Follow these tips to improve your Facebook marketing. Photo credit: Sean MacEntee

The 2015 Tipbit Business Behavior Study underscores the prevalence of social media and reveals some interesting insights into how businesses are using social media.

The survey indicates that 27 percent of businesses include social media in their business workflow. Of that group, 61 percent check a social profile before a meeting. Facebook, not LinkedIn, is the top social network for businesses. Of those surveyed, 72 percent said they use Facebook for business; 56 percent use LinkedIn, and 45 percent use Twitter.

“Many companies still believe social is a nice to have, but not necessary,” says Gordon Mangione, Tipbit CEO and founder. “This report should motivate executives to welcome social into standard business practices. Employees who use social media gain a competitive advantage since they have a fuller context of their business relationships.”

The survey also shows that Google isn’t the only search tool. Most business people (87 percent) search for people on Google, but 61 percent of survey participants search on Facebook, and 51 percent search on LinkedIn. Top tools to search for information on companies are: Google, 95 percent; LinkedIn, 37 percent, and Facebook, 23 percent.

Advice for Facebook Marketing Success

Facebook’s marketing benefits vary depending on the particular organization, its niche and its audience. As the largest social network, Facebook is particularly suited for B2C businesses and nonprofits.

Here are actionable recommendations from experts on how digital marketers can successfully promote businesses on Facebook

∙ Distribute useful content and interact with others on your Facebook Page on a regular schedule. Combine a mix of third-party content like links to industry blogs and forums with content about your company, such as product tips, sales events, and behind-the-scenes news and photos. However, be careful not oversell. Recent changes to Facebook’s News Feed algorithm limit the frequency of overt promotions.

∙ Ask questions and offer polls that invite responses. At the end of a post, invite fans to comment, like or share. When people do respond, keep the conversation going with comments of your own.

∙ Instead of posting stand-alone photos of your products, show products being used by satisfied customers.

∙ Consider a regular weekly or monthly feature, such as a “Discount of the Week” with a special offer.

∙ Consider Facebook advertising. Recent changes to the Facebook news algorithm mean many companies need to embrace advertising to maintain their reach. Be sure to target your main audience and to take advantage of Facebook’s analytical tools.

∙ Make it easy for fans to tag photos of their own, wherever they use your product or service, and share these as well.

∙ Add links to the main business website and other social media accounts to boost the site’s search rankings.

∙ For ideas, review your archives for posts or fan comments that can be repurposed or given a new spin. Relate your business to pop cultural events if possible.

∙ Encourage employees to engage with the company’s Facebook page. The more engagement posts receive the more you can increase your Facebook organic reach.

∙ Try posting at different times. Avoid peak posting times 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to break through the clutter.

Bottom Line: Although not well-suited for organizations like B2B businesses, Facebook is an ideal network for B2C businesses and nonprofits. Following these tips can help improve your marketing on Facebook, the most popular social media network for businesses.

Resources

5 Content Tips for Your Facebook Business Page
Forbes

Facebook Marketing is changing—Here’s What Small Businesses Can Do to Stay in the Game
Hootsuite

Facebook Marketing Tips: The Best Advice, Tried-and-Tested
Buffer

2015 Small Business Social Media Trends [Research]
Heidi Cohen

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William Comcowich

William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.