Best Free Marketing Tips

This week I'm quoted in an article on "Business News Daily" that talks about  "5 Quick Ways to Boost Your Facebook Fanbase". Here are some of what you'll learn if you read the full article…

Provide compelling content. — Even though your Facebook page is up and running, you need to get people to like and trust you. According to Debra Zimmer, The Expert Marketing Coach, one way to increase that trust is to provide compelling content.

"Basically they need a reason to 'like' your page. They want to know what's in it for them. When they come to your page, they want to see that you consistently post something of value to them," Zimmer said.

Zimmer suggests one way to post compelling content is with a "tip of the day."

"You can sit down once a month and jot down 30 things that would help your customer transform their life. You then use a tool like Hootsuite to have those tips post for you automatically once a day. And you have created a reason for people to 'like' you. They do it to get those tips," Zimmer said.

And,

Build a chain of communication with your customers. — Facebook isn't all about business, so it's important to make sure that you're entertaining your customers. Zimmer said that you can do so by asking some questions.

For example, Zimmer asks her followers what tip topics they would most like to see from her.

"That starts getting people engaged. And when they comment on your post, it shows up in all their friends' news feeds. With the average Facebook user having 130 friends, that number of people who see your post multiplies quickly," Zimmer said.

You can read the rest of the article here…

Have you ever wondered how to get people on Facebook to respond to your ads?

Here are some tips from Mona Elesseily, the VP of Online Marketing Strategy at Page Zero Media and Jennifer Sheahan from FBadsLAB.

The three types of images that convert best on Facebook ads are:

1. Happy Women
2. Colorful Logos
3. Headshots

The best performing images to use in Facebook advertising are of happy women. Women who look overjoyed, free and are looking directly at the camera convert best. Also, try images of women who joyfully have their arms in the air.

Try logos that are colorful and engaging. If your company’s logo is boring or bland, make look colorful by adding a colorful border, background or text. Definitely avoid blue and white as the colors blend too much with Facebook’s colors (think contrast to capture attention).

Images with text on them (calls to action) convert better than images alone. In general, ads with a “reason” convert better than ads with no reason. So don’t just tell people about your accounting services but include a reason like: 1) end of tax year special or 2) an online promotion with savings available for 3 days only.

Note: product images do not convert as well as straight up colorful logos.

Happy pictures where people are looking directly at the camera work best. Close up pictures work best.

In addition they shared some general tips to help you get the most of your Facebook advertising.

1. Use a sense of "urgency" with your Facebook ads. Don't run them too often or for too long. The reader should feel like they have to take action now or the opportunity will be gone.
2. Distract the user from other tasks.
3. Include a purpose or reason they need to take immediate action. Tie your ad to a a promotion, discount or compelling report.
4. Test images and call to actions.
5. Expect low conversion rates averaging in the 0.02% range. You’re doing well if you see conversions above 0.4%.

Do you have any tips to share? Is there anything you've experienced with your Facebook advertising that works really well?

(You can read more details at http://searchengineland.com/3-types-of-facebook-image-ads-that-work-80162.)