Starting Facebook Marketing from Scratch? You’re Not Too Late. Here’s a Guide to Catch Up

You have a Facebook account, right?

Facebook is a social media platform that does more than just update you with your friends’ latest home purchase, heartbreak, or *ahem* lunch.

Facebook lets you talk with people you know (and not know). Learn about the latest news and social events. Teach you how to create money out of thin air (sort of). Look.

And, if you’re in mind to start an online business, Facebook is one of the best places to start. As of September 30, it has 2.74 billion active users—imagine selling to just 1% of those users! You’d get 27.4 million sales for that.

Of course, you might be wondering if it’s already too late for you to get started on Facebook marketing.

The easy answer here is that you’re not late. At all.

Yes, the changes brought about by the new Apple iOS14 policy made it harder for businesses to target people accurately with their ads. But with billions of active users, it still gives you the opportunity to have a lot of eyes see your product.

Isn’t that great?

Now, how do you get started using the world of Facebook to get your online business noticed?

Well, you need a solid and focused Facebook marketing strategy, just like the one we’ve made for you here.

Let’s get into everything you need to know about Facebook marketing!

What is Facebook Marketing?

Facebook marketing, according to Marketing Schools, is creating and using a Page (you’ll see how it looks in the following section) as a way to contact and attract customers.

So, any page (or Facebook asset) that you use to talk to your customers counts as marketing on Facebook.

“What are Facebook assets?” you might ask. That’s next.

Facebook Assets

The best part about Facebook is that you have plenty of options (both free and paid) to get the word out about your business. Plus, you’re not limited to just using one. You can use all of them.

Let’s take a closer look at what these are.

Personal Profile (This is you)

The personal profile is what you need to get started on Facebook. Personal profiles are more for individuals and you have to create one to use Facebook.

Here’s mine.

You’d need to sign up with your name, email address or phone number. Then upload a picture and your profile is pretty much complete.

But what if you’re a very private person? What if you don’t feel comfortable giving your personal information to Facebook? Is it possible to forgo setting up a personal profile?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the answer is “No.” For all Facebook activities, you will need a personal profile.

The reason for this is Facebook wants to make sure you’re a real person. Because that way, they’ll know that what you’re selling or that any page you set up is most likely a legitimate operation.

Besides, having a personal profile will be great for your business.

You can add your friends, post what you’re selling, and they will see it in their newsfeed, which means you’ll get free exposure.

Facebook Page (This is us)

A Facebook page is great for marketing businesses because it gives you access to a wider audience. Compared to your personal profile, a page can be seen by anyone— a.k.a. people other than your connections.

Also, if you’re like most people on Facebook, you’ll be more likely to post personal stuff on your profile. You know, things like your last meal, family photos, the latest expensive thing you bought…

…which can get rather distracting.

So, it’s much better to have a page that’s focused on what you’re selling.

Most of all, having a page gives your business its own identity—that’s branding and it will help you connect with your audience more.

Make sure to update your contact information so customers will know how to reach out to you not just on Facebook, but outside of it, too.

Just like how your personal profile allows you to show different parts of your personality, having a business page lets your business do the same.

For example, you’re selling food.

You don’t have to limit yourself to just posting your food menu. You can also post food-related memes, news, and holidays. That way, your audience won’t get tired of seeing you sell, sell, sell.

In social media, only 20% of your posts should be promotional. Keep 80% of your posts informative, entertaining, and educational.

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Think about what your target audience wants to see. If it seems like something they would enjoy, post it. Remember: nowadays, businesses need to have a personality so that people get attracted.

When you got them hooked, they’ll probably send you an inquiry through Messenger (Page’s chat option).

But if you’re wary about receiving lots of messages, don’t worry, you can set your online hours and trigger automatic replies to let customers know that you’re going back soon. Don’t feel bad – you have a life, after all.

Facebook Groups (Them)

Facebook groups are groups formed by people who have common interests. Think makeup, baking, or, based on the example earlier, a bunch of people who like cooking.

And, depending on their rules, a lot of selling can also happen in these groups, which is great for your online business.

You can use groups to your advantage in 3 ways.

First, using your personal profile, you can join various groups related to what you’re selling. Let’s go back to the example of you selling food. Are you selling home-cooked desserts like cakes or brownies or cookies?

If yes, you can join a food group in your area, where people looking for home-cooked treats can buy from you. Or, you can also join groups of people who enjoy cooking, love baking and looking to start a new baking business.

This Cooking and Baking Recipes Group for example has 246k members who are looking for recipes. It’s going to be a good place to share great cooking tools, events, and baking products.

Another way you can use Facebook groups is to start one for your own business. For example, if you make a group for your regular customers, they’ll be the first ones to get an update if you have sales or release a new product.

You can even make a general food group and invite other people to join, whether they’re sellers or buyers. And, if it becomes popular, perhaps you can even charge sellers for pinning posts of their products at the top of the group.

Facebook Marketplace (Buy stuff, Sell stuff..)

Facebook Marketplace is where users of the platform can look for, buy and also sell items. (Please take note that for this option, you’ll have to use your personal profile).

If you’re using a desktop or laptop, it’s conveniently located on the left panel. . But if you’re on mobile, it’s at the top bar (look for a house-looking icon).

When you click on it, you’ll be presented with things you can buy from other Facebook users.

But the more important part is that you’ll have the option to create your listing. For desktops and laptops, click “Create new listing.” On mobile, press the “Sell” button.

From there, select the type that best applies to what you’re posting:

You can add a photo, title, price, category, condition and description, and your location.

But you know something awesome about Facebook Marketplace?

If you post items for sale on your own personal profile, Marketplace will automatically make them appear in its listings. And that’s a whole lot less effort on your part.

Facebook Business Manager Account

Now here’s where it’s going to get slightly challenging, but I promise to make it as simple as possible. We’ll make it simple.

According to MagicDx, Facebook Business Manager is a free tool used to manage all your business assets: ad accounts, business pages, Instagram account (which we will not take up here), and Facebook pixel.

To create an account, you need a personal profile (see how important they are?).

Anyway, the basic use of Business Manager is to run ads.

And, in case you were thinking about it, yes, running ads on Facebook costs money but it’s cheaper than you think (we’ll go more into this later).

Types of Facebook Marketing

Now that you know the options you’ll get once you sign up for Facebook, you should also know that there are different kinds of ways to market using these assets.

Let’s go over them one by one.

Facebook boosting

So, what is boosting on Facebook? The goal of boosting posts is to get more likes, comments, and shares for your posts.

Use this if you just want to get engagement for your posts. This tool lets people see that you’re out there and that your online business exists.

Boosting posts costs money. When you boost a post, Facebook will spend your budget showing it to people who it thinks will most likely react, share, or comment on your post.

And it’s pretty easy to do. Just go to your page and find the post you want to boost. Select the “Boost Post” option, which you will find at the bottom-right of your post.

If you can’t find that button, please know Facebook doesn’t hate you and you didn’t do anything wrong. It just means that boosting isn’t available for that particular post.

Once you press Boost, you will get to choose the following details:

• Audience: Choose the people you want to see your post. Facebook recommends one by default, but you will generally get better results if you customize your audience based on location, demographics, and interests.
• Duration: How long you want your post boosted. SocialPilot says this depends on your goals and other factors and recommends at least 3 days.
• Total Budget: How much you would like to spend. You can start with as little as 1 USD per day and scale from there.
• Payment method: It costs money to make your post more visible but you can decide exactly how big or small depending on your budget.

When you’re done, just press Boost Post Now, and you’re good to go!

But wait, when should you boost posts?

The best time to do so is when you’ve just started your business and you need the exposure. You can’t expect sales immediately because most people will only be learning about your business for the first time. And it takes more than one touchpoint to make a sale.

Of course, take note that boosting only helps people become aware of your business. Once you get eyes on your brand, you can go to the next level with…

Facebook Ads

What’s the difference between Facebook ads and boosting posts?

You boost posts to generate awareness for your business.

With Facebook ads, you can create campaigns for awareness as well as get more traffic, engagement, app promotion, leads, and sales…

And, unlike boosting, you can get more detailed with your targeting.

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Now, when it comes to Facebook ads, I recommend getting the services of an experienced social media buyer or marketing agency.

Why?

Because, unlike boosting posts, there is so much more to consider, starting with which objective is right for your business. Not to mention that you’re also going to have to do a lot of testing, and testing means spending a lot of money.

So, might as well get someone who has done it before and delivered results, right?

But if you want a general idea of how to do Facebook ads, here are the general steps:

1. Create an advertising campaign from the Business Manager and select your ad account.
2. Fill up all the information asked for, including the billing method.
3. Create an ad that’s relevant to your goal.
4. Select your audience and audience size.
5. Do a detailed targeting of your audience.
6. Set your budget and schedule.
7. Set your captions and visuals. You can use videos or still images. Just make sure they pass Facebook standards!

And that’s the high-level overview. We’ve created a detailed guide here.

You can use it to create your FB ad, but, again, there’s no guarantee it will work the first time as there is much more to it and plenty of tests are required.

In case you decide to hire a social media marketing agency, here’s what to look for.

Organic Social Selling

What is organic social selling? It’s basically what you do consistently on Facebook: posting and posting and posting. It’s basically you putting whatever you are selling on your feed.

When you post organically to your account, the people who will usually see it are your followers, your followers’ followers, and people following any hashtags you use (make sure to set your post’s privacy to public, or else only your friends will see).

Organic is one of the best ways to start connecting with your customers.

It lets you:

• Establish your brand’s personality
• Build your relationships with various prospects
• Turn your customers into loyal, raving fans via your posts

Now, while organic selling is important, you have to remember that when it comes to selling, organic is not predictable.

The reality is that only a few of your followers will see your posts because their reach keeps decreasing over time. That’s how it works.

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Of course, if you’re a startup and your budget is limited, you should do this first as it still has value.

Community Building

What’s community building, exactly? Remember your Facebook groups? And remember when I told you that you should make one for your customers?

That’s what community building entails.

Community building is getting the people in your group to connect. They can then interact over their mutual love for whatever your community is about. At the same time, you’ll be building brand awareness for your business.

And most businesses believe it’s the future of growth.

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Remember: everything you’re doing is marketing. So, your goal is to increase the chances of your group’s members becoming potential buyers.

If not now, then in the future.

Here are the things you should do to ensure you have a successful community:

• Always post valuable content. If your group members are a bunch of home cooks, post recipes, or food discoveries. Again, don’t just sell, sell, sell.
• Always post up-to-date information. Keep up with the trends.
• Be consistent in your posting. It’s not going to help you if you post every day for one week, then be quiet the next. Also, when you post consistently, you create a sense of anticipation for your members. They’ll always be on the watch for your next post!
• Always communicate with your group members. Keep up the conversation, even by simply greeting them or cheering them on. That way, they’ll know you see them more like people you’re selling to.
• Promote your group using your page and your personal profile. You never know who will be reading your posts and getting interested to join your group.!

Social Events (webinars using events page)

How do you use social events as a marketing tool? If you want more attention on your business, you can hold a webinar.

And use Facebook Events to promote it. It’s like an online guestbook where invitees can RSVP.

Thanks to recent events, webinars have become the new norm. And that’s great, too, since people don’t have to physically go where you are to attend your webinar or workshop.

Anyway, how exactly do social events help your marketing?

When you hold one and invite people to your event that means more eyes on your business. And you know what I’ve been saying about that, right?

Of course, your event has to be something that your target audience would be interested in.

Let’s go back to our example. If you’re selling food, maybe you can hold a webinar about cooking or sharing your secret recipes.

You can also invite cooking experts to appear on your show and be interviewed.

Anything related to your business, you can do. And whatever is valuable to your target market, you can feature!

Start Facebook Marketing now!

If you’re still with me, congratulations! You know what Facebook marketing is now and how important it is for businesses like yours.

Don’t get left behind—set up your Facebook assets and get started. You’d be surprised at how easy it is once you begin!

Just keep in mind your business goals before choosing to do all the steps. You’re just starting your business after all. You don’t want to be spending more without getting anything in return.

Of course, with the recent iOS policy changes mentioned earlier, you still want your own space where you can market and sell your products online.

Enter Dukaan.

Dukaan is the easiest way to start running and growing your online business. You don’t need any technical knowledge or any skills in Facebook marketing. You can set up your online store in seconds.

Aside from it being easy to use, Dukaan has thousands of resellers & social media influencers who will promote your products on their social media accounts.

Get started with Dukaan today.