Brian Basilico
Did you know that the two most shared things on the Internet today are kittens and bacon? They are even more popular than Kim Kardashian. So, you are probably asking yourself right now, “Who really cares?” Well, obviously those people who like kittens and bacon care (heck they are the ones sharing it, right?). If you are going to be using social media (especially Facebook) to market your business, then you should know what engages your audience.
Ever since I wrote my book, It’s Not About You, It’s About Bacon! Relationship Marketing In A Social Media World!, there is not a day that goes by without someone posting a picture, article or comment about bacon. So, what does that have to do with business? EVERYTHING! It’s about a brand that resonates with a large audience and creates fun, engaging content that people like to comment on and share.
Did you log onto any social media platform today and say, “I can’t wait to see what people are going to sell me today”? Oh, hell no! People log onto social media to have fun and interact with their friends and family. Does that mean that you can’t generate business online? No, because people do it all the time. It’s about being a person and a brand. Companies like Dunkin Donuts and others do it all the time. A friend posted a video of me playing guitar that resulted in a $ 4,000 sale that had nothing to do with my business or my brand.
It’s About Trust
People are growing more and more intolerant with advertising, but people are trying to SCREAM louder for your attention. On Facebook, it’s about dancing with your audience. You have to feed them great information and fun stuff. There is a reason why people are not engaging with your business content (or maybe less than they did before). Facebook is doing its best to keep people engaged with more relevant content…
- Facebook Is Not Twitter – If Facebook was like Twitter … every post or comment from every person in your network would bombard your news feed. That would make Facebook unusable. Facebook limits what you see; they do this for your own good.
- Facebook Has An Algorithm – This algorithm is designed to show you the content from the people you interact with the most. That means if you are sharing engaging content as yourself, then when you share things from other people or pages, your friends (and audience) will be more likely to see what you are sharing.
- They Want You To Buy Ads – Facebook is free, but it’s also a business. They want you to “Boost” a post to get it seen by all your likes and fans on your business or brand pages. It kind of forces people who have liked your brand page to see your stuff (but at a price). You can also do Facebook advertising, which is an awesome tool for business (we will cover that in a future post), and allows you to target not only your audience, but similar people that have not liked you or your brand (YET!).
The Facebook Business Plan
If you are constantly posting business content, then people will become numb to your messages. I like to use the 80-20 rule. 80% of the time, I post fun, interesting, and engaging content, which includes pictures of my dog, and funny life thoughts or quotes. People will like, comment, and share this kind of information all day long. Then, 20% of the time, I will share some information about my events, products or business. You need to TRAIN your audience to interact, so when you post business stuff they are acclimated to interaction. Big brands like Dunkin Donuts do this all the time.
Here are some tips that will help you create more engagement on your business posts…
- Use Images – Pictures and videos increase engagement on your posts by up to 70%. Pictures create an emotional connection with your content. Especially in business, make sure this is your original photo or you have licensed it from a stock photo site (have a receipt for your pictures). Just sharing things on your personal wall may be okay (used as humor, commentary, or teaching), but having them on a business page without license can lead to trouble.
- Share Fun Stuff – People are primarily on Facebook for entertainment…so feed the need. Creating original fun content will be your best plan. There is also a chance that they may end up on your business or brand page, and they will start reading and consuming other content. It could be a blog, podcast, picture or anything that makes them smile, feel informed or entertained.
- Post To Your Business Then Share To Your Wall – When you post on your business or brand page, you may see limited engagement, but when you post that (share) to your wall or groups, you will see increased interest (Especially when you have trained your audience to engage). The more fun things you post to your business page, the better the response will be when you post business messages.
Final Thoughts
People are often taken aback or even offended when you try to lead them off of Facebook. But let’s get real…that’s where the transactions happen. You get them to join your email list, sign up for a webinar, or buy your products or services on your website. Many people have tried eCommerce within Facebook, but I have yet to hear a huge success story.
You have to earn peoples’ trust within Facebook, in order for them to trust you once you move them outside of Facebook. Give it some time and nurturing, and you will find people who will know, like and trust you enough to let you lead them by the hand to the internet marketing promised land.
I would love to hear your successes and horror stories with Facebook marketing…so comment away!
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