9 best tips to promote your brand on Facebook

The arrival of social networks has been so crucial that it seems to have marked the beginning of a new era in the collective mind. But which network has led the way in this renewal? The one that has truly changed our habits in a way that seems irrevocable? No, it's not MySpace... It's the famous Facebook, which made its grand entrance on the web in 2004.

Since its very beginnings, Facebook has grown: with nearly 3 billion subscribers, Facebook occupies the coveted position of 3rd most visited site in the world. It's no joke. Knowing that you can offer yourself a nice home-made communication from 0 euro, in our opinion, it would be a shame to deprive yourself. Let's take a look at nine points on how to boost your brand image with this globally successful network.

Tip 1: Introduce yourself properly

You've just created your profile on the network and are ready to throw yourself at your keyboard to produce your first publication? Not so fast... Your Facebook profile is supposed to best reflect the essence of your brand while quickly giving visitors an idea of your business. It is therefore important to fill it with practical information to encourage the consumer to trust you: you have nothing to hide, so you are a legitimate brand.

Similarly, the choice of your profile photo is of crucial interest (this is hardly an exaggeration). It all depends on how well known you are: if you've been active for a few years and have a certain audience, your logo will do the job because people already know who you are. If your aim is to make your emerging brand known, then it will be more judicious to choose a photo of one of your products, of good quality and easily identifiable.

Tip 2: Make impulse buying easy, activate your Facebook shop

The modern consumer is full of contradictions: he likes to buy more and more, but has less and less time to do so. That's why it's important to make sure that a minimum of clicks separates them from ordering your products.

If you want to apply this advice in the most official way possible, then Facebook's feature "shop" is there for you: for a few years now, the network has been making it possible to sell products directly on your page, one step away from your pretty posts. To set this up, go to the "Shop" tab on the right-hand side of the homepage, follow the steps to set up your shop details and payment methods and proceed to add your printed beauties.

However, let's face it: buying directly on the networks - and on Facebook in particular - is not yet a widespread practice. That's why we encourage you to try, first and foremost, to regularly publish links back to your store, to link it as closely as possible to your page and facilitate the purchasing process: this practice is known as social-to-store ("network to store"), a sort of digital version of drive-to-store, the latter aiming to attract visitors from a social network profile to a physical store.

Tip 3: Write the message the way they want to hear it

You wouldn't talk to your little cousin fresh out of business school in the same way as your grandmother who is a crochet enthusiast, would you? The idea is the same for social networks: it is important to define which audience is likely to be interested in your products. Once your target audience is well defined, it's time to define the voice you want to give to your brand. The Content Marketing Institute distinguishes four main types of tone: passionate, quirky, irreverent and authentic. The choice is yours: just remember, however, what image you want your brand to convey and to whom you are addressing it.

Note: for the past few years, the Facebook population has been gradually ageing. According to Junto, it is currently the 25-34 year olds who are most present on the network; the second most represented age group would be the 34-54 year olds. So if your ideal audience is Generation Z, Facebook may not be the most relevant choice.

Tip 4: Subtlety is your best friend

Promoting your products as the best on the market is simple, but it hasn't worked for a while... Since the competition has become tough and mega-abundant, in fact. To get noticed, be smarter than that: by producing value-added content with high sharing potential, you'll have a much better chance of having your publications relayed and thus gain visibility. Don't go off-topic, though: stay relevant by publishing content that is related to your niche or catalogue.

If you sell mugs, for example, publishing a recipe for a mug cake or a hot drink might be relevant; if your range includes organic textiles, offer advice on care or explain in layman's terms the process by which the material is made.

Tip 5: Engage to rule

If you are successful, that's great, our hat is off to you! However, we advise you to avoid becoming big-headed. The secret of an active community is to show it daily that it is read, listened to and understood. This includes responding quickly and warmly to messages and other comments from your customers. The more accessible you appear, the more your visitors will be sure that you are a reliable brand and that they will be pampered when they buy from you.

No one reacts to your publications? Do you have the unsettling feeling that you are running a ghost page? Then try including what are known as CTAs (Call To Action) in your publications; these prompts, usually in the form of a question or a directive, have the super power to get the audience's attention and get them more involved.

Not all CTAs will have the same effect: the great thing is that whatever you try to get done, you will always find something that fits. Here are some examples:

I take advantage of this offer! (Incentive to buy)

Find this content on our website! (Prompt to visit a link)

What do you think? Tell us all about it in comments! (Encourages engagement)

Tip 6: And now a small advertising page

The great thing about a social network that brings together half the world's population is that its users represent a multitude of pairs of eyes likely to notice the existence of your brand. Moreover, a non-negligible element: this same network gathers a lot of mega-useful and precise data for the targeting of advertisements... These two observations lead us to see the cross-network advertising service provided by Facebook, the famous "Facebook Ads", as representing the future of advertising. Inexpensive, extra-targeted and multi-objective, this tool is a powerful ally for the development of your business. Intrigued? We let you gather information and inspiration in our article on the subject:

Tip 7: Find a niche for yourself with Facebook groups

Browsing Facebook quickly reveals the incredible range of communities of enthusiasts who have found it a valuable space for expression. From Dutch auteur films of the 1980s to men's synchronised swimming, every niche has its followers... Any niche, including your brand's! Two keywords, the network's search bar and in a few minutes, you should have discovered one or more groups gathering communities potentially interested in your great products.

Once you are officially a member of one of these groups, it is up to you to make a place for yourself within your new community by reacting to publications, answering certain questions, etc. Without falling into aggressive marketing, the interest is to gain visibility in a subtle way.

Tip 8: Join the party by posting about seasonal events

Festivals have great powers: the power to make us spend considerable amounts of money in record time, but above all the power to bring us together around seasonal specialities and sometimes curious traditions. What would a festival be without the notion of sharing? Quite a sad concept, that's for sure.

As a community organizer for your brand, this is exactly why it's a good idea to communicate about current or upcoming holidays: these events heighten your audience's sense of communion and increase their chances of interacting with your post and thus making it visible to more people. It's free, it's pretty easy to design, and the results are usually there. But remember to be consistent in your choice of marketing event: for example, if your brand is oriented Sustainability, it will be good to publish about the World Plastic Free Day (July 3rd). If you have chosen a niche related to the 7th art, then it will seem quite justified for your brand to celebrate the International Popcorn Day (January 19th).
You can't remember everything: that's normal. Remembering even a credit card code can be difficult, so a whole calendar? Mission impossible. Don't worry, we've got it covered: a marketing calendar at colors of TPOP to download for free right here...

Tip 9: Consistency is a solid foundation for your brand image

Stable, reliable and made to last: this is the image of your brand that your Facebook page should convey. Yes, even if it's only been up for eight days. The secret? Unfailing regularity. This is expressed on several levels...

First of all, the rhythm of publication: it is generally recommended to publish at least twice a week. The interest is first of all to remain in the landscape of your audience but also to avoid being snubbed by Facebook's News Feed Ranking Algorithm, which doesn't like it if you let too much time go by without giving it news. However, you should know that, even if your last publication seems to be from the distant past, nothing is lost: with page post ads, the network has put in place a means of boosting its publications with its own audience with a view to re-appropriating it.

Regularity is therefore essential in your publication schedule, but also in your graphic identity: before you start posting, don't hesitate to agree on a set of fonts, colors and image styles that best define your brand's state of mind. This will help your audience identify you at a glance, clarify the values you want to convey, and save you time when designing visuals. All at the same time.

Social networks are an increasingly complex universe, and finding your way around is not always easy - especially if you are not a community manager, but a talented graphic designer and e-tailer.

However, it is possible to develop effective digital communication by applying a few simple concepts, such as the nine good gestures listed above. We wish you blue thumbs like it's raining (and more).