Have you ever felt like you’re holding a placard that everyone is just walking by when you’re using Facebook for your business?
You’re not alone. According to a survey, 59% of entrepreneurs feel like social media is not essential to their business and it doesn’t get results. Perhaps you’re one of them?
I know Facebook can be really frustrating but I’m here to tell you that if you feel like it’s not working for your business, you’re doing it wrong.
I’ve been growing businesses audiences on Facebook for almost ten years. In the beginning, I battled with silence and lack of results too. But since I figured out the strategy I’m going to share with you today, that problem disappeared.
With the most recent business I applied this strategy to, I’ve grown their audience by 60% (from 45k to 115k) whilst increasing their engagement rate by 76%. The majority of their posts reach at least 20,000 people and in the last twelve months, it’s finally become a profitable marketing channel for the business… seven years after the page was set up.
I’m going to share this strategy with you because I believe it is the ONLY thing you need to know to make your Facebook business page thrive and to reach and engage with potential customers. Without paying for ads. And without ‘gaming’ the newsfeed algorithm.
One caveat though… it will take work.
Jodie Shaw, Chief Marketing Officer at TAB, who ran the survey agrees:
“In order to have real results with social media, you have to start with building a community, then a conversation. From there, savvy social media marketers can drive referrals and leads. Many small business owners jump straight to lead generation without building a community and a conversation first.”
You will not get results without putting the effort in. But trust me, the effort will be so worth it.
Without further ado, let me introduce you to the 4C’s…
Curiosity. Conversation. Content. Community
1. Curiosity
You have got to get and stay curious about your audience and potential customers on social media. Start by asking yourself these questions:
- Who are they? (in terms of demographics like age and location)
- What do they care about? (in relation to what you sell)
- What do they struggle with? (that you can help them with)
- What do you share in common? (values, likes, dislikes etc.)
Answer these and you can move on to the next C…
2. Conversation
Start asking your current audience on Facebook questions about themselves. Even if you only have 20 fans, you have to start talking to them. A simple question as a text post from your page is enough, and trust me, people like to talk about themselves. So, if you get the question right, you’ll spark conversation.
If you’re an accountant, you could ask what they find most challenging about dealing with their books. If you’re a jewellery maker, you could ask if they prefer gold or silver (and why?). If you’re an independent travel agent, you could ask which city made the biggest impression on you and why?
Not only does this create a connection to you and your brand, but it dings Facebook’s algorithms to say that this post is engaging, which means they’ll show it to more people and you’ll get a ripple effect.
3. Content
Now you’ve got a two-way dialogue and are continuing to learn about your audience, you can create content they will like, engage with and share. This content could be fun things like memes that are entertaining and make them feel like they can relate to you. Or, maybe it’s a helpful quick tip you’ve videoed that makes their lives a little easier. You can also share info and news about your products and services, just try and stick to those types of posts about 20% of the time.
This ‘C’ an ongoing thing, and will help you deepen your understanding of who they are and what makes them tick.
4. Community
This happens naturally when the other 3Cs are all working together. You’ll start to see familiar faces, meaningful conversations on your posts and your audience talking to one another. That’s when you know you’ve got the magic working! Your page, and your posts, are a place they want to spend time and brings them closer to people like them, with content they like and find useful. Once you’ve gotten to this point, you can really involve them in your business and ask for their feedback on new products, services or ideas you’re thinking about. They’ll trust you enough to share their opinions.
Now you might be wondering… when do they become customers?
Well, I can’t tell you that for sure as it depends on what you’re selling.
But what you’re doing with this strategy is building a sense of know, like and trust. When you do go to them with an offer, you’ve got a stronger connection and have a much more likely chance of them becoming a customer.
