How to Stand Out on Facebook
Checking your email is no longer your first task when you wake up in the morning or get to the office. It is probably not until after you scroll through your Facebook news feed, or see who has connected with your company via Twitter, that you get down to business reading through your inbox.
Social media is now considered the number one Internet activity and will only increase as the use and penetration of mobile web usage grow. Although other social websites are emerging as effective marketing tools, Facebook is clearly the most used. Social media users are swamped with hundreds of messages every day in their news feeds. How do you stand out from the crowd and get your audience talking?
5 ways to stand out on Facebook:
Cross-channel marketing
Drive traffic to your social networks with cross-channel marketing. Facebook is user-friendly, so why shouldn’t your website be? Make it easy for customers to find you by incorporating links to your networks on your website. In addition, be sure to list your social media profiles on all of your marketing materials, including advertisements.
Use photos and video
Images and videos appeal to readers by catching their attention. Once you’ve got it, they are more likely to read your post. For example, if you’re a clothing company, post pictures of the season’s hottest trends. Viewers will pause and read your post.
Include a call to action
To increase engagement, include a call to action. Asking for a “Like” or a “Share” can help your company gain more of an online presence. Therefore, if you want the “Like,” ask for it. This can be accomplished by using simple language such as, “’Like’ this post if you…” or “’Share’ this status…”
Post fan-contributed content
Post customer submitted photos to interact with your readers. You will make your fans feel special and encourage them to share their new celebrity status with their contacts.
Plan your posts for optimal response times
When you post matters. The time of day you post, and on which days of the week, play a big part in the amount of engagement you generate. Dan Zarrella, Social Media Marketing Scientist, reports that Facebook posts appearing later in the day, Eastern Time, tend to receive more engagement, earning the most “Likes” until about 8 p.m. and the most “Shares” until about 6 p.m. Posting earlier in the week earns more engagement, with Thursday being the worst day for “Likes.” During the workweek, engagement is also high early in the morning, around 5 a.m. Eastern Time, and also around noon.
