Among social media networks, Facebook is the undisputed king. A whopping 3.2 billion likes and comments are posted on the social media site daily, according to data collected by Media Bistro. Facebook now has 1.15 billion users per month with about 699 million people logging on daily. This makes it the perfect avenue for both big and small businesses to market their products and services, and gain trusted and loyal clients.
New Facebook Research Shows What Works
Here are five noteworthy findings we uncovered from the latest published research, brought to you by the Social Media Examiner.
78% of U.S. Facebook Users Are Mobile
Facebook is at the center of a sizable shift to mobile. In the U.S. alone, 78% of all users (just shy of 100 million people) logged into their Facebook accounts via mobile this year (TechCrunch). Research from eMarketer predicts that this number will continue to grow and by 2017, 154.7 million Americans will be using Facebook on their mobile devices.
Paid Ads Improve Reach and Post Performance
According to the 2013 Social Rich Media Benchmark Report (ShopIgniter), promoting your posts with a paid ad increases organic and viral reach significantly but reduces click-throughs. This is true for all post types (video, offers, photos, links and questions) except status updates. In the case of status updates, unpaid posts have a much higher reach than paid posts.
Negative Feedback Hurts Conversion
Facebook doesn’t have a Dislike button. However, users can show their aversion toward your content by hiding it from their news feed. More research from ShopIgniter shows that negative feedback—which includes the following actions by users: Hide Post, Hide All Posts, Report as Spam, Unlike Page—increases (hurts conversion) the more you add paid media to your posts.
Hashtags Are Not Working
According to EdgeRank Checker, hashtags have done nothing to help with additional exposure for your brand. In fact the opposite is true. The research indicates that posts with hashtags are not only less likely to go viral, but also make people less likely to engage with the content.
And the Highest CTR Goes to… Sponsored Check-in Stories
Sponsored check-in stories, where users are shown an ad in their news feed for a place they previously checked in, received by far the highest click-through rate (CTR) among all ad types and sponsored stories. The Facebook Ads Benchmark Report (Salesforce) shows that at 3.2%, this CTR is even higher than sponsored like stories, which are very popular with marketers.
How to Build a Fan-Worthy Facebook Page
Creating a Facebook fan page is not really as daunting as many perceive it. Here are a few quick branding fixes that will make it easier for prospects to find you, brought to you by Entrepreneur.
- Brand the URL. If your fan page URL is still set with a bunch of numbers, you are making it harder for prospects to find you and missing out on a branding opportunity.
- Name your page appropriately. Once you reach 100 friends, you cannot change the title of your page, so make sure you choose wisely from the start.
- Take prospects to a welcome tab, not your wall. When you send people to your fan page and have them land on your Wall, your posts probably won’t be enough to entice them to “like” you.
- Engage potential fans. You need to offer something that will engage people. For instance, you can use Facebook applications to create a poll or launch a game.
- Check market insights. Is Facebook Advertising for You? Recent enhancements to fan page analytics make it easier to know your prospects, including their sex, age and where they live.
Facebook Fan Page Marketing Blunders
Just because you have already created a page, it does not mean that you are now guaranteed a bigger following and higher conversions. Below are some of the biggest marketing mistakes from the Big Ideas Blog.
- Assuming people check your fan page. The majority of your fans only visit your page one time. Usually fans view your posts from their news feed, with the exception of some highly interactive Fan pages that bring in a number of visitors with ads or other interesting posts.
- Expecting welcome tabs to draw in fans. Some people think that reveal tabs are practically magical, and because of this reason they are very popular. Unfortunately, they do not help most businesses
- Posting in an arrogant way. Hundreds of corporate blogs post in a self-centered way. Every post is about them and them again, leading to very few or even no comments.
- Over-selling without first creating desire. Your fan page is made up of a bunch of people who are fans of something beyond your offering. You must create a wave of desire for your products. Instead of always selling, spend time engaging and conversing with your fans.
- Lacking an ad budget. The least expensive method to gain targeted fans is with the help of ads. The powerful and meticulous ad platform is unrivaled and momentous. You can gain fans for a price as small as a penny.
Facebook and other social media websites are a precise and mighty marketing tool if you utilize them correctly. While social media websites may seem daunting, do not let yourself feel overwhelmed by these marketing and communication powerhouses. Take advantage of the tips above to help fix your Fan page marketing mistakes and maximize the quality of your fans.