Using Facebook to support content marketing

5 Ways to Utilize Facebook Posts for Content Marketing

Content marketing is all about creating relevant and compelling content in order to change or enhance consumer behavior that’s favorable to you. And where else to better utilize this strategy than in a billion-people social hub that is Facebook? So read carefully and jot down these important tips that will surely help your brand with content marketing.

Tips on using Facebook for your content marketing strategy

• 1. Content creation through Social Listening.

Probably the greatest thing about Facebook from a marketer’s perspective is that you don’t have to guess what your consumers are thinking since they’re going to post it anyway. So this is the best time to listen.

Tip: Find out how people relate to your brand, how they see it and use it on a daily basis, etc. by searching hashtags:

Through this method, you can gain consumer perspective and use such information to better your readability and strengthen your fan/consumer base. Check out the frequency and quality of hashtags you get from your consumers. You may also use this to check for criticisms and respond accordingly:

You can also make use of advance search queries with the inurl option for posts, e.g. site:facebook.com inurl:posts 'coca cola'.

• 2. Enhance social media presence through Shareable Content.

In a website which feeds on millions of information every day, it’s almost a crime to just browse and not share anything in return.

One way to entice customers is to create content that would make them want to share it with everyone else. That means creating valuable content that are thought-provoking, conversation-starters, and emotional-triggers.

Tip: Images - especially relatable ones are usually your best bet since they cross language barriers and are instant attention-grabbers. You may also use other visual content like videos, GIFs, etc. 

(Starbucks brand)

This is a great strategy since you aren’t only talking to the same hundreds of people, rather, to the entire thousand (even millions):

• 3. Project a brand persona through Personal Engagement.

People are allergic to ads, promotions - almost everything that shouts 'BUY ME!'. As a marketer, you would want your brand to be seen as a being - a 'friend'. Use Facebook to engage your customers and get personal.

Tip: The more you personify your brand, the more will people appreciate you and interact with you. Use your page as how a normal Facebook user would (but not entirely). Engage, show interest, be alive:

In this example, Starbucks made a collage of their customers drinking their product and used it as their cover photo. This was well-received by their fans as seen here:

Since Facebook is interactive and operates on a real-time basis, it enables a two-way communication in the fastest way possible. Take advantage of this.

Answer your customers’ comments/queries ASAP so as not to lose their interest and in the event of misinformation, immediately correct them:

• 4. Reach your market through Targeting Options.

The beauty of Facebook is that it’s a global phenomenon. And what makes it even better is that Facebook is all-aboard the marketing ship, giving you the free hand in targeting specific demographics that comprise your consumer base and prospective buyers:

Tip: The more specific you get, the more consistent your branding will appear, allowing you to focus on those people that really matter to your brand. (Displays the 'Suggested Likes and Interests' once you’ve typed an entry on the 'Precise Interests' field)

Should you want a wider reach, you may choose the Broad Category targeting, instead:

This will bring your brand right to your target market’s doorstep. Just be cautious of appearing too much of a heartless-and-faceless ad AND of spamming their news feeds, otherwise they’ll easily dismiss you as just that – a spam. Sometimes, less is more.

• 5.  Engage customers through Gimmicks.

Hosting contests and/or events, giving out discounts, having sales, etc. are great ways to engage your customers as well as attract prospective buyers. Facebook is where things spread like wildfire and nothing doubles that than a sale or contest online! Once you get some of your customers clicking and sharing, you want to make sure their friends would want to click and share, too.

Tip: Take advantage of the Tagging Option when posting event photos (people will love the VIP treatment) or use it as a condition to enter a contest (i.e. tag 2 of your friends and win a trip to Asia!).

These are just some of the many ways you can utilize Facebook posts for your content marketing strategy. Experiment with it, but don’t get boxed in. Making use of a work breakdown structure helps to not only to increase productivity but also to know which aspect of your content marketing strategies works and which doesn’t.

Constantly update yourself on Facebook’s feature updates, be in-the-know, and use this to your advantage. In this digital age, being present on the web isn’t enough. Learn how to leverage social media sources to your brand’s (and heart’s) content.

Thanks to Kimberly Grimms for sharing her advice and opinions in this post. Kimberly Grimms is a futurist who spends most of her time monitoring social behavior in search for new consumer trends. She uses the information to create viral and useful content. You can read more of her writing on her blog.