Facebook Strategy - Written in Pink

8/3/2019 Facebook Strategy - Written in Pink

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/facebook-strategy-written-in-pink 1/17

1

that gets results

create a

f acebook strategy

PLAN OR

FAIL D i r e c t o r ,

K i m P

i n k



2

Many businesses jump straight into Facebook. I understandwhy. You’ve heard about the fantastic results you canachieve and want to get started right away.

There are so many reasons why a strategy can ensure yoursuccess on Facebook. However, they all boil down to the factthat a Facebook strategy provides...

Focus - have you ever really

thought about what you are trying to

achieve? A clearly dened goal gives your

every action a purpose.

Developing a Facebook strategy is an excellent opportunityto objectively review your business, dene your goals andoutline how you’re going to achieve your vision.

It doesn’t need to be complicated.

This e-manual gives you practical steps

to building an easy to follow, high impact

Facebook strategy.

Plan for success or

plan to fail

About the Author

Written in Pink is aprofessional copywriting,public relations and designagency driven by Director

and author of this e-manual,Kim Pink.

An experienced writer andpublic relations consultantwith experience across adiverse range of industries inboth Australia and the UnitedKingdom, Kim has a passionthat keeps her at the cuttingedge of her eld.

She specialises inempowering every form of

marketing by making everyword count. By cultivating anindepth understanding of thelanguage and emotions thatmotivate target audiences,Kim delivers text that speaksdirectly to the audience andinspires them to act.

In the last year in particularKim has focused on masteringthe art of optimising socialmedia for high impactmarketing results.

This manual is part of a seriesthat aims to equip smallbusiness owners with theknowledge they need to takemarketing to the next level.

www.writteninpink.com.au

top tip

Developing a strategy isn’tnecessarily a solitary exercise.

Invite key team members into theaction. You’ll be surprised by someof their ideas!

http://www.writteninpink.com.au/

http://www.twitter.com/Written_in_Pink

http://www.writteninpink.com.au/blog

http://http//au.linkedin.com/pub/kim-pink/20/82a/222

http://www.facebook.com/writteninpink

http://www.writteninpink.com.au/



3

Your Facebook strategy should include the followingcomponents:

1. Background A brief outline of your company, why you chose to employ Facebook inyour marketing arsenal and your company’s existing experience withFacebook (what have you already tried and how successful was it).

2. Overall Strategic GoalA single minded marketing goal you want to achieve for your business.

3. SWOT AnalysisA discussion of your company’s strengths and weaknesses and ananalysis of external opportunities that would positively inuence yourcompany or external threats that could challenge it.

4. Key Competitive Advantage and MessagesA showcase of the one reason your customers choose you above

your competitors and the key messages you’ll focus on during thisstrategic campaign

5. Target MarketA description of exactly who you want to communicate with.

6. ObjectivesFacebook specic goals you would like to achieve.

7. Tactics The actions you will take to achieve your objectives andstrategic goal.

8. TimelineA outline of when you will execute each tactic so you always knowwhat’s coming next.

T ime issue?Don’ t hav e time f or a str ategy ? T HINK AGAIN. T his is the most v aluable thing y ou

can do to ensur e F acebook success.

F u t u r e p r o

o f

G o o n h o l i d

a y o r t a k e

e x t e n d e d l e

a v e. T h i s

s t r a t e g

y g i v e s y o u

r

s t a n d - i n e v e r y t h i n

g

t h e y n e e d

k n o w t o

k e e p t h i n g

s r u n n i n g.

Pr oact iv e or r eact iv e?

Get on the f r ont f oot. K now w hat y ou’ r e

doing and w hen y ou’ r e doing it.

The components of a successful

Facebook Strategy

What can you expect from this e-manual:

• Simple advice and practical examples• Comprehensive list of tactics for you to choose from

• Links to useful applications that will help

A Facebook strategy is a plan of action. It outlines what you want to acheive and how you willachieve it. It is very similar to any type of marketing strategy.



4

How to start:

To write your background simply answer the following questions.

• When did your business begin and why did you decide to start your business?

• How many employees did you have when the business rst began and how manyemployees do you have now?

• Discuss any major milestones i.e. signicant challenges, growth spurts or achievements.

Then move onto discussing your Facebook specic background.

• When did you rst establish a fan page on Facebook and why did you decide you neededto?

• Why have you decided to develop this strategic plan i.e. have you been underwhelmed bythe results so far or you are trying to launch a new campaign?

B i g p i c t u r e W he n d i d y o u l as t s i t b ac k and r e al l y l o o k at y o u r b u s i ne s s ? T hi s i s y o u r c hanc e . S e e ho w f ar y o u ’ v e c o me and w he r e y o u w ant t o g o .

BackgroundSetting the scene

Let me guess...you don’t think you need to bother putting together a background. After all, itsyour company, you already know everything you need right? Don’t ignore the importance of the background. It’s worth doing for two reasons:

1. It makes you sit back and take stock. You’ll look at your company more objectively thanusual. You’ll think about where you’re at, how you got there and, in doing so, start tounderstand where you want to be.

2. You may not always be the one executing this plan. Think about it...what if you go onholiday or what if your business grows so much that you want to hire someone else tomanage your social media presence? Taking the time to construct a background helpsensures your ‘helper’ has all the information they need to perform the role correctly.

Here is an example - please note this company is purely citious

Catwalk Shoes was established in February 2009 in response to a gapin the local Brisbane market for premium quality designer shoes sold at affordable prices. When the business rst began the team consisted of two partners. Catwalk Shoes now has a team of ve, this includesfounding partners, buyers and a website manager.

Major milestones in the business include receiving a Small Business Award for Brisbane’s inner city suburbs and a partner being recognised as the runner up in the Brisbane Business Women’s Awards.

Catwalk Shoes established a Facebook fan page in January 2011 in aneffort to communicate with our customers more frequently and in amore cost effective way. Our Facebook presence has contributed to our growth. Our fan count has reached 345, however we still believe thisresource could be used for greater impact.

In November this year Catwalk Shoes will launch a VIP Member’s Club,with the aim of increasing repeat purchases and grow our customer based through referrals. We believe Facebook should be integral tolaunching and managing the Club.

Part One



5

M a r k e t i n g g o a l R e me mb e r y o u r g o al d e s c r i b e s w hat y o u ar e t r y i ng t o ac hi e v e f r o m mar k e t i ng ac t i o ns and d o e s n’ t ne c e s s ar i l y r e f e r t o F ac e b o o k .

Overall Strategic GoalA single marketing goal

A strategic goal is a wide, all-encompassing statement of whatyou hope to achieve. It isn’t Facebook specic but refers more soto what overall marketing goal you are working towards.

More importantly, it connects what you are trying to achievewith a broad statement about how you will do it. This is oftenachieved by creating a theme or focus that all activities willfall under.

Here is an example:

To increase repeat sales by successfully launching a VIP Member’s Club.(Catwalk Shoes - from Background example)

There is a temptation to get too specic when writing your strategic goal.Don’t rush. We will create more specic goals during the Objectives section of this strategy.

Here are some other examples to help you start thinking about your own:

To increase sales by showcasing the company’s fth anniversary.

To increase donations by showcasing upcoming medical research plans.

To increase brand awareness by establishing a reputation as an industry leader.

Try to sit back and look at what you are trying to achieve from a big picture perspective.

Part Two

What is your big picture goal?

• Increased sales

• Increased brand awareness

• Increased donations



6

Not sure where to start? Ask yourselves these questions:

STRENGTHS

What does your business do well? Perhaps there is a service or product that you offer that noone else does?

WEAKNESSESWhat do you need to work on? Are there certain elements of service that your customerscomplain about? Are there elements of service or particular products that don’t do as well asothers? Consider why this might be.

OPPORTUNITIESOpportunities are external factors, not within your control, that could positively affect yourbusiness.

THREATSAre there any external threats that could challenge the future success of your business. Thisincludes looking at your competitors.

Here is an example:

STRENGTHS

• Only rm to offer 24 hourcontact number

• Personalised customer service• Some of the most affordable

prices in the market

OPPORTUNITIES

• Potential to partner with acompetitor to offer a widerrange of products

WEAKNESSES

• Complaints regardingcomplexity of online check out

• Low repeat purchase numbers• Not the widest range of

products available

THREATS

• Competitors, specically newplayers copying our formula

• Changes to import legislationincreasing the cost of business

SWOT AnalysisTaking stock - inside and out

When was the last time you really sat down and took a good look at your company. When didyou last take stock of your achievements and how far you’ve come? When did you last thinkabout what is it that you do well - what makes your business work? Do you know what it is youneed to work on to further develop your business?

The SWOT Analysis is a discussion of your strengths, weaknesses and any externalopportunities and threats that could impact your business.

Part Three



7

Key CompetitiveAdvantage

Now it’s time to identify the key messages that your Facebook campaign will focus on. Firstly,let’s look at what your key competitive advantage is.

A key competitive advantage is just marketing-speak for the reason your customers chooseyou above the competition. It’s what is unique about your business.

Not sure how to identify what your competitive advantage is?Start by answering these questions:

• What is the one reason customers choose you over the competition?

• What do you offer that none of your competitors do?

• What can you do that none of your competitors can do?

Remember that you can only have one key competitive advantage. Don’t try to crunch all yourstengths into one statement. Your strengths will become additional key messages that supportyour competitive advantage. To dene your key competitive advantage think of the onereason you would give to potential customers to choose you over the competition.

Here are some examples to help you:

Catwalk Shoes - 24-hour access to premium women’s shoes up to30% cheaper than leading competitors

Bill Carnivore - Australia’s only bill analysis and savings service

Diaper Express - diapers sold at 20% cheaper than competitors that are delivered to your door

Better Business Solutions - most experienced local team in highimpact development solutions

Now, let’s move on to key messages. These are secondary to your competitive advantage.

Key messages can include things like:

• Quick turnaround

• Personalised service

• Wide variety of products or services

• Highly experienced team

Part Four

T o p t i p Y o u c an

o nl y hav e o ne k e y c o mp e t i t i v e ad v ant ag e . F o l l o w i t u p w i t h a l i s t o f k e y me s s ag e s ab o u t y o u r o t he r s t r e ng t hs .

What makes you different

from the rest?



8

Target MarketWho is your audience?

In this section of your Facebook Strategy we’ll look at who you are trying to speak to. It couldbe more than one type of audience. No doubt your existing Facebook fans will be one of yourtarget markets. Or if on of your goals is to grow your fan base then your target market andhow you communicate with them will be different.

Most importantly, nd out everything you can about your target market. In lieu of hiring aresearch company to do the work for you there are a few things you can do yourself.

• Customer database - if you have an existing customer database then you may already haveaccess to valuable information such as their sex, age, geographic location, occupation andinterests.

• Facebook insights - if you have an existing Facebook fan page check your Insights. Click ‘View Insights’ on the right hand menu of your page. Then select ‘Users’ from the left handmenu. This will help you with demographic information.

• Dig a little deeper by looking into what other pages your fans like. To do this go to your fan

count which is listed on the left hand side below your prole image. Click ‘Like this’ underthe number of fans you have. A list of your fans will appear. Try clicking a few of theirnames, depending on their privacy settings you might be able to get a look at what otherpages they like. See what these pages do that you could possibly learn from.

Your target market description should look something like this:

PRIMARY TARGET MARKET:Women aged between 20 and 35 years who work or reside in inner city Brisbane. Thesewomen range from young professionals seeking high end work shoes and footwear for specialevents to full time mothers who don’t have time to go to shoe stores.

SECONDARY TARGET MARKET:Women aged between 25 - 50 years who reside in small rural communities across Queensland.These women don’t have access to high end, brand name shoes where they live and as suchpurchase online.

Part Five



9

ObjectivesFacebook specifc goals

You already know the overall goal you’re striving towards. Now in this section of your strategywe’ll put together Facebook specic, shorter term goals.

These goals are important because they are measurable, have specic timelines and will helpignite your ambition to keep getting results.

Timelines and EvaluationObjective timelines will depend on how long your implementation period is. How long do youwant this plan to last for? Generally speaking I nd that 6 months is a good timeframe. Itshould be no longer than 12 months. While Facebook Insights makes it easy to evaluate yourprogress on a weekly or even daily basis, a great rule is to make the 3, 6 and 12 month markstime for a more indepth reection on how you are progressing.

The best advice I can give you when developing objectives is to be as specic as possible.Include percentages or gures you wish to achieve, when you want to achieve it by and if itisn’t immediately obvious, how you will evaluate if it has been achieved.

Here are some example objectives to help you:

Reach 200 fans within three months.

Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months.

Increase Monthly Active Users (number of people [fans and non-fans] who have viewed or interacted with your fan page) by 400% in six months.

Increase click-throughs to website sales page by 50% in six months. To be measured throughwebsite analytics.

Part Six

I t ’ s a b o u t t i m i n g C r e at e o b j e c t i v e s o r g o al s f o r 3 , 6 o r e v e n 12 mo nt hs f r o m t he d at e y o u w i l l b e g i n e x e c u t i ng y o u r s r at e g y .

E valua tion

I t’s impor tan t. I t

inspires you to keep

going and gi ves you

the oppor tuni t y

to change your

approach i f required.

G e t s p e c i f c T he mo r e s p e c i c y o u c an b e w i t h y o u r o b j e c t i v e s , t he e as i e r i t w i l l b e t o s e e y o u r p r o g r e s s .



10

TacticsThe steps to success

Tactics are the actions you will take to achieve your objectives and overall goal. To help keepyour focus list your tactics underneath your objectives. Be specic, thinking about how oftenyou will execute each tactics. Understand that you may not want to draft three months worth of posts. It is more practical to discuss what sort of posts and practise and possibly pen with a fewexamples for yourself.

Here are some examples:

Objective: Reach 200 fans within 3 months

1. Welcome page Research demonstrates that fans are much more

likely to ‘like’ a fan page with an enticing welcomepage than one that doesn’t have a welcome page.Your welcome page should be simple and highimpact it should include:

• Visual imagery• A ‘like, like’ offer: you expect people to like

you, so show them that you like them byrewarding them for liking you with accessto a free give-away or discount. Forexample, I offer access to free e-manuals.

• You can also choose to give readers ahint of what they will nd on your

Facebook page, for example exclusiveoffers on new products, up to the minuteindustry news etc.

To be executed in the rst week.

There are great applications out there thatallow you to develop a Welcome Page. I usedFanPage Engine which allows you to createmultiple tabs or pages. However if you’re on abudget try an application like Static HTML.

2. External promotion of Facebook presence Register for a vanity url at www.facebook.com/username. This will make it easier to publiciseyour fan page on non electronic formats suchas brochures. Publicise your new fan page byany means available to you:

• Ezine• Flyer• Include in brochures• Include on business cards• Include on website

Be sure that any electronic formats such as the ezine include a working url to your fanpage (welcome page).

Ezine and website executed within two weeks. Remainder within one month.

Part Seven

http://fanpageengine.com/

http://http//www.involver.com/applications/


http://fanpageengine.com/



11


Examples continued:


3. Request referralsAt the end of posts ask your fans to ‘Share’ it. For example:

Did you know that the average woman has a total of 43 shoes. However, the Catwalk Shoes woman’s shoe collection is larger, more fabulous (and more affordable...shhhhh!).If you’re shoe collection is more Catwalk than average click ‘Share’.

Executed on a maximum of three posts per week.

4. Facebook advertising campaignInvest in a cost efcient Facebook advertising campaign. Think critically about the keyaspects of your advertisement i.e. the headline and image. Check my Facebook 101 eManual for detailed instructions regarding what sort of campaign to choose and how toget started.

Begin campaign in second month, evaluating weekly.

5. CompetitionDevelop a competition that is directly targeted at increasing your fan base. Publicise thecompetition on your welcome page, and also potentially through a Facebook advertising

campaign. Don’t forget to showcase the competition on your fan page and ask fans toshare it with their friends.

Be sure to adhere to all Facebook competition guidelines (called Facebook PromotionalGuidelines - click here for more information) i.e. contest sweepsteaks must be conductedthrough an application, you can require people to like your page to enter a promotionbut cannot automatically enter people who post on your page into the promotion, displayterms and conditions, have a method of randomly drawing winners etc. Also, be sureyou’re adhering to any local laws that may exist in regards to running competitions.

Most competitions targeted at acquiring new fans are based on randomly choosing thewinner. For example:

Like us today for your chance to win a free mountain bike.

Like us today and be automatically placed in the draw towin $3,000 of free graphic design work.

Like us today for the chance to win your pick of Prada’supcoming hand bag collection.

To be executed in the third month.

Part Seven

D o n ’ t b r e a k t h e r u l e s ...o r e l s e F o l l o w F ac e b o o k ’ s p r o mo t i o nal g u i d e l i ne s o r nd y o u r p ag e d e l e t e d w i t ho u t any w ar ni ng .

http://http//www.facebook.com/writteninpink?sk=app_182667455607

http://http//www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php




http://http//www.facebook.com/writteninpink?sk=app_182667455607



12


Examples continued:


6. Raise your voice outside FacebookInvestigate opportunities to increase awareness of you and your brand outside of Facebook. Speaking opportunities that showcase you as a knowledgable leader in youreld are incredibly effective. Here are some examples:

• Speaker at training courses or webinars• Being interviewed for industry related publications• Writing as a guest blogger on industry blogs• Exhibiting at a trade show

Be sure to make it as easy as possible for people to like your Facebook fan page. Askpeople in the seminar to log onto Facebook via their smart phones and like you duringyour presentation. Or hand out small yers with a Quick Response (QR) Tag on it thatwhen scanned with a smart phone automatically likes your fan page.

Investigate speaking/blogging opportunities - plan calendar of events by the second week of November.

Objectives: Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months and IncreaseMonthly Active Users by 400% in six months.

1. QuestionsAsk questions that prompt feedback and responses. For example:

What’s your Summer staple shoe - the wedge or the sandle?

How much do you think Bill Carnivore has saved its clients so far this year: a) $80,000,b) 123,000 c) $800,000

To be executed a maximum of twice each week.

2. Ask to Like or SharePrompt your fans to like or share one of your posts. For example:

Did you know that more than 500 million people engage withFacebook through external websites? CLICK LIKE if your website islinked with your Facebook page.

Click like if you feel like ripping your bills in half.

Only 2% of people that like your page will every return toengage with your posts. Click share if this scares you!

To be executed a maximum of twice each week.

Part Seven

T h e 8 0 / 20 r u l e P e o p l e w ant t o b e e nt e r t ai ne d . K e e p 8 0 % o f y o u r p o s t s i nd u s t r y r e l at e d . M ak e 20 % o f t he m j u s t ab o u t f u n!



13


Examples continued:

Objectives: Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months and IncreaseMonthly Active Users by 400% in six months

3. Fill in the blank or add a captionGive readers other opportunities to engage by asking them toll in the blank or add a caption to an image you’ve taken atone of your events. For example:

Example for Catwalk Shoes: FILL IN THE BLANK: My

favourite celebrity style icon is ______

Example for Recruitment Agency : FILL IN THE BLANK:When I was little and someone asked me what I wanted tobe when I grew up, I said, “_____________”

Execute once every two weeks.

4. Did you know...Give your fans interesting facts and statistics that they will belikely to share with others. Begin each with ‘Did you know...” For example:

Did you know that only 8% of Facebook fan pages are equipped with commerce facilties?

Did you know that you can look new-season hot in premium brand shoes, but only pay half the price?

Execute once every two weeks.

5. Themes Create regular themes that your fans can look forward to.For example:

• Marketing Monday• Saturday Special• Free Stuff Friday

Execute a maximum of two per week.

6. News and tipsKeep your members up to date with the latest industry news. Ask your fans for theiropinion on the news update. A great way to save time searching for industry specic newsis to set up Google Alerts or subscribe to industry blogs or news forums. Or give fans a tipand ask them to like the tip if they plan to use it. For example:

Click this link to nd out how changes to franchise legislation can affect your business.

Click here to access today’s free webinar on optimising your website for search engines.

Get more wear out of your favourite dress! Change the entire look by swapping fabulousaccessories.

Execute up to four times a week.

Part Seven

M a g i c n u m b e r

o f f a n s P ag e s w i t h 5 0 0 f ans

o r mo r e ac hi e v e 3 t i me s as mu c h i nv o l v e me nt t han t ho s e w i t h l e s s f ans .



14


Examples continued:

Objectives: Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months and IncreaseMonthly Active Users by 400% in six months

7. Poll of the WeekAsk your fans to vote in a poll that runs for a week. Post voting updates every day. Thenannounce the answer at the end of the week. For example:

• Vote for shoe of the week

• You’re the designer - ask fans to choose between two shoe designs. The design that

gets the most votes will go into fabrication.

8. Competition Run a competition aimed at engaging fans. It may also have the added benet of attractingnew fans. Some of the best engagement-targeted competitions I’ve seen are aboutlaunches. For example some authors ask their fans to take photos of themselves promotingthe launch of their upcoming book. Fans upload photos of themselves holding signs withthe book name and author in interesting places. Be creative. Here are some otherexamples:

Tell us in 50 words or less why you love Catwalk Shoes to win a $300 voucher.

Post a meal time photo to enter your child in the Baby Bibs Messiest Eater Competition and you could win a year’s worth of baby food.

Execute in the fourth month.

Part Seven

Top Engagement Tip

If one of your objectives is to increase engagement i.e. post feedback or monthly

active users then make sure you pay attention to what your fans respond to.

View Insights on yourFacebook page, click theInteractions option and scrolldown to the Post Interactionstable. Take notice of whatsort of posts get the highestfeedback percentage.



15


Examples continued:

Objective: Increase click-throughs to website sales page by 50% in six months. To be measured through website analytics.

1. Seasonal cataloguesShowcase products/services seasonally. Ensure links to each specic product on thewebsite sales page are activated on images and prices. This can be achieved through PhotoAlbums, however if you’d like to upload a hmtl active pdf you could look at using a servicesuch as Scribed.

2. New product launch Create anticipation in the lead up to new products, giving users hints about their benets.Then launch the product on a Facebook post, complete with links back to your sales page.

3. Product of the week Showcase a product that you’d like to push that week in images and posts with active linksto your website sales page.

4. Sales and promotions Promote specials, sales and deals on Facebook with an active link to your website.FanPageEngine makes a great Facebook application that allows you to run deals from yourFacebook page. Offer a product at a special discount price for the next hour or prompt

people to buy by restricting the number of products sold i.e. ‘Only 50 available so get inquick’. Click here to nd out more about this application.

5. Website reference in fan page information Include a reference not only to your website but also to the sales section of your website in theinformation section of your prole. This will also help your search engine optimisation efforts.

Part Seven

R e w a r d f a n s M ak e y o u r f ans f e e l l o v e d b y o f e r i ng d i s c o u nt s o r s al e s t hat ar e o nl y av ai l ab l e t o t he m.

T e s t Ad s T ak e no t i c e o f w hi c h p r o d u c t i mag e s g e t t he mo s t f e e d b ac k / c l i c k s and u s e t ho s e i n y o u ad v e r t i s i ng c amp ai g n.

L i n k i t

I n c l u d e h y p

e r l i n k s t o

t h e s a l e s p a

g e o f y o u r

w e b s i t e o n

a s m a n y

p o s t s a s y o

u c a n.

D o n ’ t f o r g e

t t o a s k

p e o p l e t o ‘ c

l i c k h e r e ’.


http://fanpageengine.com/apps/

http://fanpageengine.com/apps/




16

TimelinePut actions in one place

A timeline is a great tool for keeping you on track. The timeline includes a list of tactics ortasks that need to be executed, when they should be executed and whose responsibility it isto do it. I nd it useful to create a timeline in Excel Spreadsheet, print it and hang it infront of your desk. Here is an example of a timeline that includes all the example tactics discussed inthis e-manual.

Part Eight



17

That’s it! Now you’re ready to put together your own Facebook Strategy.

Hiring a professional to develop a comprehensive Facebook Strategy could cost you thousandsof dollars.

However, if you set aside some time and work through this document I promise you’ll learnthings about your business you didn’t know before and have a step-by-step plan to achievingyour Facebook goals.

If you’re still having trouble creating your own Facebook Strategy post a question on theWritten in Pink fan page, send me an email at [email protected]

or give me a call on (07) 3102 5644.

You’re ready! Let’s do this.


http://[email protected]/

http://[email protected]/


Facebook Strategy - Written in Pink

Documents

Transcript of Facebook Strategy - Written in Pink