5-Step Strategy To Improve Your Facebook Engagement & Growth

Thanks to numerous Facebook changes recently, many businesses are thinking about dropping Facebook entirely. Engagement is in the toilet, and the page just isn’t growing.

Before you do, it pays to take a fresh, close look at your Facebook strategy. Often the problem lies there and has absolutely nothing to do with algorithm changes.

Here is a sneak peek at part of my evaluation processes to identify where the disconnect lies.

1. Figure Out Who Your End Buyer Is

 

When a business doesn’t really know who actually makes the purchase decision for their product or service, they don’t know who their audience is.

Without understanding that audience, odds are slim that the content being posted will resonate with them. If the target customer isn’t something a company can rattle off the top of their head, then it’s important to do a quick analysis of who has purchased their product and why.

If I am working with a security company, for example, here are the types of questions I might ask:

• Do you sell commercial or residential solutions?
• Residential -> Are most of your buyers men or women?
• Women -> Do you know what triggered their decision to improve security?
• If you were to set aside the fear tactics so common to the security industry, what kinds of things would interest them? Engage them? Build a relationship with them?

Questions that dig into buyers and their purchase decision make the foundation of your social media strategy. They tell you who you are talking to, what concerns they have, and what brought them into your sphere of influence. It gives you a basic foundation to begin understanding who your prospects might be.

Once you understand the largest segment, you can branch out into looking at smaller segments.  Then, you can start being creative with how to reach them because you understand who these people are and what motivates them.

In keeping with the security company as an example, I might create a Facebook presence around a fake “thief” that posts  stories of his/her activities.

Targeting women? Maybe it’s a cat burgler that is actually feline. Furry fun to entertain and trigger laughter while educating.

I’d use Fiverr or (preferably) a local illustrator to create some custom images with captions, if the budget allowed. Or perhaps we would create a sexy fake Sean Connery-styled James Bond who does residential burglary and corporate espionage. Have fun with it! Don’t be scary, be interesting.
(Note: These ideas are my intellectual property. Don’t steal them unless you hire me and have my permission.) 

You can’t be successful on Facebook without understanding your customers and prospects.
Once you understand who they are, you can put on your thinking cap to focus on what might interest and motivate them. It’s important to keep the niche narrow – don’t try to sell everything to everyone.
Then, forget about marketing. Start conversations. Tell stories. Fit your activity to your audience.

2. Realize They Just Don’t Care

 

Other than current customers, who make up the bulk of fans for most Facebook pages, understand that the general population doesn’t care about your brand, product or service. They care about their own needs and interests.

Most people follow very few brand pages, so giving them a compelling reason to stick around is critical.

What can you give them that they can’t find anywhere else? Education? Entertainment? Emotional reactions?

Get over any ego and assumptions that make you think they are innately interested. Your customers might care because you’ve already proven your value – which is why Facebook is a wonderful customer retention and customer service platform – but prospects? They. Just. Don’t. Care.
How are you making them care?

3. Do an Audit of Your Facebook Page

 

Now that you understand the buyer and target audience, look at your existing Facebook page. Would it appeal to them? Why or why not? Are you giving them reason to engage? Are you promoting too much and acting in YOUR interests, instead of theirs?

That’s common. Entrepreneurs and marketing professionals that think of social media as a marketing tool often lose sight of what matters. Remember: It’s not about you, it’s about being a part of your community and providing value.

Take an honest look at your page from an outsider’s perspective. Consider asking your customers/prospects what they like and don’t like about it and take their recommendations into account as you re-vamp your Page.

4. Define Your Marketing Objectives and Customer Acquisition Goals, Then Map Them to Your Facebook Strategy

 

Understanding your audience is essential because it helps you build community and engagement. But what good is that if it doesn’t lead to revenue, website traffic, or other marketing objectives? Be clear about what you are trying to accomplish. Common objectives include leads, traffic, reach, and sales.

Back to the security company. Say we decided the primary target audience is women homeowners purchasing residential alarm solutions. If the marketing objective is website traffic, how can your posts trigger click-throughs? If your marketing objective is building your email database, how are you giving them incentive to subscribe?

I follow the 80/20 rule – eighty percent of social media activity is entertaining, conversational and/or educational, and twenty percent is marketing about the company/product/service. All of it works to build the brand, but in different ways and always being careful not to over-promote.
After all, this is social media, not advertising.

5. Define Your Brand Attributes, Then Make Sure Your Posts Fit Them

 

Brand attributes aren’t the graphic standards you use – they are the attributes you want your company, product, or service to be known for.

What do you want to build your reputation around? Is it complicated installs? Knowledge of iPad integration? Complex computer security? Inspiring women to put safety first?

Posts should connect with these attributes and tie in with your marketing objective. It’s part of what makes you different. Unique. Worthy of interest and connection.

Identify your top 3-4 brand attributes, then connect them to your activity. Showcase these brand attributes in everything you do: your cover image, your tabs, and every post you make. Make it smack-upside-the-head obvious, so page visitors and fans don’t have to guess.

You can also include product or service attributes. These are your key differentiators on a product or service level, instead of a company level. Are you different due to uber simple control panels when everyone else offers a hot mess of complicated computers? Or your panel is a crazy simple smartphone app? Or your installation service is faster and cleaner? Then your Facebook posts would speak to those specific attributes and create conversation about it. Know what makes you different and build on it so your audience has something to connect to.

As you start integrating your attributes, some will interest your audience more than others, so don’t forget to try new ideas for your page! Make sure they fit your audience, objectives and attributes, but constantly test new ideas and monitor the results using Facebook Insights.

Putting It All Together

This is just a quick, down, and dirty overview of my basic process, but I urge you to give it a try before you delete your Facebook page.

Map out these strategies in a spreadsheet or Word document that you can refer to often and you may be able to identify a major gap that is killing your success.

14 Top Marketing Pros Give Their Best Tip For 2014

At Firebrand Group, where I work, we consistently meet with prospects and clients ultimately interested in one thing: marketing success.


While we focus on powering marketing success day in and day out, I thought it might be nice to turn to my network of authors, strategists, social media executives, entrepreneurs and ask them one question:


“If you could make just one recommendation to companies to power their marketing success in 2014, what would it be?”


Here’s what they had to say.
1. Dorie Clark (@dorieclark), Strategy Consultant, Author of “Reinventing You”:


It’s time to create targeted content – now. As I’ve written about here and here, in a crowded media environment, companies must draw customers proactively to them. Ads are fine, but the benefit goes away once you stop paying.


The real secret is a robust content marketing strategy. It doesn’t have to be blogging; it could be a podcast or a Pinterest account or even a company song. But it does need to be something.
2. Ryan Holiday (@RyanHoliday), Director of Marketing at American Apparel, Author of Trust Me I’m Lying and Growth Hacker Marketing:


I think 90% of companies would see more “marketing” success if they focused that energy NOT on marketing, but rather on improving the product or the service. There has never been more media than before, so the market for interesting stuff is basically infinite.


Pitching is easy, marketing is easy. Doing something worth talking about is more difficult.
3. Ekaterina Walter (@Ekaterina), Co-founder and CMO of BRANDERATI; Author of WSJ Bestseller “Think Like Zuck”:


Nurture advocacy! And instead of creating marketing campaigns, build movements around your brand.


In the age of infobesity, advocacy becomes the most relevant brand marketing filter. And by advocacy, I mean the highest expression of brand love by a brand’s consumers, partners, and employees. What’s more, in the social era, the right form of advocacy becomes true influence.


True influence is not about numbers ; it’s about impacting behavior through passion, relevance, and trust. And genuine, organic love for a brand impacts behavior much more than a paid recommendation.


Only brands that focus deeply on building and nurturing long-term relationships with their true advocates will see sustainable business results.


We are entering an Age of Advocacy in which consumers are no longer buying brands; they are investing in them. Marketers will move from marketing to their fans to marketing with and through them.
4. Christopher S. Penn (@cspenn), Vice President of Marketing Technology at SHIFT Communications, Co-Host, Marketing Over Coffee:


The number one recommendation for companies when it comes to social media and marketing success in 2014 is to realize and understand that your audience is not something you own. At best, you are a temporary steward of your audience, but as countless examples have shown, one PR misstep and you can lose it all.


Your best defense against this is to clearly define your values and what your brand stands for, then rigidly adhere to those values in every aspect of your marketing.
5. Augie Ray (@augieray), Former Forrester Analyst, Finance Social Media Executive:


Focus on customer experience and how you can integrate peer-to-peer social media and recommendations into the product or service experience.


Brands like USAA, Amazon, Apple, and Google don’t succeed in social media because they have better content or social strategies, but because they offer great experiences and let customers do the talking for them.


Social media isn’t a bullhorn for brands; it’s a magnifying glass that takes what you are and the experiences you offer customers and amplifies the good and the bad online.
6. Ted Rubin (@TedRubin), Social Marketing Strategist, Keynote Speaker, Brand Evangelist, and Acting CMO of Brand Innovators:


Empower your employees…and they will power your brand! Every company can benefit enormously by recognizing the fact that social connection is an integral part of all of our lives now.


Remember that in today’s social world, every person has an extended circle of personal influence and an opportunity to build their own personal “brand.”


By helping your employees build that brand rather than squelching individuality, you could build an army of very powerful advocates. Most people, when given the opportunity, will advocate for their brands when they feel good about where they work.
7. Aliza Sherman (@alizasherman), Award-winning Digital Strategist, Author:


Stop doing what you’re doing. Unplug, take a step back, take a breather. Think about what you’ve done online over the last few years and what you’re thinking of doing in the new year.


Change it up. Don’t do “business as usual.” Experiment. Find a way to shake up the status quo. Take time away to look back with fresh eyes and ideas.


Disconnect to reconnect to what is truly important to you and those whom you’re trying to reach and influence.
8. Chris Ee (@RdLessTkn), Integrated Digital Strategist at Bajibot Media:


When it comes to anything involving numbers (think big data, analytics/reports, a/b testing & optimization) – while understanding its implications are important, ensuring the right person who is at the helm is just as important. Not every company needs to have a data scientist on staff, but they do need to be able to communicate their findings in a very succinct and impactful manner.


Data is not just about increased “ROI” per se: it is the key companies rectifying mistakes and identifying new opportunities.
9. Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer), College Educator, Blogger, Speaker, Best-Selling Author:


Re-evaluate everything. Do you think you know who your customers are, what they need, and how they are getting their information about your products?


There has been a cataclysmic change in buying behavior over the past 18 months and it will continue to change. Businesses simply must continue to evolve quickly in this period of rapid technological revolution.
10. Lauren Hackett, Director, Communications & Social Media, Consumer Reports:


Find the line and walk it! In the age of data mining, social sign-in, and re-marketing, marketers have to be careful that they don’t cross the line and go from friend to stalker. If you’re looking for a one and done, then by all means, infiltrate all pockets.


But savvy brands know that they are forming a relationship with a customer, and that takes some skill and respect.
11. Peg Samuel (@socialdiva), Social Media Expert. Digital Strategist. Keynote Speaker:


Engage with your audience!


Social Media is not just a news broadcasting tool. Engage with your fan base: it is a blessing to have fans and customers, so treat them as such. Social Media is intended to be a two-way conversation, so if someone is reaching out or commenting on a post, comment back.


I’ve seen customers ask a brand about inventory or where an item can be purchased, without a response from that brand. That’s a big opportunity loss in both that potential sale and in building customer relations.
12. Ross Sheingold (@RossSheingold), Chief Strategy Officer at Laundry Service:


Stop talking about your big data and start putting it to use! As soon as possible, put a team in place that will work across departments to integrate your CRM and POS data with your content marketing initiatives across the digital space (social, email, web).


It’s time to take brand storytelling to the next level by using the data at our fingertips as a catalyst for more efficient and personalized marketing.


If you work in this field, you’re a data scientist!
13. Megan Berry (@meganberry), Head of Consumer at RebelMouse:


Just as in the lean product school of thought, marketers should get out minimum viable products and then test, iterate, and retest to improve their campaigns. Social media gives us real time data we can use to learn what resonates with our audience, allowing us to build out bigger campaigns from there.
14. Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld), Tech Blogger; Startup Advisor:


Value. That is my recommendation. Stop self-promoting and start providing value. Stop asking for likes and start giving me a reason to like your brand. Value can be in the form of a blog, video, or any other content, but your marketing strategy should be to provide value consistently.


—-


How many of the above recommendations is your company already following? What changes do you hope to make in the coming year?


Either way, here’s wishing you plenty of fun challenges and even more success in 2014!

Five Unwritten Twitter-for-Business Rules for 2014

If the Justine Sacco case showed us anything, it’s that people are still not fully aware of the potential ramifications of their comments on Twitter. Those using branded accounts or with a company title in their profile can act as de-facto spokespeople for your business, and writing ‘views are my own’ in their description might not negate collateral damage to your brand.


So while we generally know not to post inappropriate content, there are a few unwritten Twitter rules that probably need to be noted, just as a refresher for those with their mouse pointers hovering over that ‘Tweet’ tab, ready to fire off something they’re not 100% sure they should.


The five rules go like this:


1. Thou shalt refrain from using thy brand profile to Tweet personal updates. Use your personal profile for that – or better yet, your personal Facebook profile with relevant privacy settings in place. Don’t share news about your favourite sports team or your son’s first word, this is the place for business updates and information relevant to your business followers - always keep the audience in mind. Social media is about establishing connections to foster ongoing relationships, spamming your followers with content they have no interest in is not likely to endear them to your brand. Also, if you’re in the public eye, or your personal profile has alignment to your brand, maybe avoid using Twitter to send questionable content.


Cautionary tale: Anthony Weiner’s recreational activities


2. Thou shalt reconsider tweeting uponst consuming too much ale – We’re all on social media all the time - your iPhone’s right there in your pocket, waiting to be checked, but sometimes you do need to disconnect. Sure, most people can handle their drink and it’s generally not a problem, but just a consideration for those with access to a brand Twitter account.


Cautionary tale: American Red Cross ‘#gettngslizzerd’ Tweet


3. Thou shalt confirm thou art logged out of thy brand profile before tweeting – Have you ever sent out an e-mail then noticed that you’d CC’d a person or group you really didn’t mean to? I imagine that feeling is similar to the one you get after sending out a personal message from your brand Twitter account. It’s been blamed for a raft of Twitter fails over the years, including Microsoft’s Ann Coultercontroversy. Make sure you double-check where you’re sending from before pressing ‘Tweet’, it could spare you a world of pain.


Cautionary tale: KitchenAid ‘Obama’s Grandma’ Tweet


4. Thou shalt maintain thy awareness of world events and trending topics – An ill-timed Tweet can become a major PR disaster. There’s no way to 100% protect against this, but worth checking the trending topics, and what the actual story is behind it, and paying attention to news events to avoid potential mis-associations with your content.


Cautionary tale: Celeb Boutique’s ‘Aurora’ mis-understanding


5. Thou shalt eliminate negativity from thine Tweets. This is no joke, and one which we should attempt to apply as widely as possible. You remember how your parents used to say ‘if you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all?’ Yep, that. There’s no reason for, or benefit to, negativity on Twitter. You don’t like want someone’s saying, you stop following them. Don’t engage in any bashing of competitors or making critical comments. Your brand Twitter profile should remain positive and focussed on your company strategy. Sometimes you may have to respond to an unhappy client, but keep in mind that Twitter is a public forum, everything you or your representatives Tweet is out there for the world to see. If an exchange is at risk of getting heated, advise the client that you will connect with them in a more private forum.


In a broader sense, social media is a new world, in relative terms, and the ethical boundaries of it have not yet been set. By working to eliminate negativity, we can create a new normal, through weight of majority, where negative comments are simply not acceptable practice. You can never take back something that’s been said in person, but you can re-read a Tweet before sending. No negativity on Twitter. No place for it. Let’s make that a goal for the new year.


(Twitter rules / shutterstock)