3 ways FB could work better for you!

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Social media: it’s where your customers hang out and where you want to establish a professional presence. Facebook, Inc. (FB) remains the gold standard as the most reliable, social media platform. Why? Because FB continues to evolve. Just last month, it again ramped up services to business page owners, revealing new audience metrics such as what content spurs the most engagement and how long audiences attend to specific content.

Even accomplished FB marketers can learn new approaches and take a fresh look at inbound marketing campaigns. First, let’s talk market segments. According to Hubspot, 91 percent of online adults regularly use social media. Millennial women –those born between 1979 and 1993 – are targeted by most consumer brands. That group is most loyal to FB, revealed a new study by Mom Central’s Consumer Insights Groups. An amazing 92 percent of the respondents have a FB account, and almost half visit once or more daily.

Specific brands are followed by 76 percent of FB users, compared to 11 percent of women using Twitter to follow brands. Pinterest or Instagram scored less than 10 percent, with fewer than one percent following brands on Google. While 55 percent of the young women do have Twitter and Pinterest accounts, 59 percent do not have an Instagram account, and 75 percent have yet to open a Tumblr account. Within this demographic, FB still rules.

Also an emerging hot market segment is the nearly 38 million Americans who speak Spanish at home today, according to Pew Research Center. Subsequent in-depth behavioral studies show that Spanish-speaking Americans are “over-consumers” in terms of social media use. (Do you have a Spanish language FB page to snag attention?)

Regardless of how you segment your ideal customer markets, here are three ways to plug in or tune up:

  1. Sell your product or service directly through Facebook
    FB recently announced it is reaching out to a few small and medium-sized businesses to test a “buy” button option for page viewers. Users (potential consumers) can immediately purchase the products advertised on the page. During the start-up testing phase, Facebook isn’t taking a cut of the revenue or handling the transaction; purchases will be channeled through third-party credit card processing companies.
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  3. Sell your product in an interesting way
    Mama’s Kitchen in Gallatin, Tennessee posts its ever-changing food menu via a daily video post on Facebook, which landed the restaurant more than 100 new customers within its first month. The idea, attributed to co-owner Jim Clark, has gone viral. Mama’s Kitchen has earned a cult following and newspaper media attention, which results in new viewers daily!

    In general, video viewing has doubled on FB in the past six months, Facebook reports. People are much more likely to watch – and share — original content that offers an emotional reaction such as laughter. Delighted by dancing chickens in the background, Mama’s Kitchen allows followers to check in to hear the chef discuss the daily menu while peeling potatoes and explaining the dishes. The best inbound marketing efforts offer useful and updated information and tools to attract people to their site to develop relationships with potential customers.

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  5. Post blog links on FB, and tweet about blog content as well
    Hubspot reported that 81% of businesses polled last year rated their company blogs as “useful,” “important” or “critical.” In fact, a whopping 25% now rate company blog as “critical” to their business. The best business blogs create a connection through publication of important information on a regular schedule to ensure constant conversation. This is how to construct a reputation that consumers trust. Blogging also shows a tremendous return on investment with regard to the cost-per-sale ROI matrix; this marketing method is proven to be 52% less expensive than outbound lead generation methods.

What’s your recipe for FB success?

About Jody Glynn Patrick

Jody is President of Glynn Patrick & Associates, which provides management consulting, executive coaching and strategic planning services. She is Publisher Emeritus of In Business magazine, which she published for 17 years. Selected as the “U.S. Business Journalist of the Year” in 2007 in Washington, DC, by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Jody has been a business reporter, editor, radio talk show host , and has won other state and national journalism awards. At the same time, she has helped corporate clients grow their businesses -- the basis for her practical coaching advice here. She also was the 2005 Athena Award recipient for her leadership role in mentoring other professional women. Jody will be talking with you weekly on TDS’ blog to share her insights and tips from the C-Suite perspective. Follow on G+.

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