Also known as, How to Become a Digital Rockstar in 2018
1. Pay to Play. You can no longer afford to ignore that Facebook for businesses is now ‘pay to play’. In order to be seen, you’ll need to advertise on the platform. Hack#1 for 2018 is for you to develop a monthly advertising budget. Your advertising plan can have different objectives (always in alignment with your business objectives): to grow your following / collect lead data / increase visibility and/or retarget your most engaged followers.
Follow this guide to get started with Facebook Advertising.
2. Bring ‘Veejay’ back to life. (Relax Tamil Nadu, your movie star by the same name is alive and in the prime of health).
Veejays aka Video Jockeys/VJs were hot when MTV was the go-to station for music videos, back in the eighties. Thirty years later and it’s time to bring the Veejay back to life, because video is the most engaging content on the platform, particularly live video (6 times more engaging than regular video). All you need is a camera (ex. GoPro), external mic (Rode Mic is a good choice), editing software (Premiere Pro/After Effects/the freeware VSDC Video Editor) and you have the essentials to be your own mini-broadcaster.
Long live the Veejay!
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3. Now that you’re a Rockstar making your own videos, it’s time to get yourself your own groupies!
Facebook is becoming all about groups, where conversations happen between individuals. Why not start a Facebook group around your industry, best-selling product, providing solutions and interesting talking-points for your target audience/customers?
Here’s how: On your business page, click on the “…” to extend your Menu Tab and Select “Create Group”
Next, Name your group, Invite people and click ‘Create’! Designate someone to manage the group and steer the conversations.
Added value of Hack#3: The group is a site to gain deeper insight into your customer.
4. Get your employees to work for you.
I know what you’re thinking, “We’re ahead of you on that one”. Well, yes, we know your employees work for you. But do they really work for you… on Facebook? Ah-ha! An ‘Employee Advocacy Programme’ is one you’ll want to roll out if you haven’t already. Put it in your employees’ work descriptions. Have your employees dedicate two hours in the week to promote your brand’s content on Facebook – in comments, shares, likes and wows and loves, and through engaging in the group you just created. As Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes “posts by friends and family” over those by businesses, it’s time to think about making employees ‘family’. If you’re not sold on the power of employee advocates, check out this illustration by Social Sprout:
5. And then get ‘Wasta’ to work for you. Aka do Influencer Marketing. We’ve used it. And using influencer marketing, we’ve quadrupled the following for some of the luxury hospitality brands we’ve worked with in only a matter of months.
Influencers operating in the UAE will now need to register with the authorities and are obligated to acquire a license to do influencer marketing. So, make sure the ones you hire are licensed.
How do you determine which influencer to hire? Research influencers that will maximize the reach, engagement and conversion of your core following.
Is your core audience Gen Z and into Cardi B? Are you selling the new YEEZYs by Kanye? Then consider hiring the Kuwaiti influencer, Dyler.
Hell, if you sell artisan bread, then Dyler would also work for you (‘Samooly’, his hit-song, is an ode to the Kuwaiti baguette).
If your brand has a more serious, refined personality – for example, you sell fashion, jewellery, luxury – then think Rosemin Manji or Tamara Jamal.
We’ve prepared a checklist to get you started with implementing these top hacks for Facebook in 2018. The checklist is free.
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Download it, print it, fill it out and watch yourself evolve from ‘Mo in Marketing’ to ‘Digital Rockstar’ in 2018.
Want more top tips to kill it on social media in 2018? Check out these 20 actions that’ll get you thinking strategically for all your social media channels!
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