#edutech #college #work #NFT #education #remotework #onlinelearning #stem #talent #diversity #highered #STEM #blog

By Kasia Slonawska

You’re truly motivated and driven, but you tend not to have too much money at your disposal.

However, this should not stop you. Achieving your goals without a budget is what will give you the greatest satisfaction. You just need a strategy that will allow you to reach the right people with your message.

Let’s start here: Facebook.

There are 2.85 billion people in the world actively using this social media platform, and it is possible for you to get your products and services in front of almost anyone making up this astonishing number.

Facebook works wonders for small businesses, yet it doesn’t work on its own. With the right tactics, you will easily get your message across to your target audience.

Follow the steps listed below to grow your reach and, as a result, grow your small business, even though you’re short of cash.

Create a content strategy
First thing’s first: think about what to post.

The things you’ll be posting depend on the type of business you’re running, but there’s a common denominator for successful publications: usefulness.

Think about what kind of content would be beneficial for your audience: if you’re selling kitchen equipment, home care and maintenance tips are something that your Facebook audience will appreciate. If you’re providing legal advice, legal curiosities and tips will encourage readers to share your content and follow your Facebook page.

Take a look at how Solivagant Legal, a legal advisory, helps their audience understand the law better:

Encourage engagement
Engagement – comments, likes, shares – is what Facebook’s (and any other social media platform’s) algorithm takes into account while promoting content to a wider audience. That’s why you should encourage your followers to engage with your posts.

Here are several tactics that you can use to ensure that Facebook works in your best interest:

Ask questions – think about topics that appeal to your audience and ask them to share their experiences, thoughts, and opinions.
Call users to action – simply ask your Facebook followers to like your post if they liked it, and share it if they thought that someone might be interested in the topic discussed.
Build genuine relationships – that’s what social media is all about. You’re supposed to make friends with those who support your business. It will pay off in more than one way!
Reply to all comments (including Facebook Ads comments!) – that’s how you can double the engagement under your posts and make everyone feel heard.
Take advantage of UGC
UGC (user-generated content) is a powerful form of content that your customers create to share their personal recommendations of your product or service with their social media contacts.

But how powerful is it? According to EveryoneSocial, 92% of consumers turn to people they know for referrals above any other source.

You can always wait passively until someone shares a Story from your restaurant or encourage your Facebook followers to do that – the choice is up to you, but I’m guessing you’d be choosing the fast track to success.

One idea is to ask your customers to check in your place on Facebook and offer them a discount in return. Another idea is to organize a competition in which users would need to share a picture of them using your products, recommending your services, and tagging your Facebook page.

Encourage fans to follow your posts
Did you know that liking and following a Facebook page isn’t necessarily the same thing? If you’re friends with someone on Facebook, you automatically follow them, and you may see their posts in your News Feed.

If you want to make sure that you see posts from a Facebook page though, you should go to that page on Facebook, click on the three dots in the top right corner of the page, and click “Follow”:

Source: The Wild Exchange

Share the same instructions with your Facebook followers to grow the chances of your content being displayed in their News Feeds.

Join Facebook Groups
Let’s face it: currently, Groups are doing extremely well on Facebook. According to Facebook itself, more than 1.8 billion people actively use Facebook Groups every month.

There are Groups dedicated to almost any topic, and your task is to find communities that overlap with your target audience. Thus, if you’re selling baby pajamas, find a community of newly minted parents and if you provide mowing services, look for neighborhood Groups.

Once you find the right community, make sure to read and follow the Group rules. Most Groups forbid promotional posts, so in such situations, you can only mention and suggest your products or services in relatable posts, where users seek recommendations.

There are also many Groups that allow promotional posts once a week or once a month. Make sure to pencil the date in your calendar and introduce your services to the Group members.

Wrap up
Growing your Facebook reach is a great tactic for a newly-created business, and it’s possible even without a budget. With content that is truly helpful, calls for engagement, and dedicated users, you can start growing your client base and your small business into a profit-making company.

Kasia Slonawska is a marketing specialist at NapoleonCat, a social media engagement tool. She’s a keen content writer, a passionate social media geek, and a greeting-dogs-on-the-street kind of person.