Using Facebook to market your website.
Facebook boasts more than 500 million users worldwide and works primarily by connecting people to people. Facebook is an absolute must when it comes to interacting with visitors because it’s both powerful and free. Using Social Media websites to your advantage is all about giving your readers a taster, with the full meal based on your website. Most of the advice here can be passed on to other Social Networking websites such as Twitter.
Facebook connections map the world
“If it was easy, everyone would be doing it” – Anon
The main purpose of using Social Networks (amongst others) is getting people to visit your website. All you need to do is discuss what people are interested in, but why?
- Helpful information is seen as being a gift. People reciprocate by using your website, sometimes even buying from you.
- Eye catching statuses and posts can (and usually should) include a link to your website earning visitors which could turn in to sales.
- Whatever is posted is seen as your image or your personality. If your posts are brilliant, you will in-turn be seen as brilliant.
If a user likes what they see, they might share the link or post and you can watch the visitors grow.
It’s first of all important to set up a fan page, not a group. This is primarily because anything you post could appear on peoples news feeds where they are seen by possibly thousands of people. By creating a group there is no option to create a status and share it with the world.
Where do I get the information?
The source of the information hopefully will be your own expertise. If you don’t have the expertise, get it! For almost every subject around there is information online, in books, in magazines and in newspapers. The status should generally link to a more comprehensive discussion on your website. Here are some tips on getting this information:
- Why not set up a poll on your website? Then post the results on Facebook with a link to a write up about it.
- Or, find a poll or survey online and discuss it.
Find some current related news and give your expert opinion.
The main rule here is to keep things interesting. There are no magic tricks here and there shouldn’t be.
How does Facebook order the News Feed?
This is a very important question. Facebook works by showing you a News Feed both when you first log in and when you click ‘Home’, by default it shows you popular updates rather than recent ones (although there is an option to view recent ones too). It basically decides which are shown at the top through ‘likes’ and comments. The more comments and likes, the more likely your post will show in the news feed. Therefore, the more popular your post; the more popular your post.
Insight: Facebook haven’t released much inflormation on how they order the results, but it’s quite clear the more you interact with someone the more they appear around your Facebook. It seems this is a factor in their algorithm.
Why not go against the grain and voice your true opinions, people love going against conformity. If people don’t click that ‘like’ button it’s usually for a good reason, think about why and develop. Eventually people will realise what you have to say is valid and share your website through friends. If you don’t have the quality information and resources you don’t deserve to get the visitors.
Have no friends or ‘likes’?
Yes, all of the above assumes you have people that ‘like’ you or have befriended you in the first place. Start off by asking friends and family to like you, their friends might follow suit. From there it’s all about linking from your website to Facebook. A simple link with posts asking them to like you on Facebook will work.
It’s all a process, it’s difficult to get people liking your Facebook & it’s difficult keeping them there. The main point here, and with anything to do with this type of marketing is simple. Give them a reason to come, and they will come.
*I mentioned you could re-word content. This could be seen by others as a form of plagiarism and it can be. When I say this I mean read, then put in to your own words. Give it your personal spin, understand what you are writing and don’t just aimlessly get the thesaurus out swapping words. No one likes the comedian that uses other peoples jokes, and it’s no different if they swap the odd word.
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