Not a day goes by without me getting questions about how to better use social media to help gain new customers and increase sales. In particular, business owners want to use Facebook more efficiently because they use it personally and know that many of their customers use the popular network. Well it’s true; according to a USA Today article, there are 1.39 billion active users. Even more astonishing is that 890 million people log on daily. With that many people on Facebook, it can be a great avenue for business. With that being said, using the paid advertising may be one of the greatest tools to aid a business in branding and sales. Many people are great at developing ad content, but they are not sure how to market it on Facebook. Here are three little known ways that you can segment your market while advertising on the social media giant.
Email Addresses:
Many business owners have collected thousands of email addresses as people have opted in to their marketing. Another way to use the addresses is to upload them to the network. When the email addresses that the social network has on file matches the ones you upload, those users will see your advertising. Your customers already know who you are from subscribing to your newsletter and this is another opportunity to reach them again.
Retargeting:
Retargeting has been a popular form of advertising for the past year or so for small businesses. Retargeting works by targeting an advertisement to your customers for products that they have viewed on your website. When they are browsing on the social network, they will see the products they saw earlier and a link to go and purchase it. Since they were already looking at it earlier, there is a good chance that they want it and just needed a nudge to make the purchase.
Target by Device:
All customers are just a little bit different, and the way that they look at Facebook is too. Some people choose to only look at Facebook during work hours and from their work computer. This would mean that they are probably using a desktop computer or a laptop. Some people choose to only view from their mobile phone or tablet. Then there are those that choose to do all of the above. If you know how your customers choose to consume their content, then you can make sure to send them ads to the specific devices they are using.
The specific intent of users on social networks is not to buy, but to socialize with friends, family and brands that they care about. It has evolved into a platform for businesses since there are so many people that choose to log in daily. The key to succeeding, like many other types of advertising, is to know your market including their characteristics, preferences, and habits. Advertising on social networks allows businesses to do that, since people choose to share so much about themselves online.
(Source: Kyle Hensel, Area Director at UGA SBDC in Savannah)
