Reps from Alt Media Studios were eager to be in attendance at the much anticipated Boost with Facebook Event at the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland. Just minutes from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, award-winning restaurants, and historic Cleveland landmarks, we attended the event together and are happy to share with you what we gleaned. By sharing this information with you, we also want to shed some light on how we can help you with your marketing efforts. Facebook has specific tools that, when used correctly and efficiently, can maximize your exposure to potential customers.

What struck me when first arriving was how well orchestrated everything was. A photo studio was setup where you could go and have your profile pic taken. Once the photographer took your pic, they provided you with a complimentary thumb drive with your personalized picture that you could use not just for Facebook but for anything you needed.

Next, several maps were posted in the corridors showing the programs throughout the day and what would be discussed. Several breakout rooms were set up throughout the convention center and the map showed what topics were highlighted so you can choose which ones interested you the most.

Lunch was served at noon where you had the opportunity to network with other convention-goers that day. It was a great opportunity to mingle with other businesses!

Now, here are the takeaways from our day there.

First, what are some of the tools that were discussed?

1. Facebook Analytics - this was mentioned first as one of the small business owners' favorites. Those interviewed in breakout rooms mentioned they were able to compare in Analytics other posts they've done with the end goal of making conversions.
2. Facebook Live - One restaurant owner and chef mentioned this was important to him as it drew in a crowd and built brand awareness and customer loyalty. It let the patron into the kitchen with him.
3. Facebook Messenger - this is a great way to interact with customers. By making full use of this tool, it allowed business owners or their marketing team to keep answering questions. In some cases, this tool was also used as e-commerce, and products could be sold even at wholesale price if it was good for business. 
4. Facebook Insights - this tool allowed customer engagement to be increased by 65% for a jeweler in Australia. Specifically they used sponsored messaging and click-to-messenger advertising. One example of a business who used this was Love Your Melon, https://www.facebook.com/LoveYourMelon, a clothing brand dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer. Their brand awareness increased significantly due to the use of Facebook Messenger and sponsored ads. 
5. Facebook Pixel - proper installation of this tracks how many people visit your website from Facebook. A very powerful and helpful tool indeed! 

What are some best practices and principles when using these tools that were highlighted? 

Just like all areas in life, these ones were mentioned as being particularly useful when implementing these tools in your use of Facebook as a marketing tool for your business: 

1. Responsiveness - engage with customers, be professional in your communication with them. Show that you appreciate their interest. 
2. Testing and verification - use the tools correctly and educate yourself on their processes to see how these resonate with your target audience, and pivot if there are elements that are not so successful. 

An overall success story shared during one session was that of Spearmint Baby. https://www.facebook.com/spearmintbaby. In one recent advertising campaign, they targeted those who made gift purchases and increased their ROI by almost 5 times on Facebook and more than 14 times cross-platform, including Instagram. 

In conclusion, attendees were recommended to run conversion campaigns, and to change traffic ads to online purchase ads. We were told to focus on CBO, or Campaign Budget Optimization. CBO works well with Automated placements for ads, and they are not just put on Instagram and Facebook, but also on the audience network of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. In these settings, when it comes to the audience meter, make sure to always be in the green and not the yellow. 

More information and resources can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/business/learn

If you’d like to know how to integrate your website with Facebook and all its tools, or if you’re interested in a well-working social media advertising campaign for your business and lack the time to give it its needed attention, contact us at Alt Media Studios. We’d be happy to take a look for you and make a recommendation on the best strategy that would work for your business!