Following Facebook’s latest round of policy changes, I hear more and more about business owners giving up on getting clients from Facebook. Are you one of them?

Yes, Facebook is changing, but it’s changing for the better – it’s forcing us to get to know our customers better, become more creative in our marketing, and clearly separate our approaches from salesy tactics. In short: you have the opportunity to build better relationships with your fans that will help them get to know, like and trust you. And that leads to long-term loyal customers.

According to Facebook’s update to news feeds on November 14, 2014, posts that are deemed “overly promotional” will be penalized by the new algorithm, making it harder for brands to advertise in a news feed. In the statement, Facebook bases these changes on user feedback:

“Now we’re bringing new volume and content controls for promotional posts, so people see more of what they want from Pages.

According to people we surveyed, there are some consistent traits that make organic posts feel too promotional:

  1. Posts that solely push people to buy a product or install an app
  2. Posts that push people to enter promotions and sweepstakes with no real context
  3. Posts that reuse the exact same content from ads”

Facebook has made changes to reduce the appearance of “overly promotional” posts. What does it mean for your business? (Click to Tweet!)

So does that mean that you can no longer market your business on Facebook unless you spend thousands of dollars on ads? Not at all! You just need to know how to market your business without being salesy and spammy.

Are you using Facebook effectively to grow your business?

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Find out NOW!

Here are 7 simple and practical things you can do to promote your business, and organically increase your reach on Facebook while abiding by the rules:

7 simple and practical things you can do to promote your business and organically increase your reach on Facebook (Click to Tweet!)

Offer value. Nothing converts more fans into paying customers than a Facebook page that delivers value, rather than promotion after promotion. To do this, provide actionable tips and strategies, deliver tutorials, share how-to advice and infographics, and answer questions. By doing this, you will easily separate yourself from your competition and effortlessly position yourself as a go-to expert in your field that everyone wants to hire.

Nothing converts more fans into paying customers than a Facebook page that delivers value (Click to Tweet!)

Change your pitch. Facebook’s algorithms will most likely look for “overly promotional” keywords, so avoid using them. Instead of making sales pitches that require your readers to “Buy Now,” “Download” or “Click Here,” entice your followers with calls to action like “Read the whole story here,” “Check it out” or “Find out more.”

Provide variety. The more diverse your content, the more interest it generates. Use inspirational quotes and thoughtful queries. Post polls and questions. Share pictures that humanize your business and provide “behind the scenes” insights. Multiple types and forms of content will keep your followers engaged and coming back for more.

Post engaging and targeted content. The more relevant your content is to your fans, the more they will engage. Do your homework, and be very clear on who your ideal audience is. You must know what they like, what keeps them up at night and what solutions they seek. The more engagement your posts get today, the higher your organic Facebook reach is tomorrow. You can easily increase your reach from a dozen to thousands of views by posting varied daily original content that resonates with your audience.

The more relevant your content is to your Facebook fans, the more they will engage (Click to Tweet!)

Share links to your blogs, vlogs, and articles. Educational content never comes across as spammy or salesy –quite the opposite. It is seen as valuable and gets shared. By doing so, you drive traffic to your website, where you (hopefully) have clear calls to action for your visitors, asking them to join your mailing list, download a free report or sign up for your program.

Share stories and testimonials. Storytelling sells much better than pitches. Instead of making promotional posts that sell your next event or program, share a testimonial from your last event, pictures from your mastermind, or a success story from a current client. Rather than asking people to “like” your page or visit your blog, share a moment, like “I am almost at 100 likes! Woo-hoo!” or “Just launched my blog! Let me know what you think.” And don’t forget to include links to your events or your website, so your fans can find out more.

Utilize the new Call-to-Action button on your Facebook page. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s coming! Facebook is rolling it out in stages, so when your turn comes around, use this button to link to any destination on or off Facebook that aligns with your business goals.

New Facebook page feature: A call to action button.

Take advantage of the new Call-to-Action button on your Facebook page to direct your fans to your special offers (Click to Tweet!)

You have access to the following calls to action:

Book Now
Contact Us
Use App
Play Game
Shop Now
Sign Up
Watch Video

Above all, be patient. Social media–especially Facebook–is all about establishing trust and long-term relationships. If until now you haven’t put any time into providing value to your followers, get to know them and engage with them on the topics THEY find interesting. If you don’t do this, don’t expect success on Facebook.

Marketing on Facebook is a long-term investment that pays off handsomely for those who put time into building connections and establishing their page as a source of great content that delivers value.

Be of value, be of service, be present, be personal, and your Facebook following (and your business) will grow beyond your wildest expectations.
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Alina Vincent
Business and Technology Strategist and CEO at Business Success Edge
Alina Vincent is a business strategist and the creator of a popular "Profitable Online Challenges" program. Alina is passionate about helping entrepreneurs package and monetize their knowledge and expertise to create a leveraged and scalable business. Experts hire her for strategic advise and simple step-by-step approach to creating successful online programs, engaged Facebook communities, and profitable online challenges. Finding her zone of genius by combining a strong analytical background, which includes advanced science degrees, with creative vision, Alina works at the intersection of logic and imagination, giving her clients everything from practical research-driven systems and strategies, to creative original and intuitive solutions.