Category: Facebook

Facebook Marketing Trends For 2021

Despite the rise of other social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, Facebook still remains an incredibly important marketing channel, boasting over 2.7 billion monthly active users! As such, many businesses will continue to use Facebook as their prime marketing platform for the foreseeable future. However, while Facebook is an excellent place to market goods and services, Facebook marketing strategies and trends tend to change over time so it is important to stay on top of the latest Facebook marketing updates. In this article, we will break down some of the top Facebook marketing trends for 2021. 

Here are the top Facebook marketing trends to be aware of for 2021:

1. Video 

When Facebook first came out, it was primarily an image and text sharing platform. However, recently, video content has been gaining a lot of momentum on the site. In fact, video content now makes up roughly 17 percent of all content on Facebook. In Q3, 2020, the amount of video content on the platform rose 2.6% from the previous year. Facebook users are demonstrating an increasing demand and preference for video content. Because of this, many companies are now coming up with lots of different creative ways to use and post marketing videos to their audiences on Facebook. These videos can often be created from the comfort of your own home using video creation apps, like Boosted. This trend will most likely continue throughout 2021. Need help formatting your videos for Facebook? Check out this Facebook video guide here.

2. Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality, also known as AR, is a technology that projects computer-generated, virtual augmentations to our reality in order to create unique and entertaining experiences. Augmented reality is different from virtual reality, which involves creating a completely virtual world. In the past year, and especially during the pandemic, many people have been using augmented reality filters in their pictures and video on Facebook, in addition to on many other social media platforms, like Instagram. More and more companies are starting to use their own AR filters to engage their audiences and enhance the experience customers have with their brands. Because users like AR filters so much, it is very likely that brands will use them more heavily in 2021 as it becomes more accessible to create these unique filters. 

3. Customer Journey Tracking 

In order for marketers to get the greatest possible ROI on their ad spend, they need to be able to fully understand the customer journey and to see which advertising strategies are working and which are not. To help understand this journey, Facebook released the Facebook Attribution Tool several years ago. This tool allows brands to get a complete understanding of their customer journeys. For example, using this Attribution Tool, brands can see if customers are coming more from mobile or desktop, messenger or audience network, Facebook or Instagram, etc. In 2021, the Facebook Attribution Tool is expected to become even more important for marketers as Facebook ad prices continue to rise and the need for high marketing ROI increases. To get a better understanding of Facebook ads as a tool for giving your engagement a boost, check out this guide here.

4. Newsfeed Ads  

For a number of years now, newsfeed ads have been both the most popular and the most effective types of ads on Facebook. This is largely because newsfeed ads appear directly in the user’s line of vision when they are scrolling through their newsfeed. It is almost impossible not to see them! Brands prefer newsfeed ads so much that roughly 58.2 percent of all ad spend on Facebook by businesses is newsfeed ads. Newsfeed ads also have an average click-through rate of 1.82%, which is higher than other forms of Facebook ads. Because of the high click-through rates and prominent display areas, newsfeed ads will most likely continue to dominate in 2021. New to Facebook ads? Get started now!

5. Personalization 

Personalization is another Facebook marketing trend that will continue to surge in 2021. The reason why personalization is so important for Facebook marketing is because customers simply don’t find generic marketing messaging very interesting. However, when marketing messaging is personalized to their preferences, interests, likes, users are much more interested in the messaging and more likely to engage. In fact, personalized messages are three times as likely to convert as generic messages. For this reason, marketers will continue to use personalization heavily in 2021 most likely. 

6. Facebook Stories 

Stories have become extremely popular on most social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. Now they are also becoming very popular on Facebook. Stories are just brief videos that allow brands to provide updates about their company whenever they want to. Facebook stories can be a type of video marketing – they’re great because they generally require very little production and editing and can be published very quickly. Because Stories are so easy to use, and because social media users love them, Facebook stories will most likely be more heavily used by marketers in 2021. 

7. User-Generated Content 

User-generated content is quickly becoming a key marketing method for many brands. This is because user-generated content allows brands to reduce their marketing costs by getting quality image and video content for free from their customers. One company that uses this strategy with extreme effectiveness is GoPro. GoPro regularly provides awards to its users for the best user-generated content. This content can be easily distributed on Facebook to increase engagement and interest in the company. User-generated content has become even more popular during these past months when companies are needing to pivot their marketing strategies for a more DIY approach. Check out here how to utilize user-generated content to give your Instagram profile a boost as well!

Conclusion 

2021 is coming and your business needs to get ready for the new year! In addition to following new social media content trends for 2021, you will need to jump on the new Facebook marketing campaign tools available. Being aware of these key changes will allow you to take full advantage of Facebook for your marketing needs. If you are already capitalising on some of these Facebook marketing trends, then you are ahead of the game, congrats! However, if you are not currently using any of these Facebook marketing trends, then you should strongly consider starting to use some of them. You can start with just one, or you can use a number of different Facebook marketing techniques. Needless to say, however, the sooner you start using them, the sooner you can start benefiting from them.

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Facebook & Instagram Shops Just Got Way Better for Small Businesses

Back in May, Facebook announced the launch of Facebook Shops: a game-changing feature that enables brands to sell their products directly via Facebook and/or Instagram. In our post about the feature, we mentioned a few important developments set to be released in the future.

Well, the future is here! Last week, Facebook announced a few exciting updates to the Facebook and Instagram shopping experience. Here’s what’s new, and what it means for small business owners.

The Facebook Shop section

What’s happening: Back in July, a Shop tab was introduced to the Instagram interface, allowing users to browse products and offerings they could buy right from the app. Last week, a similar section was launched in the Facebook app as well. The feature is now being tested in the USA only.

What it means for you: This tab will make it easier for potential customers to find your products. People who voluntarily enter the shopping section are already looking for products to buy and are therefore further along the sales funnel than many people you might reach with a targeted ad.

New features for your Facebook Shop

What’s happening: Facebook added some new features to Facebook Shops. The new features include:

  • New design layouts that make it easier for you to highlight particular products in your Shop
  • The ability to preview your collections in real time as you design them
  • The ability to create a new Shop automatically if you’re just getting started as a seller on Facebook
  • A new analytics feature for measuring your results from the Commerce Manager

What it means for you: The first two new features make it easier to design a compelling virtual storefront that leads your customers to the products you most want them to see. The third makes it easier to set up your Shop if you don’t have one already, and the fourth makes it possible to gain powerful insights into your results, which can help you adjust your strategy down the line and increase your conversion rates.

Instagram Checkout 

What’s happening: The in-app checkout option has been enabled in Instagram for all USA-based sellers. Previously, you could enable in-app checkout in your Facebook Shop. Now, you can do it for your Instagram Shop, too. And the best part? This service will be fee-free for businesses until the end of the year. Facebook made that gesture to help small businesses still dealing with the financial difficulties related to the pandemic.

What it means for you: In-app checkout removes several barriers from the customer and allows for a much smoother, easier purchasing experience. It means they will be able to enter their credit card information just once, and complete all future purchases in just a few taps, with no need to fumble with a wallet or visit third-party sites. This translates to higher conversion rates for you. And the fact that there’s no fee until the end of the year is a major bonus!

Shops Messaging button

What’s happening: Facebook has added a messaging button to Shops that allows customers to contact the shop owner directly to ask questions. At the moment, customers can use this feature to contact you via Messenger or Instagram Direct, and Facebook is currently testing adding it to Whatsapp, too.

What it means for you: The messaging button is the virtual equivalent of having a salesperson there to help your customers and guide them through the selection and purchase process. So often, a customer will be interested in making a purchase but will be missing a crucial piece of information, and won’t want to bother figuring out how to contact you to ask. The messaging button makes it much easier for them to get the information they need to complete their purchase. So once again: say hello to higher conversion rates.

Live Shopping

What’s happening: It is now possible to use Facebook Live and Instagram Live to launch or feature a new product — and to sell that product to your customers directly from the Live feed!

What it means for you: This is an especially exciting feature for small businesses because it combines the convenience of the in-app shopping experience with the marketing power of livestream. Brands everywhere have found Facebook and Instagram Live an especially effective way to reach and engage with their audiences. Now, with Live Shopping, it will be easier than ever to convert your followers into paying customers. You can plan a Facebook Live or Instagram Live event that features a product — say, a tutorial, or a Live interview with a happy customer — and add a purchase button right to your viewers’ screens. It makes livestreaming more like a real-life event where people can attend, enjoy what you have to offer, and make a purchase on the spot.

Action items:

  • If you haven’t created your own Facebook and/or Instagram Shop yet — now is the time!
  • Check out the new design options in Facebook Shops and see if they can spruce up your collections.
  • Start tracking your Facebook Shop insights to learn more about your customers’ purchasing behavior.
  • Be sure to enable in-app checkout on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Plan a Facebook and/or Instagram Live event that features one of your products, and add the purchase option to the livestream!

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Facebook’s Small Business Report on COVID-19: What Business Owners Need to Know

By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdowns to prevent its spread have had wide-reaching, devastating economic effects – with the small businesses community being especially hard-hit.

Facebook recently released a survey that they conducted in partnership with Small Business Roundtable to understand how small businesses in the U.S have been impacted by the crisis. A key conclusion from the survey is that a significant majority of business owners are optimistic and hopeful that their businesses will survive and thrive. 

Facebook surveyed 86,000 people who owned, managed, or worked for small and medium-sized businesses, 9,000 of whom operate “personal businesses:” self-employed individuals providing goods or services who didn’t label themselves as owners or managers. By looking at the data and examining how these individuals are coping with the crisis, you can gain some valuable insights that may help you and your business weather the situation better.

The challenges small businesses are facing

Let’s get the tough news out of the way: small businesses, the survey reports, face an uncertain future. 31% of owners and managers reported that their businesses were not operating because of COVID-19. For personal businesses, that number rises to 52%.

In the majority of cases — 62% — these businesses said that they had closed to comply with orders by their local governments or health authorities. Others said that it was due to the financial difficulties (9%) or lack of demand (7%).

The report highlighted several challenges small business owners are facing due to the current conditions. The most significant were cash flow (28%) and lack of demand (20%). To continue operating, business owners must keep paying their fixed costs such as rent and utility bills, but the lack of sales has made it difficult or impossible just to cover those costs. Even business owners who are able to continue operating as normal may be struggling to get paid by their clients — who are, themselves, experiencing financial difficulties.

Disrupted home/work balance

Aside from the financial strain, small business owners are struggling to balance running their businesses with managing their households.

The shelter-in-place orders have forced the majority of business owners to stay at home with their families. Those who are able to continue working from home must balance this with managing household tasks. 62% of small business owners report spending 1-4 hours a day on domestic and household care activities. 10% of owners and managers surveyed were also caring for dependents such as children or elderly family members, and it’s not surprising that 47% of them reported feeling burned out trying to balance it all. 

These issues affect women disproportionately. 55% of personal business owners surveyed were women, and as mentioned above, these businesses are shutting down at much higher rates than small or medium-sized businesses. 33% of women owners and managers reported that household responsibilities were making it significantly harder for them to focus on work, as opposed to 25% of men.

How businesses are coping

Now for the good news. The best news is that small business owners are resilient and hopeful. 57% report that they are optimistic or extremely optimistic about the future of their businesses, and only 11% said they were expecting their business to fail within the next 3 months if the situation doesn’t change.

What is making these business owners so optimistic? It could be that they’re hopeful that the crisis will pass quickly, but the survey shows that even while the pandemic has raged, business owners have been thinking outside the box and looking for new ways to serve their customers.

79% of businesses said they’ve changed their operations to accommodate clients and customers. 23% began offering curbside delivery, and 24% began offering home delivery. The internet has played a significant role in these adaptations: 51% of businesses said they have increased online interactions with their clients and 35% expanded the use of digital payments. 36% of the businesses that use online tools said they’ve been conducting sales online.

What’s more, business owners don’t feel helpless. Many have been turning to other sources of finances to help them get through this challenging time. 41% reported that they could draw from their personal savings to make ends meet. 11% said they could get help from family and friends, 7% from community donations, and 4% from gift cards for clients.

What all of this means for you

If your small business is among the many that have been struggling during the pandemic, the first takeaway from the survey is that you are not alone. This is an unprecedented situation that the entire world was unprepared for. So don’t be hard on yourself, and take heart in that we’re all in this together.

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook states that despite all the current challenges, “…business owners and managers are optimistic about their future. They’re resilient, finding new ways to reach their customers online, making adjustments to how and when they do business, and working hard to meet their family obligations at the same time.”

Here are some additional, actionable takeaways from the report:

  • Think outside the box: Small business owners are often celebrated for their creativity and adaptability. Sit down with a pen and paper and brainstorm: how can your business model change to better accommodate the current conditions and meet the needs of your clients? What services can you add? What ongoing costs can you trim? What are some creative ways to reach your customers?
  • Embrace the internet: We are so fortunate that this is happening in the age of high-speed internet, smartphones, Zoom, and easy-to-use digital payment platforms. Take full advantage of all these tools. Provide online classes, seminars, and events. Spruce up your social media accounts and get more active online. (You can find lots of great tips for building your social media platform on our blog.) Set up a Facebook Shop. Find a digital payment platform that works for your business. Read up on what other businesses have been doing and find the tools that work for you.
  • Reach out for help: Don’t forget that there are people out there eager to support you and your business. Don’t be too shy or proud to ask them for help. That doesn’t necessarily mean requesting donations: some businesses have been offering gift cards or coupons that customers can purchase now and use in the future. This can help mitigate issues with cash flow. You’ve put so much effort into building your community of clients, providing them with goods and services they value. You may be surprised to learn how happily they’ll rise to the occasion. People can be incredibly generous, and hopefully, you’ll have an opportunity to pay it forward in the future.

This has not been an easy time for anyone, but Facebook’s State of Small Business Report concludes that your fellow small business owners are overwhelmingly optimistic and hopeful about the future — and especially if you learn from them and do what you can to adapt, you have plenty of reason to be, too.

Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.

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Facebook Shops: A Game Changer for Small Businesses

Last week, Mark Zuckerberg announced the release of Facebook Shops: a new feature that will change the world of online shopping — and if you run a small business, you need to know about it.

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/10111929914173161/

For a few years now, it’s been possible to set up an online catalog for your shop on your Facebook page, but customers needed to visit your online store to make the purchase. With the launch of Facebook Shops, you will now be able to set up a fully-functioning online shop directly from your Facebook and Instagram pages.

In this post, we’ll discuss exactly what this feature is, what it means for your business, and how you can get started with it.

What is Facebook Shops?

The new Facebook Shops feature allows you to easily build a shop on your business’s Facebook page and Instagram account, where customers can browse, view, and select items, and check out — all directly within the app.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAYNFZbn-GG/

The feature also allows you to import your shop from other e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and others. So if you already have an online store, you don’t have to build a Facebook shop from scratch. You can simply import the existing store with a few clicks of a button.

Why Facebook Shops is a game-changer

Facebook has 2.6 billion active users as of the first quarter of 2020. 1 billion people use Instagram every month. That’s enormous market potential, and business owners know that: more than 160 million businesses all over the world are using Facebook services to build their online presence.

Facebook also owns Instagram and Whatsapp, and the idea is to create a consistent and seamless experience across all their apps. Your Facebook shop will be accessible from Instagram, and a customer who added an item to their cart on one of those apps will be able to check out from the other. Facebook plans to integrate Whatsapp soon as well.

An additional exciting feature that Facebook Shops will add in the future is “live shopping:” the ability to purchase a product during a live broadcast. A business that’s introducing a new product via Facebook Live or Instagram Live will be able to advertise their product directly on the broadcast, and viewers can tap it to purchase it right away. Along with the new “Shop” feature on the Instagram Explore page, this will make Facebook Shops more than a convenient way for customers to make a purchase — it will increase product discoverability, too.

Facebook is also planning to add augmented reality to the shops, which will allow customers to “try on” products such as makeup, clothing, or eyewear.

For more insights into Shops, check out this recent Live session from Layla Amjadi (@layla_amjadi), Product Lead for Shopping on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAf4eSknWAf/

How Facebook Shops can boost your business

Previously, if you had a “shop” on Facebook, all it really was was a catalog. Customers couldn’t check out directly on Facebook, so instead you needed to provide an external link to your online store. This method could be far from smooth, and with each added step you would lose more customers who would give up or change their minds.

With Facebook Shops, customers can do everything directly on Facebook or Instagram. Their credit card and shipping information will be stored so they’ll only have to enter it once. They won’t have to wait for your site to load or switch to a browser. They’ll be able to message you from within the app to ask questions about the product.

This seamless, convenient shopping experience translates to better conversion rates, higher sales, and more revenue for your business.

And did we mention that it’s free?

Facebook will not charge businesses to use Facebook Shops. If you choose to enable in-app checkout, they will take a 5% cut of the price of the item. That’s higher than typical payment processing fees, but it’s lower than the cut Amazon or eBay take.

Another financial benefit is that Facebook Ads cost less when they lead to an internal Facebook link (such as your Facebook shop) rather than an external link (such as your website). So with this feature, you can save money on advertising, too.

A couple of caveats

The new Facebook Shops feature is only available in the USA and other specific markets at the moment. Facebook will be rolling it out to other regions soon.

Also, Facebook Shops is only available to businesses selling physical products for now. If you sell digital products or a service, don’t despair. The feature might be expanded to include non-physical products and services in the future, and you can still use your Facebook Shop to showcase what you offer. And hey — maybe now is the perfect time to think about developing some branded merch!

How to set up a Facebook Shop

If you don’t have a Facebook shop yet, you’ll need to set one up. Visit your Facebook page, select the “Shop” tab, and follow the onscreen instructions. Be sure to select the native checkout option when asked which checkout method you prefer.

If no “Shop” tab appears on your page, you’ll need to either add it or change your page template to the “Shopping” template. Click “Edit Page Info” on the top right side of your page and select “Templates and Tabs” from the left-hand menu. To add a “Shop” tab, scroll down to the bottom of the page, click “Add tab,” and select “Shop.” If you prefer to change your page template, click “Edit” under Templates, and apply the “Shopping” template.

You can then add products manually, or import them from an existing store from an .XML file.

If you have a Shopify store, you probably already received an email explaining how to connect your Shopify store to Facebook. The great thing about this integration is that the stores are connected, so when you add a new product on Shopify, it’ll show up on Facebook, too.

You can also set up your shop on Instagram. Simply visit your profile page: if Facebook Shops is available in your region, you’ll see a “Shop” button below your bio. Tap it and follow the instructions to set up your shop.

Spread the word

Once you’ve set up your shop, you’ll want to let your customers know about it! You can use the Boosted app to create a cool video in just a few minutes, and use it to spread the word across Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook Shops has the potential to revolutionize the world of e-commerce for both customers and businesses. The coronavirus pandemic has given us all a nudge towards further developing the potential of online shopping, and Facebook is helping move this process along.

If you sell physical products, don’t miss the boat on this one — be among the first to set up your Facebook Shop. The potential to boost your business is huge.

how to boost your business with facebook shops

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How to Get More Members in Your Facebook Group – Fast!

If you’ve recently started a Facebook Group for business purposes, it’s probably at the top of your list to attract some new and engaged group members.

You’ll want to promote your group to people who have the potential to really bring something valuable to your group’s conversations – and maybe even convert as customers.

Here are 7 ways to help you find the right people to join your Facebook Group and grow your online community:

1. Send a dedicated email to your list

Whether your mailing list is big or small, it’s likely full of people who are interested in what you have to say. Send an email letting them know that you’ve create a group, and make sure to highlight the value proposition of your community.

2. Announce it to all of your social media followers 

Post about it on your Instagram Stories and in your feed, on Twitter, on your Facebook Business Page, or anywhere else that you have a following, regardless of the size. Be sure to include the link to your group!

Consider posting a short video of yourself explaining what the group is about and what’s in it for people who join – here’s your opportunity to let your excitement shine through!

3. Host an Invite-a-Friend contest among current group members

Host a giveaway in the group and make the entry requirement to bring a friend to the group. Be sure to let people know that you want them to invite people who they think will genuinely enjoy and benefit from the community.

4. Add the group URL to your business cards

This is a great one if you do a lot of in-person networking for your business.

5. Add some calls-to-action (CTAs) to your website

Include a button that stands out with some brief text about your group, wherever it makes sense on your site. Good placements to consider include: your About page, the site footer, and at the bottom of relevant blog posts.

6. Create a Facebook ad about your group

Create a paid campaign and experiment with a small budget. Target people with interests that relate to your group and your business. Pro Tip: make sure to limit your targeting to where people speak the language that is used in your group.

Even 10-20 new and active group members can dramatically increase the overall engagement in your group, and so it’s always a good idea to target new people whenever you can.

7. Welcome new group members

As new members request to join, make sure to welcome them into the group with a welcome post and encourage them to comment and introduce themselves so that they’ll join the conversation right from the get-go.

While you’re working on your Facebook Group strategy, check out these other posts that you may find helpful:

Action Items:

1. Choose two of the strategies above and add them to your to-do list this week.

2. Track the growth of your Facebook Group. Once you implement your desired strategies, check your Facebook Group Insights regularly. If you see that your approach isn’t working effectively and that you aren’t attracting enough new, quality members, try out a different strategy. 

Get More Facebook Group Members

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How to Create Your First Facebook Ad to Boost Your Business Page

By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks

With 2.45 billion users, Facebook is the largest social network in the world. Businesses across the globe are all trying to reap the benefits from tapping into its colossal user base.

But how?

No thanks to changing algorithms, it’s become harder than ever to expand your organic reach. That’s why many businesses are turning to targeted ads to boost their Facebook business pages. Facebook’s targeted advertising platform leverages its sophisticated pool of data to deliver your message to the people who are most likely to want to see it.

If you’ve been eager to see what Facebook ads can do for your business page but don’t know where to start — this post is for you.

We’ll walk you through your first campaign ad and help you make the most of this powerful advertising tool.

Step 1: Create a new campaign

To get started with your first ad campaign, go the the Ads Manager on Facebook. You can access it by visiting facebook.com/ad and clicking “Create an Ad” on the upper right side, by selecting “Manage Ads” from the drop-down menu on the upper right corner of your homepage on Facebook, or by clicking “Promote Page” on your business page.

Click the green “+ Create” to get started.

Step 2: Choose your objective

Now you need to choose the goal of your campaign. Selecting the goal helps Facebook make decisions about ad placement and design that will best serve your objective.

If your goal is to increase your following, we recommend choosing the “Engagement” option under the “Consideration” column and selecting “Page likes.” This kind of campaign will make it easy for people to like your page, because it’ll place a big “like” button right on the bottom of the ad.

After selecting your objective, click “Continue.”

Step 3: Pick your target audience, budget, and schedule

Next, you’ll need to fill out the information on the “Ad set” page.

Here, you will be able to pick a very specific audience who will see your ad. This includes their location, age, interests, language and whether they are already fans of your page. You can also choose to exclude certain subsets.

Use the “Narrow Audience” feature to hone in on the target audience most likely to be interested in your page. For example, if your business is a café with a strong literary theme, rather than placing both “Coffee” and “Books” in the first box, add “Coffee,” and then click “Narrow Audience” and add “Books” to the second box. That way Facebook will only target people who are interested in both coffee and books — who are much more likely to be interested in your business than people who are interested in only one or the other.

Below the audience section, you’ll select whether to manually place your ads or let Facebook place them automatically. We recommend keeping the automatic option selected for now.

Then you’ll set your budget and schedule.

Ideally, when you pick a Facebook advertising budget, it should be based on a calculation that works backwards from your end goals: how much conversion you want to generate, how far a reach you’ll need to generate that number of conversions, and the cost of achieving that reach. For now, though, it might be best to simply set a small budget aside for this experiment (say, $1 a day for 14 days) and see what kind of results you get. The more experience and data you have, the more you’ll be able to accurately calculate an optimum budget for Facebook ads.

Step 3: Create your ad

Here, you can choose to boost an existing post, or add an image or video to display alongside a small amount of text.

We recommend using a video rather than a static image here. Videos consistently generate more engagement than still images. Don’t have a video? No worries — there are super easy ways to make one, such as using the templates on Boosted.

Facebook recommends using 125 characters or fewer in your ad text. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point — and orient it toward your campaign goal. If you selected “Page likes” as your campaign goal this time around, it’s a good idea to include that as a call to action in this text.

You’ll see a preview of how your ad will appear on mobile or desktop on the lower right side of this page.

Step 4: Confirm

Once you’ve filled out all the sections of the form, click “Confirm” on the lower right corner of the page. There you go — you’ve just launched your first Facebook ad campaign! You can track the stats of your ad on the Ad Manager page.

Action Items:

1. Use an app (you can try Boosted!) to create a video for your ad.

2. Set aside a small budget to experiment with FB ads.

3. Set up your first campaign, following the steps and tips above

4. Experiment! Adjust the perimeters of your ad — schedule, target audience, etc. — and analyze the results to see what works best.

Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.

Facebook_Ad_explode_business_pinteres

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How to Get More Business Value from Your Facebook Group

There are quite a few small businesses out there who are generating leads and getting customers via the Facebook Groups that they’ve created. Here are some tips and tricks to make sure that your Facebook Group is driving maximum value for your business.

1. Optimize your group name.

At first, it might feel tempting and logical to name your group after your actual business. But imagine searching for a group on a topic that interests you and seeing a business name such as Ace Travel Agency?

What would your initial thought be? Probably something along the lines of this group is basically an advertisement for his business; not a place to get unbiased info. But if that same travel agency created a group called Parents Who Travel because their specialty is family travel packages, a potential group member would be more likely to think that the group has genuine value to offer. Choose a group name that is descriptive (you can tell what it’s about from its title) and makes people feel like they have something to gain from being a part of your community. Remember that even if you’ve already created your group, you can change its name at any point.

2. Ask for email addresses in your onboarding questions.

You’ll want to choose some screening questions to make sure that the people who enter your group match the profile of an ideal community member. If you have an email list for your business (and you should!), your screening questions can actually be a great way to build your mailing list.

The easiest way to do this is to add a question that tells people what value they’ll receive from your mailing list and asks them to enter their email address if they’d like to subscribe.

Telling people why they should want to subscribe to your email list is key. If you simply say, “Enter your email address here to subscribe to my mailing list” you probably won’t get very many subscribers. Try something like, “Enter your email address to subscribe and get all the latest social media tips and tricks!” you

3. Showcase your expertise without being spammy.

Not everyone in your group will become a customer in the near future, but you’ll be more likely to get clients from your community over time if you showcase your expertise. In short: give good advice for free. If someone asks a question in your group, write basic and insightful comments.

You can also post useful content in your group on a regular basis, which sends the signal that you know what you’re talking about. For example, some group admins like to share a ‘tip of the week’ or will go live in the group and give over information about a relevant topic.

Whatever your method, showing your expertise will likely have better business results than posting direct advertisements for your business in the long run. Your group members will think of you the next time they’re seeking your product or service.

You may also want to check out our secrets for increasing engagement in your Facebook Group, which is another key element when it comes to maximizing your ROI.

Action Items:

1. Take a few minutes to think about your Facebook Group’s name. If you were scrolling through a list of groups on a particular topic, would you assume that this group provides genuine value? If not, change its name.
2. Add an additional screening question to get email addresses from new community members. Make sure to let people know what they’ll get out of subscribing to your mailing list.
3. Schedule a small amount of time every day to comment on group posts. Don’t miss any opportunities to give value and showcase your expertise!
4. Add your Facebook Group as a priority within your social media calendar. If you provide valuable content on your other social platforms, think about how you can repurpose it to start interesting and insightful conversations in your group.

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Should You Start a Facebook Group for Your Business?

More and more, small business owners are starting Facebook Groups in order to build communities that they hope will ultimately benefit their bottom line. But how do you know if starting a Facebook Group is a good use of your time and effort?

First, it’s important to understand what Facebook Groups can and can’t do for your business.

Here’s What Facebook Groups Can Do for Your Business

If you manage to create a vibrant community that engages with each other authentically around topics related to your business, your Facebook Group can be a great way to gather potential clients in one place and generate leads.

It can also be a great place to offer advice and show your expertise to potential clients. Even offering your advice for free now can truly pay off later.

But…

Here’s What Facebook Groups Can’t Do for Your Business

Even if you gather relevant people in your community, you can’t simply use the group to solicit your services 24/7. Your community members will quickly stop paying attention if they feel that the group is spammy or if they don’t get real value from reading posts and participating.

What this all really means is that a Facebook Group can only work for you if you’re ready to put in the effort that it takes to create a community that genuinely provides value. If you’re looking for a quick and seamless way to generate more business, there are likely more efficient strategies.

Questions you should ask yourself to decide whether creating a Facebook Group is for you:

1. Is there a broader topic that relates to my business that people may want to talk about? For example, a doula may want to create a group about pregnancy and birth, whereas a personal trainer may want to create an accountability group for people who want to be more active. Think about the nature of your business and whether there really is a topic where a community would be valuable.

2. What other groups exist around this topic? Do I have a unique value proposition? Do a search for Facebook Groups in the topic that you have in mind. Are there tons of active groups, or very few?

Being one of many isn’t a dealbreaker, but if you can find a unique niche within your topic, you may be more likely to provide value that doesn’t exist and grow your group faster. For example, there are a ton of travel groups out there, but maybe there are fewer budget conscious travel groups.

Think: What unique value you can you provide?

3. Do I have a minimum of a few hours per week to invest in this group? Aside from setting up your group and creating a strategy for attracting new members, you’ll need to spend some time creating content, starting conversations, commenting and offering your expertise, and moderating the posts and comments of the community. Can you make the time to invest in building a community right now?

If you answered yes to these questions and can formulate a vision for a community that provides value to your target audience, block out the time on your calendar and get started!

Be sure to check out our tips and tricks for getting the most business value out of your Facebook Group.

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5 Secrets for Getting More Engagement in Your Facebook Group

It’s become a lot harder to reach your audiences organically as a business on Facebook. Even your most engaged followers may miss posts on your business page, because they’re not given priority by the feed algorithm. One great way to really get your followers engaged is to invite them to a Facebook group related to your business.

However, simply creating the group won’t necessarily mean you’ll get engagement. How many Facebook groups are you a member of that are totally dormant? Here are 5 secrets to keeping your Facebook group dynamic and active.

1. Choose the topic, title, and privacy level of the group carefully

Let’s face it, the only people who are going to join a group that’s just about how great your business is are close friends and family who are trying to support you. If you want total strangers joining and becoming active, the group needs to contain content and discussions on topics that are important to people who don’t necessarily know you.

For example, a life coach can create a group for motivation and personal growth, encouraging members to share their struggles and help each other with solutions. A psychologist who specializes in children with special needs can create a support group for parents of children with special needs. A yoga instructor can create a group with a daily 5-minute yoga video, encouraging members to motivate each other to practice yoga every day.

The title of your group should reflect what it can offer members so people know what to expect when they join. If you want your group visible in searches, be sure to use searchable keywords in the title.

Another thing to consider is whether the group privacy level is appropriate for its content. Public groups will show up in searches and have wider reach, while private groups provide intimacy and a safer environment for private sharing.

If you already have a group and your engagement isn’t where you want it to be, consider polling your members about what they like and don’t like about the group. This will help you figure out how to cater better to their interests.

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2. Institute a regular group thread

Posting regularly is a pretty universal rule when it comes to social media, and Facebook groups are no different.

With a Facebook group, though, you can take this a step further by instituting regular threads. For example, a support group might have a weekly check-in thread where you invite members to share how their week has been going. Providing a regular, reliable framework encourages a lot more of this type of sharing, and the more reluctant members are likely to step forward when everyone else is participating.

Some additional ideas:

  • A weekly meme or joke thread
  • A gratitude thread
  • A Throwback Thursday thread
  • A weekly “bragging” or celebration thread for sharing accomplishments and good news
  • A random-photo-from-your-camera-roll thread
  • An advertising thread where followers can post about their own businesses
  • A weekly game thread

Pick one that suits the purpose and character of the group.

3. Ask questions and give prompts

Nothing gets a discussion going like a good question.

When asking questions, keep the following in mind:

  • Open questions (as opposed to questions with simple “yes” or “no” answers) are more likely to inspire involved answers.
  • For “yes” or “no” answers, consider posting a poll.
  • People love to talk about themselves. Ask your followers about their opinions and personal experiences.
  • Posting an image along with your question will boost the post in your followers’ feeds.

You can also prompt your members to share stories or thoughts on a certain subject.

4. Interact with your followers live

People respond a lot more directly to live broadcasts, because it’s almost like you’re standing right in front of them. Facebook Live has been popular for a while, and Facebook also recently added the “Watch Party” feature, where you can watch pre-recorded videos together with your audience and discuss them in real time. The algorithm prioritizes these posts and even notifies some of your followers about them, making them a lot more visible than non-live posts.

Speaking of real time, you may even want to consider the old-fashioned way of interacting live with your followers: in person! If a significant contingent of your followers is located nearby, consider organizing meetups and events where you can interact with them face-to-face.

Followers who have interacted with you live are more likely to feel invested in you and interested in staying engaged, even long after your broadcast is over.

5. Encourage your followers to adjust their follow and notification settings

This may seem embarrassingly simple, but not everyone is familiar with the way Facebook’s notifications and algorithms work. Consider reminding your followers that they can adjust their settings to receive notifications of new posts (all posts, posts from friends, or highlights only), and to ensure that the group shows up in their feed.

These settings are located at the top of your group page. Clicking “Joined” will open a menu that has an option to “Unfollow” or “Follow” the group. Clicking “Notifications” will allow you to select what notifications you’d like to receive from the group.

A gentle reminder will ensure that people interested in seeing the content and discussions on your group will actually see them!

Action Items:

  1. Evaluate the title, main discussion topic, and privacy level of your group, and consider adjusting them to suit your followers’ needs and interests.
  2. Institute group thread traditions, such as weekly check-ins or celebration threads, and stick to them!
  3. Broadcast yourself live via Facebook Live or a host a Watch Party.
  4. Organize an in-person meetup or event for followers in your area.
  5. Gently remind your followers to adjust their settings so they’re more likely to see posts and discussions on your group.

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