Facebook and Instagram: Not just for weekends

01 Oct Facebook and Instagram: Not just for weekends

If you’re a person walking this Earth today, you’re probably familiar with Facebook and Instagram – and you may even be an active member. But are you using them to promote your business? Particularly if you’re a B2B (business-to-business) company, you might be confused about how these social media channels can work for your business.

In truth, Facebook and Instagram can help drive brand awareness, increase leads, and grow your business. Let me give you some examples:

1. Facebook Ads: If you’re going to advertise, it makes sense to do so through a channel that boasts 1.2 billion viewers. Facebook allows you to target ads and view the results in real-time, and their offerings are relatively low cost compared to several marketing options.
2. Create a Facebook business page: This one seems common sense, but many organizations still do not see the value in creating a business page. Doing so will not only help with SEO and drive traffic to your website, but it provides a place for people to find you online, ask questions, or leave messages. It’s a great way to communicate things like a change in business hours, a temporary sale, or company news that you’re proud of. And it’s an easy way to ensure that someone who might have a question about your product or service has a dedicated place to look for an answer.
3. Expand your reach with Instagram hashtags: Hosting an event? Attending a conference? Be sure to use the right hashtags to connect you to a broader audience. Also, use popular hashtags like #tbt when posting, to increase the chances of your post – and therefore your company – being seen. For example, post a picture of your dressed-down office staff on Friday with a hashtag #Friyay for a non-salesy approach to sharing information about your company culture.
4. Brag – and mention your collaborators: Instagram is one of the best social channels for highlighting collaborations and mentioning customer success stories or charity efforts. Even if what you do isn’t “official”, you can partner with organizations that align with your company values and mention them on Instagram. Remember to tag an account, as well as add your hashtags.
5. Have some fun: Contests and gamification are becoming more popular on social media. Your entire social media strategy is useless unless you can obtain and then engage followers. One way to do this is through contests – encourage liking, sharing, and posting by holding drawings or giveaways. Take it a step further to hold a photo contest that matches your brand or company values, or ask followers to help you name a new product for a prize.

There are hundreds of ways to incorporate Facebook and Instagram into your business marketing efforts and reap great rewards. We can help today!