Despite the indisputable fact that promotion in social networks is now in trend, many business owners are still skeptical about this promotional way and reluctant to invest money in it. This article will give some useful tips on how to convince your client that promotion in Facebook (or in any other social network) is a profitable investment that will pay off in future.
1. Set the goals. Before you start convincing someone that they have to use Facebook, you need to find out what aims the business representatives have. After all, promotion in social networks is not suitable for every business. If you deal with a B2B company that sells, let’s say, building materials to two or three large companies, Facebook will be of little use.
To understand the expectations and to set the right goals, ask the clients the following questions:
- What role should a Facebook-page have in the marketing campaign? Will it be a PR tool, or a customer support page, or a corporate page for your employees?
- What results do you expect from the promotion in Facebook? You should explain to your client two essential things: 1) it is impossible to create a Facebook club with 5,000 followers in a day and 2) Facebook won’t become a heavy sales channel immediately.
- What is your target audience? Socio-demographic information about the target audience is very important for the promotion. In spite of the fact that social networks provide great opportunities for targeting, it may happen that the potential clients don’t use Facebook.
- What are the competitors already doing? What results have they reached?
- How will the ROI be measured? Try to explain to the client that the return on investment in social networks is assessed by indirect indicators, such as the amount and quality of feedback from customers, the brand recognition improvement, etc.
2. Present solid arguments. When you show the advantages of promotion in Facebook, focus on these three important points.
- Successful cases. Think about the examples of successful promotion in the social networks. Explain what these companies are doing right and what could be borrowed to improve your strategy.
- Study the audience. Estimate the target audience presence on Facebook and study various options for its involvement.
- Forecast. Find the materials proving that the number of Facebook followers will continue to grow. Make the analysis in the context of your client’s target audience.
3. Describe the possibilities. Being guided by the business goals, you can describe how Facebook can help to achieve them. If the client’s business is a start-up, focus on opportunities to increase customer awareness and reach new markets. Explain that Facebook allows you to send the message to people from a particular place with certain interests. If your client is sales-driven, tell them about "Special Offers" from Facebook.
In case of a well-known business, reveal that Facebook provides the unique opportunity to show the brand culture and to improve customer loyalty. Explain that people will discuss your client's business anyway, so why not make the process more controllable? Moreover, Facebook is a great platform for providing customer support and feedback.
4. Tell about possible risks. Many business owners are afraid of using Facebook because of criticism and possible risks. So, try to explain that it is content and service quality that is much appreciated by customers. Also provide a plan of actions in case of the negative feedbacks.
5. Provide budget. Create a document with the calculations of the cost of building and support of the Facebook page, taking into account 1) the number of working hours per week that is needed to keep the page alive; 2) the cost of design, including icons, avatars, pictures, etc.; 3) the cost of targeted advertising.
If you want to offer some bonuses, think about, for example, a trial period. After this period you should make a progress report and show the real effectiveness of the strategy chosen.
