Combined with content marketing, Facebook is a great channel to get attention for your brand. Certainly, the content published should bring extra value for consumers or users, and can be used in numerous ways. Especially for brand names, content marketing can really push brand awareness, making sure that it is top of mind and makes the user automatically thinks of the brand when considering that product group.

Great examples of brand awareness are, for instance, Kleenex or Q-tips, where brand awareness goes so far that the brand name is even used instead of the word tissue paper. Content marketing on Facebook is in particular suitable to raise brand awareness, due to the immense reach with multiple-sharing that can even keep multiplying. Content which is really useful or interesting invites interaction and that way couples the brand in the consumers mind. One of the most spectacular examples is Felix Baumgartner with Red Bull, don’t you think? So make use of Facebook and the potential it has to distribute content.

Categorize your content

Usually content would be posted in the time line of the company profile, which means that your contacts would be informed about your post in real-time in their news feed. But if a user is looking for specific content on your page, the time line is not ideal. Facebook offers posting content in categories, and this refers not just to photos, which will automatically be categorized under Photos. The Facebook API allows you to add any content to different categories. You can also integrate web sites on which content is stored, to give easier access to specific pieces of content.

Use Facebook Ads

Facebook (FB) ads can be used not only for commercial advertisements, but lead consumers to non-commercial content as well. As Facebook offers very specific targeting, FB ads are an ideal instrument to reach users from your target group who don‘t know your brand or your company profile, yet. Facebook ads are also available as page post ads and will then be shown in the news feed of the targeted users.

Integrate user generated content

Content for Facebook doesn‘t all have to come from your company. You just have to make use of the creativity within the community. Your fans and friends can be motivated by incentives to create content which relates to the brand or company. Some companies have such a strong customer or fan engagement that they don‘t even need to provide incentives anymore. These kinds of fans will be producing content about your brand independent of your company profile, and you only have to give them the opportunity to publish on your brand page.

Before you bail user generated content, you need to decide how the publishing of content will be monitored. If you allow users to post content on your company page without prior approval from your side, you need to be aware that they might also post content that you might consider as harmful. On the other hand, if you approve all posts first, you might offend those users whose content you refused. No matter which policy you chose, you should communicate it clearly to your fans and followers. And remember, negative comments are always an opportunity as well - if used properly can even push positive brand awareness. Often it‘s not the problem in itself, it‘s how companies deal with it what really offends people. So that‘s where the chances are to turn it around.

Create a network of different channels

Content marketing is not a stand-alone marketing measure for one single channel. Integrate your Facebook marketing with other channels and instruments, e.g. e-mail marketing and other social platforms. You could, for example, integrate a Twitter category on your Facebook page, or you could start a photography competition on Instagram or Pinterest and feature this on Facebook. Use your content from e-mail for Facebook and vice versa. You might want to start a blog and link it to Facebook. The possibilities of creating a content network are countless….

By Anjum Siddiqi