7 Facebook Tactics to Drive Traffic and Conversions

We are having a great time in Scottsdale at SMX Social Media Marketing! Of the many great sessions we attended yesterday, we thought we’d share a little info from one of our favorites by Kevin Scholl, social media manager of Red Roof Inn. Kevin talked about ways to maximize your business’ presence on Facebook. Here’s what we took away:

Tactic #1: Talk is Cheap

If you’re just throwing posts up on your Facebook wall, you’re not engaging. You’re not giving consumers what they want. Show your customers that you care about their feedback, opinions and what they care about by responding in a timely manner to questions, comments, concerns, and—dare we say—complaints. According to Kevin, you should respond to negative posts within 24 hours and respond to positive posts within 48 hours. Of course, at Red Roof Inn, they average less than a 1-hour response time…that’s awesome!

Tactic #2: Customer Created Content

Happy customers can be your biggest asset when it comes to online marketing. By showing these customers that you care about them and value their opinion, you can mobilize a small army of brand advocates that can be one of the best members of your social media team. Even better: they work for free!

Tactic #3: Content is King

This has been true since the advent of the printing press. And it’s never been truer. Once you set up your Facebook page, remember this fact: your content matters. Don’t just post self-promotional messages that turn your Facebook wall into giant list of billboard ads for your business. Take the time to create quality posts and link to quality material that shows customers you care about them.

Tactic #4: What Do You Think

Facebook is a great platform to generate consumer feedback. Take advantage of it. Use Facebook as a springboard for customer comments, feedback and input on the content you are creating for your community. If you involve your community in the brainstorming process, they are more likely to be engaged when you post the content.

Tactic #5: Social Different

Facebook is social media. And the purpose of social is to be…well…social. But the key to doing Facebook well is to do ‘social’ different than anybody else out there. To think outside the box and provide your community with a truly unique social experience online. While it may be tempting to only talk about business-related information on your Facebook page, keep in mind that relevance to your brand or product does not always have to be a key factor of your content.

Tactic #6: Respond

This was talked about briefly in Tactic #1, but engaging with your community just can’t be stressed enough. True engagement is not one-way communication. It requires give and take; comment and response.

Tactic #7: Partnering

Show people that you care about more than your business. Partner with causes your community cares about and use your Facebook page to promote those organizations.

Whether you’re new to Facebook or have been managing a page for several years, these tips can help you launch your page to a whole new level of consumer engagement. An additional bonus: you should see a greater ROI from your Facebook page, too!