads. Like other text-and-image based ads, Facebook ads are limited. Don’t worry.

Instead of making a grand gesture with your ads, focus on the top features of what you’re trying to promote and invite people to take a look (or at least, click the “Like” button).

•  Embedded calls to action. When you ask someone to click on a link or answer an online poll, that’s a “call to action.” The call to action is the last thing that people read when they see ads. But that doesn’t mean that you can only place calls to action on Facebook ads.

Remember: Once people start clicking the “Like” button on your Facebook page, your list of fans will start grow. Fans will see your Wall posts on their news feeds and voila: you can place calls to action for nearly anything. You can invite your fans to an event, inform them of a new product offering, and so on.

Encouraging Preference Over Other Brands

When people start talking about your product or service, that means you were able to place a firm anchor on your market’s imagination. You can further boost preference for your product or service by following these steps:

•  Feedback is number 1. Congratulations, people like your product! But that’s not the end of the journey. You have to find out why people like your product so much.Is it the quality? Is your product unique? Ask your fans nicely and they’ll respond. Don’t forget to use the Questions feature on your Facebook page; then use the Facebook Page Insights tool to find out more about your target audiences.

•  Current perceptions vs. ideal perception. When a new brand is introduced to a market, people imagine the brand to have certain characteristics. These perceptions are called current perceptions and may not be completely aligned with what you had in mind in the first place.

If you think the current perception is too far off the mark, then you must define the various differentiation points between the current perception of your brand (what people think about your brand now) and the ideal perception (the kind of perception and brand awareness that is in line with your marketing goals).

Again, getting feedback is the most effective way of getting this vital piece of information.

If you adjust a campaign without first knowing what your market is actually thinking about your brand, then your market might not respond at all to the change. If you want guaranteed results from your campaigns, the first step is to dig deep into the mindset of your market.

•  Facebook integration. When someone approaches me about Facebook marketing, I always tell the person that Facebook should not be treated as a separate marketing method, especially when online marketing is used. Facebook is not just a website; it’s an entire social experience.

You wouldn’t want to separate this particular chunk of your marketing efforts from all the other marketing efforts you have in motion, would you?

So whether you have one website or ten or even a hundred, make sure that you integrate your Facebook campaign with all of your relevant websites. Engaging content that is tailor-fit for your market should be provided regularly, too.

Boosting Buyer Traffic

If there is no traffic to your Facebook page (and all your other websites), you won’t generate any profit from your online marketing.

Some people spend so much time designing and beautifying their websites that they forget the main goal of every marketing effort: sales. On the World Wide Web, the twin sister of sales is traffic. Neither will exist without the other. To keep traffic flowing to your Facebook page, follow these tips:

•  Goals, goals, goals. Inviting people to join a Facebook Page or Facebook Group is one thing. But what about sales? You need to generate profit from all your hard work. And to generate profit, you need sales – lots of sales.

An actual sale is the end-point; in order to arrive at this end-point, you need specific goals. If you are just starting out with online marketing, start small. Ask yourself: What do you want to sell to your fans, and how do you intend to promote that product or service?

Think of different ways to promote a single product and test your theories. Not all Facebook Events and promotional activities will draw enough attention. Not every campaign is a hundred percent successful. But that is in itself not a bad thing!

Because once fans ignore a particular campaign you gain instant insight about your market.

Of course, you won’t repeat a bad campaign ever again. Instead, you’ll be able to learn from what your market does not like so you can come up with a new promotional campaign that they will like and respond to.

•  Highlight your promotion. Don’t be content with just posting information about a promotional event on your Wall. Instead, create an exclusive tab on your Facebook page about your event.

If you have a contest and a promotional campaign running at the same time, make two separate tabs. That way people will feel they have stumbled upon something very important and you can generate excitement and social stories by jazzing up these exclusive information tabs.

• Maximize the P.O.P. At the point of purchase (P.O.P.), many marketers think they’ve finally succeeded – and yes, who wouldn’t want to see those sales rolling in? But did you know that you can use the point of purchase to further advertise your product or service?

By using the Deals feature on Facebook, Facebook users who click on your Deal will automatically be able to publish on their Walls what they have purchased from you. Continuous sharing is important. So don’t forget to include a “Share on Facebook” link on your product pages so that people can log on to Facebook and post to their walls what they have found on your store.

You can also use Facebook Ads to drive people directly to your landing page or buying page. But you have to inform your readers/fans that when they click on your ad, the link will take them to a website that is not part of the Facebook social network.

Don’t worry! People love transparency and they appreciate it if you don’t try to trick them into thinking that your store is still part of Facebook. Tech-savvy customers can smell a scam a mile away and Facebook ads that are not transparent may be completely ignored by this growing group of Facebook users.

Helping Build Brand Loyalty

Social networks like Facebook are essentially places to establish personal relationships. In Facebook marketing, we take this concept and modify it to fit our needs as business people. So how do we combine marketing with social media in this respect?

The answer has been repeated throughout this book: we need to establish a relationship with our customers.

When a person finds your page — either through a manual search or by clicking on a link posted by a friend — and clicks “Like” on your Facebook page, that means that on a very basic level, that person already wants to connect and have a relationship with what your Facebook page represents: your business.

And what does a relationship entail? You guessed it: communication. Social media without communication is not social media. It’s just empty space. The steps below will help you establish a better connection with your fans.

•  Rinse and repeat. A single post about ‘being on Facebook’ will not be enough to gain the attention of the majority of people. That’s why you must not stop after your initial efforts in inviting fans to your Facebook Page. Rinse and repeat. Never tire of the process, because in the end, it will all pay off.

Use regular email blasts to inform non-fans of the various events on your Facebook page and always tell people about your page.

Make your Facebook Page the center of your marketing campaign and you will gain a lot more insight about your market. When people finally arrive on your Facebook page, don’t forget about frequent updates and relevant content.

•  Become a part of your fans’ lives. This may sound difficult to achieve (well, at least at first), but the most successful social media marketers are able to draw thousands of “Likes” and hundreds of responses with a single post.

Take the popular television show Glee for example. Glee is about a high school glee club that features a very heterogeneous mix of characters. When Glee made its appearance on Facebook, fans literally flocked to ‘join the conversation’. As of this writing, the Glee Facebook Page has thirteen million fans and draws a minimum of five thousand “Likes” with each post.

Your business may not be as big as this television show, but we can certainly learn things from the guys behind the Glee Facebook page.

The Glee Facebook team frequently updates their page and posts a lot of fresh material on a regular basis. Apart from news items, the Glee Facebook Page also brings the fans closer to the cast by providing exclusive photos, videos, interviews, etc.

•  Providing value is essential. People like being rewarded for their efforts, even if it’s just clicking on a “Like” button. So I’m going to repeat what I said earlier about providing value: if you want your fans to respond, you have to give them an incentive to do so. Incentives don’t have to be grand or expensive at all.

For example, you can offer a digital product (i.e. an MP3) if they answer a poll or survey. It’s that easy!

Even if the reward is small, people still like the idea of getting a genuine reward for something that they did for a business. People will think it’s a fair deal, and consequently, they’ll also think that you run a great business because you treat your customers so well.

The Three-Step Facebook Page Strategy

Social media is always about the continuing dialog. Everything that we’ve just discussed can be summed up in a three-step process:

1. Create
2. Communicate
3. Intensify

Step 1: Create

You have to create a strong presence on the social network with a Facebook Page. Facebook pages allow you to create an online presence and a strong brand – not just a static brand that people cannot engage with socially. A Facebook page allows people to express their interests, likes, and dislikes.

After creating your online presence, you have to increase the relevance and interactive nature of your Facebook page by using Facebook applications and relevant third-party plug-ins that are fully compatible with the social network. Everything that you put on your page must be completely relevant and should be in line with short-term and long-term business goals.

Step 2: Communicate

The next step is to communicate with potential fans. The easiest way to do this is by sharing your Facebook page with existing contacts. Using the Facebook Ads service is another way to reach your target market faster. People can click “Like” on your ad if they genuinely find the topic and content of your ad interesting.

If not, they will most likely choose to ignore or even close your ad. When a business owner decides to engage customers or the market in a genuine dialog, he or she will gain a goldmine of insight that would have otherwise been unavailable.

Nothing is more valuable than knowing what your own market likes or dislikes. This way, you can tailor your business to satisfy the desires and needs of your market. You won’t be working in the dark, at all!

Step 3: Intensify

Intensification occurs when a Facebook page begins to generate social stories which are then shared by fans. The goal of intensification is to encourage other people to take action.

For example: if your business focuses on selling ice cream, the goal of intensification is for as many targeted Facebook members to take notice of your Facebook Page and eventually, buy your brand of ice cream.

Again, using advertising services like Facebook Ads will help spread the word about your Facebook page more easily.

If you don’t have a budget yet for a long-term advertising campaign using Facebook Ads, you can still spread the word about your Facebook page by manually inviting people to “Like” your page.

This requires hard work on your part, but the potential returns for your effort are obviously huge. You will be able to build brand awareness and at the same time, create a community that will market your brand for you. And let’s not forget the much needed sales boost, too.

Boosting Sales Using Facebook

Most of the people who are using Facebook aren’t generally interested in buying something outright while logged on to the social network.

While it’s true that doing a hard sell will most likely produce a backlash on your part as the business owner, creating an extension of your online store on Facebook is a completely different proposition entirely.

Boosting sales on a social network requires subtlety and a genuine desire to connect to customers and potential fans. That’s why a hard sell won’t work. If you just post “Buy This!” and “Buy That!” on your Facebook page, people won’t respond to you. They will most likely ignore you.

On the other hand, if you launch a great campaign that engages people in a dialog (genuine Facebook marketing), you can convince people to directly buy from your Facebook page.

Creating a secure buying environment on a Facebook page may require a little technical tweaking, but it is being done. The trick is to have an online store application installed on your Facebook page so that people can click on a tab and buy with their credit card or PayPal account.

People want secure transactions so you have to make sure that their credit card information is secure when they do decide to buy or order something from your Facebook page/online store.

Now you are by no means limited to Facebook ads when you want to directly advertise your product or service.

Once you’ve established a strong base camp on Facebook, you can begin using different advertising methods to encourage your fans to participate, and ultimately, to buy from you. One of the easiest ways to get people to try a product or service is by launching a viral video.

Viral videos rarely last more than a minute or two. Some viral videos are only twenty or thirty seconds in length. A viral video is usually comedic or shocking in nature. The only goal of a viral video is to get people to visit a link or try a product or service.

If you cannot get a person’s attention in the first few seconds of a viral video, then the viral video is not effective.

A viral video has to be extremely memorable and unique so even if a person doesn’t click right away, he or she will remember your brand or product and may visit your website or Facebook page in the future.

You can also try the Facebook Marketplace to establish a direct connection with interested buyers of specific merchandise. Visit the Facebook Marketplace at http://apps.facebook.com/marketplace/. You will need a valid Facebook account to access this application on Facebook.

Another way to generate social interest in your business is by using the feature called Facebook Events. Facebook Events is a great way to notify people of upcoming events and to get people to respond automatically to an event invitation.

People invited to a Facebook Event can click on “Yes”, “No” and “Maybe” when the notification appears on their Facebook profile. You can continually tweak the contents of your Events page to make the event more attractive to your intended audience.

The Community Around Your Business

Traditional businesses rarely care about consumers. That was the mindset forty or fifty years ago. Big corporations created products and released new products without even knowing what the market wanted. That’s also the reason why many products lasted only a year or two in the market.

Businesses just didn’t know how to listen to their consumers. Traditional businesses tend to rely on antiquated methods of product creation and marketing. Some traditionalists still think that if there is a potential market for a product or service, people would come in droves to buy something.

Fortunately, things have changed for the better in the age of Facebook marketing and social media. Are customers smarter?

Of course they are! People are now more discerning (and also warier) of new brands. That’s why you have to show people that your product or service is trustworthy.

It’s hard to make a lasting impression if you don’t engage your market in an ongoing dialog. If you don’t initiate and continue the conversation or dialog with your existing customers and future customers, your business won’t thrive within the social network.

In addition to your main Facebook page, you can also start a Facebook Group that revolves around your brand or even a general topic that is intimately associated with your brand.

Businesses can also create Facebook Groups that support popular causes. Disease awareness and other causes are a good start; just make sure that you genuinely support your cause.

Larger businesses can host cause-driven events; people can be notified of these events via Facebook. However, before you can notify anybody, you need to attract a large fan base.

Once you have an active Facebook Group, don’t miss the opportunity to lead active discussions with your group. You can hire an expert discussant or you can lead the discussions yourself.

Active discussions can be carried out once or twice a month, depending on your business’ needs. If you are planning a major online launch and you need information about what your market wants to see in a new product, you can ask for feedback using your Facebook Page or Facebook Group.

Some of you may have never tried online marketing, much less Facebook marketing. Don’t worry! Offline marketing and online marketing need not be separated. If you have a brick-and-mortar business already, all you need to do is to inform people that you already have a Facebook Page or Facebook Group.

It can be as simple as putting up posters about your Facebook presence in your business establishment. You can also give away simple items like small bookmarks to encourage people to visit your Facebook Page.

Remember: if you do it correctly, Facebook marketing can put your business on the radar again. You can outdo your competition, because you have a virtually unlimited access to real consumers on the Web. And best of all – you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to do this!