Facebook Marketing: How to Put the Power of a Community behind Your Brand

Social mediais just that – it’s social. When a person likes something, someone or some company on Facebook, they do so with the intent to engage on some level with them. Whether it is just listening to the company spout off about new topics within their industry or actually creating new content for the brand to use on their page or toward their marketing efforts, consumers like to be social and be a part of a community centered on mutual interests.

These communities are important to your brand and give you a way to build loyalty, trust and ultimately sales by creating and maintaining a strong presence on Facebook. Many small businesses struggle to know how they can put the power of these communities to work for them. Here are a few approaches that can help you harness the power of having a strong, brand-loyal fan base behind your business.

Avoid the approach of one brand marketing to many people. A community is made up of a multitude of people. In order to maintain that community feel, your business should focus on the approach of a community of people marketing to a community of people. This can be done by encouraging interaction among your fans and allowing conversations to take place on your Facebook page.

Put your customer needs above all. Your customers are fans of yours because they have a need they hope to have fulfilled by liking your Facebook page. This could be something as simple as entertainment, or something larger such as being among the first to know about happenings within your industry. Focus on these needs and find out what your customers want from your brand, then fulfil it.

Be more than just a commercial. People do not log into Facebook to be sold on a product or service they have already liked. They get bombarded with enough marketing messages in their news feed and in other forms of media. Instead, create value around your brand by dropping the sales speak and delivering something you know will benefit them. This is a far more effective way to connect with your community and keep them loyal to your brand.

Engage in conversation. Facebook is a great place to have a conversation with your community. By becoming a voice in the crowd instead of a voice of the crowd, you can create an image that you are just like your fan base. This engagement will help you to stand apart from other marketing messages and make consumers in your community feel heard and valued. This can go a long way.

Focus on existing content rather than new content. The internet is filled with content and creating more just for the sake of creating more will have little benefit to your brand. Reuse content in fun ways, such as holding a caption contest for a picture or asking a question.

Understand voyeurism in social media – Studies have shown that only around 1% of your fans will create new content, such as photos or articles, with your brand and only about 9% of your fans will comment or engage on a deeper level. That leaves 90% of your fans lurking in the background. Although you do not see or hear from the majority of your fan base it is important to realize that they are there and are reading what you post. Continue to keep them interested by catering to their voyeuristic approach.

The community around your brand can help boost your image in social media and give your customers more of a reason to want to be a part of your company. Let Infintechhelp you create a strategy to do this effectively.