Have you recently decided to dip your toes into the world of Facebook marketing? You might be tempted to dive into the deep end and pour a bunch of ad spend into promoting products, but this isn’t necessarily the best course of action, especially if you are just starting out.
Like most forms of PPC and social media advertising, it’s far too easy to spend tons of money and see nothing in return if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s important to take a step back and develop a workable strategy, and that may involve running a Facebook like campaign.
Rather than sending users directly to products that you have on your eCommerce site, you will prompt them to visit or “like” your Facebook page instead. You might assume that this is like throwing money away, but in terms of looking toward the future, this might be one of the best ways to lay a strong foundation for your online business.
Why Building a Following is So Important
A dedicated online following is currently one of the biggest assets that any business can possess, and is usually cultivated through careful use of social media. While this can be done strictly through manual organic interaction, ad campaigns are also another tool that social media marketers have at their disposal in order to attract and retain fans.
Having a core fan base or following is powerful for several reasons, not least of which because of the tremendous remarketing potential. If you have a loyal following that trusts your brand and judgment, it opens quite a few doors as far as selling your products is concerned. However, most social media platforms have changed to a for-profit format, which means that building this fan base or following is much more difficult than it used to be unless you’re willing to spend a little money.
For some, this may come across as a greedy move, but in reality it simply displays an awareness of value. Facebook understands the value each of its users represents, and if you want to harness that value, you have to be willing to pay for it. Doing so is well worth it, because if you constantly provide value on your Facebook page, you’re going to see an incredible ROI here. Not only does Facebook make it easy to offer products to your engaged fans without spending a dime, doing so in the right manner can actually attract even more potential customers due to viral marketing.
In other words, a Facebook like campaign is a simple streamlined method of building a reliable customer base. In eCommerce, a following can always be leveraged, and there’s no better way to do this than with Facebook. Depending on your specific niche you may have more success on Instagram, but in general, Facebook should be your go-to for generating a fan base.
Improving Your Facebook Marketing Strategy
You still may be tempted to simply upload a photo of your hottest product, slap a product URL on it, and promote the post to your target audience, but if you actually want decent ROI you may want to adjust your strategy. There’s a reason why Facebook offers so many different “goals” when it comes to setting your ad.
Facebook as a marketing platform is extremely robust and allows for many different approaches with how you spend your money. However, not every option is equally useful, especially if your Facebook page doesn’t have a large following.
Let’s say you serve a product ad to users who haven’t liked your page and aren’t necessarily aware of your brand. They see your ad and it looks trustworthy enough, but if your ad only has a couple engagements, or if your actual page only has a few hundred likes and barely any organic interaction, a user could get spooked and click away very easily.
These days, with hundreds of online shopping options available, you have to be aware of the presentation of your brand and how you come across to users. If your brand presence is shoddy, users are going to be extremely reluctant to click on your ads. What’s more, those who do may not turn into repeat customers.
Social media marketing is much better suited for creating a following than it is for straight vanilla advertising. The online world has shifted considerably over the past decade and now users are hyper-aware as to where they spend their money and who they give their time to online. It’s your job as a brand to provide not just a product, but an experience. This is done through careful cultivation of followers and staying on top of your messaging.
By performing a Facebook like campaign, you invite users to perform a safe zero-cost action. They lose nothing by “liking” your page, and if they continue to like what they see, they could very well visit your website organically to purchase a product, or they may not. What’s more important is that they stick around, like your posts, share your content to friends and family, and help to build your brand. These users can also be targeted in other ads down the road by using Facebook’s “people who liked your page” targeting feature.
Need a little more advice when it comes to Facebook marketing, or need a professional agency to assist you with running your campaigns? Here at Genius eCommerce®, we are social media and eCommerce PPC experts that can help you generate more revenue and build your brand. Give us a call today at 888.982.8269 to find out more.
