Marketing is super important for a business to do well. If you’re starting a business this year, you need to plan how you’ll tell people about it.
You should decide how much money you can spend on marketing and try one method first. Then, see if it helps your business make more money. If it works, keep doing it. If not, try something else. I think that using Facebook ads will be the best way for businesses to market in 2017.
Here are 8 reasons why Facebook is the top choice for promoting products.
1. Reaching the right people for your business
Facebook ads are made to reach specific groups of people, and the Facebook Custom Audience Tool is a big help with this. It lets advertisers upload lists of contacts like emails and phone numbers to aim ads at them.
This tool is handy for everyone, whether you’re a small business with just a few contacts or a huge company with lots of them.
For example, in the previous election, Donald Trump spent $150 million on Facebook and Instagram ads in the last weeks of the campaign. His team used a special database (called Project Alamo) with information about 220 million Americans. They used Facebook ads to try to convince people not to vote for Hillary Clinton.
On Election Day, fewer people voted in some places where Democrats usually win. Part of the reason for this might be Trump’s Project Alamo strategy.
2. Getting seen a lot without spending much
When starting an online business, it’s smart to go where the people are. Right now, Facebook is the third most popular online place with a huge 1.79 billion users every month.
Advertising on Facebook costs less than on Google, and watching videos on Facebook is cheaper than on YouTube.
Studies tell us that people spend 90% of their mobile time using apps, and Facebook was the most downloaded app in the first part of 2016.
You don’t have to put all your money into Facebook ads, but you can’t ignore these massive numbers
3. Getting people to know your brand early on
Think of Facebook as a powerful tool for building your brand’s image. The Brand Awareness ad objective uses data on how many people see and engage with your ads to give your brand a big boost.
Starting this early is super important because it sets the stage for larger campaigns later on. The aim is to grab the attention of the right people and get your brand in front of those who are most likely to be interested.
4. Facebook Live
Video is the absolute best for getting customers interested and sharing stuff. Facebook Live is a pretty new thing, and it’s been a big hit. You can make live videos and show them to your friends.
Businesses can do cool stuff with it:
- Show what happens behind the scenes.
- Give a sneak peek of new stuff.
- Tell people about events.
- Answer their questions.
People watch live videos three times longer than other stuff. So, if you’re doing Facebook marketing, you’ve got to try it.
5. Chatbots
Ever since Mark Zuckerberg shared Facebook’s 10-year plan, businesses are jumping on board to use Facebook Messenger for talking to their customers. It’s a smart move because now there are a billion people using it every month.
Not long ago, Shopify said they’d let stores sell right on Facebook Messenger. That’s a big deal. When more businesses start selling on Facebook, people will spend even more time on it.
As more folks chat with brands on Facebook, chatbots will become really important. With chatbots, you can send organized messages with pictures, links, and buttons for taking action.
Brands can make bots that make talking to customers and buying things really fast.
6. Getting Fast Responses
In the past, companies had to use methods like sending surveys through mail or making cold calls to gather feedback from customers. Thankfully, those days are gone, and now social media is the way to go.
On Facebook, businesses can just ask a question in a post and wait for people to comment.
In business, time is super important. Facebook is a great tool for companies to quickly get a sense of their reputation and product. It helps them figure out what’s working and what’s not without a lot of trouble.
7. Understanding how people think & act as customers
One of the great things about Facebook, and social media in general, is that it lets everyone have a say, and others listen.
Besides sharing thoughts on stuff, Facebook lets people show their support for local businesses by clicking the ‘Like’ button.
Businesses can use this to turn regular users into brand promoters. When 9 out of 10 shoppers pay attention to what their friends say about products, why not let your customers spread the word for you?
8. Expanding & growing
Facebook keeps getting better and bigger. In the last four years, the number of users almost doubled. The future looks really promising. More people to see your stuff, and ads might become even better and cheaper.
Recently, Facebook introduced lots of cool stuff like live video, professional services, and a shopping tab, to name a few. It’s a thrilling time for Facebook. If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur, get ready to use these features for your marketing.
Facebook is here to stay. It’s amazing how it started as a way to talk to friends and turned into a place where people and brands connect worldwide. Stay tuned for more ways Facebook can help your business grow in the future.
