Many businesses and organisation use Facebook Advertising as a channel to grow. It can be a highly effective, low cost way to connect with your your targetaudience, and with a new change ahead, this great tool is about to improve the way your Ad is seen.
The key change I want to focus on in this article is to the newsfeed description text (this is the text you see under the large headline). Essentially, when you include a link in an Ad you have the option to add a description (this is separate from the headline).
Previously, everyone got to see this piece of text in your ad. Now, when this Ad appears in the News Feed it will now show ONLY to those more likely to take the action you want, whether it’s purchasing a product or filling out a lead form.
Why is Facebook doing this?
Because they are on a mission to make the delivery of content (paid and organic) more relevant to its users. So hopefully it will make marketers (and publishers generally) be more strategic in the content they produce.
What does it mean for users?
To be honest, they are not likely to see the change at all. And the description is only going to be shown to those most likely to engage with the ad anyway. But it does mean that the headline text is all the more important.
Will it improve the performance of your Ad?
At the moment it’s hard to tell. But, any change that improves the experience for Facebook users is a good thing.
Just as an example, some people are more likely to take an action, such as making a purchase, when they see the price of an item directly in an ad. Others are more likely to make a purchase when they see the price only after interacting with an ad. Facebook will decide whether or not to show your description based on what we think will most impact each person and cause them to take a meaningful action.
It’s an even more tailored way to get your product in front of the right audience.
What’s the catch?
It won’t always be seen by your target audience, that is the nature of the social media beast. So be strict with what you put in the description. It’s best to keep it as non-essential information (to your brand) and put that essential information in the headline of your Ad. What’s the headline we hear you say? This text (up to 25 characters) below the image or next to the image is larger and more obvious than the other text sections, and clearly describes the most important piece of information to users.
Don’t forget though that non-essential isn’t always non-useful, think of it is an additional way to connect with those you want to serve.
There isn’t a day goes by where someone is doing a Facebook Live. Many enjoy this Facebook feature to share special moments or give you an insight into someone’s life or business. It has been beneficial not only to ordinary users but also for broadcasting real time events.
However, to make the most of Facebook live’s function, users should learn the best tricks on how to produce an effective video:
Plan the content. Decide for what topic or content you will be creating and what are you going to talk about. Too, think of your target audience.
Select the best time to broadcast. Broadcast time is also important. You should consider what time works the best. Identify when your audiences are most active and online. With that, you can guarantee that your video will be seen by people right away.
Promote before you broadcast. Let your audience know that you are going to have an upcoming video. You can post image or perhaps a shorter video to tell them you are going to post soon. If it is really an important video, invite and tell your friends to tune out by linking your account/business page.
Consider sound and lighting. During the streaming, looks after the lighting and sound. Make sure people can see you and hear you clearly or else they will get annoyed. With bad sounds and light, they can in any time stop watching the video. Invest with quality microphones and change the angles while recording if needed.
Relax and be comfortable. Make yourself comfortable while doing the recording. Don’t forget to introduce yourself and smile. Also take note to end your live video with a call to action and telling your viewers about your plan for your next video. This way you can have them tuned to your upcoming recordings. You can also ask them to share it or contact you for any follow up questions.
Create an enticing description. Catch your viewer’s attention by writing an interesting description. Drive them to watch your Facebook live video with your killer description.
Monitor the video and respond to comments. Check the reactions and increase engagement or interaction by addressing the comments. You can as well invite them to contribute their thoughts.
Keep promoting. Don’t let your Facebook live video go to waste. You can promote this using other social media platforms. Create posts and link it to the Facebook video so you can direct other viewers from different platforms to see your recording.
Analyse the results. Take a look at the data. See the number of people who watched your Facebook live, how many minutes they spend watching it, reactions, comments, shares and other data to determine how effective it is.
Plan for your next video. Plan ahead of time what you’ll cover next. Based upon your first video, derive the best strategies. Experiment on new and different things.
With Facebook live, you can establish better relationship with your audience. You don’t have to be a professional broadcaster and videographer to produce a nice recording. You just have to state some information with confidence and enjoy the moment!
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
You may have heard the concept of the 80/20 rule or the Pareto principle. It states that for many events, 80% of the effects come from the 20% of causes. But what is 80/20 rule when it comes to social media and why is it important?
In social media, the 80/20 rule states that 80% leads are generated by 20% marketing effort. This rule is applicable generally in marketing. Engaging your audience on social media is a very tough job; there is no definite formula on this. The basic concept of the 80/20 rule is that; 80% you should post valuable, entertaining content while the other 20% is to promoting your products or services through posts with a strong call to action.
This should be on the 80% of your time. Make all your posts about your audience and building that relationship. People rely on social media primarily to be entertained, if you’re not doing that then you’re not having a conversation with your target audience. Audiences always like interesting and educative content, they react to these type of posts and also have time to share this with their followers. So 80% of your social posts should be appealing and interesting, funny and informative.
Your posts should be of course shareable and have quality content. These posts can include articles, videos, photos, questions, interesting facts, news and many more.. This content should provoke your audience interest and engagement and your audience should feel the connection to your brand.
And remember – you don’t have to create all of this content yourself, you can curate it by sourcing content from others and sharing it with your social media community.
But we know that engaging your audience is also a difficult task so let me give you tips on how you can get the 80% educational content.
check what kind of posts people are reacting to
check what your competitors are sharing on their social media accounts
highlight those which is “must read” and don’t just simply share content
prioritise visual content, like images and especially video
Just remember that 80% of your posts should be in engaging your audience and not merely talking about your business.
20% – Promote
In the remaining 20%, the content should be about your brand or business. Every bit of information regarding your products, services, offers and all other information should be listed. When you promote your products or services, just make sure that your audience can benefit also from it. You can do this by promoting discount or special offers and you can also remind them about what an excellent experience they have by purchasing from you.
Tips to creating promotional content (20%)
develop a persuasive call to action
link back to your website
include information that benefits your customers: special offers discounts, promos, etc
Having a persuasive call to action is very important because this leads to the growth of your target audience, and is more likely to generate traffic to your website. This is because it will inspire your audience to know more about your product or brand and they will tend to dig deeper.
There is really no universal formula to successfully building a social media presence for your brand and keeping your audience engaged to it. However, in most instances, it is ok to use the 80/20 rule as a guide to ensure that your followers would be interested and will keep coming back for more.
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? If you’re a business professional, chances are you’re on LinkedIn. It’s the perfect platform for meeting new business connections, link up with people in complimentary industries and share knowledge with those inside your own. And as of Oct 2018 there are almost 4.5 million active daily users on LinkedIn in Australia.
Your LinkedIn profile – First impressions count
Just like a resume or business card, your LinkedIn profile will be the first thing people see about you. Also, how well you fill out your details, as well as other factors like the number of connections, will determine how well you are found in search results on the platform.
Treat your profile like it is a part of your business. Invest time in improving it and constantly attend to it by updating your status and sharing information. More importantly make sure that your profile is a reflection of how you wish to present you and your brand.
Quick tips to improve your profile
Want to optimise your profile for success? Here are my top 10 tips:
Upload a profile picture. Make sure it’s professional and not a photo you took on your last holiday – that might work for a travel agent, but not for most industries. You’re on LinkedIn to make business connections not friends.
Write a clear description of what you do in your ‘Professional Headline’. Don’t make it too long and make sure you have important related keywords.
Make sure you include yourself in the correct industry so that people can find you.
Grab you unique URL. It gives you a shortened link to share with business contacts and it’s easy to remember.
In the ‘Summary’ section include important relevant keywords and when drafting this section, have someone read it before you upload. If you need to, employ a copywriter to do this for you.
Include relevant work experience that demonstrates your skills and talents.
Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations and endorsements – they help you rank higher in search results!
Include all of your skills. You may want to only add a few at a time.
If you have written a published article or another publication, be sure to include this in the “Publications’ section. This will give you credibility.
Add you Twitter handle and website!
Over to you!
What other tips and tricks have you used to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile? You can also connect with me on LinkedIn here.
If you want help getting more out of your social media marketing, please download our free step by step guide today!
We hear, especially from Solopreneurs and small businesses, time and time again “Why should my business use social media?” The answer is surprisingly simple – Because it Works.
Australians love social media, with 65% of Australians using social media and 95% of those using Facebook it is an excellent way to access your audience who spend up to 7 hours a week on social media. IN addition, many businesses right across Australia identify social media as a growing channel for their marketing.
The benefits of using social media are many and varied, it can:
Reduce your overall Marketing costs, that’s a win.
Increase traffic to your awesome website, again a win!
Increase your brand awareness, win/win.
Help you talk directly to your customers – WIN!
Help with retention long after the purchase has occurred – DOUBLE WIN!
Isn’t social media free? Yes it is, for solopreneurs and businesses, but you need to factor in things like your time when including this in your budget because social media needs to be daily monitored to ensure customers’ needs are attended to and questions answered.
When determining your social media marketing plan, first you need to identify the 3 M’s of Marketing – Message (What) Market (Who) Medium (How).
Key questions to think about when determining your 3M’s are:
Why are you different? What problem do you fix? Why are you different? What’s in it for them? What message resonates? How many updates per week? What other tactics will you use? How will you measure success?
Once you have determined the 3M’s you can execute your plan in only 15 minutes per week, you need to put time aside to:
Post content
Engage with your community
Follow Influencers
Nurture your own community
Measure your activity
Here’s a quick reference for your daily and weekly social media needs:
Sunday night
Write and schedule your updates for the week (minimum 2), find 3 – 5 people/organisations to follow and look at your metrics for the previous week and adjust your plans where needed.
Each morning
Quickly scan for any breaking news that is relevant (post it if there is), comment on a couple of posts from connections made, follow accounts of new clients and new networking connections and send personal messages to a few connections.
Other key questions to consider when setting up: How will you promote your social media? Are there any risks to consider? Who are your likely customers? Who your customers’ friends? And if you are one of the many solopreneurs out there, how will you manage your time and resources?
One last thing, stay relevant with your content, think to yourself “Is this important and necessary for the customer to hear” each time you post.
When determining your social media marketing plan, first you need to identify the 3 M’s of Marketing – Message (What) Market (Who) Medium (How).