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Do you want to make Facebook a profitable marketing medium for your business?
Is Facebook bringing you the leads you're looking for?
A few simple tweaks to your Facebook marketing can bring in more business.
In this article you'll discover four ways companies are using Facebook to increase leads.
#1: Optimize the Cover Photo
There is an entire branch of analytics known as eye tracking and it's dedicated to tracking and reporting what people look at on a web page. Most people spend the majority of their time on the top 1/3 of the page (many times without even realizing it).
The red indicates the section of the web page with the most views and reaffirms that content above the fold is the most viewed.
Not surprisingly, eye-tracking studies on Facebook pages have similar results.
When someone visits your page, the cover image is prime real estate and an opportunity to set up a lead generation campaign in Facebook.
For example, the Mauz Dare Group's Facebook page could have copied other real estate companies on Facebook by displaying a collage of homes they've sold over the years. Instead they chose a more successful opportunity—collecting leads.
Their cover photo design isn't just luck. It's carefully designed to find clients. It includes a picture of a beautiful house (indicating that they deal in real estate), a CTA and a logo for branding purposes.
It's clear that the primary purpose of their cover photo is to get prospects to download the mobile app by clicking the tab below the cover photo.
We read left to right so they place the CTA at the top left of the page to increase the chances that it's the first thing prospects see when they visit the page. The magnifying glass icon inside the CTA box matches the icon on the custom tab. There's no doubt where prospects should click if they want to download the custom app.
Including the logo on the right helps prospects recognize signs and other advertising around town.
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Once again, the photography complements the business by reinforcing the professional nature and quality of the service provided.
The large image of a beautiful house puts the emphasis on the group's business: real estate. That single picture says, “Wouldn't you love to live in a house like this? We can help you!”
#2: Avoid the Hard Sell
Have you ever noticed that when something looks like a blatant advertisement you're more likely to ignore it?
Think about it. When you scroll through your Facebook news feed, browsing your friends' pictures and life updates, an ad sticks out like a sore thumb, right? If you're like me, you're far more likely to click on a subtler ad, perhaps one that provides a link to a useful article vs. a landing page.
When creating their ads, AppSumo had people like you and me in mind. They're known for their humorous approach to sales and their ads reflect that. The picture in the ad above is light-hearted and friendly. They catch peoples' eyes with something that looks less like an ad and more like a picture your friends would share.
When you click the AppSumo link, you don't end up on a landing page. Instead you immediately see the information promised: an informative and entertaining article explaining how AppSumo founder Noah Kagan was able to launch a new business and make $1,000 in 24 hours.
At the bottom of the article is a call to action where you can buy an online course and learn how to launch a successful business based on Noah's experience.
I have one other piece of advice regarding placement of your ads. Sidebar ads tend to have a lower click-through rate (CTR). In fact, news feed ads have a CTR 44 times higher than right-side ads. By putting their ad in the news feed with a seamless image, AppSumo has a much better chance of people clicking through.
#3: Use Clear Calls to Action
One of the quickest ways to grow your email list is to advertise—use a colorful image, a headline that promises value and a clear call to action (CTA).
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In the example below, Brad's Deals highlights a picture of a popular brand of earphones. Showing a popular product is a great way to get people to pay attention to your ad. Once you draw attention to your ad, people naturally want to know more.
The headline attached to the image keeps people interested. Who doesn't love 50-90% off? The value added to the audience is worth checking out.
In addition to offering value, Brad's Deals includes a strong call to action (sign up for our newsletter). More importantly, they include a way to complete that action via the Sign Up button in the image.
Whether you read the CTA in the update or just looked at the picture, the value is clear and the ask easily completed. When you click the image, you go to a landing page where you can sign up for the daily newsletter.
The truth is, your prospects don't want to share their email address (or any other information, for that matter) unless they have a good reason to. Discounts, access to important information (e.g., an industry report), giveaways, etc., are all good ways to encourage new subscribers.
Branding, of course, is important in any marketing campaign. The value, text and overall feel of your ad and your landing page should be the same across the entire newsletter signup process.
#4: Host a Giveaway
If you're looking to quickly build brand awareness, increase engagement and generate qualified leads, a giveaway may be your best bet.
The Mauz Dare Group promotes a monthly giveaway on their Facebook page. The status updates start with a direct benefit to their audience, provide clear instructions on how to enter the giveaway and include real estate photos.
The giveaways are carefully designed to bring attention to the group's purpose: selling real estate. Every step of the entry process includes pictures of beautiful living spaces.
When you click on the entry link, you're taken to a landing page within Facebook where you can officially enter to win.
The landing page uses specific tactics and is designed to garner entries (as well as draw in customers).
The Entry button is clearly visible at the top of the page. It's green (different from the blue of the rest of the page) and specifically says Enter to Win Now. As a prospective entrant, you can't miss it.
The Mauz Dare Group also restates the benefit for entering the contest. That reminder is right next to a countdown feature to remind visitors that the contest won't last forever—urgency can be a good motivator.
At the bottom of the page they include three attractive pictures related to their business. It's not a hard sell, but it's definitely noticeable.
These tactics extend to the confirmation page as well.
When visitors click on the Enter to Win Now button, they end up on a landing page with an attractive, specific CTA used to invite entrants to share the giveaway on their own timelines (to get more entries), thus getting the Mauz Dare Group in front of a larger audience.
The landing page also reiterates the purpose of the Mauz Dare Group without saying a word. The beautiful home in the background is a final reminder of the company you purpose.
As a real estate company, the Mauz Dare Group does a good job of employing captivating photography in their status updates and landing pages. By investing money in photography, they've built a brand that conveys the quality of their business.
You probably noticed that several images include pictures of the group's partners. As a small business, you have the advantage of being the personal face of your business. Chances are, your customers want to do business with a person, not a brand or logo. This is especially true in a client-services business like real estate.
Conclusion
The best way to successfully find leads on Facebook is to include a value proposition for leads and customers, integrate consistent messaging and use colorful photos that reflect your business.
I encourage you to refine the tactics in this article to match your business needs.
What do you think? How have you used Facebook to generate leads? What tactics have worked best for you? Leave us your advice, questions and comments below.
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