Is the golden age of Facebook over? While the future of social media is as uncertain as it’s ever been, Facebook is still the thousand-pound gorilla in the room. In addition, it is still the hub for any successful social media strategy. Plus, a Facebook presence is fairly transportable to current or future social media competitors.
The following are some Facebook tips for generating leads and sales:
1. Make your call to action stand out
The look of a call to action, like a button that directs viewers to a home page, is vital. It must visually stand out and be easy to distinguish from the surrounding visual field.
2. Creativity counts in social media
Interesting or unique content will win out over recycled thought every time. Linking an article, using viral marketing, or drawing attention to an important issue will generate more excitement than a straight advertisement.
3. Use explicit directions to prime viewer responses
Social science research has shown that priming is an important influencer of behavior. Making people think of money before an activity will make them work harder at the activity regardless of whether they are promised pay or not. The association is what is important. Use this to your advantage. You should prime people to act. Use the word “like: in your copy if you want them to like your page.
4. You can be subtle while priming responses.
You do not need to beg. “Please like us” is a more effective pitch than not saying it. Using the word like in other ways can be just as effective.
5. Acknowledge the possibility of community action
Many people use social media as a forum for community action rather than a simple marketplace. Instigating a community campaign can be an effective way to generate leads for later use.
6. Your brand can do good things
Why not create an association between your brand and community action? These associations can create relationships and make them last a long time.
7. Chats are a good way to generate more sustainable relationships
They are good way to analyze your impact qualitatively instead of quantitatively. By allowing potential customers to give you important data in the form of feedback, you are creating a second set of analytics to pare with your number driven data.
8. Cross-promote
It’s easier than ever to cross-promote on multiple platforms. Most social media will automatically create a link to others. Pinterest, for example, creates an icon for your Facebook page with ease.
9. You must maintain relationships through attention
Letting your social media strategy float to the back burner is a mistake that is hard to rebound from.
10. It’s easy to offer exclusivity to current followers
Offer coupons, discounts, or new content on occasion to keep a relationship going. A little effort will go a long way to maintaining a presence. It’s important to remember that people share their experiences through social media and might share your brand.
Whether Facebook holds its dominant position in the market 5 years from now or not, these strategies are built for the present and future of social media. There’s no time like the present to retool your Facebook infrastructure.
