Facebooks Favourites

Which Facebook pages are performing the best and why?

It’s no secret that marketing has done a complete 180 over the last decade and social media marketing is largely responsible for this change. Marketing used to be a “one to one“ game with your potential client, we could only communicate with one person at a time and that person had to come into contact with a physical advert, magazine, leaflet etc. to learn about your product or service. Today, Facebook is playing a massive role in businesses marketing strategies and if you can get someone to “like”, “comment”, and or “share” your content on Facebook – you are directly marketing to them and their entire “friend list” too! So… let’s talk content strategy…what are the big guys doing to optimise their Social Media Marketing and what can we learn from these international brands? We’ve outlined the top 3 Facebook pages (Brands) for you…

1. Coca-Cola

   With 93,962,673 Facebook Page likes…Coca-Cola are the top dogs! It is key to note that Coca-Cola do not directly promote their product (of which their really is only one anyway…which goes to show that “the power of simplicity” is a real thing!). They use their page to INTERACT with their audience (and its working!). Contrary to what we are taught though, Coca-Cola often go weeks without posting new content and still get up to 4500 interactions per day! Furthermore, Coca-Cola doesn’t have its own stores so its social strategy focuses on brand as opposed to driving people to shops.

2. McDonalds

   Sure, Mc Donald’s has had their fair share of negative media from the public but today they have 57,363,400 Facebook page likes. Much like Coca-Cola, this fast food brand enjoys the privileges that come with having an international brand – they too only post occasional updates on their Facebook page. Mc Donald’s posts consist mostly of simple images or adverts and are aimed at being understood by all languages to reach their international fan base!

3. Red Bull

   Red Bull, much the same as Coca-Cola have really only got one product – a can of energy drink that we have all come to know as the drink that “gives you wings”. Promoting this product post after post would be monotonous at best! Red Bull therefore use their page to upload extreme sports video’s and pictures that they as a brand are associated with. Their 46,044,553 page likes are a good indication that what they are doing is clearly working! What’s more…the Red Bull videos have driven traffic to their YouTube channel where content has generated approximately 1 billion views! Now you try reaching that many people with a more traditional marketing platform/tool!

   So what have we learnt from these brands? Here are some post ideas these “Facebook Favourites” have all utilised in some way…

   • The “fill in the blank” post or an “open ended question” is always guaranteed to generate responses. Think of fun ways to get your audience to interact.
   • Directly asking for “likes” in a post. This has caused some controversy and some choose to stay clear of it. One can normally generate likes without boldly asking for them.
   • Use images to enhance your product. This one relies on the age old saying – “an image speaks a thousand words”. A simple, good quality photograph of your product is sometimes enough.
   • Offering a bribe of sorts. Coco-Cola did this in their “Happy ID” campaign. Offering a free Coke in exchange for a smile. Bear in mind though, that we don’t all (already) have the luxury of the power of amplification of conversations like some of these big brands.
   • Exclusive offers for fans. Create a bond with your fan base by offering them better deals or discounts for a day.
   • Ask for feedback in your posts. Social Media is built on the foundation of 2 way interactive relationships.

   Our 5 tips for your Facebook social media marketing:

   1. Update frequently (2-3 times a week is a safe number), but be careful not to drown your audience with content – it can get irritating seeing the same company or brand constantly clogging your newsfeed!
   2. Keep it brief! Aim for 100-250 characters per post – no one likes to engage with a post that looks like a mini essay!
   3. “Boosted” Give-aways or competitions are a must for gaining a larger audience!
   4. Always use visuals! It’s simple, people are more likely to read, like or share your content if there is a “pretty picture” to go with it (just make sure the image is relevant to the subject and brand specific i.e. not just another stock photograph thrown in their – don’t be lazy!).
   5. Stay RELEVANT (keep your finger on the pulse for what’s #trending) and stay CONSISTENT (keep your brand consistent so that it becomes easily identifiable).

   Statistics: http://www.socialbakers.com/statistics/

   For help with your Social Media Marketing, SEO or PPC contact MJ Media today!