Facebook marketing is a discipline many gaming affiliates are still getting familiar with, but its importance can hardly be understated.
If real money gambling on the site becomes widespread, avoiding Facebook won’t be an option.That’s why it’s so important for gaming affiliates to understand the fundamentals of Facebook marketing.
In a recent blog post, Facebook’s Communications Manager Elisabeth Diana shared some common marketing mistakes she sees on the social network. Here are a few that affiliates will want to watch out for.
1. Over-posting – You know that annoying friend you’ve got who’s always posting his or her every move on Facebook? If you don’t like over-posting from a friend, your customers won’t like it from your company. Diana recommends posting just once or twice a day, but keeping your account active by liking and commenting on other Facebook posts.
2. Not Completely Filling Out Your Page – Customers look at an incomplete corporate Facebook page and see a business that’s not ready for prime-time. When Diana, and other marketing experts, sport an incomplete corporate Facebook the see a missed opportunity. Not only are Facebook links SEO gold, they’re a good chance to give your players a quick sell on what a professional operation you’re running.
3. Focusing Too Much on Likes – Facebook likes matter, but they’re just a piece of a larger puzzle. Finding the right audience and really engaging with them is where you should really be focusing your Facebook marketing efforts. Diana recommends webmasters look at both who is in their target audience and when their engagement rates are highest. (Some days of the week are much better for harvesting social shares than others.)
4. Ignoring insight – Facebook, like most social networks, offers users a wealth of great analytic tools. If you’re not taking advantage of the insights these tools offer up, you’re leaving money on the table. Even just poking around on Twitter and sites like Quicksprout.com can provide tons of useful data on that massive Facebook audience.
5. Too Much Text – Just because Facebook affords an opportunity to speak at length doesn’t mean that’s what you should be doing. Shorter posts are not only easier to read, they enjoy much higher engagements rates.
Remember, social media users are oftentimes just checking in and don’t have time to sit down and read a novel, Twitter’s got the right idea, keep it short.
6. Being Vanilla – Facebook allows businesses to post everything from pictures to video to user polls on their pages. That means there’s no excuse for getting stuck in a content rut. Mix up your posts and always, always, include a call to action. Simply asking a question on your Timeline can help shore up flagging engagement rates.
7. Violating T&C – Facebook may seem like a nameless, faceless corporation, but they do not suffer fools gladly. Diana makes it very clear that businesses need to stick to rules outlines in the Terms & Conditions.
This is especially important when it comes to running contests and selecting a cover photo. Facebook has some really specific policies on these two areas (no CTA’s on the cover photo, for example) and they’re really interested in making certain every company, big or small, is playing by the rules.
Finally
The big takeaway from Diana’s thoughts on Facebook marketing are pretty simple; keep things simple. Your customers are looking for something that offers value and is easy to consume – the more content like that you can provide, the more shares you’ll get.
Facebook marketing is still an evolving art, so don’t be afraid to try out new ideas and just see what happens.
What are your best tips for Facebook marketing success? Share them in the comments section below.