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Facebook advertising is a powerful tool for advertisers and businesses, but if you are looking to use it without spending any money on marketing your company can actually find that it’s more difficult than expected. From targeting audiences with the right messages to building relationships in order to reach out and talk directly with potential customers, these five steps will cover all of the basics necessary before you jump into paying Facebook ads.
Using online content, you may transform your business’s passive followers into interested customers with free Facebook marketing. This may be accomplished by optimizing your Facebook business page, getting followers to like your page, and then pinning a special offer or deal to the top of your page, which will direct people to your website or landing page.
You’ll need to invest time in finding out how to utilize Facebook marketing for your company if you want to optimize your page to attract followers. There are a few factors to consider, such as selecting the best industry-specific content to appeal to your target audience, selecting the most successful keywords for SEO, and monitoring the analytics to make the required modifications to optimize for success.
To sell on Facebook for free, follow these five steps:
1. Create & Enhance Your Facebook Business Page
Create a visually appealing and content-rich Facebook business page. Your company page will operate as a landing page for interested Facebook users and will also help you rank better in Google’s local search results if done properly. Choose correct keywords, Make a claim on a Vanity URL., and include engaging photographs to build a powerful Facebook page.
Create a Facebook Page.
Sign up for a Facebook business page to begin drawing clients with Facebook marketing. Log in to your personal account and choose “Create Page” from the drop-down menu in the top right corner. The software will then walk you through the steps of building a Facebook profile, including selecting a business category, giving information about your company, and adding visually attractive and educational photographs.
Select the Proper Category
The first step in establishing a Facebook business page is to choose a category that accurately represents your company. If you’re a local business, choose “local business” as your category and add up to three subcategories to narrow down your options. A nail salon, for example, has the options of “nail salon,” “beauty salon,” and “cosmetics and beauty supplies.”
Fill in your company’s details
To finish setting up your Facebook business profile, include basic information about your company, such as your company name and contact information. Before enabling you to establish a page on Facebook, you must first complete this step. You won’t be able to go to the following stage until you have the information listed above, so keep it with you while building your Facebook business profile.
Make a claim on a Vanity URL
Choose a web address that defines your company when establishing your page, such as www.facebook.com/yourbusiness. This will make your page seem more professional and branded, and the URL will be simple to share with consumers. If you don’t alter your URL, it will default to random numbers that are difficult to discover and remember for consumers. Remember that you can only change your URL once, so choose wisely.
Select Pictures That Appeal to You
People notice your cover photo and profile image first when they visit your page, therefore they’re an important part of your content strategy. Make sure the photographs are appealing and relevant to your company. Change your cover and profile photographs seasonally or if you want to advertise an event or a corporate milestone to maximize the marketing potential of your Facebook photos.
Complete the About section of your website.
Your About Us or About Me section should be around 250 words long and contain useful information like contact information as well as keywords that describe your company. For example, “pizza” and “Italian food” might be keywords for a pizza restaurant. Use as many characters as Facebook permits in this area to be descriptive. Fill out this box completely to allow visitors to learn more about your company and to provide information to search engines like Google.
Describe your company’s history
Users may post additional information about their businesses using Facebook’s business narrative feature. Use a marketing-oriented title and keywords for increased SEO value in this part of your Facebook company profile. Use your narrative to tell the tale of how your company began, to promote popular items, or to highlight key individuals of your staff. Remember that just the first 100 words of your About section will be shown.
Obtain Feedback
Positive reviews are a cost-free approach to attract new clients to your company. Request reviews from regular customers or provide a discount to those who submit a review on your Facebook page. Because Facebook reviews may appear in search engine results, they are a particularly important free marketing strategy.
Hire a Freelancer to Create or Improve Your Facebook Page
Setting up a Facebook business page that accurately reflects your brand and advertises to your target demographic may be time-consuming, but it’s definitely worth it when done correctly. Enlist the aid of a Fiverr freelancer to ensure that your Facebook profile has all of the necessary information about your company and attracts prospective consumers. So you may concentrate on operating your company, freelancers are ready to enhance your present page or maintain it on a regular basis.
2. Increase the number of people who like your Facebook business page
Share the advantages of your items and spread the word about your page to get others to like it. “Likes” are valuable since they expand the reach of your content and make your page and company seem more trustworthy. Post engaging and useful material that keeps consumers interested in your brand and keeps them engaged.
Choose the Correct Facebook Audience
Identifying your company’s ideal audience with a customer profile based on demographics and psychographics is the greatest approach to attract people to your Facebook page. Then, design content that speaks directly to your potential client. Content that is personalized to your target audience performs better in Facebook’s algorithm, resulting in more likes, comments, and shares than generic content.
Add the Facebook Icon to As Many Places As You Can
All of your marketing materials, including business cards, signage, email signatures, and your website, should include a link to your Facebook profile. Make sure your Facebook page has a vanity URL, such as www.facebook.com/yourbusiness, so that people can easily locate it. You may gain likes and grow your following by sharing your Facebook page with your present customers and their friends.
Inquire with people in person
Request that visitors to your shop “like” your page. You already know they’re interested in your company, so why not invite them to follow you on social media? If they like your page while in the shop, you may even give them a discount or a free item on the spot.
Inquire about it on the internet
Use a pop-up window on your website to encourage visitors to like your Facebook page. You may also request that individuals like your Facebook page after they make a purchase on your website. “Thank you for your purchase!” is an example of a message. “Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on new goods and special offers.”
Join the conversation on Facebook
Post from your Facebook business page to pages and groups connected to your industry to boost the number of people who view and like your company. Engage with your target audience by joining other groups and providing useful answers and advice to entice them to return to your page and like it.
Think beyond the box
To increase the number of people who like your page, do something exciting and original. Holding a contest and giving a coupon or discount to individuals who like your page are two methods for increasing page likes. People who like your page, share a post, or comment on promotion will be rewarded with discounts if they do so.
3. Share Valuable Content & Engage Your Audience
Informative, interesting, and engaging Facebook post is valuable. Post engaging articles, enable consumers to connect with your company on a personal level and use videos, quotations, and customer images to entice and engage your audience. Share information that is both relevant to your company and amusing to prospective clients on your Facebook business page.
The following are some of the particular methods to develop and distribute great content with your audience:
Submit an Informative Article
The purpose of Facebook marketing is to persuade people to not only read your item, but also to like, comment, and share it. Articles don’t have to be from your personal blog or website, but they should be linked to the goods, services, or industry of your small company. Capture and hold your followers’ attention by delivering engaging information on a regular basis. This will keep prospective consumers thinking about your company.
Post a motivational or humorous quote
People who are entertained or inspired by a post want to share their feelings with others, therefore quotes receive a lot of shares. Create a quotation picture for free using a site like Canva, or look for existing photos that are related to your goods and compatible with your brand messaging on the internet. Include your logo so that even if your quotation is shared by a third party, you are still promoting your company.
On its Facebook page, for example, the apparel company Free People uses the hashtag #fpwritethisdown to promote inspiring material. To attract prospective buyers to your content and develop an emotional connection with your followers, share phrases or photos that are congruent with your identity.
Display Photographs of Your Customers
Posting photos of your customers using your goods or services is a terrific method to appear organically in news feeds. Tag your admirers in photos with their permission; not only will this alert them to the post, but it will also likely surface on their friends’ news feeds. Include photographs of pleasant faces your consumers are likely to recognize to encourage them to like and comment on your posts.
Take photographs of your guests enjoying your specialty dish if you operate a restaurant, for example. Take a photo of your customer in front of their new house if you’re a real estate agent.
Request that they tag a friend
Asking someone to tag a friend may enormously enhance the reach of your post if done right. Each individual tagged by one of your fans will be alerted of the tag, attracted to the post, and exposed to your company’s Facebook page. By asking current customers to tag a friend, you may raise brand awareness among new consumers and broaden your Facebook page’s reach.
Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q, for example, is a barbecue restaurant known for its cheese biscuits. The firm made the following post and requested its current customers to tag a friend who might love the product. This kind of post keeps your clients interested and has the potential to grow your following.
Jim ‘N Nick’s Facebook post, as seen on a computer screen.
Submit a Question
Asking a question in a Facebook post is a terrific approach to direct user comments toward a certain product you sell or another subject relevant to your marketing strategy. Followers that take the time to respond are more likely to stick with your brand and purchase your goods or services. Keep your followers interested by asking a seasonal topic or a query about a certain event, holiday, or product.
Valerie Parr Hill’s Facebook post, as seen on a computer screen.
Make a Video
As a Facebook user reads through his or her newsfeed, videos begin to play automatically. This feature enhances the appeal of video postings. Add a featured video to your website that promotes one of your goods, services, or a significant team member. If you offer people a behind-the-scenes glimpse at your company, they will be more engaged with your Facebook marketing.
A screenshot of a video posted on the Beyond Bending Yoga Facebook page.
4. Make Your Facebook Business Posts More Effective
Evaluate how well your clients are connecting with your material after you’ve learned how to promote on Facebook for free. Facebook posts are an excellent method to acquire new consumers, but they must be optimized to reach your complete target demographic. To increase the reach of your Facebook page, use Facebook’s Page Insights scheduling and post-boosting capabilities.
Keep track of which Facebook posts are the most popular
Check to see how many people are reading your posts and how many likes, shares, and comments you’re receiving after a few postings. These figures show how successfully you interact with your followers. Once you’ve determined which posts are the most popular, concentrate your Facebook marketing efforts on those that are succeeding.
Examine the periods when your posts get the most likes and shares, in addition to the number of likes and shares. There is a lot of contradicting evidence regarding the ideal days and times to publish material, so figure out what works best for your page and its followers. Finally, you should schedule your postings to coincide with when your audience is most active.
Go to the Insights tab at the top of your Facebook profile to see how well your posts are doing. You’ll be able to view all of your activity, including the reach and interaction of your posts, after you’ve gotten there.
Screenshot of the Insights tab on Facebook.
Make a Facebook Post Schedule for Your High-Performance Posts
To remain on track with your articles and ensure you’re posting the correct content at the right time, we recommend setting a timetable. Make your Facebook page a priority and keep your Facebook marketing going by scheduling updates at least three times each week. The good thing is that Facebook allows you to plan posts, so you should be able to complete all of your Facebook posts for the week by sitting down for an hour or two once a week.
Facebook’s Scheduling Tool (screenshot)
If you don’t have the time or knowledge to sit down every week and plan your Facebook posts, let Hibu do it for you. Hibu is a digital marketing firm that will manage your Facebook page by publishing industry-specific content on your behalf, tracking audience interaction, and retargeting the most popular posts to generate more leads for your company.
Consider paying to boost a Facebook post
It’s crucial to know how to sell on Facebook for free, but you can also pay to boost your posts for a little fee. If one of your posts is doing well and attracting a large number of followers, enhance it so that others outside of your network may see it. Choose a targeted audience you believe would be interested in your company to optimize the effect of a boosted post.
Sponsor a Facebook post to communicate information about a sale or event your company is sponsoring, for example. This kind of marketing will draw in those who aren’t already followers and will help you boost page visits and, eventually, purchases.
“For a really appealing offer, do a giveaway on your Facebook company page using Facebook Ads.” To make the contest simple, mention in the text of the ad that to participate, people must like your page and comment on your article. It’s also a good idea to get back to each of the contest participants who didn’t win and offer them a discount as a ‘thank you’ for participating!” after the event is finished.
By Andrew Schutt, Elevated Web Marketing’s owner
Promote a sale or event once you’ve built a following and gained consumer loyalty via effective Facebook postings. Focus on consumer advantages and push important deals to the top of your page to keep followers and attract your target demographic. To develop brand loyalty and inspire people to purchase your items, share specials with your followers.
Customer Benefits
An excellent promotional post incorporates a call to action as well as pleasant news for the Facebook user. Combine information about your flexible business hours with a money-saving offer, for example, if you’re attempting to persuade individuals to call your office for an appointment. Focus on the demands of your target market, then create Facebook promotions to meet those needs. Finally, pin the promotion to the top of your Facebook page so that your fans see it first.
Make a Promotion Pin
You may pin a single post to the top of your page’s feed, ensuring that your followers see it first. If you’re holding a fun promotion, pin the article throughout the duration of the promotion so that new page visitors will see it. People seldom browse down a page’s feed, so pinning a significant article at the top of your Facebook company page makes it easier for them to view your high-value content.
What Should You Post on Your Facebook Company Page?
People use Facebook to browse photos and status updates from their friends and family, as well as news and amusing memes, articles, videos, and other content. Post fascinating material on your company’s Facebook page two to three times a day to optimize Facebook’s algorithm. Remember that 80 percent of your postings should be entertaining/interesting, and 20% should be promotional.
The Algorithm Behind Facebook’s News Feed
The algorithm that determines which posts people view on Facebook is updated many times a year. Your Facebook updates will be seen by 10% or less of your followers on average. People who like, comment, or share your posts, on the other hand, give a signal to Facebook that they are interested in what you’re saying. As a result, your future postings are more likely to show up in users’ news feeds.
Users’ Expectations for News Feeds
People use Facebook to view photos and updates from their friends and family, as well as intriguing articles and amusing videos. With this in mind, create engaging material for your page so that people will interact with it by liking, commenting, and sharing it. Your followers will give Facebook signs indicating they’re interested in your postings, increasing the likelihood that your future posts will show in their news feeds.
What Kinds of Facebook Promotional Posts Work Best?
The finest promotional articles are educational, interesting, and provide a lot of value to your followers. A basic status update that states “All winter jackets on sale!” is unlikely to be seen by many people, but a status update that includes an intriguing photograph and an appealing offer is considerably more likely to be seen. Attract your target customers with promos that are both useful and entertaining.
The Benefits of Facebook Marketing for Small Businesses
The following are the three main benefits of free Facebook marketing:
- It costs nothing to create a Facebook business page, and it’s also free to upload and share information.
- Promote your goods and services: Once you have a fan base, you can sell your items to them without having to pay for promotion; you can also keep your followers up to speed on any special events or discounts your company is doing.
- Interact and stay relevant: Facebook is a great platform for engaging with customers, listening to what they have to say, and responding to their comments; you can provide people with updates about events, products, and services by posting pictures and status updates; this allows you to stay top of mind with your current and potential customers, so they’ll think of you when they make their next purchasing decision.
Setting up a Facebook business profile takes approximately 15 minutes, but if you want to advertise your company effectively on Facebook, you need to spend at least 1 to 2 hours every week on the site. To maximize your page and get the most out of free Facebook marketing, create interesting posts and answer to people who connect with them.
Most Commonly Asked Questions
What Is the Best Way to Promote My Business on Facebook?
Create an appealing, useful page for your company on Facebook and urge people to “like” it. To retain and develop a devoted audience, provide engaging material, and optimize articles for optimum interaction. To convert followers into customers, pin exclusive deals to the top of your page after gaining their attention and confidence.
How Can I Use Facebook to Grow My Business?
Set up a Facebook business profile for your company that delivers a useful information and fascinating material, such as funny videos and motivational remarks. Encourage consumers to “like” your page, give reviews, and share your content to get more followers. Then, by delivering incentives that keep followers engaged in your company, convert them into paying clients.
Is There a Way to Promote My Facebook Page Without Spending Money?
By personalizing postings to your target demographic and engaging followers, you can promote your Facebook page without spending any money. To develop trust and interest in your company, share photographs and videos of your goods and workers. Once you’ve built up a dedicated following, pin a worthwhile promotion to the top of your page so that it’s the first thing your followers see.
Final Thoughts
Facebook marketing does not have to be costly, but it does need the creation and sharing of engaging and educational material with your target audience. Post encouraging quotes, fascinating articles, and customer feedback on your Facebook company page. A well-curated and optimized Facebook page keeps current followers interested while also attracting new ones.