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It goes without saying that, being a marketer, you want to reach people who will eventually become your customers. You also want to retain those customers, reduce conversion costs, and steadily increase your sales.
When building a marketing strategy to achieve these goals, clearly social media plays an important role. With the popularity of Facebook, it seems like the right choice to reach a large part of your target market. However, many marketers have tried and failed on Facebook, mostly because they took the wrong approach.
Social media users tend to quickly abandon brands that focus on selling rather than building relationships. Your success depends on posting content that engages users and gently leads them to think of you as the one who solves their problems, answers their questions and fulfils their needs. Start making Facebook work for you by learning about the five content types that will attract customers to your brand.
Facebook content that gets customers and results
1. Engaging visual content - Nutella
Social media users are now accustomed to a variety of visual content, so they will tend to avoid your brand if you have nothing but plain text on your pages. So what should you do? Make your Facebook profile an exciting place to visit! This can be done by posting custom images, live streaming videos and other types of content that will stimulate and inspire them.
Nutella's Facebook page is a good example of providing excellent visual content that can inspire. The brand harnessed the snowballing popularity of video on Facebook during 2015, when their Facebook video traffic doubled to 8 billion daily views. The company posted tons of recipes together with videos that show its hazelnut spread in action in many creative and delicious ways. They even posted a variety of videos going behind-the-scenes to tell the inside story of the hazelnut spread.
Help people realize the excitement and possibilities that your brand can give them. Use videos, infographics, photos and other interactive content to tell your story to captivate your audience. Make it engaging and you’ll build a loyal community from which you will attract a steady stream of new customers.
2. Educational content - Whole Foods Marketing
Marketing is no longer about aggressive selling – it’s all about educating your customers and providing value. Remember, some people might not realize that they need your brand, and that’s your opportunity to jump in with great content. Rather than browbeating your followers with special offers and promotions, help them understand how your products or services can transform their lives.
By taking on an ed-tech approach on Facebook, it can become a powerful channel for sharing your expertise. For example, you can help people understand your industry and discover the best ways of using your products. So, go ahead and enrich your Facebook page with how-to articles and video tutorials they will feel like sharing.
On its Facebook page, Whole Foods Market demonstrates the power of educational content as they post recipes and shopping lists that make healthy foods come to life. As Facebook users learn about healthy food on their page, they turn to Whole Foods as the natural source for a better life.
Making educational content without directing your followers to product pages works. Compel your audience with great content, and they will support your brand for a lifetime.
3. Inspirational and encouraging content - Nike
Social media is all about community. People interacting with each other and having a good time don’t want to deal with an all-business attitude. Instead, try to be inspirational and a force for the good. Encouraging words, even in the form of worn out sayings, can stir emotions and help people feel better about life. The more they feel good, the more they will share the content that made them feel that way.
Nike exemplifies an uplifting social media presence on all their social media accounts, including Facebook. It encourages their followers to push forward and has also acquired them many loyal customers. With its “Just Do It” campaign, the company provides motivation and encouragement for people who pursue a healthy lifestyle. By pushing their mission, not products, this famous sportswear brand has inspired many followers to take action and has made big sales.
When appropriate, post inspirational quotes and motivational tips that help people strive to be their best and watch them reward you with their business.
4. Content that creates trust - Universal Orlando Resort
Businesses can have difficulties earning trust regardless of their size. To get people to trust you, you should show them how other people who have already become loyal customers. Ask your customers to post reviews of their experience with your company to inspire more trust. Not only will people see your commitment to customers, they will also start regarding your brand as trustworthy.
Universal Orlando Resort sets a good example for the business community by adding a customer review section to their Facebook page. This way, customers can share their customer experience and give others a chance to learn what to expect when they go on the adventure. The resort also uses Facebook to showcase customer photos - posting pictures of fans enjoying their time gives reassurance to millions of potential customers.
5. Humorous Facebook content - Threadless
People love to laugh, so don’t forget to include humor in your Facebook content. Make an effort to provide an entertaining, fun experience through humorous videos, images, memes, and jokes (where appropriate, of course). You can even craft witty descriptions for your posts that make people chuckle as they embark on the pathway to becoming your customer.
Threadless, a site where people can buy all kinds of creative merchandise from a community of artists, displays a clever use of humor on Facebook. It already creates many clever and humorous products, so using humor on their Facebook page seems natural. People are thrilled with the funny drawings on Facebook and naturally, click through to the Threadless website to see more.
Conclusion
Marketing on Facebook can be a disaster if you take the wrong approach to it. You can, however, use the above tactics to attract people to your brand and convert them into loyal, lifetime customers.
Post interesting visual content and you will engage your followers. Make sure to educate your customers and provide words of encouragement. Show people how others also like you and don’t be afraid to use humor. When you do all that, the number of your customers will enviably grow.
Natalie Smith, a Seattle-based freelance writer, enjoys writing about marketing, social media, brand building and customer service. She is also an ardent follower of the new trends in the business world, as well as on the Internet. You can reach her on Twitter.
