By Reinal Lauw 

Businesses in the modern world utilise social media to increase sales, foster relationships with customers, generate leads and boost conversions, all of this in the process of building brands. Social media also provides businesses with a glimpse of what competitors are up to.

Han Chiang University College of Communication (HCUC) organised an online seminar on 6 December 2020, titled “Maximising Social Media Campaign: Targeting With The Right Setting”. Lee Siu Chong, founder and CEO of 37 Celsius Group, was one of the webinar speakers.

Lee has succeeded in helping various companies expand their businesses, and the former include those that sell products like health care, beauty, nutritional supplements, household, food and beverages. To top it off, in 2018, 37 Celsius Group achieved a total of over three billion social media followers.  

“We are the expert and industry leader in digital marketing. Our current focus is on Facebook marketing,” said Lee. 

The company provides online courses with comprehensive syllabi on the subject of Facebook marketing strategies, such as Facebook ad setting, copywriting, and effective content creation of photos, posts, and videos.

According to Lee, social media users are on the lookout for novelty, and images that compete for their attention constantly flood social media platforms. Businesses should therefore be conversant with online copywriting that catches the eye of the consumer as opposed to feeding consumers lacklustre ads. Lee emphasised that most people who browse social media are not there to buy things like they would on online shopping platforms.

“Managing a Facebook page, whether it be for the marketing of products or running campaigns, is not about blindly blasting information to the public. Cultivating the ability to have a finger on the pulse of consumers is important,” explained Lee.

“Before you launch your business on Facebook, consider if your product meets consumer demand or solves a relevant problem,” said Lee.

“Make sure that every post and every video you create is a hook for attention.” said Lee. 

Lee said the behaviours of likes, comments, and shares affect visibility for online marketing, especially when it comes to the largest social network in the world.

Lee added that Facebook is where instant sharing takes place, so it is crucial to avoid being sorted as the least relevant content in light of fierce competition with various markets for ad placement during festive seasons. 

“When an ad piques the curiosity of a potential customer, the customer visits the business page, the site of the customer’s first customer service encounter (with a sales representative),” said Lee.

Lee advised driving the unique selling point home, crafting clear and concise copywriting, and foregrounding the main message in the cover photo. All of these, in addition to slipping in a snippet of the company’s history, make for attention-grabbers. 

According to Lee, an average of three to eight seconds is the time it takes to catch the eye of the wandering consumer who is browsing social media.

One simple way to heighten curiosity is by feeding the customer an image as an appetiser that draws the customer to click on and experience a series of additional images upon further clicks. Facebook detects such clicks as engagement which helps to increase ad relevance.

“We are not just posting products. People buy into an idea, and your product is your idea,” remarked Lee.

Clear and detailed copywriting is crucial for Facebook marketing. Lee adds that vague descriptions will not further the cause of a business. As people are wary of ads that disrupt their internet activity, the idea of a brand must be spelt out in clear and concise terms.

“As a customer, I want to have the product information at my fingertips. I don’t want to waste my time speculating or asking questions about the product,” said Lee. 

Lee also added that Facebook users are independent information seekers, as described by the proven marketing formula, ADDA (Audience+Attention, Demand, Description, and Action).

“People love facts, and they want to know why they should choose your product over others,” said Lee. 

Everyday language in copywriting helps customers catch the attention of customers. The next step is to describe what your business has to offer. Use of strong action verbs or phrases that urge customers to take the next step in your sales process could be, for example, “buy-one-free-one”, “limited time discount”, “learn more”, “subscribe” and “register”. 

“Facebook will interpret and capture the data of every single action that you take on or off Facebook, even on apps you use to sign up and login with Facebook,” said Cayden Tan, the second speaker of the webinar, who is Head Coach of 37 Celsius Group. 

Part of ad creation in business includes being cognisant of the reason behind running the ad in the first place as a business targets a specific audience.

Cayden recommends utilizing the Facebook Ads Manager as it allows for more advanced customization in order to deliver proper ads that capture the attention of many Facebook users. Ad sets are settings to choose where we want the ads to be published, who you want to reach, the amount you are willing to pay for your ads (budget), and how long the ad should run for.