Facebook Lookalike Audiences: What Marketers Need to Know If you've ever been in charge of running ads for a business, I'll bet you've wondered how to get cold audiences to interact with your ads. It's the age-old problem of online advertising. With Facebook ads, one of the best ways to target a cold audience that is likely to interact with you is to use lookalike audiences. Don't worry if you've heard of this concept, but have been slightly worried about getting started with the process. I know I thought the process would be more complex when I was working at an agency. Lucky for us, it's actually really simple. Below, let's learn everything you need to know to get started with Facebook lookalike audiences. So, how does it work? How does Facebook create lookalike audiences? Well, Facebook will look at your custom list of people (called a source audience), then match emails with those Facebook profiles, and then find users who have similar interests or are in a similar demographic. With a lookalike audience, you can reach a cold audience that is highly targeted (reaching only the top 1% of people who most closely match your custom list) and more likely to convert than other audiences because they're similar to your warm audiences. When you create a lookalike audience, you'll be able to maximize your reach and improve your cost per acquisition for new leads since you're targeting warmer audiences. Additionally, when Facebook is creating the lookalike audiences...

How to Run a Facebook Giveaway: A 6-Step Guide Did you know that 78.4% of contest shares are done on Facebook? And that on average, 34% of new fans are acquired through a contest? Additionally, Facebook has over 2.7 billion monthly active users as of the second quarter of 2020. As a marketer, those stats are hard to ignore. Social media contests and giveaways are an excellent way to engage fans and acquire followers. However, running a contest requires a lot of planning. It isn't as easy as 1-2-3 or A-B-C. Today, let's review everything you need to know about running a Facebook giveaway. First, we'll dive into the rules. Then, we'll discuss how to get started with your own Facebook giveaway. Finally, we'll give you some ideas and examples to inspire your own contest. Facebook Giveaway Rules The rules on Facebook giveaways are pretty simple. According to Facebook, if you run a Facebook giveaway, you must include the official rules, offer terms and eligibility requirements (such as age and residency restrictions), and compliance with applicable rules and regulations governing the promotion and all prizes offered (meaning registration and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals). Additionally, the copy needs to include a complete release of Facebook by each entrant and acknowledgment that the giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Facebook. You can run a giveaway on Pages, Groups, Events, or within apps. However, you cannot run a giveaway on a personal Facebook page. You also can't...

13 Creative Ideas for Your Next Facebook Live Event, from HubSpot's Social Media Campaign Manager In 2016, Facebook released Live video on their platform. As we came into a new decade, it seemed the initial live streaming frenzy on Facebook had calmed down. But today, remote work and digital events are the norm. The effect: Live video is having its moment in the spotlight again. In fact, Facebook says the number of people in the U.S. watching live streams has increased by 50% since the beginning of 2020. This leaves many marketers again asking: Should I go live? The answer will depend on your brand, goals, and resources. But for many marketers, streaming a Facebook Live is at the top of their to-do list. For starters, video consumption isn’t slowing down. By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. Live videos specifically are attention-grabbing — especially when the audience gets a push notification. Plus, live videos present a unique opportunity to build trust with interactive, two-way conversations. The immediate, authentic, and interactive experience of a livestream is a no-brainer for some marketers. But it’s important to note that not every tactic is right for every brand. Going live can be intimidating. And there are nuances that dissuade many marketers from taking the plunge. Some reasons a brand may choose not to go live: time, talent, content strategy, resources, and more. Debating whether Facebook Live fits into your strategy? Consider these...

How to Create a Facebook Group for Your Business Facebook groups have helped me find roommates in Boston, potential dog breeders for a family pet, and women's networking opportunities in the nearby area. In short: Facebook groups are undeniably valuable. Recently, companies have taken advantage of groups for their own benefits, as well — Peloton, for instance, uses groups to connect its users and facilitate a space where people can share exercise plans, training methods, and workout schedules with one another. Other brands, including National Geographic and Instant Pot, have followed suit, creating their own community-focused groups to inspire action, encourage engagement, and increase brand loyalty. Even HubSpot recently created its own private group, Marketer to Marketer. If you're considering creating a Facebook group for your own company, you'll want to keep reading. Here, we'll explore the differences between Facebook groups and Pages, how to create a Facebook group, and whether or not it's worth the effort. Let's dive in. Should I create a Facebook group for my business? To determine whether a Facebook group is a good idea for your business, let's start with the differences between a Facebook group and a Facebook Page. Most businesses should have a Facebook Page. A Page enables you to advertise on Facebook, and it's a public-facing profile to post company-relevant updates and announcements to Facebook users at-large. If you're a nonprofit organization, a Page also enables you to post a 'Donate' button to increase donations from the Facebook community. Considering...

Facebook Shops: What Is It and How Brands Can Use It This year, brands are increasingly bringing shopping experiences online. But, as businesses develop online strategies, they might find that launching a fully-fledged ecommerce website is easier said than done. While many tools make this process easier than it was in past decades, launching a successful online store still requires time, money, a web strategy, and a handful of other resources that smaller businesses might not have. Luckily, tech giants like Facebook are actively launching tools that aim to help smaller brands convert social media followers into customers. One of the Facebook corporation's newest ecommerce tools is called Facebook Shops. According to Facebook, Shops enables businesses to easily create a "mobile shopping experience for their audiences." But, what exactly does this experience look like? In this post, I'll walk you through what Facebook Shops is and how marketers can leverage it to boost social media-driven sales in 2020 and beyond. According to Facebook, setting up a Shop is simple and can be done on a desktop. Once a Shop is created, Facebook or Instagram Business Page followers on desktop or mobile platforms can visit the same universal store and make purchases from the app's they're on. On top of linking to business pages on Instagram and Facebook, Shops can also be integrated into a Facebook Business account's Messenger or a WhatsApp Business account so audiences on all major Facebook platforms can make purchases. Below is a short demo...

How to Promote Your Business on Facebook 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...