According to CNN Money, Facebook is rapidly approaching 2 billion users with a monthly use of at least 1.86 billion people which grows year after year. No one could find a better platform to promote a product or service with so many active consumers readily available to them. But advertising costs money. But, there are actually a few savvy shortcuts to avoiding advertising fees on Facebook that anyone can use to promote their Facebook page. Here are some ways you can successfully promote your Facebook page without having to pay for it:
Post Intriguing Content
There is no better way to get someone to read further or click on another button and continue then to pique their interest. This means presenting tantalizing content that tells them just enough but not too much that they know everything about what you are promoting right from the first screen. So, you need to ask yourself some important questions before you post:
* What is trending now in this area that I can incorporate into my content?
* What are my competitors using successfully as their content to get people interested?
* What is something I can talk about locally that matters to my audience and still relates to what I'm promoting?
* What can I say about my product or service that will make it indispensable to a Facebook user and want them to read further?
Customize Your Audience
If you want to reach a specific group of users, then optimize your targeting. Your Facebook page can be set up so that your promotional updates will be seen by certain demographics of people. You can choose by status settings based on education, relationship identity, language, location, age, and where your targeted group is located. If you want the post to target a particular group for a specific time frame, you can also create what is called a "Post End Date."
If you simply want to have your posts sent out to everyone and see what happens, simply select the following prompt in your page settings that says, "Allow targeting and privacy options when I create posts on my Page." A targeting icon appears when you have customized your settings no matter which you choose. This optimizes the amount of Facebook users who will comment, like, and share your post.
Simply click "Insights" at the top of your Page:
1) learn how people are engaging with your Page
2) Metrics on how your pages are performing
3) Find out which posts have the most engagement
4) Learn when your target audience is on Facebook
Verify your Page
Verification equals credibility when it comes to Facebook users who are intent on finding and doing business with people who they want to know are presenting a trustworthy post and page. Also, people are more will to communicate with you if they trust what you are saying and selling as a credible source. An additional bonus is that once you are verified, your page will automatically be at a higher rank in search results done by Facebook users.
Facebook uses a simple procedure in order to create your verification:
1. You must go to your Settings and click on "Verify This Page"
2. A window will pop up and prompt you to enter the name and phone number of your business or organization.
3. Facebook administrators will verify if you are a "blue" or a "grey" page
Blue denotes someone who is a known public figure, a media company, or a name-branded product company. Grey checkmarks identify a local organization or business to the Facebook user.
Facebook LIVE
If you want to generate a long-term interest in your Facebook page, start publishing regularly scheduled Facebook Live posts. Just make sure you are presenting something that your audience will want to stay tuned in for either on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. A daily post may be too much of a commitment for you, and your audience will feel too overwhelmed with the obligation to join you every day, so consider this before setting up a live broadcast every day.
Consider the following things when you plan this type of free event:
* What will my audience be interested in?
* How long should I broadcast?
* Will there be LIVE responses to commentary or follow-up threads?
This type of free promotion is supposed to look impromptu, but there must be an element of planning to it in order for it to be worth the Facebook audience's time to join in and be a successful event. So, plan on doing the following things before your broadcast:
* Decide on a specific topic based on audience interest and not necessarily on what is trending
* Have an FAQ list on the topic ready (this usually generates more comments and questions from the audience)
* Check out your venue/location beforehand to make sure it is available and lit well for live viewing
* Check the video and audio quality with a dry-run taping with a smaller group
* If you are adding filters of any kind for added effects on Facebook (emoji's, drawing, text, image-flipping) check if they work properly with your live image.
When you have done your homework and advertised your Facebook Live event one week prior via blog, Twitter, email, or a Facebook post, then do the following:
Press the live broadcast icon on your mobile device (this is not an app but simply a feature on the "Facebook Managers" page, so no downloading is needed)
1. Describe your live video when you are prompted
2. Add any filters
3. Go Live!
Remember, you can interact in real-time with your audience because their comments are being posted as the broadcast is going out live, and their friends get a "ping" to join. When it is over, immediately announce your next live broadcast and ask those that are participating to spread the word about the upcoming event via social media. Then, post the recorded event on your page in order to grow your following.
Use Other Social Media
Depending on your fan base, many Facebook users have more than one social media site that they cross-reference for their news and other information. Utilize the top five social sites to promote your Facebook page:
* YouTube with 1.5 billion monthly users, you can not only utilize this site for posting your Facebook Live recordings on your own dedicated page to grow your base group of fans.
* Instagram - This social media site has a steady following of 800 million monthly users that look for creative posts to draw their attention to something unique or important to them in a visual story form.
* Twitter - this site is made up of 330 million monthly users and is known as the place for microblogging. This means you have the opportunity, in less than 280 characters per post, to generate a cryptic yet interest-peaking message to your followers about your Facebook posts or upcoming events.
* Reddit - The social media on this site equals Twitter in its monthly user base, but it allows for a variety of posts from hundreds of different types of communities based on their specific interests. It gives you the opportunity to target a specific audience with your promotional post and connect that audience directly back to your Facebook page.
* Pinterest - This site has 200 million monthly users who are mostly women, and it works in much the same way as Reddit, except that the posts are image-driven in order to draw the attention of the user to immediately click on something that appears of interest to them and immediately take them to the site; in this case, your Facebook page.
Find Activity Patterns
You want to generate long-term interest in your page. In order to do this, you must be in-tune to the changing interests of your audience. Understanding what they are "liking" and how often they like certain things. This is the best way to keep the interest level consistently high for your page. So, look for patterns in the audience's behavior by assessing the following patterns:
* Are there certain subjects have an overall positive response?
* What is being shared most often?
* Are photos more popular than other mediums like video or quizzes?
* What is a common feeling in the comments that are made by users of your page?
1. Encourage Notifications
Don't just rely on user "likes" to develop a following. Tell your Facebook page users how to get notifications on updates to your page in their newsfeed. From these requests for information, you will see a pattern develop in where your user's interest is in terms of responses to your updates as well as commentary asking for specific information on promotional events.
2. Optimal Updating Time
There are generally researched patterns of activity that you can take advantage of when posting on your Facebook page and that is early morning and in the early evening at around 8 or 9 pm for any updates. You can check this activity and when it is at its peak if you go to your "Facebook Insight" page.
3. Weekend Posting
It is always a good choice to post more on the weekends since the majority of people on Facebook have extra time to peruse social media then. It is also not commonly known that most brand items only post during the week, so far less competition for promotion exists Saturday's and Sunday's. There is also a far greater opportunity for a post to be shared if it is a reminder for an event happening that weekend. Then, go to the Insight page and see who is responding to your posts and when for the two-day period and create your posts accordingly.
4. Post Images
No matter what anyone uses Facebook to do, it is mainly a social platform based on visual images. This is the main form of how any promotional page should consider engaging a Facebook user. Think of connecting your page to a particular image and then sit back and see how many "likes" you receive. You can also turn it into a contest open to everyone to choose from a collection of images that will ultimately be your page trademark. This gives you an overall perspective on what your users actually define your Facebook page as being for them.
Email Marketing
So often we forget that most Facebook users have actual emails connected to their accounts. If their email address is posted; otherwise, they would block it or remove it. So, they are open to receiving promotional content from your Facebook page if you can view it.
Ramp up the number of users that receive updates from your Facebook page by creating a group email address list of all your fans that are following your page, and send them a link on a weekly or bi-weekly basis of upcoming events or other promotional activities. They will more than likely go to your page, like the content, and then share it with their friends.
"Borrow" Ideas
With any promotion comes an understanding of what works and what doesn't. Sometimes, the only way to learn that is to analyze your competition and what works for them. Simply add them to your page and follow their activity. Again, you can use the "Insights" page to see the top postings from your competitors' pages in your report.
Positive and Relevant Content
In the chaotic world we live in today, most people look for things that make them smile. When you create promotional posts that make people laugh or that they can relate to and associated with your page. They will also tend to remember the post, share it, and even save it.
* Be Inspiring
Giving people a hopeful message on a daily basis is something that spurs emotions is more apt to be shared with others. There is hardly anyone who does not want to be associated with an inspiring thought.
* Be Helpful
Working hard at being a trustworthy source of timely information is one of the best ways to develop a following just by word of mouth. If you help one person, they will more than likely share their thanks with their entire Facebook following through a post that they tag you on. This elicits instant credibility for you with a multitude of potential new followers.
* Be Aware of What is Important NOW
If you have specific content on your Facebook on a regular basis, make sure you are posting the most current information on that topic to your followers. Nothing is more of a let-down to a reader than wasting their time with old news. It will immediately put a bad taste in their mouth about trusting you as a worthwhile source of information.
Other Features
Facebook is in a constant state of adding new features that can help promote anyone's Facebook page. They include these newest additions:
* Video performance reports - this component is included for free through the "Insights" page to keep track of a ranking of your most popularly viewed videos, or you can set up a date range for the metrics for an actual ad campaign through Ads Manager for a nominal fee.
* Publishing posts in multiple languages - If your promotional item or services speaks to a more international audience, Facebook can present your posts in other languages based on what your user prefers. You only need to go to your settings and click "Post in Multiple Languages."
* Page preview reports - Facebook has added a preview mode for users when they hover their mouse over a Facebook page name in their news feed. Your "Insight" page can now tell you how many people previewed your page in this way
These are just a few suggestions that will help with creating a successfully promoted Facebook page without spending a dime to do it.
Also See Facebook Marketing
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