5 Facebook Features You Need to Know About

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Facebook is an incredibly powerful marketing tool. With 94% of Australians on the platform, there’s no denying its potential when it comes to targeting existing and potential clients. The beauty of Facebook is that you can access users at any time of day, no matter where they are located.

With an overwhelming number of features on Facebook, especially when it comes to paid marketing, it can be difficult to know where to start in order to make the most of the platform. At Sea Salt Marketing we’re lucky to have an in-house Facebook marketing expert, so this month we sat down with her to talk all things Facebook.

Keep reading to learn Jules’ top 5 Facebook features that you could implement now to target new clients, reach out to those who already know you and keep your followers engaged.

1. Lead Generation Campaign

The number one request we receive from new building clients is “more leads”. One of the best and fastest ways to generate leads is through the creation of a free opt-in document that users can download in exchange for their email address. But the process of typing out details like name and email addresses can be time consuming and it’s not something your target audience will always have time for, especially when they’re on the go. Enter – the Facebook Lead Generation Campaign.

When users click the “Download” button on this type of ad, a form pops up that’s pre-filled with their Facebook contact information. This is ready to be sent to you and in just a few taps, they can access your opt-in, while you’ve generated a qualified lead for your business.

Facebook also allows you to integrate your CRM and other platforms like Mailchimp when you conduct a Lead Generation Campaign, so you don’t need to worry about manually exporting and adding your new leads every week. It’s quick, convenient and qualified!

Jules’ Verdict: Lead generation is such a powerful tool – in the last 30 days alone we’ve generated over 1,400 leads for our clients through this type of campaign. I can’t recommend it enough!”

2. Automated Messages

Automated messages are a great way to automatically and directly engage with users on Facebook. This feature allows you to create a pop up chat box that appears when people visit your business page. We recommend creating customised frequently asked questions that potential clients may wish to send, making it quick and easy for them to get in touch with you. This could include where you are located, your business hours, the business’ history and your services.

As an admin of the page, you’ll be notified when someone sends one of these automated messages and you’ll be able to respond from your phone, tablet or computer. Not only is this quick and easy for you, it’s convenient for users who may not know where to start when it comes to making that first contact. Should you prefer, you can always direct potential clients to your email address or phone number once you have qualified them.

Jules’ Verdict: Ask yourself, would you rather send a quick message or prepare for a potentially awkward or long phone call? By making it easier to engage with your brand, you can increase the likelihood that someone, who may in the early stages of considering a build, will reach out to you.

3. Invite to Like

It can be time-consuming and difficult to build up your page likes organically on Facebook and while inviting your friends to like your business page is great, it doesn’t help you target users who are actually interested in your business. That’s why we love the Invite to Like feature.

This feature is available to anyone who’s Facebook page is below 100,000 likes, which, let’s be honest, is most of us! Invite to Like allows you to invite anyone who has liked your page’s posts to also like your page.

To do this, simply find a post on your business page that has performed well and click to see who has liked it. Next to the list of names, you should see either ‘Liked’ or ‘Invite to Like’ – simply click and wait for the user to accept your request. The Invite to Like feature can exponentially grow your Facebook following.

If you’re looking to grow your Facebook following more quickly, we suggest launching a Page Likes campaign via Facebook Ads.

Jules’ Verdict: While Page Likes campaigns are really great and we’ve seen them be really successful for our clients, the Invite to Like feature is great because these many of these people are already familiar with you and taking that extra step to build a relationship with them will definitely bump you up the list when they’re considering a builder.

4. Live Streaming

One of the best ways to gain the trust of your following is by being authentic on Facebook. While Facebook Stories are one way of sharing your personality and boosting your authenticity, we also recommend exploring Live Streaming as well. This is a great tool for sharing on-site updates, project walkthroughs or even hosting an educational webinar or interview. During your live stream, users will be able to react and comment, which you can engage with on camera.

The great thing about Live Streaming is that your followers will receive a notification (if they have Facebook notifications turned on) when you go live, so they can quickly tune in. If they’re on the move or don’t have time to watch live, your video will be uploaded to your page at the end of your Live Stream, just like a regular video post, so they can jump onto your business page and watch at a more convenient time.

Jules’ Verdict: I know it’s scary to go live, but it can really help cut through the noise of Facebook posts and if you do something interesting or funny on site, this can be a great way to showcase your personality to your followers. Putting a face to a brand can help lots with encouraging potential clients to reach out to you.

5. Set up a Facebook Pixel

For more advanced Facebookers, we recommend setting up a Facebook Pixel for your ad account. A Facebook Pixel is essentially a code that you add to your website pages so you can track who is visiting these from Facebook. The Pixel also allows you to measure where they came from, how long they stayed on a page, demographic information and where users clicked afterward.

While the Facebook Pixel offers unique insights into how users are responding to both organic posts and paid ads, the true value of this tool is in retargeting. Once you’ve set up your Facebook Pixel, you can retarget your Facebook ads to people who have already interacted with your brand. It is likely that this group are already interested in your product and your business, so the ability to target them directly is incredibly useful when it comes to lead generation and driving enquiry. Once you’ve built up a strong retargeting audience, you could create a lead generation ad, purely directed at this group.

Jules’ Verdict: If you’re running ads and don’t have a Facebook Pixel ticking along in the background, you’re wasting a lot of precious advertising dollars. The purpose of ads is often to cast your net wide and see who is interested in your brand. Once you’ve done that, it’s VERY important to nurture those who have interacted with your brand by creating a campaign to remind them of who you are and what you can do for them.

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All of Facebook’s features are carefully designed to work together, so once you’ve mastered one tool there’s always something else you can add to improve your results.  If you’re interested in learning more about using Facebook to generate leads or boost enquiry, get in touch with the expert team at Sea Salt Marketing today. Who knows? Maybe you’ll receive some of our 1000+ client leads next month?!

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