Three Facebook Marketing Tips for 2021
Last month we talked about the Facebook algorithm and how it determines what to show on a user’s feed. The next logical question for marketers like us to ask is, what content should I create on Facebook to reach my goals?
Facebook is tricky for businesses, as we’ve seen a massive decrease in organic reach, and the latest surveys show that 88% of Facebook users are on the platform to stay in contact with friends and family... not with brands or businesses.
So, if you’re not your customer’s friend or family member, how can you still reach them on Facebook? It’s time to consider if your content is REALLY valuable, interesting, and worth seeing at all times of the day.
Here are three changes you can make to your strategy for 2021 to better connect with your people, in an authentic way.
Facebook Live
First up, let’s consider Facebook Live.
Video continues to be one of the best ways to increase reach and engagement, and Facebook users are 4x more likely to watch a live stream than check out pre-recorded content.
Facebook Live is also a great way to create “long-form” content to use in other marketing tactics. You can take your Facebook Live recording, download it, cut, and edit it, then redistribute it on other platforms like IGTV, LinkedIn, or your website.
Work smarter, not harder, friends!
Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are still relevant, and we wouldn’t be surprised if everyone reading this was in a Facebook group or two. Whether you’re doing it for the memes or you’re networking virtually, Groups aren’t going anywhere. There are a whopping 10 million Groups on Facebook you could join, and Facebook expects Groups to grow in 2021. So get in while it’s hot and before users burn out.
There are two main ways to approach Facebook Groups if you’re marketing a product or service.
Join a group and connect with other users to talk about your product, service, or cause
Create a group that convenes your community around what you’re offering
Joining a Facebook Group
Most Facebook Groups are designed for connection, not promotion. So you can’t jump into a group and start sharing your latest promotional posts or ads. (It comes off as SUPER spammy!) You have to focus on organic connection and relationship-building.
Identify a Group with your ideal target customers or donors in it, and spend a good bit of time observing what’s posted and listening before you engage. When you do decide to reply or jump into a conversation, be personable and helpful. If you genuinely can offer your target customer something great, you can tell people about it but in a human-to-human, non-sales-y way. And remember, if the rules of this Group say to NOT market yourself, follow them, or you’ll quickly get kicked out.
Creating a Facebook Group
The second option is to create your own Facebook Group around your particular topic or business and build a community of people invested in what you do.
This is a great way to find people who are genuinely interested in you and are more likely to engage. By joining your group, they will build a relationship with you, and you can share and promote anything you want. HOWEVER…. It’s a ton of work! We will cover running Facebook Groups in-depth in a future Slice, so stay tuned.
In the long run, the effort you put into building these connections will pay off. Whether it’s gaining new donors, finding new team members, or getting a new client, the relationships you build in Groups can be much more lucrative than the hundreds of posts you share on your page that only 2-5% of your followers see.
User-Generated Content
The third way you can boost your influence on Facebook is to focus on creating user-generated content.
Knowing that 88% of people come to Facebook to catch up on what is going on in their friends’ and family’s lives, using user-generated content can help give your page that feels genuinely organic and “real world” experiences. Plus, it is an excellent word-of-mouth marketing tactic.
But how do you collect this type of content?
One of the simplest ways is to ask followers to use a particular hashtag in their captions or tag you directly when posting about you.
Canned wine company Bev does a great job with this; check out this Reel that one of our team members at The Good Lemon took, which Bev then shared on their stories! While this may be an Instagram Reel, the company can share it to their Instagram stories AND Facebook Stories, plus all of Hannah’s followers can see the content and go to the handle listed on the boxes to learn more.
Facebook is changing. This means we need to change with it if we want to keep it to connect with our customers and clients. Posts can now easily get lost in the crowds of content, so don’t be afraid to try new tactics beyond posting on your Page.