Here are 10 tips to ensure your Facebook marketing strategy is as effective as possible.

1. Utilize Chatbots.

Marketing on Facebook Messenger is a great way for brands to personally interact with potential and current customers. Designed to mimic human response and interaction, chatbots are an automated way for brands to give individualized, personalized attention to each and every one of their consumers. There are plenty of resources out there to provide guidance on how to set up an effective chatbot campaign. Additionally, platforms like Octane AI automate the process to make it even easier for marketers.

2. Optimize Ads By Increasing Your Facebook Relevance Score.

Buying ad space on Facebook isn’t getting any cheaper. In order to get the most bang for your buck then, your ads need to be optimized - reaching the right people and the right time. One way to ensure your Facebook ads are doing just that is by keeping track of their Relevance Scores. Relevance Scores determine how often an ad is shown and how much it’s going to cost to keep it being shown. Employ Facebook marketing best practices to ensure you’re keeping those Facebook Relevance Scores as high as possible - optimizing your ROI.

3. Use Your Email Lists!

Email lists aren’t just for email sends! You can use them to create lookalike audiences on Facebook, as well. A lookalike audience is custom audience that resembles your source list - aka your email list, aka your target audience - and are great for prospecting campaigns.

4. Use Data From 3rd-Party Analytics.

Use indicators from 3rd-party analytics, like Google Analytics, to help create a custom audience to market or re-market to on Facebook, staying top-of-mind. Keep an eye on things like high rates of return visits to your homepage and specific URLs with high page values.

5. Remember to Think About the Big Picture.

When planning your Facebook marketing strategy, remember to think long term and plan ahead. Understand what type of seasonal-based campaigns work best for your product, be aware of upcoming holidays and recognize new trends in your industry. Get a look at the big picture and think contextually, crafting your campaigns to align with what’s trending but also what makes sense for your product.

6. Understand Your Purchase Cycle and Customer Journey.

To help with budgeting, prospecting and retargeting, make sure you have a good understanding of your brand’s purchase cycle and customer journey. Doing so allows you to optimize each stage of your funnel. For example, if you have a shorter sales cycle, you can designate more budget for prospecting and attracting new customers. If you have a longer sales cycle, you’ll want to rely more on re-marketing and creating multiple touch points.

7. Incorporate Native Video.

Video is attention-grabbing and entertaining. Now that so many platforms offer native videos, native advertising is a non-disruptive way to market to potential consumers. It’s called “native” because it’s specifically formatted to the platform. Create entertaining or educational videos to incorporate into your Facebook marketing strategy.

8. Experiment.

Don’t be afraid to try new things! Experiment with different ad formats - carousel ads, static ads, videos, infographics, etc. See what works best with your customers and your specific campaigns. Here’s a great beginners’ guide to all the different ad formats Facebook offers.

9. Update Your Cover Photo.

This is perhaps one of the easiest things you can do to showcase your brand on Facebook. Be sure you’re updating your cover photo frequently to showcase new products, promotions and seasonal content.

10. Incorporate User-Generated Content and Testimonials.

User-generated content (UCG) is incredibly powerful. 93% of consumers seek out this type of content when making a purchasing decision. It adds to your brand’s trustworthiness and creates connections. Incorporate UCG into your Facebook marketing strategy to increase brand trust, build a sense of community and save yourself some time and money.