Author: Franz Malten Buemann

I was only 12 years old when Facebook became available for anyone with a valid email address.
By the time I was 14, one of the top trends was to create a fan page that anyone could follow. I remember that feature being used by friends as a way to tell jokes and post funny content.
But things are a bit more sophisticated in the world of social media nowadays.
Now, Facebook is a great place to advertise your business and interact with prospective and current customers.
Below, let’s discuss how you can use Facebook to promote your business.

1. Sign up for a business page.
The first thing you need to do is create a business page. This is a simple process. All you have to do is log on to Facebook, click “Pages” in the left sidebar, and then “Create New Page.”
To get started, you’ll upload a profile picture, a cover photo, and basic information about your business. This will include what type of business you run whether you run a B2B business, a local business, or an ecommerce site.
Once you sign up, it’s smart to start optimizing your page.
2. Optimize your profile.
Now that your profile is up and running, you’ll want to optimize your page. This means writing your About section, adding business information like your website and business hours, and including a call to action button such as “Book Now,” “Shop Now,” or “Sign Up.”
Additionally, you’ll want to draft several posts that will engage your audience. Think about what type of posts they might like on social media. How are they interacting with your competitors? What posts perform well for your competition? This is the type of content you’ll want to model yours after.
Now that you’ve built and optimized your business page, it’s time to engage with your community.
3. Be active in Facebook groups.
A great way to promote your business on Facebook is to participate in Facebook groups. You can engage with public groups or join private Facebook groups.
To get started with this, you’ll want to consider what type of groups your audience would be a part of. Once you’ve finished brainstorming, you can join the same communities that your audience is active in.
4. Create your own Facebook group.
While it’s important to engage with your audience where they’re at, it’s also important to attract your audience to your own pages. You can do this with your own Facebook group.
Krystal Wu, a social media community manager at HubSpot, says, “Facebook Groups allow our audience to connect with each other and have valuable discussions. Businesses who center a Group around their brand or industry can build a community around it — making our brand and products even more valuable to potential customers.”
5. Promote events.
Another way to promote your business on Facebook is to use the social media platform to promote your events. If you’re a local business, this is especially important.
Attracting people to an event can feel like an undertaking, and you need to use all the tools at your disposal to promote it. That’s why you should post your event on Facebook and also plan an ad campaign.
6. Interact with your followers.
This might seem like social media 101, but it’s important to interact with your followers. The best way to get engagement on social media is to make sure your posts show up for your followers. To do that, you need to create interaction. Make sure you answer questions, respond to comments, and participate in your online community.
7. Use live streaming.
Facebook live is an excellent tool to promote your business and provide valuable content to your audience. You can use this feature to showcase your company culture, host a panel discussion on industry topics, or even display your industry expertise.
Additionally, you can host events virtually on Facebook live as a way to interact with your audience that can’t be at an event in person. This is a great way to promote your business because going live will notify your followers and prompt them to engage with your page.
8. Run Facebook ads.
One of the best ways to promote your business with Facebook is to use Facebook ads. The social media giant has created one of the most popular ways to reach your audience with its advanced targeting options.
To get started with ads, you can review this lesson from Facebook directly. Make sure that you review the types of Facebook ads and various bidding strategies to help you succeed.
9. Talk about your company culture.
When you post on social media, your content should promote your overall brand messaging. A great way to do this is to talk about your company culture. Showcase your employees and their day-to-day tasks.
You can also use Facebook as a recruitment tool, hosting panels on what it’s like to work at your company, or posting jobs right on your business page.
10. Manage contests and giveaways.
Encouraging engagement is one of the main objectives of Facebook promotion. To do this, you can host contests and giveaways that your audience will want to participate in. This will help increase brand awareness and encourage interaction from your followers.
11. Have a customer service representative field comments and requests from customers.
Social media is a great way for your customers to get in touch with you. However, if they choose to reach out to you on Facebook, you need to be prepared to answer their questions and address their requests. To do this, consider having a few people from your customer service team answer messages or comments from your customers.
12. Post valuable content.
Ultimately, the best way to promote your business on Facebook is to provide valuable content for your audience. Content is what attracts people to your social media profile and is the way you’ll build an audience online. You’ll want to include different types of content including images, videos, text, Stories, or even polls.
Facebook is an essential part of your social media marketing. No matter what type of business you’re running, it’s important to develop both organic and paid social media strategies to promote your business on Facebook.

Hi. I´m using techniques and software to grow my social media channels and would like to network, chat, discuss, etc with marketeers doing the same. Thank you have a nice day! submitted by /u/passrev [link] [comments]

Email marketing for enterprise businesses differs from email marketing for small business owners. There are unique needs and concerns due to the high volume of contacts involved and email correspondence that will take place between you and your target audience, and internal communications as well. As an enterprise business, how do you market to your…
The post Enterprise Email Marketing: Tips and Tricks to Follow for Ultimate Success appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Any recommendations of links you can share? Something for intermediate to advanced. Thanks! submitted by /u/Ok-Choice-972 [link] [comments]

There are a number of ways to make money online. Here are some of the most popular methods: 1. Sell products or services online: This is perhaps the most common way to make money online. You can sell just about anything online these days, from physical goods to digital products and services. There are a number of platforms that you can use to sell your wares, such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, and more. 2. Start a blog: If you have something to say and you’re passionate about a particular topic, then starting a blog can be a great way to earn some extra cash (or even a full-time income!). There are a number of ways to monetize your blog, such as through advertising, affiliate marketing, product sales, and more. 3. Provide freelance services: There are a number of sites that allow you to offer your services to others in need of your skillset. Popular platforms include Fiverr, Upwork, and PeoplePerHour. You can offer services such as content writing, graphic design, web development, and more. 4. Take part in online surveys or sign up for paid focus groups: Companies are always looking for consumer feedback and are willing to pay for it. There are a number of websites that you can sign up for that will allow you to take part in paid surveys or focus groups. 5. Invest in cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency has become quite popular in recent years. There are now many different types of cryptocurrency, with more being created all the time. Cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. Cryptocurrencies are decentralized, meaning they are not subject to government or financial institution control. Bitcoin, the first and most well-known cryptocurrency, was created in 2009. Cryptocurrencies are often traded on decentralized exchanges and can also be used to purchase goods and services. If you like this Upvote and share with others. Thanks for reading. submitted by /u/KKJA102 [link] [comments]

If you’re anything like me, you might spend hours and hours on social media. And if you do, then you’re probably familiar with the TikTok infinite scroll or doomscrolling on Twitter first thing in the morning. But excessive use of social media has been linked to increased depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, and other negative effects.Of course, nothing is healthy in excess amounts – and the time we spend on social media is something we don’t often stop to think about and check. So in this article, we will share the reasons for and benefits of taking a social media break, as well as insight into what happens when a Chronically Online person (a.k.a. me) decides to take one.Why take a social media break?There have been multiple studies to corroborate the negative effects of social media. One 2022 cross-national survey conducted across the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Norway found that those who used social media for entertainment or to decrease loneliness during the pandemic experienced poorer mental health. And ExpressVPN, in a 2021 survey, found that 86 percent of 1,500 Americans reported negative impacts of social media on their happiness and self-image.Social media can also become an addiction. Social media addiction is defined as “an uncontrollable urge to log on to and use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other areas of life.”If any of this resonates, then you may need a social media break. And even if you’re not quite at the point of addiction or poor mental health yet, there may be some other signs that show you need to take a break:Frequent annoyance or frustration with trending posts or topicsComparing yourself to other peopleHaving trouble sleeping and checking social media first thing upon waking upExperiencing or noticing an increase in anxiety or depression symptomsSpending a significant amount of time on social mediaFeeling disappointed for not receiving any engagement with a post or commentLosing focus and missing deadlines or neglecting choresFeeling physical distress if you can’t check your social media for a period of timeRemember, social media is designed to be addictive, so it’s not surprising that many of us find it hard to break the habit. But it might be time for a break if you find that social media impacts your mental health or productivity.Potential benefits of taking a social media breakStepping away from social media, even for a short time, has many benefits. Several studies have been conducted on the effects of limiting time on social media, resulting in some interesting findings:This 2021 study found that limiting social media use for a week improved well-being by preventing sleep problems.Another 2021 study found that most students reported a positive change in mood, reduced anxiety, and improved sleep during and immediately after a break from social media.The authors of a 2020 study asked participants to abstain from social media for a week. They report a significant increase in mental well-being and social connectedness after the period of abstinence.A 2018 study found that abstaining from social media use for about a week reduced stress in both typical and excessive social media users and that the effects were more pronounced in the latter group.And this 2018 study found that limiting social media use to about 30 minutes daily significantly reduced feelings of loneliness and depression.Most studies have found positive connections between social media breaks and improved mental well-being. But what do those breaks look like in practice?What happened when I took a social media break?Statistics and data are great, but they’re not lived experiences. So to prepare for this article, I took a week-long social media break and documented my feelings about it. I picked the length of time and method because I felt it was realistic – social media is a big part of my job as a Content Writer at Buffer, so I can’t take too much time off. I also deleted the apps I use the most from my phone for the week.Now that we’re on the same page, here is all the data and highlights from my time off (henceforth called Break Week) and the week after.The ParametersDeleted Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, and Tumblr (yes, I still use Tumblr)For 7 days, from Sunday to SaturdayCollected the hard data from iPhone’s ScreenTime tracking featureTook notes in my Notes appThe Stats: Before and AfterTotal Screen Time: I actually spent more time on my phone during Break Week overall, but on apps like Chrome to read content and YouTube to watch videos. My time on Chrome dropped by nearly half the week after my Break.Most Used Categories: During Break Week, the time I spent on Social Media overall, even considering the times I had to redownload apps to get screenshots for articles, was WAY down. Despite the seeming drop in screen time, I reverted to my old habits once the Break was over, spending a total of 24 hours, 13 minutes (!) on Social Media apps the week after.Pickups: I picked up my phone a lot more during Break Week than the week after. This is definitely because of my instinct to go for social media apps when I open my phone. I turned to my browser when I wasn’t met with my usual distractions. The difference between the two weeks is the apps I opened after picking up – Chrome was the most used during Break Week, while Twitter was my most used the week after. A funny note is the amount of time I spent on my usual shopping app, Farfetch, during Break Week – window shopping to self-soothe is very on-brand for me.What did I learn from the experience?Social media is a distraction and a method of procrastination for meI often found myself reaching for my phone when I needed something else to occupy my time. Without the apps on my phone, I found other ways to occupy my brain for those moments. My screen time didn’t really change, but I spent more time reading, watching videos, and listening to music than usual. To quote my Friday log, “I’ve consumed so much random YouTube content this week that I just know my recommendations are forever altered.”The FOMO hit me hard – but it wasn’t as bad as I expectedSocial media has become the first place many of us go when we see a breaking news headline, and ultimately the primary source of information for many people – myself included. So, without the apps on my phone, I often felt like I was missing something even though I was getting my New York Times newsletters and regular updates from Google News.My notes reflected this as I stated multiple times that I didn’t feel tuned in to what was happening outside of my bubble. Even though it wasn’t quite news (depending on who you ask), my Tuesday log has a hilarious progression:6:43 pm: Generally, FOMO isn’t as bad today – I’ve had lots of things to take my mind off social media7:06 pm: The FOMO is back! A Nigerian artist called Burna Boy dropped a new video LIVE – and I’m missing the live tweet experienceI found myself wanting to share things that didn’t really need to be sharedI’ve become used to sharing on a whim, so not being able to take a picture or film a video and upload it wherever, or type out a quick tweet or LinkedIn post, felt odd. 🖊️Of course, scheduling content in Buffer is an easy way to make important updates without needing to hop into the social media apps themselves.One note from my Wednesday log said, “I got my parents a couple of nights at a beach resort for their anniversary, but I can’t post the pics of how cute they were taking all their pictures. Sad.” A bit dramatic, if you ask me. However, I did find that once the cycle of wanting to share and then realizing I had deleted social media passed, I didn’t feel the urge as much. Even now, nearly a month later, I don’t update my social media as much as I used to. I may return to old habits eventually, but I’ve definitely gotten better at managing the instinct to post once I get inspiration.Ultimately, although I had to redownload some apps for work purposes, the week and the time I took off were quite low-stakes. Nothing super interesting happened, at least not enough to warrant profound regret about my decision to take that particular week off.All this is to say that taking a break, even if it’s sporadic and once in six months, will cause you less discomfort than you think. It may even drive you to be a bit more creative with how you choose to spend your time online. And it will definitely drive you to rethink your relationship with social media and set healthier boundaries.How to take a social media breakIf you’re considering taking a break from social media, let’s discuss how to do it. Here are some tips:Set a limitOne way to break the social media habit is to limit the amount of time you spend on it each day. Use a timer or app to track your usage, and stick to your limit. This will help you be more mindful of your time on social media and hopefully reduce the amount of time you spend on it overall.Apple devices come with automated screen time tracking, and you can try apps like Space or Forest to help manage your usage.Delete the appsIf setting a limit doesn’t work for you, try deleting the social media apps from your phone. This is a more extreme measure, but it can effectively break the habit. You can always redownload the apps if you feel like you absolutely need to – I often needed to get into one app or the other to grab screenshots or links. But you would be surprised how much there is to do without boredom-induced Instagram deep-dives into your university professor’s niece’s account.Take a break from specific platformsAnother option is to take a break from the social media platforms you use most. If you find yourself spending hours on TikTok, for example, try taking a break from that app specifically. Come up with a reward system for every time you feel the urge to open the app and can resist to make it fun.Find other things to occupy your timeWhen you find yourself with the urge to scroll through social media, try to find something else to do instead. Go for a walk, read a book, or call a friend. You can do plenty of things that don’t involve looking at a screen. In fact, you may find yourself picking up a new hobby – I discovered more podcasts during my time off.Be realistic in your approach to taking time offIt’s important to be realistic when thinking about disconnecting from social media, especially if you currently spend a lot of time on it. Not everyone wants or needs to stay away from social media for extended periods of time – like everything in life, it’s essential to set boundaries.But whether you choose to go cold turkey or take little chunks of time off, like one day a week or one week every month, you will likely see increased benefits for your mental and emotional health.Have you ever tracked how much time you spend on social media? Let us know your stats over on Twitter @buffer! It’s a judgment-free zone, promise.