How to Create a Winning Facebook Marketing Strategy

• Knowing your target audience
• Identifying objectives
• Developing a content strategy
• Creating a conversation calendar; in other words, who in your organization or out-sourced service, is responsible for updates, as well as what and when content will be shared
• Mapping a customer response plan, meaning how you’re going to answer customer inquiries and any complaints that may come in
  Keep these key points in mind when building your marketing plan:

• Know your audience. Who do you want to join your Facebook community, and why will they want to join? These are two questions that must be answered before you dive in. Where is your audience hanging out online? What do they consider as their influences? Understanding who you’re marketing to is the most important factor in creating your plan, so you better get it right.
• Build relationships. Whether your objective is to sell more houses, make people aware of your cause, or build credibility as an expert in a particular subject matter, it all breaks down to establishing a relationship with your fans. Facebook allows your fans to find out more about your business, and just as importantly, it provides a two-way communication channel for you to get to know them.
• One of the best ways to establish a relationship is to show your fans that you’re interested in what they have to say by listening and responding to their comments and concerns in a timely manner.
• Make your business likeable. Simply responding to your fans’ comments isn’t enough. Facebook literally flips traditional push-pull marketing on its head. Instead of simply pushing out information in the form of advertisements or the customer pulling more information from a company by initiating contact with them, Facebook allows its members to actually champion an organization, a celebrity, or virtually any business on the site. From there they can proclaim their affirmation to all their friends via a Page’s Like button. Although making your business likeable may seem shallow and simplistic on the surface, it needs to be at the heart of any Facebook marketing plan.
• Focus on quality, not quantity. In all likelihood, 10 percent of your fan base is responsible for 90 percent of the activity on your Page. A good Facebook plan takes into account ways to influence the influencers (the most vocal contributors). Rather than trying to be all things to all fans, focus on building a smaller, more connected community at the outset. More times than not, this strategy outperforms one that focuses on quantity over quality.
• Maintain your authenticity. In developing your Facebook marketing plan, you want to reinforce certain qualities and virtues, such as your impeccable customer service record or your commitment to creating quality products. Have your satisfied clients post reviews or testimonials on your wall.
  Incentivize your fans. This is the “what’s in it for you” factor. You need to treat your Facebook fans like they’re special. After all, who doesn’t like to be treated, well, special? That might mean special discounts, access to limited merchandise, free French fries with every entrée, or the opportunity to download a free report. Your marketing plan needs to take into account what’s attractive to your fans and how best to leverage that reward.