Mari Smith's 2016 Facebook Tips and Trends

Facebook marketing expert, Mari Smith, recently offered some great Facebook tips and trends to look for in 2016 during her presentation at the Inbound conference in Boston. Here are a few useful pieces of information that I took away:

1.  Mari discussed three critical Facebook trends:

•  Facebook is disrupting TV and video. Will Facebook overtake YouTube? As of September 2014, Facebook's share of video posts was approaching YouTube's.  The new Facebook Live is a live-streaming feature that's only available to celebrity Pages right now. Strategize how to use live video for your business.
• There will be a stronger emphasis on Messenger for Business. Facebook predicts that businesses will be using Messenger for all kinds of customer communication and transactions. Messenger will essentially serve as an inbox to connect with customers.
•  Brand storytelling: Use Facebook to put the spotlight on your customers, to feature case studies, to use video, and to be more "people centric".

2. Mari also focused on Facebook marketing mistakes that businesses are making:

•  Making posts overly promotional
•  Targeting the wrong audience
• Using only the Boost button
• Promoting posts without a measurable ROI
• Not having an effective landing page to tie in with your ads
• Advertising without using a tracking pixel

3. Regarding content and engagement, Mari recommends that your posts either entertain, inform or prompt a call to action. Here are a few of her common sense content tips:

•  Personalize your posts (write in first person when possible)
•  Address people who comment by name
• Use humor
• Always be prompt in responding to comments/questions

4. While organic reach is on the decline, here are some ways to maximize it:

•  Post more native video
•  Try posting outside business hours
• Mix up post types and post lengths
• Repost popular posts
• Include "@" tags of other Pages
• Drive traffic from other sources
• Embed posts and videos in your blog

Are you using any of these techniques effectively? What other trends do you see on Facebook?

Marketing Pros to Follow on Social Media

Creating an online presence for your brand or company is vital in today’s marketing world, and the top marketing professionals are doing just that. To stay in the know about what’s happening in the marketing industry, it’s important to make sure you’re following the most influential gurus. Here are a few key influencers to check out:

Mari Smith: Mari Smith, author of Top Ten Tips To Boost Your Facebook Ad Conversion &
ROI, has often been referred to as the “ the Queen of Facebook”. She has been named one of the
Top Ten Social Media Power Influencers by Forbes several years in a row, and is the premier
Facebook marketing expert. She offers online marketing training courses, and has published
several webinar guidebooks. Mari is also the author of The New Relationship Marketing and
coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day. She has had over 12 years of experience in
the fields of relationships, marketing and Internet technology. Follow her on Twitter at
@MariSmith to stay up to date on all her blog postings and to be the first to know when she has
new content available! You can also check out her Facebook page.

Neil Patel: Co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics, Neil Patel helps companies
like Amazon, Viacom, and NBC boost their revenue. Forbes considers him one of the top 10
online marketers, and he has been referred to as a “top influencer on the web” by Wall Street
Journal. Neil has also been awarded Congressional Recognition from the United States House of
Representatives - and he’s only 30 years old. Growing up, he was surrounded by successful
entrepreneurs and was interested in starting his own business at a young age. He’s created a large online presence, where he offers insight about his past experiences as an entrepreneur and a current successful business owner. Following him on Twitter (@NeilPatel) or  Facebook will
allow you to stay up to date with his current blog postings, like his latest one titled ““Don’t Waste Your Time: 6 Ways To Become More Efficient On Social Media””.

Kim Garst: Founder and CEO of Boom! Social, a personal branding social media business
consulting firm, Kim is a current leading business coach. She provides social media keynotes and
offers training to businesses such as IBM and Florida Keys Digital Marketing Conference. She’s
also the author of The Quick and Easy Guide to Branding Your Business and Creating Massive
Sales with Pinterest. Kim is a social media expert and has made a name for herself in the digital
media world, which is why you should check out her Twitter profile, where you can stay in the
know on what’s trending in the social media industry. Follow her at @KimGarst or check out her
Facebook page!

Gary Vaynerchuk: From growing his family’s wine business from $3 million to $60 million, to
running one of the world’s “hottest digital agencies”, Gary is a marketing pro that you should
definitely consider following. He currently owns VaynerMedia, and is the co-founder of
VaynerRSE, a $25 million angel fund. He even hosts his own show, The #AskGaryVee Show,
where he answers questions about social media, entrepreneurship, startups and family businesses.He offers insight about a lifetime of building successful businesses on his online platform, and has spoken at events like SXSW. Stay up to date with Gary at @GaryVee on Twitter,Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest.

HubSpot: HubSpot has been helping businesses grow and creating bigger online presences
since 2006. The company offers new and innovative ways for companies to market
themselves online successfully. Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah started HubSpot with
one goal: to create one integrated system, designed from the ground up to transform how
organizations market and sell. The company is at the top of its game, staying up to date with how
people are “transforming how they consume information, research products and services, and make purchasing decisions”. They’ve recently come out with a new book as well, titled The Beginners Guide to Retargeting. They are constantly posting about the latest social media marketing strategies online, so following HubSpot will keep you in the know on what’s working and what’s not in the digital marketing world. Check them out on Twitter at @HubSpot and at their website, where they have a variety of different blogs, including a marketing blog, a sales blog, a web design blog and more!

Facebook 2015 Mistakes to Avoid

Last month, I blogged about Mari Smith's Facebook 2015 webinar which revealed predictions for trends on Pages. This post will cover Mari's recommended mistakes to avoid on Facebook in the coming year.

Don't make these Facebook errors:

1.  Posts are all the same

Vary your posts to keep your audience interested! Try a combination of videos, links, images, funny quotes, relevant news and quirky news that all work toward your social media goals.

2.  Not responding to fan comments

When fans and followers comment or ask a questions, it's important to respond promptly. Monitor your account often so you can reply or take action as needed.

3.  Advertising to existing customers

When promoting an event or product/service, be sure to filter out attendees or clients. This is an advanced advertising feature that's worth learning.

4.  Ad frequency overdone

Don't run the risk of having people "unfollow" your page! Avoid having your ad shown more than 1-2 times to the same audience. Check your frequency report to see how many times your ad was shown to avoid over exposure.

5.  Not integrating Facebook with other channels

While you probably have a Facebook icon on your web site that links to your Facebook Page, have you considered embedding a 'Like Box' so visitors can click and Like right from your Page? Drive your email lists and other social media network followers to your Facebook Page and vice versa.

6.  Quitting Facebook

Keeping up with the myriad of Facebook changes can be frustrating but don't give up on the platform. While its organic reach has dwindled, Facebook does offer an inexpensive advertising entry point that can be used to find new prospects and customers for your business.

As always, if you need assistance with your Facebook or other social media, please give me a shout!

Facebook Trends for 2015

As we close out 2014 and solidify business plans for 2015, you may be considering how to improve your social media marketing in the new year. In her recent Facebook 2015 webinar, Mari Smith, a leading expert and trainer on Facebook best practices, revealed growing trends for Pages in the new year. Here's a summary of the trends she discussed:

1. Post More Video vs. Static Photos

Videos are shared twelve times more often than photos or links on Facebook.  Show off your expertise, products, services or just your personality! Consider how you can incorporate educational, informational or entertaining videos into your social media strategy.

2. Business Pages: Post More Links

Not long ago, links were out of favor with Facebook.  Now native links are being given priority! Pasting a url into the Facebook status box will automatically create a post that will grab that page's headline, photo and description.  Post those links and drive more Facebook traffic to your blog  and web site pages!

3. Focus on Adding Value

Smith suggests that the best use of Facebook is to engage a small, targeted, engaged community. How can you add more value to a highly focused audience?

4. More Personal and Personalized Content

Consider how you can personalize your brand to make stronger connections with clients and prospects. Smith suggests posting selfies, short videos about employees or interesting 'behind the scenes' content. How can you tell your story in order to add value for your target market?

5. Facebook Advertising

Facebook's ad-related services provide a way to reach a targeted segment with a customized message at a budget that you determine.  Expand your audience by allocating funds for Facebook's targeted advertising.

6. Better Ad Targeting

Facebook will now use login data to allow marketers to track users' activity on the Web. Facebook hasn't disclosed all the details but this new ad platform will help marketers make ads relevant to the right people.

7. More Creative Facebook Integration

While you probably have a Facebook icon on your web site that links to your Facebook Page, have you considered embedding a 'Like Box' so visitors can click and Like right from your Page? 

8. Organic Reach

94% of your Facebook Fans don't see your content. Ouch! Smith says that in order to increase your reach try mixing things up! Test posting outside business hours, mix up post frequency (try posting less), test post length, include @tags of other pages and repost your most popular posts.

9. Free Content

Smith notes that one of the biggest marketing trend is to capture leads by giving away low end content  such as free webinars, white papers, reports, etc. on Facebook.  Then create a campaign to turn those captured leads into new customers!

So those are Mari Smith's Facebook Trends for 2015 in a nutshell!  Tune in for my next blog post on Mari Smith's Facebook Mistakes to Avoid!

As always, if you need assistance with your Facebook or other social media, please give me a shout or stop by www.marketing-er.com!

Facebook's New Embedded Post Feature

Have you used Facebook's new embedded post feature? I've embedded a post from social media expert Mari Smith below. Embedding posts into your blog or web site is a great way to easily add new content!

Post by Mari Smith.