The ultimate guide to Facebook marketing

Before we jump into how to use Facebook marketing to grow your business, let’s take a look at a snapshot of what’s going on in the platform today and why it’s so important to your marketing strategy.

In 2019, there are a ton of people on Facebook, and they’re actively using the platform. As of Q1 2019, Facebook has 2.38 billion active monthly users. And 66% of those users use Facebook every single day.

One of the most effective marketing strategies is to target people where they already are—and because so many of your customers are already on Facebook, if you want to drive results, it’s an obvious choice to focus your marketing efforts.

Facebook users are ready to buy

As mentioned, Facebook has been a go-to marketing platform for brands for years—and, as a result, it’s also become a go-to for customers itching to find something worth spending money on.

According to a 2018 study, 78% of American consumers have purchased retail products as a direct result of Facebook. That’s a huge percentage—and with that many people buying from Facebook, it’s no wonder it’s such a go-to for brands (as of 2018, 98% of B2C businesses and 89% of B2B businesses use the platform).

Bottom line? The majority of Facebook users are ready and willing to make a purchase on the platform, which presents a huge opportunity to drive sales for your brand.

Facebook marketing works

The most important reason to invest in Facebook marketing for your business? It works.

E-commerce click-through rates have tripled over the last two years. And not only are ads performing better, they’re also performing better at a better price; the average price of an ad in Q4 2018 dropped 2% while ad impressions increased 34% over the same time period.

That means that not only will you be spending less of your budget to get your ads in front of more people, but with the right ad, you’ll also have higher conversions—making Facebook marketing a complete no-brainer for your business.

Facebook marketing is extremely effective. But if you want to get the most from your Facebook marketing efforts, you need the right images. Get started with Canva’s Facebook post templates, like the Blue Photo Events and Education Facebook Post or the Yellow Sushi Triangle Food Restaurant Facebook Post.

Now that we know why Facebook marketing is so important (and effective!), let’s jump into the good stuff—how to use Facebook marketing to take your brand to the next level in 2019.

Video, video, video

Online video has been on a rapid rise. In the last year alone with 71% of people increased their online video viewing. If you want to capture that significant audience, you need to be putting videos on Facebook.

Facebook video posts are, hands down, the most effective way to market your business on Facebook in 2019. On average according to Buffer, Facebook video posts get 59% more engagement than other post types—and of the top 500 Facebook posts of 2018, a whopping 81% of them were video!

Not only are Facebook video posts a great way to boost your brand recognition (by as much as 67%), they’re also a great way to drive sales. According to Facebook Business 30% of mobile shoppers say video is the best way to discover new products—and that’s especially true for the much sought after millennial generation, who are 1.35x more likely to use videos to discover new products than baby boomers

Bottom line? Facebook video works. And if you want your Facebook marketing strategy to be successful, you need to hop on board the video train and create Facebook video ads.

When it comes to crafting a video strategy, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach; the videos that are going to perform best are going to depend on your brand, your audience, and your goals. Just make sure whatever Facebook videoyou create feels original, authentic, and on-brand; the more “you” your video content feels, the more it will connect with your target audience—and the more it will drive results.

Also, remember to include captions! Many Facebook users disable sound, so you want to make sure you can grab their attention and deliver your message—even if their device is muted.

Facebook video ads are an amazing tool for grabbing your audience’s attention—and if you want to keep that attention, you need to follow up that ad with an impactful Facebook cover image. Get started with one of Canva’s Facebook cover templates, like the Fruits Photo Collage Food Facebook Cover or the Grey Coffee Themed Facebook Cover.

Focus on Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger is one of the most downloaded apps in the world. And with so many people chatting on the app, it’s also one of the most exciting opportunities for brands in 2019.

Facebook Messenger offers you the opportunity to connect with (and directly market to) your audience without having to break through all the clutter and competition of their News Feed. But not all brands are taking advantage of that opportunity; only 31% of businesses are using Facebook Messenger, which means if you start using Messenger to market your brand, you’ll be way ahead of the curve—and with less competition comes better results.

Luckily, having an effective Facebook Messenger strategy doesn’t involve being glued to your phone, personally responding to every message that comes in (who’s got that kind of time?!). Instead, you can use a chatbot.

AI Chatbots are software that leverage AI to automate conversations within Facebook Messenger. Now, to be clear, you can’t automate the entire conversation. But you can automate parts of the conversation, which can help you save time, connect with more customers, gather crucial information, and ultimately, drive results.

For example, let’s say you want to use Facebook Messenger as a way to generate leads and drive sales. You can use your chatbot to greet potential customers and gather critical sales information (like their email address, how they found your brand, and what kind of products they’re looking for)—and then pass that information on to your salesperson to follow up. Using the chatbot to gather that initial information will save your sales team a ton of time, which means they can connect with a higher volume of customers—and close a higher volume of deals as a result.

Your customers can search Facebook Messenger to find you, but if you really want to succeed with this strategy, you need to be proactive with your marketing. Facebook will allow you to create Messenger Links—and when someone clicks on that link, it will take them directly to Messenger to start a conversation with your brand.

The key to success with Messenger links? Use them! You can put Messenger links in your email marketing newsletters, on your website, on flyers...wherever! If there’s an opportunity to get your link in front of your audience, jump on it.

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular apps in the world. If you need an image for your Facebook app, there’s no need to start from scratch—get started with one of Canva’s Facebook app ad templates, like the Canoeing Day Facebook App or the French Macaron Facebook App.

Send targeted advertising messages

In terms of finding, targeting, and converting your ideal audience, Facebook advertising still offers the best opportunities in the industry.

With Facebook’s targeting features, you can create custom audiences for each of your ad campaigns—and then deliver the best messaging to drive results for that specific audience.

For example, let’s say you want to increase your visibility with one of your competitor’s audiences. You can create a custom audience of people who like and follow your competitor—and then create an ad campaign focused on convincing them to move over from the competition and work with you.

Or, let’s say you’re hosting a series of in-store events across the country to support the launch of a new running shoe. You can create custom audiences of runners who live within a certain mile radius of each store location—then serve them ads offering a discount code to drive them into the store to purchase the shoe.

The point is, Facebook advertising allows you to get incredibly narrow with who sees your ads—and customizing your ads to fit those niche audiences can help you drive results and increase conversions.

Facebook ads are still one of the most effective and impactful ways to connect with your audience and drive sales. Design an ad that makes an impact with one of Canva’s Facebook ad templates, like the Pink and Blue Rad Facebook Ad or the White Winter Facebook Ad.

Hungry for more Facebook marketing tips to take your brand to the next level in 2019? Here are a few more to help you get started:

Optimize your Facebook cover photo

Ultimately, your Facebook page is a marketing tool in and of itself—which is why the first thing people see when they visit your Facebook page needs to grab their attention and make an impact.

Your Facebook cover photo design is one of the most powerful marketing tools on your page; it can help increase brand recognition, improve your conversions, and engage your audience

And guess what? We wrote an entire post on Facebook cover images—and how to use them to convert your audience (so be sure to check it out!).

A well-designed Facebook cover image is exactly what you need to stand out and make a real impact on your audience. Get started with one of Canva’s Facebook cover templates, like the Lime Green Lined Pet Cat Facebook Cover or the Pink and Black Women’s Fashion Facebook Cover.

If you want your Facebook marketing to be effective, you need to have a clear goal of what you want to get from your audience—and if you want your audience to fulfill that goal, you need to tell them. Facebook now allows you to add custom call-to-action buttons on your page—and if you want to drive conversions, it’s a beyond amazing (and useful!) tool.

Want people to sign up for your new online course? Include a “sign up” CTA button that drives traffic to your course landing page. Want to build buzz around a new product? Feature the product in your Facebook cover image and then include a “Learn More” CTA that takes people right to the product page.

The point is, CTAs are the way to get results from your Facebook marketing—and in 2019, you can incorporate that CTA right into your page. From a marketing perspective, what could be better than that?

Facebook’s CTA buttons are an incredible tool to drive conversions. Even more effective? Pairing the right CTA button with an impactful cover image. Capture the look (and drive conversions in the process) with Canva’s Facebook cover templates, like the Green Black Quotes Women’s Fitness Facebook Cover or the Organic Collage Food Facebook Cover.

In 2019, consumers want a real connection with the brands they work with—which is why authenticity needs to be worked into your Facebook marketing strategy.

Show your customers who you are, what you’re about, and what’s important to you. Are you about to open a new corporate office? Hop on Facebook Live and give a tour to loop your audience in on the excitement. Do you have a set of core values that make up the DNA of your brand. Let your followers know—and, more importantly, let them know why it’s so important to you.

The more you can be authentic in your interactions with your followers, including in your marketing, the more authentic a connection you’ll build—and the more successful you’ll be as a result.

The most effective Facebook ads are also the most authentic. Get started crafting your authentic advertisements with one of Canva’s Facebook ad templates, like the Monochrome Sea Photo Facebook Ad or the Garden Greens Facebook Ad.

Facebook is still one of the most effective ways to market your business in 2019. And now that you know the ins and outs of impactful Facebook marketing, all that’s left to do is get out there and market your brand on Facebook!