Last week we discussed some of the reasons why you need to have your business on Facebook as well as discussed the first step in the Facebook marketing funnel. Today we’re going to finish that conversation with the last 3 steps that make Facebook marketing work.

The second step in the funnel is Interest. So now you’ve started generating awareness about your business and people have begun to visit your page. This is where creativity is king. Because, this is the step where you need to show people why you are better than your competition and why they should pay you for your services as a photographer. Many successful businesses on Facebook use a custom landing tab like the one pictured below.

                                                                                                                                                           This is one of the best ways to interest people in your page. It’s a general rule of thumb that people who are not fans of your page first be sent to your custom landing tab. This helps to peak consumer interest as well as increase conversions of Facebook users into fans. However, because this would require some knowledge of HTML, web design, and a working knowledge of Facebook, it is not a must. Although it would be helpful if you can get someone to help you set this up on your page. Other ways to generate interest include keeping your page updated and free of spam as well as making sure all your information is correct and easy to find. You can also direct people to your reviews tab (comes standard on every page) once you have people that have given your business good reviews.

Demand is the third step in the marketing funnel. Once people have found and “Liked” your page you now have to create a desire for your product or service. This is done through wall posts and other updates to your fans. Here, content is key. Studies show that posts with some type of rich media attached (i.e. photos, videos, website links etc.) are much more likely to be engaged with by fans as well as have a better chance at being read. Being photographers, we have a unique opportunity when it comes to photo uploading and sharing. People love to look at pictures, it’s that simple. When posting updates to fans, try incorporating a photo or even a photo album along with the post. Maybe a party pic of the week, a level 2 product for those of you that shoot youth sports or even uploading a video of bid day activities would be a great idea. You need to give your fans a reason to come back and interact with your page and photos are a great way to do it!

Now comes the last step, action. This is what you’ve been waiting for. You’ve made someone aware of your page, they were interested enough to like it and now they are just itching to hire you as a photographer or buy prints from one of your events. At this stage, having a clean and easy to navigate page is very important. If someone can’t find the information to call you or maybe you don’t have your web address posted then how are people going to book your services for events or get to your website to buy prints? Make sure everything is updated with all the correct information and avoid something like that happening to you.

Facebook marketing is not as simple as some people might think. It takes time and dedication to get an active Facebook following that will show a measurable ROI (return on investment) for your business. But it can be done! To get more great tips and tricks from the snapshots blog as well as examples of Facebook and other social media marketing techniques you can check out our own Facebook efforts at http://facebook.com/candidcolor or on twitter at http://twitter.com/candidcolor or http://twitter.com/prophotoadvice.