Businesses include Facebook in their online marketing strategies. However, creating a strategy is difficult due to its various features. Hence, you should understand its features before devising your marketing strategies to achieve your objectives. Here are a few Facebook marketing strategies: Use tags to extend your reach  An incredible way to put your post forward is to tag others in your Facebook Post. This is ideal for cross promotion. This strategy will not only increase your reach, but also put you in the middle of marketing. Take advantage of ongoing Trends  Trending topics are a great way to connect with people. In fact, this is the best way to engage people and start conversations. This tip is helpful, if you have an event to promote.  Include Branded Hashtags  Hashtags play a vital role in driving traffic. If used carefully,  these can help you to measure the reach and overall success of your marketing campaign. However, use these according to your objectives. Remember, too much branded hashtags may lower the rate of engagement. Focus on Stories and Promotions  Facebook is a powerful marketing tool, but don’t use it only for marketing. It is a known fact that users like inspirational stories/ideas rather than promotional posts. A good content strategy strikes a balance between promotional and non-promotional post (content). Tips:

• Create motivational stories.
• Never promote your products or services directly.
• Create educational and entertaining posts.
• Attract customers and start conversation.
• Write high quality content.
• Develop content that fulfils your objectives.
• Monitor your posts and their performance.

 Use less words According to studies, Facebook posts between 0-50 characters receive the most engagement. Hence, post crisp and precise content.   You should also include images, videos and infographics. (Images account for 87% of the content shared on Facebook.) Tips:

• Never include unnecessary details.
• Ignore long-form content.
• Write valuable posts.
• Provide links if you have more content to display.
• Display user-generated content.

Use Clear Calls-to-Action Make sure your call-to-action aligns with your content. Also make sure that your call-to-actions stand out and compel users to take actions. Tips:

• Use call-to-actions on articles, blog posts and images.
• Include the word "share" to maximise the reach of your post.

Use original photos Use high quality and original photos because they  convey messages clearly. Facebook posts that have original photos look more organic and personalised.  Tips:

• Use exclusive photos.
• Create compelling stories and embed photos in them.
• Create posts according to the interest of targeted audiences.
• Use Facebook Audience Insights to know about your users.

Bonus tips:

• Use Facebook management tools.
• Monitor and track yours and others’ social activity.
• Create a strategic content calendar.

All these techniques will improve your Facebook engagement and establish your brand.