Facebook marketing is always changing.

Just when you think you’ve got the hang of things Facebook decides to update their algorithms.

Or there seems to be other players making it difficult for regular Facebook marketers.

Like Apple allowing iPhone users to decide which third-party apps to share information with.  Things seem to be getting more challenging for small businesses using Facebook for marketing.

And yet, there are businesses that get traffic from Facebook in spite of this chaos. They have effectively adopted new tools that give them leverage on a daily basis.

What that means is …

… it’s not too late to get started with Facebook Marketing. 

This article will review the latest marketing tools that small businesses are using, right now, to thrive in a marketplace where most others are getting eaten alive.

If you are a small business in the digital marketing space you might want to use them too.

But first, let’s see…

Why Facebook is important for marketers 

With more than 2.7 billion monthly active users Facebook is a massive traffic juggernaut. The sticky nature of Facebook makes 1.78 billion users visit the platform daily. 

Facebook monitors every users’ behavior. It tracks every like, comment, share, as well as pages that you visit and even the ads that you click.

Based on this data Facebook can accurately guess your interests and then show you advertising that fits those interests, thereby increasing the chances that you will respond to the advertisement. In this way Facebook accurately connects the marketer with the market.  

Given the potential you really cannot keep Facebook marketing out of your marketing strategy.

Facebook allows you to reach out to your audience in an individualized way. This is not possible with Websites and blogs.

According to a survey 83% of marketers say Facebook is crucial for their businesses. Big brands also use Facebook to promote their products and engage with their customers. 

Facebook has an awesome set of marketing tools that almost no other platform offers.

However, most businesses do not take advantage of these. Probably the most they would have is a business page and that’s about it. So let’s go deeper and see what these tools are.

The first marketing tool we are going to look at is…

1. FACEBOOK LIVE

Facebook Live has become very popular in recent times. And rightly so. 

The level of real time interaction it affords is unparalleled.

Why use Facebook Live

Facebook Live viewership increased by 50% — in spring 2020. Facebook Live videos receive 6X more engagement than standard videos.

How to Use Facebook Live

You can use Facebook live to hold conferences and concerts. You can make your audience feel special by conducting interactive sessions. You can hold trivia nights,  Q&A sessions,  and share behind-the-scenes juicy gossip. 

These unplugged and uncut sessions and real-time interactions gives your brand an authentic personal feel. 

Why this works

Your audience gets to interact with your brand directly. They get to join a live conversation and get queries answered in real time. You can judge their support by watching how they react and comment. 

2. FACEBOOK MESSENGER

Facebook Messenger is a revolutionary way to reach out and grow your audience. When Facebook allowed users to operate with bots they offered an amazing opportunity for marketers to generate traffic and get more members.

Messenger bot is an AI powered chat software that uses technology to simulate conversations with customers. 

Why You Should Consider Messenger Bots

1.3 billion FB messenger monthly users and 40 million businesses use Facebook Messenger to communicate with their customers (Business Insider, 2020).

It empowers you to automate your interactions with people trying to get more info about your business. It allows for real-time communication with a personal touch on your Facebook page.

How to Use Facebook Messenger Bot

Consider this…

… a prospect may have certain questions that your page doesn’t provide.

This is where Facebook Messenger comes in. Facebook Messenger gives you stopgap and catch-all communications options.

It’s simply impossible to anticipate every query that a prospect could have. 

The good news is you don’t have to.

Messenger bot makes you accessible with a wide range of questions. 

And because all sessions are recorded and stored, you can even message them back later if your bot didn’t have the answer ready at the time.

You can track all such sessions where the Messenger bot didn’t have the answer and look for repeating patterns. Once you detect a pattern you can automate the messenger bot to answer the question based on a decision tree.

This is like your potential customers calling a call center. The representatives in the call-center follow a pre-designed script to standardize responses, anyway.

You can use the automated bot to:

1. Qualify leads by asking your visitors a few qualifying questions before someone follows up.
2. Sell the prospects who are ready.  Walking prospects through an automated sales funnel can lead to conversion and less customer drop-offs.

How great it would be if the vast majority of people visiting your Facebook page were actual buyers.

But in reality, that’s not the case. Most of the people on your page are not ready to buy. They are not even clear about what they’re looking for or what they need.

They have lots of doubts.  And this presents an opportunity to interact with them and dispel their doubts. This page-based automation can thus lead to actual sales. 

1. Respond to comments. When somebody visiting your page leaves a comment, it just stays there until you view the comment and respond.

The moment somebody leaves a comment on your post on your page it could trigger your Messenger bot to reply.

You get to send out an initial automatic response and then you follow up, afterwards, if required.

Why This Works

This saves you a lot of time and money as far as standardized communication goes. It is easily scalable and can be automated. Automating a process takes workload off your team.

It offers real-time interaction and is able to handle queries and convert a prospect with prompt and accurate communication without any hassles. 

3. AR ECOSYSTEM ON FACEBOOK

Today, more and more people are interacting with Augmented Reality (AR). 

Why Use AR Ads

According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), 80 million people in the US engage with AR on a monthly basis. 

They predict that this number will grow to more than 120 million this year.

Facebook AR ads appear in Facebook Mobile News Feed. They allow users to tinker with your brand’s AR effects with a single click while they are still viewing the ad.  

How to Use AR Ads

New AR Ads allow users to virtually experience your products.

You can add a CTA within the ad to take users from trying your product to buying it.

Michael Kors was the first brand to test AR Ads in News Feed.  Their ad let audiences try on a pair of sunglasses before deciding to buy.

Why They Work

AR Ads get more viewtime than regular ads.  

AR Ads are rich in content and are more engaging, more involving and relate on a personal-basis with your customers. 

They entertain when prospects are feeling bored or enjoying some free time. 

This gives your Ads more time with your prospects, unlike when they are in a hurry, distracted or searching for information.

4. FB STORIES

Facebook Stories are either an image or short video post in vertical format that disappears after 24 hours. 

Photos appear for five seconds, and videos can be up to 120 seconds long.

Why Use Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories appear above the News feed. 

Imagine… your fans will see your brand first when they open their Facebook app.. 

Is it any wonder that  500 million people view Facebook Stories every single day? 

How to Use Facebook Stories

Create exciting, time-sensitive content. The “24-hr-life factor” is what gives stories excitement and urgency. 

You can use this to announce daily  sales, share discount codes, share early bird offers, etc. 

Collect Data Use stories to get your fans to respond to surveys and polls.  

Why They Work

With ever-changing Facebook algorithms, it’s hard to get organic reach. If a brand wants to get their name out there they need to pay for the engagement and views.

Facebook Stories live at the top of the News Feed, which means they beat the Facebook algorithms.  

This means you can get your message in front of your fans without having to pay for the exposure. And it might just be the easiest way to make a viral video.

5. FB Shops

Facebook Shops is the potential last-mile application to actually making money off Facebook.

All the other tools help you get your message out to your prospects, but you need to take them somewhere else to actually transact and make a sale. 

But it’s not so with FB Shops. Because, here you can actually sell and make money!

Facebook Shops is a mobile-first shopping experience. 

Now you can create an online store within Facebook and Instagram for free. 

Why Use Facebook Shops

You get to leverage the reach that Facebook has to promote your products. 

It’s totally customizable. You choose your brand colors, fonts and  tell your brand story the way you want. You decide which items you want to feature and merchandise.  

Thus giving you complete control over your shop. 

How to Use Facebook Shops

Facebook Shops lets you connect with customers through WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram Direct. You can answer questions, offer support and more.

People can find your FB Shops on your business’ Facebook Page, or discover them through stories or ads. 

Then they can browse the full collection, save products they’re interested in and place an order. Orders are placed either, on your website, or within the app.

What if you have some queries? In Facebook Shops you can send your question through WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram Direct. 

Besides  asking questions, you can request support, track deliveries and more.  

Another cool feature that works with FB Shops is, now you can tag products from your Facebook Shop or catalog in your FB live video. 

And those products will appear at the bottom of the video so people can easily tap to learn more and buy.

Why They Work

With Facebook Shops, you leverage the reach offered by Facebook.

You can not only display, but also sell products on Facebook and Instagram. 

People who visit your shop can make purchases and get to know your brand. This way you can leverage your investment in Facebook marketing. 

Conclusion

As the marketing terrain of Facebook becomes more challenging, it tends to become unviable for regular marketers. It is such scenarios that small and new businesses find leverage in new and innovative tools. 

Using tools like FB Live, Messenger Bots, FB AR Ads, FB Stories & FB Shops even new businesses can leverage the reach and marketing muscle provided by Facebook.