Facebook Growth Hack

Globally, around 57% of the population use some form of social media. That’s 4.5 billion people around the world. It’s staggering. Whilst there are new social media platforms nipping at their heels, Facebook is still the number one in terms of monthly active users. Approximately, 1.93 billion people use Facebook every day. Even if the numbers are not growing at quite the rate they were previously, latest figures from Data Reportal (based on Kepios analysis of data sourced directly from Facebook’s own tools, resources & company statements) show that about 36.9% of the global population use Facebook. With such a huge number of followers, standing out from the crowd is vital with perfect Facebook Growth Hack. Understanding how to reach the right customers is crucial. That is a lot of competition, but well worth the effort if you get it right.

Who is using Facebook in the UK?

Around 66% of the UK population are active Facebook users. That is approximately 44.84 million people. It may not be the most “in” platform of choice for the younger crowd but users are increasing in the older demographic and that’s a lot of people to reach.

Customer Persona

Before starting any kind of marketing strategy, it is important you understand your customer’s persona. In other words define the key characteristics of who your customer is. This is particularly important in a social media campaign or hack. Before beginning a Facebook hack, make sure Facebook is the right platform for your customer and also that you are targeting the right users.

User Statistics

When devising a Facebook hack it is essential you analyse any statistics, which could impact your strategy. We have touched on the UK users above, but if your users are abroad then you can look at their statistics too. What age of users are using the platform most, in which jurisdictions? We know that in October 2021, 43.5% of Facebook’s global users were female and 56.5% were male. The more information you have on your customer persona, the more targeted you can make your ads. This is all useful information when planning your hack.

Let’s get started with the Hacks..

Get your Business Verified

Getting your business verified on Facebook, is an instant growth hack. By verifying your business, you will automatically appear higher in the search results. This is a really easy process and will help people to find you easier. To get that all important tick, just follow the steps below:

Start the verification process in Business Manager by going to the Security Centre. Here you will be able to see your business verification status. Learn more about verifying your business on Facebook help.

• Click Start verification

• Enter your business details and click Next

• Select the correct business from the list, or select None of these match if you don’t see your business on the list

• Confirm your business details

• Choose verification code process & enter your verification code

Click Submit

The process above, will earn you a grey tick on Facebook.

A blue badge or tick means that “Facebook has confirmed that the page or profile is the authentic presence of the public figure or global brand that it represents”. I.e. this is for celebrities and big name brands.

Use Keywords

We touched on long tail keywords in our post on SEO. Basically long tail keywords are phrases of up to around 5 words. They are much more specific than just using one very general term. By using long tail keywords you can improve your SEO for a specific niche. The same is true for Facebook.

Of course, by using very specific keyword phrases or long tail keywords, you will also attract an engaged audience who are looking for what you offer. It is always important to stay true to your core values and brand. Your authenticity should come through in whatever you do. However, you can also be clever and place keywords in the right place, so you appear higher in searches. Make sure you put keywords in your page name, in the about section and also in your posts. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to find you.

Visual Content

Hubspot recently published an article with some very interesting statistics on visual content marketing statistics. When planning a successful Facebook hack, there are some stats here, that are definitely worth knowing. For example: Mobile video consumption has increased 17 fold since 2012 (Cisco). Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without images (Buzzsumo). The optimal video length for better engagement on Facebook is between 2 and 5 minutes (Socialinsider). Testing and optimising should always be at the forefront of your thoughts, so take notice of those who have already done a lot of the research for you. There is also research to suggest that visual content, is retained longer. Try and always use images in your posts. They are more likely to be shared and when executing a successful growth hack, shares are key!

Videos:

To create a successful Facebook growth hack, it is essential to have some understanding of Facebook’s algorithm. What you see in your feed is determined by this. In 2019 Facebook updated its algorithm so it prioritised “high-quality original video”. Particularly video that keeps viewers watching longer than 1 minute and especially video that holds attention longer than 3 minutes.

Live videos:

Even more important than simply videos is live videos. Another statistic from Hubspot’s Visual Content Marketing Statistics is that Facebook lives generate 10 times more engagement than traditional videos (Blogging X). Creating live content gives you a chance to really connect with your audience and gives them a chance to get to know you and what you are about. So use these opportunities wisely and really plan and think about what to stream. So, in conclusion, you should definitely be including video in your content, but more importantly live content for that all important boost or “hack”.

Facebook’s Algorithm

We referred to Facebook’s algorithm in the section above. If you are thinking about how to reach as many customers as possible, as quickly as possible, then understanding how Facebook prioritises posts and what people see in their feeds, is of vital importance. Hootsuite’s blog post on how the Facebook Algorithm works, is worth reading.

Some highlights to note are, make sure you reply to your audience. Facebook will prioritise posts, that a user has interacted with in the past. Always respond to your audience when they react with your posts. Otherwise you are throwing away a key opportunity to rank in their feeds in the future. Another very important point to note, is that you should always post when your audience is online. Facebook posts the most recent post first, so posting when your audience is there and engaged is vital. Facebook themselves, stress this point.

Your understanding of the Facebook algorithm, coupled with data analysis can really optimise your Facebook growth hack. You should be looking at your user data regularly. If you understand when your audience are online and plan your posts accordingly, you can take advantage of the Facebook algorithm for future posts. To find out when your audience are online, just go to your Facebook page. Then:

• Click on Insights

• Click on Posts

You will find the information you need here.

As we always allude to, growth hacking is about getting to the goal as quickly and cheaply as possible, so become familiar with the Facebook algorithm and you are well away.

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are a 2 pronged attack. You can create your own, which will give you another channel to promote your services and products. It will also give you another great opportunity to interact with your customers and audience. This will take some time and effort though, so bear that in mind when deciding whether or not to go down this route. Alternatively and probably the more time efficient avenue, is to find a Facebook group that already exists. In other words, a group that really resonates with your business. Use that group to expand your knowledge and to engage with potential customers. Also it is an opportunity to promote your products and services. It goes without saying, though, you will need to make sure you stick within the rules of that group.

Links

Make sure you have links to your Facebook page on your website and from any other social media platform too. Ease and accessibility are key when executing a successful growth hack.

Sharing

In the same vein as ensuring your links are all accessible. Make sure your content is easy to share. If you have spent a lot of time and thought creating content of value then you can be sure that your audience will want to share it. After all, this is one of the goals of growth hacking to extend your reach. Make sure you make the process as easy as possible. A little bit of encouragement can help as well. Get to grips with the Referral element of the AARRR or Pirate Funnel and offer your customers something in return for sharing your content. Discount coupons, promotional codes, there are lots of options to test out. See what works and what gets your customers sharing. Just ensure it’s as easy as possible.

Paid Facebook Options to Boost and Growth Hack your Business

If you have a budget to help to amplify your posts, then there are plenty of options to choose from.

Facebook Ads

The beauty of Facebook advertising is that you can replicate the audience you already have. An audience you know is engaged and interested in your products or services. You can reach out to a whole new group of people who don’t yet know who you are. Advertising on Facebook also allows for A/B testing, which is really crucial when following the growth hacking model. All in all it is a relatively inexpensive way to optimise your advertising and to reach your right audience. It is completely scalable to your budget. You can always start small and expand.

Facebook Retargeting

Facebook retargeting is a type of Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, which allows you to retarget customers who have been onto your website or onto your Instagram page. This is a way of reminding people that you are there and may just help to close a sale or purchase, which didn’t quite happen first time round, for whatever reason. If you want to do this yourself, all you need to do, is go to Ads Manager on Facebook and follow the instructions. It is fairly easy to do, but if you would like help or want to include Facebook retargeting as part of a wider Facebook growth hack strategy, then just get in contact with us here at Veksa. We are always happy to help:

Retargeting ads are known to be particularly effective and can massively lift engagement rates. It is all about recognition and people will start to recognise and trust your brand if they see it more often. The click through rate or (CTR) tends to be higher on retargeted ads and they consistently perform better than a normal ad campaign.

Facebook Boosted Post

A Facebook boosted post is different to a Facebook ad, in that it is a post to your Page’s timeline that you can pay to boost to an audience of your choosing. In some instances an ad might work better, but in others a boosted post is likely to be more effective. To get more information on Facebook ads and boosted posts, then look on Facebook’s business help pages. They give very in-depth information on how to place ads and exactly what each type of paid for post/ad entails.

Conclusion

Facebook is a potential gold mine of opportunity. There are paid and free options to get your product and yourself out to the right audience. The methods above aren’t exhaustive, but definitely a good start to your Facebook hack. If you would like some help along the way then we would be happy to oblige: