How to Use Facebook to Gain Exposure and Increase Revenue

Businesses are flocking to Facebook as a way to reach out and connect with their customers, some to resounding success, and some to baffled failure. So what’s the difference between a successful, engaging Facebook campaign, and one that no one is paying attention to?

We all probably have a handle on the basics: tell people where your business is located, outline your services, and all the other basic “business profile” requirements. But Facebook is not your typical business profile—it’s a different beast entirely. Let’s look at a few factors that can help contribute to your business’s success in a social marketing environment.

Don’t take the “social” out of “social marketing”

You and I log into our personal Facebookfor a variety of reasons: sharing pictures with friends, organizing events, maintaining relationships with faraway loved ones, and keeping people abreast of our plans. But whatever role each of us gives social media in our lives, I don’t know anyone who logs in for an opportunity to be marketed to.

If you’re not interesting, no one is going to want to listen. Yes, you can definitely talk about your business—that’s why you’re there, after all—but throw people an occasional curveball and ask them about the first concert they attended or what they thought of Captain America. The fact is, you’re more likely to connect with potential customers on their interests than on yours.

Make it worth their while

It’s the oldest marketing trick in the book: give something away for free with the confidence that it will entice them to return. And Facebook is a fantastic venue for this. Run a contest where you reward people for a certain status update. Make your Facebook followers and exclusive club and give them special coupons or early-bird specials. Do whatever it takes to occasionally remind your followers that it’s in their best interest to stick around.

Give people a call to action

If you want someone to “like” something, give them a friendly reminder! Don’t expect your fans to read your minds—but if you’re giving something away for free, it’s absolutely OK to ask them to show their appreciation. I don’t scroll around Facebook “liking” everything I actually like; sometimes it just doesn’t occur to me, and I develop a kind of mental blind spot for that ubiquitous button. But if I enjoy something, and I see a friendly reminder that it would be nice if I went on record with that enjoyment, I snap to attention. Everyone needs to be appreciated.

Engage your customers

If a customer posts a comment full of praise, acknowledge it. If you see someone complaining about an experience they had with your company, get to the bottom of it and find out how you can make it better.

Keep a careful eye on whether you’re engaging your followers, or simply talking to them in the standard one-way advertisement format. And hey, don’t worry—if you’re not giving your followers the opportunity to join the conversation, you’re not going to have to worry about entertaining them for long.