Q: Can you tell me what LERN’s suggestions are in the following topic: marketing strategies that use Facebook (and other social media) vs. the print media.
And LERN’s thoughts on linking our Facebook page to a Paypal / credit card account?
To help answer the above, we are gathering info on whether it is a good policy to pay to promote a Facebook page? Or is it just a need for better messaging on your Facebook page? Or are there other suggestions on how to get more people to your Facebook page and actually view your posts. (How to get into their feed.)
A: First off, when you say "print media," I'm assuming you mean your local newspaper. If that's the case, you need to look at your audience versus the readership of the newspaper. For instance, if you're trying to attract 20-somethings, you're going to have better luck online than in print. If you're trying to attract 15-year-olds, you'll have better luck on Instagram than Facebook. It's all about where you can find your target audience.
In terms of Facebook ads, they can work to increase likes to your page. We usually suggest changing your ads every 10 days.
Other options to increase then number of people who like your fan page are:
1) Offer relevant content often -
Links
Pictures
Videos
Make it fun and interesting
When someone comes to your page, you want them to see you’re offering great content – that’s why the will “like” you.
2) Put a "like button" on your website -
Use the version that includes thumbnails of friends, enables comments, and place it at the top and bottom of articles and near visual content like videos/graphics. According to Facebook, websites that followed these best practices experienced 3-5x greater click-through rates on the Like Button.
3) Ask questions
Status updates asking simple questions or encouraging a user to Like the story have 2-3x the activity.
4) Publish in the early morning -
Stories that are published in the early morning or just before bed have higher engagement.
5) Let fans post to your page -
You want to share your updates with fans, but you want to allow fans to share their thoughts, opinions, feedback, and even pictures and videos with you.
6) Comment on your fans posts -
If your fans have started posting on your wall and sharing pictures on your page, don’t ignore them. Comment on what they’ve posted, even if it’s just a simple “Thanks for sharing!” or click of the like button. Not only will it encourage them to post even more content, but new fans will see that you care about what your audience has to say, and they’ll start sharing content with you as well.
7) Create a content -
The two most popular types of contests are:
A) Sweepstakes: The user fills out the form and is entered to win.
B) Photo Submission: The user snaps a photo (of whatever you determine) and sends it in via a contest app on Facebook. It can then be judged by you or voted on by others on Facebook. (Since you need to be a fan to post to your wall, you’ll get more “likes.”)
8) Offer exclusive discounts, coupons, and content
You can use third-party apps to create welcome pages that only current fans can see. You can offer discounts, coupons, whatever, on those welcome pages and only your fans will be able to access them.
9) Invite your email list to like your Facebook page-
A good open rate is 20% and a good click through rate – of those who open the email, you want 10-20% to click through. If you have a list of 1,000 emails and 200 open your email, 40 will click through and “like” you.
10) Remember, it's not just about asking people to "like" you, it's about giving them a reason to.