Social media platforms exist in a state of constant change, which is great in terms of new features and a richer user experience, but it makes keeping up a real challenge. Our team is always comparing notes and leaning on one another when we just can’t find that thing that used to be there. Sound familiar? That’s why we created this series of social media primers for you. It’ll keep you current on the latest updates, tools, and features. This first installment in this series digs into Facebook, and while we can’t promise it will make you the next Mark Zuckerberg, these insights should help with your B2B social media work.
Why use Facebook for B2B?
With 2.74 billion monthly active users, Facebook is an enormous platform that simply cannot be ignored. In Canada alone, there are more than 26 million users, 53.8 percent of whom are women. Tens of thousands of businesses–including B2B–are active on Facebook too. They’re engaging with prospects and customers by way of content sharing and chatting with them over Messenger and through post commentary.
Worldwide, Facebook’s largest demographic is men between the ages of 25 and 34 years old, but it is used by people of all ages. Seniors, currently the smallest group on Facebook, are also the fastest-growing. Having a solid marketing strategy means planning to include Facebook. It’s an excellent tool for building brand awareness, nurturing potential buyers and servicing your customers. Unlike with a print ad, you can measure your traction on Facebook. And the best news is the platform has some stellar marketing features.
Hyper-specific audience targeting
Marketing to an entire contact list might net you some sales but your ROI is bound to improve if your list is filled with leads. That’s the idea behind Facebook’s hyper-specific target marketing which allows you to pick and choose who sees your ads.
Ad targeting allows you to delineate users to a surprising degree of specificity. You can input your buyer personas based on typical variables like location, age, language spoken, occupation, and sex, plus more granular factors like interests, political affiliation, or type of residence. Additionally, you can advertise directly to an audience you already have on Facebook by uploading your email list to the Custom Audiences feature. Perhaps most exciting is the Lookalike Audience feature which lets you expand your reach by finding new leads that have similar attributes to your current audience.
Video
We know users love video, so it’s your job to give it to them. Facebook is considered the best social app for increasing website traffic, leads, and sales from video but it’s important to be aware of how best to present your content on the platform.
First, the average view time is 15 seconds so keep your videos short–under 60 seconds is ideal. Audio is muted by default on Facebook so it’s important to use captions. Second, consider your format. Of the three formats–landscape, square and vertical–vertical videos generate the highest engagement rate. Also, consider connecting in real-time with Facebook Live. For smaller Facebook pages, live streaming can double engagement. Finally, post frequently to keep your audience’s attention.
Boosting posts
As organic reach on Facebook continues to decline, it’s important to employ different tactics to get your content in front of the right audience. Enter Boosting posts, where Facebook allows you to push your best content to an audience beyond those who already like your Page.
As a rule, it’s best to select your most popular posts for paid promotion. Just choose the post, your goal, and call to action. You can also create your own custom audience. And, to diversify your reach, you can choose to have the ad appear on Instagram and Messenger as well.
Facebook stories
About 500 million people now use Facebook stories every day. They’re a popular feature among users because they add an element of excitement and urgency due to their impermanence — they disappear after 24 hours. Because of their placement at the top of people’s news feeds, Facebook stories get a lot of visibility, so they’re a natural addition to your marketing strategy.
Remember that Facebook stories are impermanent so they make a good place for time-sensitive content. The on-board tools allow you to get creative with different formats and effects, and you can upload up to 20 seconds of video. Using the interactive features like adding links, buttons, polls, and voting stickers will encourage audience participation.
Recent updates
Earlier this year, Facebook released new details about its ranking algorithm. While Facebook uses thousands of ranking signals, over the years it has continually mentioned the same four:
- Relationship, or who a user often interacts with
- Content type, such as video, images, or text
- Popularity, which is measured in likes or engagement
- Recency, which means newer posts are shown first
For 2021, consider these as the most important for getting your posts to appear higher up in the news feed.
Facebook is always adding new features to help business owners expand their reach. With this current suite, the 2021 game is looking strong for the platform.
