Facebook for Marketing
Facebook is a social media site where friends connect, and a place where business conduct marketing. Facebook has connected millions of people and more importantly, it has become a powerful marketing tool for business (Goldfarb, 2010). Today, marketers have learned that potential customers are using the Internet to find information about products. Therefore, marketers focus on building brand awareness so that online shoppers who use the Internet regularly can view services and products and make an online purchase. Recent research and studies have found that Facebook can be the best marketing tool in that marketers can use the site to build a customer base, advertise and promote products, and share information with potential customers (Goldfarb, 2010). Businesses are expanding their revenues by using Facebook in that through interacting and sharing information, the companies are creating long-term customers who share their experiences with other people, therefore, creating a tribe of customers. An important thing to note is that people who use Facebook on a daily basis are more than 500 million (Goldfarb, 2010). These users visit Facebook every day and this is the best site where marketers can build their presence and connect with the users and make them potential customers by providing them with videos, photos, and content. In most cases, users use Facebook to connect with friends and families and marketers can connect with users and interact with them the same way (Goldfarb, 2010). Note that users will spread the message to friends and non-friends about the company and product.
Some businesses such as Nike, TOMS, and Fitbit are using Facebook for marketing. These businesses have found that Facebook has over 1 billion users and therefore, it has become a major player in the social media field (Speier, 2019). Facebook is doing a great job in providing customers with real-time information in these businesses. There are other social media platforms like Twitter but Facebook is a unique platform in that it is the only site that provides greater details to a deeper level. Another important point to understand concerning these businesses that use Facebook for marketing is that their Facebook strategies are almost the same in that they connect with customers using branded hashtags and share fan-provided content. Even though they tend to differentiate themselves from other competitors, they focus on increasing collaboration and engagement (Speier, 2019). For example, Nike has created a Facebook presence where it communicates with diverse audiences and shares greater information. The company has created Facebook pages with specific products such as women's products. In these pages, Nike receives several likes and comments and this means that the site provides the customer with a strong brand image (Speier, 2019). Even though Nike has many competitors such as Adidas and Under Armour, the company differentiates itself from the competitors by engaging in research and development that leads to a new design. Nike produces high-quality products for every target market. TOMS also use Facebook for marketing and it has created a Facebook page where they connect with teens and young adults. The online presence has helped the company build a strong connection with customers and drive awareness (Speier, 2019). Fitbit Company is not left behind but it also used Facebook for marketing. The company has created a Facebook page where it promotes its products and users find the message helpful since it is empowering and encouraging. Facebook users like the page and the majority join the fitness support group where they gain health and wellness information (Speier, 2019). Users also share the information with their friends where they purchase products and benefits from incentive programs.
How Facebook can be used to market a business
Create a Facebook business page
Businesses should create separate Facebook pages for brands and business. Users will like a page and access the information concerning products, business codes, and much more (Marrs, 2019). The business page will also enable the business to identify itself not only in terms of core product offerings but also in terms of personality and character. As a result, the Facebook page will help the business build brand identity. Therefore, Facebook pages should contain images, videos, educational resources, among other content (Marrs, 2019). This information will connect the business with customers and the audiences will view the relevant information they want.
Facebook ads
Businesses should create Facebook ads on the Facebook site. Users will click the Facebook ads and the business will understand which products have more likes (Marrs, 2019). Facebook ads will allow the cowpony to view the behaviors of various demographics and this will help focus on a specific demographic and ignore the group that is not interested with the products.
Facebook Contests
The purpose of this strategy is to interact with audiences and develop organic engagement. This is a kind of interactive content that captures audiences' attention and boots the business (Marrs, 2019). It allows the business to gain new customers, interact with the existing customers in meaningful ways, and use the user-generated content to develop product designs.
Facebook promoted posts
This is an advertising tool where Facebook page owners allow specific users to access certain posts (Marrs, 2019). Facebook page owners only pay for the best and helpful posts and this strategy will help the business market specific content.
Sponsored stories
Companies can market their business by using sponsored stories or ads about brand awareness, videos, and images (Marrs, 2019). When Facebook users see the stories, they take actions and makes an online purchase. The user's friends are also influenced by the friend's action and they also like the page.
Facebook Open Graph
Another way to market a business using Facebook is through the use of Facebook Open Graph which allows interaction between Facebook user and third-party app (Marrs, 2019). Users use their Facebook account to sign in into another website where they find specific images, activities, locations, and more.
Facebook Exchange (FBX)
Businesses market their products using Facebook Exchange- a platform where online advertisers understand the users' previous web-browsing and display products to the target audience. For example, a Facebook user may view a product and fail to buy the product (Marrs, 2019). The business or the retailer may target the user by displaying the same product and this strategy keeps the customer in the track.
Pros of using Facebook for marketing
One advantage of using Facebook for marketing is that the business can reach a wide audience- the platform will allow the business to look for potential customers. Since the daily user hit up to 1.5 billion, it means that the business will interact with the users, develop a target market, and drive online sales (Marrs, 2019). Second, Facebook as a marketing tool is highly affordable and has targeting options. Unlike other tools, it is easier to reach interested customers by targeting specific points such as age group, marital status and more. Third, Facebook allows the business to create customer loyalty (Marrs, 2019). This means that customer gain positive experience and satisfaction through accessing business information. Customer builds a strong relationship with business which leads to customer loyalty.
Cons of using Facebook for marketing
Lack of organic content
Some disadvantages may occur while using this social media platform. For example, Facebook uses a Facebook algorithm which limits the displays of content. Users only access specific content from friends and family rather than content from business pages. The purpose of restricting the views is to ensure that Facebook for marketing is not for fun but it is for promoting customers' attention (Marrs, 2019). This creates worry and apprehension since users have limited time to view photos and read articles.
Cost
Facebook as a marketing tool requires a higher budget for promotion and for the update of new information (Marrs, 2019). Note that business requires marketing strategy such as online contests, video products demonstrations among other services and this means that they should come up with advertising budget.
Lots of commitment
Facebook for marketing requires a lot of commitment in terms of daily monitoring, customer engagement, among other full-time tasks (Marrs, 2019). In order to find success, one must pay attention and dedicate time in updating important contents and managing an online presence.
References
Speier Kim (2019). 9 Brands With Brilliant Facebook Marketing. HubSpot. Retrieved from: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-marketing-examples
Goldfarb Sam. (2010). Facebook for Business: How To Market Your Business on Facebook and Get More
Sales, New Customers and Brand Awareness. BookBaby
Marrs Megan (2019). 7 Ways to Use Facebook for Marketing. WordStream. Retrieved from: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2013/04/15/facebook-marketing
Bondarenko A. (2015). Pros and Cons of using Facebook for your ad campaigns. CheeseCat Ltd. Retrieved from: https://www.catvertiser.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-using-facebook-for-your-ad-campaigns/
