I thought of starting a new (and innovative) e-commerce business which was motivated by my love towards plants. I spent a lot of time on research related to logistics and supply chain but didn’t focus at all towards the most important question.
Who are my buyers?
As my understanding evolved of the concept of buyer persona, I started asking myself another question.
Even if I understand my buyers, how will I reach them?I began by creating a Facebook business page but to no avail. People were not interested in what I was offering. Rather, I should say I did not offer them what they wanted to read.
Many challenges came forward and forced me to drop the idea. But my love for plants didn’t allow me to completely drop my wish to make every home green.
After a lot of contemplation, I started a facebook page to boost interest of people in gardening-which I still maintain. However, there was something different this time. I optimized my page differently and made it more engaging. The content I shared was what people wanted to see and connect with.
Many like me think of starting their own business and struggle a lot to promote it. Even established businesses struggle to attract their target audience. For some, markets get saturated and some just can’t find an effective way to promote themselves. question during one of my presentations.
That brings me to a question I asked during one of my presentations.
“How many of you have a Facebook Account?”
Unsurprisingly, in an audience of more than 100, no one had their hands down.
Today almost everyone who has access to the internet owns a facebook account. That’s what proves that businesses need to have strong presence over facebook to reach their targeted audience.
Optimizing your facebook page and targeting your buyers are important components of a successful Inbound Marketing Strategy. You need to focus on your buyers and optimize your page and content to their liking.
Here are some quick tips that will help you out in optimizing your facebook page.
Optimizing Page
1) Choose an appropriate profile picture:
What is the first thing you notice in a person?The “Face” of the person.
Similarly, when it comes to “Facebook”, the face is the most important thing of your profile.
Choosing a perfect profile picture and cover picture is the most important thing after choosing the most appropriate name for your Facebook Page (Brand Name).
The profile picture must be something that comes to mind when someone thinks of you. For a brand, it ideally should be your Logo so that it can be easily found through graph search.
Note: The Profile Picture displays at 160×160 pixels on your Computer page, 140×140 pixels on smartphones and 50×50 pixels on most feature phones. Exercise prejudice!
2) Choose an attractive Cover Picture:
Then we come to the cover picture.
The cover pic is the same as your hairstyle. If your hairstyle is an untidy mess no one would appreciate you. Your cover picture should not be descriptive and must convey what your business actually is as succinctly as possible.
Note: Cover Picture Displays at 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall on your Page on computers and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall on smartphones. So Choose Wisely!
3) The “About” Section:
Consider the ‘About Section’ as your address plate outside your home.
No address means No visitors. No visitors mean No Mails. In the digital world, that translates to a huge loss.
Note: The information provided must be descriptive but short.
4) Brain of your Page:
Facebook Page Settings play a vital role when it comes to Page Management. It enables you to control Visibility, Messaging, Notification, Page Roles, Comment & Replies, Photo Tagging etc.
This is the Brain of your page which monitors everything and gives appropriate commands. Manage all that goes into your page here.
5) Adding CTA Button:
Adding a CTA button to your FB page is critical. The Call-to-Action feature helps convert your visitors into leads and drive business objectives.
It’s exactly like a bell on your door. Provide a bell for your visitors and turn them into leads!
Optimizing Content
6) Use of content:
Content is at the heart of any Inbound Marketing strategy. When it comes to Inbound Marketing, it is rightly said that ‘Content is King’. Good content goes a long way in helping you gain quality leads.
Make sure that the content you post on your facebook page attracts your targeted audience.
60% of the sales cycle is over before a prospect talks to the sales representative. Hence, it’s important to have the right content to capture your prospect’s attention. So to know what to post, you must know that what is your Buyer’s Persona and Buyer’s Journey to tailor content to their liking.
According to March 2014 research published on e-marketer, photos accounted for 75% of content posted by Facebook pages worldwide. Posting photos on Facebook are the best way to get more attention from your fans because images are easier to consume than text.
Posting photos on facebook, is the best way to get more attention from your fans because images are easier to consume than text.Use of both non- lead & lead generation content is important.
If you continue to post picture after picture, you may see your Reach and Engagement go down. It shows that too much of a good thing is bad for your Facebook Page.
So try switching up the post formats to increase the chance of your audience to see them.
7) Perfect timing to post?
If you understand your Buyer’s Persona well, it’s easier for you to provide content at the perfect time. The ultimate objective of Inbound Marketing is to reach the target audience, engage them and convert them into leads.
Therefore timing is critical.
8) Advertising your content on facebook:
Facebook might not reach all of the people to whom you want to show your content and engage, But you can surely do paid advertisements to get our content seen by people who actually might get interested in what you have to offer to them.
Facebook allows you to select your target audience and charges according to impressions or engagements. Facebook allows you to advertise with respect to a lifetime or daily budget.
If you are still struggling in getting leads, optimize your facebook page well and see how Inbound Marketing Methodology brings in more results than those of the traditional marketing ones.
P.S. This is my first attempt at blogging. Please leave a comment and give me your feedback.
