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yoonpobs · 3 years

Text

things change | jhs

pairing: jung hoseok x oc

genre: FLUFFFFFF, established relationship

words: 3, 377

summary: when you're an unlikely pair but it works

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you weren’t with her?” Yoongi slurs, his alcohol breath apparent enough for Hoseok to scrunch in his direction.

Hoseok knew, though. What he meant. Drunk Yoongi got sentimental and curious, two perceptions that were dangerous independently and possibly collateral together.

“I don’t.” Hoseok shrugs.

Because being with you was the best thing that’s happened to him and he would be a crazy man to ever put himself through the angst of imagining a world that he was Jung Hoseok without you by his side. It was cheesy and he was sure if he said it to your face you’d groan and shove him by the shoulder. But he’s always been observant and he’d be the first to see the way your eyes soften in a way that no one else can notice but him.

“I do.” Yoongi snorts.

Hoseok raises an eyebrow. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?” He’s careful with his words because Yoongi was no snitch, even if he was absolutely wasted. But Hoseok can’t say his interest isn’t piqued. Especially when he surrendered himself to the DD (designated driver) of the group.

“It’s just”—Yoongi sighs, sitting up and his drink sloshes in his cup when he places it onto the table—“I’ve said this before and you’ve probably heard this a thousand times but the two of you are so different.”

Hoseok remains silent but doesn’t do anything to give away the thoughts floating through his mind. He was half-expecting the same words to leave his friend's mouth, but having it be confirmed only makes Hoseok internalise his sighs.

“Yeah. You and every person who’s seen the two of us together.” Hoseok grunts.

“Look. I know you hate it when people point it out.” Yoongi says. “And I’m not here to tell you what you already know and on a fundamental level, we both know that the birds of a feather flock together bullshit is redundant and unrealistic. It’s just that every time I see the two of you together—it works. And it’s bewildering maybe because I can’t ever imagine _____ letting you win an argument.”

Hoseok blinks. “She doesn’t.”

Yoongi snickers, throwing the last bit of his drink down his throat before leaning back into the plush booth of the club they were at.

When Jin suggested throwing a bachelor party at one of the hottest nightclubs in Seoul, Yoongi and Hoseok almost ditched purely because the two of them had girlfriends and they didn’t really want to hear the end of the story if a stripper suddenly thought they were free game for the night.

Frankly, Yoongi’s girl was far more possessive but she was sweet. She just didn’t like it when people were actively trying to sleep with her boyfriend.

You, on the other hand, were simply unbothered. It wasn’t because you didn’t care—because you did. Hoseok knew that even if you’d roll your eyes at him when he’d joke about going to a strip club with the boys. But you weren’t insecure, and that wasn’t to say that women who were outwardly concerned were. You were just assured, and you made an effort to let Hoseok know that he needed you as much as you needed him—so anything he did wouldn’t just hurt you, but him too.

“It’s just that you’re basically the most cheerful dude I know and I don’t think I’ve seen you ever frown at anyone. Even the barista who fucked up our order four times.” Yoongi recalls. “Then there’s ____ who’s resting face literally is a big fuck you to anyone who breathes in her direction.”

Hoseok snorts, sipping his virgin cocktail. Even if he wasn’t the DD, he couldn’t do alcohol so the minty flavour of his drink was a night refresher for a tiring night (though he spent it just moping in his seat while the rest of his single friends partied away).

“I get mad too.” Hoseok shrugs.

“Yeah. Barely. Even then—you’re the most diplomatic person I know and you have a way of talking to people to get your point across without making them fear for their lives the next morning.” Yoongi deadpans.

“And sometimes diplomacy isn’t necessary.” Hoseok retorts.

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “I’m not shitting on your girlfriend. You don’t need to play social justice warrior here.”

Hoseok sighs before leaning back, mirroring the man spread Yoongi was in while he ponders his next set of words carefully.

Yoongi was probably one of the most chill people Hoseok knows, and maybe that was why they got along so well. Yoongi was a take-no-shit kind of man who was truly sensitive under all the intimidating layers he showed the world. Hoseok was just nice, but he was no pushover. It was a good balance that came out when necessary.

So Hoseok didn’t want to rub Yoongi the wrong way and tell him to stop talking about petty differences between him and you but also wanted to satiate the curiousity that lingers in his eyes.

“I know,” Hoseok says. A girl nearly topples into their booth but Hoseok spots his younger friend Taehyung grabbing her by the waist and shooting the two men a sleazy wink before he stalks off with her in his arms. Yoongi rolls his eyes but Hoseok can’t even be bothered.

“I mean,” Yoongi drawls. “Based on what you told me I know that the two of you don’t even want the same things in the future. And again—not saying there’s anything wrong with that—but didn’t you want kids for the longest time?”

Hoseok nods his head, deciding against his words.

Yoongi clicks his tongue to the roof of his mouth, nodding slowly as if he was processing Hoseok’s words.

“How did that … do you still want kids?”

“I want what _____ wants.”

Yoongi groans. “You sound like a total pushover.”

Hoseok levels a strict stare onto his friend, and even if Yoongi was older—there was something about a man who never got angry shooting him an intense stare that could make Yoongi zip his mouth.

“And kids aren’t endgame to a relationship. I love her, and yeah—I want kids. But she’s important to me and she’s here now. There isn’t a reason for me to condemn her or push her for a future that doesn’t exist yet. She’s the one carrying the baby for nine months and it’s her decision whether or not we have kids. Whether or not a kid comes along doesn’t matter to me because I’m with her because I love her and not because of a kid that isn’t real.”

Yoongi blinks. Then he huffs a breath out before letting out a low chuckle.

“Wow.”

“I know you don’t mean any harm but I don’t need to explain to anyone why _____ and I work so well together. But because you’re my best friend and you get oddly sentimental when you’re drunk I’ll spell it out for you and you better hope you’re sober enough to remember this tomorrow because I won’t repeat it again.” Hoseok says firmly.

Yoongi’s eyes widen at the serious tone Hoseok shifted to and observes the way Hoseok looks stern yet … soft, all at the same time.

“_____ is tough. In more ways than her exterior. She knows what she wants and what she’s ready for. And it was a goddamn miracle that she decided that what she wants and what she’s ready for was me. Yeah, she’s terrifying but she’s human—her heart is still pure and she’s a kind woman—person. Sure she’s systematic and needs an answer for everything but I’m her boyfriend and I’ll make sure that I can give her all the answer she needs to feel safe in this relationship. And yeah—we may not want the same things. She doesn’t want to get married but I do. But marriage isn’t endgame to me. She is. She wanted to move in together but I was iffy about it. So we live apart. That doesn’t change the nature of our love and she still loves me even if all I do is annoy her. So yeah. I’m willing to compromise and so is she. We’re different but we’re together.”

Hoseok is still calm as ever and there’s even a hint of a small smile on his face. The fact he’s smiling only testifies to the fact that you and Hoseok were so different from each other.

Yoongi is stunned to silence and sure he’s a quiet man but he usually had things to say, opinions to add. But Hoseok’s proclamation of your love only makes him sit in silence, letting the words dissipate in the atmosphere but remain in his conscience.

“Wow,” Yoongi repeats his words from earlier, but it’s all he can muster up.

Hoseok offers his friend a kind smile, sipping the rest of his drink while his friend can only stare at his nonchalant demeanour.

“And if you still don’t see it.” Hoseok grins. “There’s a reason why you don’t. I’m the only one that gets to fall in love with her like this.”

Yoongi whistles lowly before rolling his eyes. “No need to get possessive.”

“I’m a man in love. Sue me.” Hoseok shrugs with a slight smirk.

Yoongi gags at the cheesiness even if he finds himself internally grinning at his best friends blatant love for his girlfriend. He was sure it was the alcohol that was making him mushy—or perhaps Hoseok has always looked the way he did when he spoke about you. Eyes bright under dark lights and the heart-shaped smile of his becoming wider.

“If it counts for anything …” Yoongi trails off, offering a lazy smile to Hoseok. “I really hope she does marry you.”

Hoseok scoffs at Yoongi’s blatant optimism. Sure, he wanted that. He wanted nothing more than to see you in white, smiling only at him—or even with your usual stoic face—he doesn’t care. But he knew that the event itself would never change the fact that he wanted to be with you, now and forever. If fate wills, he’d marry you in a heartbeat. But Hoseok was content—and more importantly, he was in love.

“It doesn’t. But thanks.”

extra scene

“Hi, my love and my absolute sunshine.” Hoseok coos the next morning, and that’s the first thing he says when you open the door to your apartment; eyes already rolling to the back of your head.

“Did you do anything to piss me off?” You ask dryly.

Hoseok snickers, but pulls you in by your shoulders to give you a wet smooch to your lips that has you whining. You don’t push him away because you knew it was just the two of you and possibly one of your snooping neighbours.

“As you love to remind me during arguments—my existence is enough to do that, no?”

You nod your head, patting him gently on the cheek as you offer a half-hearted smile. “I’m glad you’re on the road to self-actualisation.”

Your boyfriend snorts, stepping into your apartment as he makes sure to leave his shoes on the shoe rack instead of idly laying on the floor because you were anal about things like that. And he missed you so he didn’t want you shooting him death stares just yet.

“You keep me on my feet.” Hoseok flirts, tone a little sleazy and you can’t help but sigh at your boyfriend's antics even though a hint of a smile marks your face.

When Hoseok settles into your couch, he immediately spots a wrapper that looked like it went into gift boxes—a pretty shade of green, which was his favourite colour. He immediately leans forward and eyes it with furrowed brows before looking up at you.

“My pretty baby got me a gift?” He wiggles said brows as you scoff at him, plopping into the seat next to him as you lean into his embrace.

“See for yourself.” You shrug, face still remaining blank.

Hoseok chuckles, already expecting your reaction even though everything about the placement of the wrapper to the strategic colour scheme of it screamed a gift for Hoseok. He knew you still got flustered when you did nice things for him, even if he’d argue that was on a daily basis because you were just a loud lover in a way that let your actions speak for your affection.

He wants to coddle you further, snuggle you so hard that you’d whine and attempt to shove him away until you decide that you secretly love it and hold him tight. He was so in love. But he placates the shift of your knee in a way he knew was due to your patience wearing thin.

So, he picks up the wrapper and realised that it was much lighter than he’d expected; and lacked the density of a usual present. It almost seemed like you were pulling a prank on him for no apparent reason. But Hoseok trusted you and knew that you weren’t the type to pull shit like that because you just had better things to do.

He unravels each crevice, eyes still searching for the gift that somehow never comes—all until he finally settles on a stick that he vaguely recognises from pharmacies that he never thought would be in his hands, staring up at him with two straight lines.

The silence is loud, but Hoseok is stunned. His mouth falls agape as he cradles the pregnancy test in his palm, eyes not bothering to look at your nervous expression. One that rarely comes from you just because you were an assured person in general and seldom needed validation from others.

But you loved Hoseok and you knew deep down that he’d always have an effect on you, words or actions—presence or not.

“Hobi?” You call softly, voice nervous as you fiddle with the hem of his shirt as he blankly stares at the test.

You’re terrified you made a mistake—or if he’s changed his mind because of your pessimism on the idea of having children. Sometimes you wonder how Hoseok could love you, all edges and harsh lines when you spoke. A woman who was either black and white or purely a grey area. Hoseok was the rainbow on dark days and brightened any environment.

You can’t read Hoseok’s face, and it scares you. Because you usually can since he was an open book. So when he finally turns to you, and you finally get a proper glimpse of his expression—

First, you see tears.

“I-Is this …?” He chokes.

Your eyes widen, immediately reaching out to cradle his cheeks as an involuntary reaction.

“Why are you crying?” You feel yourself tearing up and you try to suppress it. There was something about you being so connected to Hoseok and his feelings that made everything he felt translate to your own conscience.

“Y-You—I-I—you’re pregnant?” He whispers, eyes returning to the stick.

You nod your head slowly. “I am.”

Hoseok nibbles on his lips and you wait patiently for his next response. You can more or less guess that he’s happy yet confused, the conversation of potentially having kids never really showing any progress. But he’s been patient and so loving—and you thought you’d never shake but here you were.

The next thing you know, Hoseok is wrapping his arms around you so tightly that it hurts as you try to gasp for air. He nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck in a way that makes all your edges turn round, and your heart melt from the stone wall it was into a flurry of emotions that only he can bring out of you.

“We’re going to have a baby?” He asks softly, pulling away to clasp his palms around your cheeks, forcing you to look at him.

“We are.” You reply, equally as soft; eyes and tone. “You’re going to be a father, Hobi.”

And somehow, that breaks him. He can’t stop the tears nor can you. So you allow him to cry, and you allow yourself to feel too; holding each other close as you feel his hand reach out for your stomach. And you can’t deny the butterflies that erupt.

When he manages to regain his composure, wiping at his eyes; he looks at you so earnestly and gives you a wide smile that drew you in from the moment you met, and grown to love.

“You really want this?” He asks, eyes concerned but tone irrevocably gentle. You knew he wasn’t doubting your choices, but respecting them.

You nod your head.

“For the longest time … I thought kids weren’t for me. That I wouldn’t be a good mother because of how I am.” You tell him, and you see Hoseok’s eyebrows furrow and you know he’s thinking about denying that. But Hoseok has never been the type to interrupt you while talking. “And maybe I won’t be, maybe I will. But having you here with me just reassures me to know that our baby will have the greatest, most loving and most patient father out there.”

Hoseok’s eyes soften, knowing how big of a decision this must’ve been for you.

“I love you.” He whispers when he leans in to give you a slow kiss on your lips, one that wasn’t leading anywhere but was nice enough to feel the emotions pouring through.

You don’t say it back, but you look at him with gentle eyes that only he can recognise—and he knows. He knows your heart like you know his.

“You’ve compromised a lot of things for me, and I know I’m particular about many things. I have a plan ten years down the road of where I’d like to be in my life—and I never thought I’d be planning with a kid in mind.” You chuckle softly, and Hoseok pulls you closer so that you’re resting your head against his chest. “But you make me want to do things I’ve never done. And I really—I really want this baby. I want him or her to grow up thinking about how badass their parents were even though their mom is a total bitch and their dad is the mediator of the family.”

Hoseok snorts, brushing his hands through your hair.

“How long?” He asks.

You grin against his t-shirt, not looking up when you fiddle with the fabric of it.

“I’ve been feeling symptoms for a month now, and the test was from a week ago. I went to the doctor to be sure because I knew from the moment I suspected it that I wanted it to be true, for you, for me—for us.”

Hoseok tilts your chin up, offering you the smile you love so much and you feel so … happy.

“Next thing you know I’ll have you walking down the aisle.” Hoseok sighs, happy and content.

You roll your eyes, narrowing it at him as you push on his chest to sit up.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Jung.”

Hoseok wraps his hand around the back of your neck before pulling you close to meet your lips again.

“Let a man dream.” He grins against the kiss.

He can feel your giggle and the way you do the thing that you do when you’re secretly ruffled but adore him way too much to pull away.

“You know this means we have to move in together, right?” You murmur against his lips.

Hoseok snorts. “Duh. But you know you already have a home in my heart, right?”

You expected it, but it doesn’t make it any less cheesy when you groan and shove at his chest. Hoseok cackles, fully loving the way you scrunch your eyebrows in distaste at him.

“I hate you.” You scowl.

“No, you don’t.” Hoseok sings, resting his head against your shoulder while he looks up at you with innocent eyes.

You’re happy, and so is he.

And a few months down the road, Hoseok drops a ring into your palm, no words or expectations. You roll your eyes, as usual; but you slip it onto your ring-ringer anyways.

#bts imagines #bts fics #bts jhope #jhope x reader #hoseok x reader #jung hoseok x reader #hoseok fluff #jung hoseok #hoseok imagine #hoseok fic

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gaiatheorist · 5 years

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Grant me the confidence...

There’s another round of internet whack-a-mole on the go. Early yesterday there was what the young people call a ‘self-own’, with some man bizarrely stating that he’d never known a hetero woman to be an ‘enthusiastic participant’ during sex. My initial thought was “Well you’re doing sex wrong.”, I suspect many of us came to that conclusion, before the ‘but...’ crept in. If she’s not enthusiastic, is he still continuing? That’s bleak when you think about it, full disclosure here, I have had sexual encounters so awful that I’ve completely detached, and just waited for them to be over. It’s a learned response to previous trauma, relaxed muscles are less likely to be damaged than tensed ones. ‘Brad’ is possibly an example of Germaine Greer’s very poorly articulated line between unsatisfactory sex, and rape. An analogy was used frequently when I was growing up, “It hurts when I do *insert stupid action, like banging your head on a wall.*” “Well stop doing it, then.” My parents, in their misguided way, trying to explain the futility of repeating an unproductive action, and hoping for a different outcome, their version of “If you always do what you’ve always done...”

There are many possible reasons that ‘Brad’ doesn’t feel his female participants are enthusiastic. The most probable is that he’s insensitive to their wants and needs, prioritising his own, and then wondering why he’s not producing ‘When Harry Met Sally’ performances. The second most probable is that he has unrealistic expectations, sit down, Brad, Meg Ryan was acting in that scene, it wasn’t a real orgasm. Some women, in some circumstances, might genuinely react that way, I’m going to make a sweeping generalisation, and assume that most of us don’t, most of the time. (Or, it could be me ‘doing it wrong’, I’ll accept that, if that’s the case.)

The proliferation of pornography is a part of it, too. I remember when all this was fields, and, yes, you’d occasionally find a discarded porn magazine in one of those fields. The boys would say “Phwoar!”, the girls would say “Yuck, that’s disgusting!”, because that’s what we were supposed to do, conditioned that sex was all about the in-and-out-for-making-babies. Our Mums didn’t like it, they only put up with it because our Dads wanted it, it was a dirty thing, lights off, pull my nightie back down when you’ve finished, and don’t wipe your dick on the curtains. Now, there’s all the porn, none of us are more than a couple of clicks from a dick, and it’s moved on from soggy magazines under hedges, and mysterious unlabelled VHS tapes. I ‘came of age’ during that period, and the less-than-now availability of pornography was still impacting expectations, I have a very clear memory of an ex-boyfriend’s best mate assuming he was ‘in’ with a girl, because ‘everybody’ said she was a slag. They’d decided to have some good, old-fashioned P-in-V on someone’s driveway (classy), and his recount of the experience was “I had to spit on it to get it in.” Vile. I was 17 when it dawned on me that some boys had absolutely no understanding of the mechanics of the female anatomy, and expected us to be ‘ready’ when they were. The women in porn are ‘ready’ straight away.

We’re not the women in porn, though, and I think that’s where the ‘enthusiasm’ misconception has crept in. There’s a gulf between the Penis Beaker people, and the pornography-expectations, as was demonstrated by ‘Scott’ joining the debate, with his insistence that women ‘claim’ to enjoy sex, but are biologically programmed only to do so when they’re fertile. Sit down, ‘Scott’, there’s this not-so-little structure called the clitoris, its only purpose is sexual pleasure, and it doesn’t have that silly old ‘recharge’ period like your apparatus, we can go all day if we want to. (Don’t get me started on the type of bloke who does know where the clitoris is, and demonstrates this by jabbing away at it like he’s trying to re-ignite a dodgy boiler pilot-light.) I’m not here to provide an anatomy lesson to the ‘Scott’ and ‘Brad’ types, the reproductive ‘insert tab A into slot B’ part of their school biology lessons might well have given them the impression that’s all there is to it.

So, we have ‘Brad’ at one end of the spectrum, repeatedly hitting his own thumb with a hammer, and complaining that his pictures keep falling off the wall, and ‘Scott’ at the other end, insisting that women don’t *really* enjoy sex. I’d like to sit them all down in a room, with Penis Beaker woman, and ‘The correct word is vagina’ Paul, and then just lock the door, and walk away. Human right to freedom of expression, though, even when the expression is quite clearly deluded. ‘To each their own’, she thinks, wrestling with the conundrum that I’m complaining on the internet about other people having differing opinions on the nature of sex and sensuality, when mine haven’t always been clear.

My opinions and preferences are more clear now than they have ever been, cruel timing on nature’s part, but at least I managed to catch it while my tits still point out, rather than down. For a very, very long time, I had thought that I was ‘broken’, that there was something wrong with me, because not every sexual encounter was full-on bells-and-whistles, and some were worse than that. I had a very long period of being that mute receptacle, waiting for him to finish. I resent that it took me so long to find my ‘no’, and start sleeping in my clothes to deter his demands. I’d been raised to think of sex as something that wives ‘put up with’, and he was very much of the opinion that ‘wifely duty’ was an entitlement. It wasn’t. Especially the way he did it. Some of the responses to ‘Brad’ and ‘Scott’ touch on that, the way some-men whine that partners go cold, or leave, and it just KEEPS happening. Back to “It hurts when I do *this.*”

I haven’t had ‘many’ sexual partners, but it was always very clear which ones were ‘pre-formatted’ and which were actually responsive. Some of the replies to ‘Brad’ and ‘Scott’ have covered that, just because ‘Susan’ liked it when you did ‘that’, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a magic wand for every future partner, I hate one-trick ponies. I’m shuddering at one ‘participant’ who seemed pre-programmed to keep doing something after I’d tried to push him away, and told him it wasn’t working for me. In that scenario, I became the ‘unenthusiastic hetero woman’, because I’d backed myself into a corner. Lessons have been learned.

We learn what we enjoy, and don’t enjoy through experimentation, and communication, not through restrictively-sticking to the same repetitive routine, or by suddenly pulling a ‘new trick’ without checking, especially if it’s one that might cause your partner to scream, and climb out of the window. I’m not advocating pre-fuck agreements in writing, nobody wants that degree of additional admin, but consent is a process, not a single tick-box. ‘Brad’ has done well to notice that his partners haven’t been particularly responsive, he’s one step more evolved than the blokes-in-the-pub I’ve heard, complaining that “It’s like shagging a sack of spuds.” Lads, you can explain the offside rule in infinite detail, but you’re still aiming for the wrong goal if you think porn-sex is how the real thing is going to be. ‘Scott’ has pulled the “Women don’t enjoy sex.” argument out of his arse, or he might just be having sex with the same women as ‘Brad.’, OR they might both be sleeping with members of the Penis Beaker club. Women can and do enjoy sex, when we’re active participants, rather than passive receptacles. The whole ‘sex ban’ furore has illustrated how many people still perceive sex as ‘insert tab A into slot B’. “That ain’t it, chief.” as the internet says.

I’m as sorry for ‘Brad’ and ‘Scott’ as I am for the people who think that sex, and sexual intimacy is purely a reproductive function. I can’t imagine ever being enthusiastic about only having sex when the calendar says so. I’m sure some people genuinely do have fulfilling sex lives ‘within the sanctity of marriage’, but to reduce something that can be utterly phenomenal to a purely procreative function saddens me deeply. I won’t criticise people who choose to ‘do it with the lights off’ just because that’s not my personal preference any more than I’d state that anyone who doesn’t is a pervert. (Perverts are brilliant, as long as everything’s consensual and legal.) I will criticise the Brads and Scotts, for stating their skewed opinions as facts. The ‘confidence of a man on the internet’ irritates me, I’ve had an entire lifetime of being ‘told’, mostly by men, frequently by men who don’t know what they’re talking about. The world is a scary, messy place right now, I’m not having Brad and Scott tell me I’m doing sex wrong.

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jessette20 · 6 years

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Select OneUnited StatesUnited KingdomCanadaAustraliaMexicoSouth AfricaAfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicDR CongoEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern and Antarctic LandsGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandsPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic of the CongoRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaSão Tomé and PríncipeTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUnited States Virgin IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Company Size

Select OneWe’re an agencyMyself only2-10 employees11-50 employees51-200 employees201-500 employees501-1,000 employees1,001-5,000 employees5,001-10,000 employees10,001+ employees

I agree to Sprout Social’s Terms of Service. I acknowledge that Sprout Social uses my personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Request a Demo

Thank You for Requesting a Demo!

Someone from our sales team will contact you shortly.

3. Choose & Schedule Your Facebook Content

Each social network has it’s own style of content, but Facebook tends to jump the line. With Facebook Stories, Live, image and videos posts, your brand’s content strategy has endless opportunities.

For your business, it’s about the quality of content and what your audience should come to expect from your Facebook Business Page. Remember that being overly promotional can have its downside. According to the Sprout Social Q3 2016 Index, 57.5% of social media users said posting too many promotions was the most annoying action from brands.

Your Facebook Page shouldn’t be like a used car lot–full of ready-to-pound salesmen. The content you produce should be compelling, entertaining or helpful to your audience. People know they can get an elevator pitch on your website or ad. But this doesn’t mean your social networks, especially Facebook, have to be a home for promotions.

Highlight your brand values, identify your audiences and create a space that is unique to your company.

Types of Facebook Content & How to Implement

So you know the importance of your content, but which type will work best for your brand? Let’s take a look at the various types of organic Facebook content and how you can best use each one:

Status: The simplest form of communication can sometimes be the most powerful. With new features like larger text for shorter messages and the option to put your text on a colored background, you can get your essential message out in a more vibrant and eye-catching way.

Images: Posts with images drive 2.3 times more engagement, so being visual helps. But don’t rely on images to do all the work–put effort into high-quality photos and awe your audience. If your product is considered “boring,” use beautiful images to highlight your brand’s creative side. Inspire users with virtual reality features or 360-degree content.

Videos: Video is in high demand and 43% of users would like to see even more from marketers. However, only 15% of Facebook videos are watched with sound. Video should be accessible, easy to digest and always have captions. Create videos that catch a user’s attention and provides something worthwhile.

Links: Links are perfect for sharing industry news and your own blog content. Find your most engaged content and continue to share it on Facebook. It’s not easy doing so organically, but it shouldn’t stop you from posting your best content.

Facebook Live: Live content drives three times more engagement on Facebook. With in-the-moment content growing in popularity, see how your brand can give sneak peeks into industry or office events, product launches and other behind the scenes content. Go Live, wow your audience and engage.

Facebook Stories: Facebook Stories are in-the-moment content clips. This was based off Instagram Stories, which ultimately were from Snapchat Stories–seeing a trend here? Brands have tested their efforts on Snapchat for a few years now. But with the newest release, you can attempt this style of content with one of your biggest networks. Follow our Snapchat guide for ideas!

Schedule Facebook Content to Your Social Media Calendar

The last thing you want to do is hastily post something to Facebook for the sake of publishing content. Planning content means you put more effort into the quality of a post. This gives you a higher chance at engaging and inspiring your audience.

However, you don’t always have time to create content. That’s why using a social media publishing tool like Sprout Social can help you stay on track with content. Easily view, monitor and maintain your Facebook publishing with the social media calendar view.

With our scheduling tools, you can set up posts across all networks and build your Facebook content for weeks in advance. Don’t rush to schedule. Save time and plan ahead with a tool that makes it easy to manage and publish all at once. Check out our guide on how to create a calendar below!

4 Steps for Creating a Social Media Calendar

If you're not taking the time to plan your social media calendar in advance, you could end up scrambling to find Read More …

4. Determine Your Facebook Ads Strategy

Maybe you read the previous section and thought–nice idea, but it seems like a lot of work for little payoff. Well, you’re not totally out of bounds with that idea. According to a SocialFlow study, Facebook organic reach dropped a massive 52% in 2016 and has fallen even more in 2018.

But there is one shortcut to get there a bit faster–social media advertising. Specifically on Facebook, there are more than 4 million advertisers with just an average click-through rate of 0.9%. Advertising on Facebook is simpler, but not easier. You still have to effectively build your brand and showcase it perfectly with ads.

Aim for Higher Brand Awareness

You Facebook ad campaigns should always be focused on two things:

Cost Effective

Relevant

For starters, you want to stay within your allocated weekly or monthly spend with Facebook to avoid over exposure and useless clicks. Ad spend can shoot up in a hurry when you’re targeting isn’t effective or set appropriately, which brings us to the next step.

Your Facebook ad has to be relevant. Targeting a broad audience isn’t a bad thing. At first, you want to actually see what works best to build awareness. However, relevance is crucial toward great Facebook ads.

Try to build custom audiences and address customers who would best fit your Facebook content. If it’s a retargeting measure, make sure the content provides something recognizable but also something new.

Decide on Creative Content

We’ll mention it again, but quality over quantity will always prevail. Earlier in this post, we did a deep dive into the types of content on Facebook. Now it’s time to choose which pieces of content you think are worth advertising in front of a much larger audience.

Some of the best aspects of your ad content should include:

Identity: Does it relate to your brand and effectively showcase your product/service? Are your logo and business colors correctly displayed?

Reward: What do viewers get out of it? Is it a deal, promotion, offer code, whitepaper or industry guide?

Tone: Does your content maintain the same tone across your entire Facebook page or business in general?

Action: Your content must drive an action, which goes back to your Facebook goals. A clear and precise call to action is best.

Keep Facebook Ad Content Fresh

Facebook ad content is literally squeezed between your friends and family feed, which means it’s seen often. Have you ever deemed a TV commercial the worst ever and seen it replayed endlessly through your favorite show? This is the same thing.

Don’t let your content get stale with viewers, so make sure to update and repurpose your ad content every week or two. The whole purpose is to drive users to a specific site or purchasing page. So don’t let old content ruin your Facebook retargeting or remarketing efforts.

Create a spreadsheet and document your core metrics. Each metric will provide you with unique insights into what you specifically want to achieve with your ad:

Click-through Rate: If traffic is essential, track CTR and see where you can improve.

Impressions: Having trouble with visibility? Revisit your image or content and see what can drive more impressions.

Cost to Acquire: If your purpose is to limit spend and budget more effectively, track cost to acquire and set weekly or monthly goals.

5. Engage & Don’t Wait for Your Audience to Interact First

Like most social media channels, they’re built as networks to converse, discuss and share content. As a brand, you can’t forget that basic idea of what makes a social media network. That means conversation and engagement should never be put on the back burner.

Instead, try to be a community for your audience. Facebook is a great place to hold industry chats or discussions, whether it’s with a different audience or your own customers. While Twitter often gets all the limelight of being a social customer care mecca, don’t forget about Facebook too.

For example, Zippo does a great job at interacting with users on several comments and continues the discussion on Facebook. The brand also acts as a source for info for loyal customers.

Post at the Best Time on Facebook

Facebook is still one of the most difficult social networks to use for organic content. Again, algorithms make it a challenge for businesses trying to find optimal posting times. However, our guide on the best times to post on social media outlines the do’s and don’ts of posting on Facebook:

Thursday is the highest recommended day to post.

Noon and 2 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday are most engaged times on Facebook.

You’re safe to post weekdays between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday is the least engaged day of the week.

The least recommended times include early mornings and late nights.

6. Enable Your Entire Workforce to Use Facebook

Like we mentioned earlier, social media works as a great resource for employee advocacy. By providing employees with shareable content, you’re able to reach their audiences. This makes your company’s reach all the greater when you can get content shared through your employees’ feeds.

However, the biggest issue is finding the right content to share. Most employees fall into two categories:

They’re afraid to share company content on networks like Facebook.

They’re too willing to share company information on networks like Facebook.

A marketing data report from Bambu showed 54% of people don’t know how to share the right content and be an advocate on social media. When the same report shows 70% of employees use social at work, you have to build an advocacy platform to enable their reach.

Giving Employees a Chance to Share

It all starts with an employee advocacy program that allows your staff to use their biggest networks like Facebook to share company info. Luckily with tools like Bambu, you can easily track, measure and promote content from within your walls.

Use Facebook as a tool to show off company perks, highlight awards or even promote new job openings. Giving them easy-to-use tools makes sharing a sinch. Utilize your employees have and have your employees help promote your business on Facebook.

7. Track & Analyze Your Facebook Marketing Strategy

Last but not least, a successful Facebook marketing strategy needs to be analyzed–strenuously. We’ve already mentioned some ways to carefully analyze your best times to post, Facebook advertising metrics and the types of content to publish.

If you plan to improve your strategy for 2018 and into 2019, it takes helpful insights from Facebook analytics tools and its competitor analysis features. Our beautifully-designed reports give access into multiple Facebook Pages, activity overviews and content reports to see what works best.

To be truly successful, you need insights on what works. That’s why social media tools are a must for any marketer trying to get ahead of the game in 2018.

Conclusion

These seven steps should help you navigate Facebook marketing and identify the strategy that works best for your brand. In short, when you’re looking to get started with a Facebook strategy, you’ll want to:

Create Facebook goals that directly affect your biggest needs and address your business goals

Study your Facebook audience demographics

Choose your types of Facebook content and schedule them for posting

Determine your Facebook Ads strategy and drive brand awareness

Engage your audience immediately, including identifying the best times to post

Enable your entire workforce to use Facebook and become brand advocates

Track and analyze your Facebook Marketing strategy to discover what worked and what didn’t

We’d love to know what you do to be successful on Facebook. Feel free to comment below!

This post 7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2018 originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from http://bit.ly/2N2Ub5x

#Social Media Marketing

0 notes

minnievirizarry · 6 years

Text

7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2018

That’s why we created this Facebook marketing strategy for 2018, which includes seven essential steps to not only get started, but also create an impressive plan. Get started now.

1. Create Facebook Goals That Directly Affect Your Biggest Needs

Addressing Your 2018 Goals

Here are some common yearly goals for businesses and how an effective Facebook strategy can help you in 2018:

Adding more value to the organization: Facebook can better nurture customers, improve awareness and provide more resources to you audience. Make Facebook your go-to source of information.

2. Study Your Facebook Demographics

Age & Gender

Pro Tip: don’t limit yourself because you think younger generations are only on Snapchat and Instagram. Facebook is still most used network among 18-29 year olds.

Location & Income

As for income, data shows the highest amount of Facebook users (84%) make less than $30,000, while 77% make more than $75,000.

A Better Way to Manage Social

Request a Demo

First Name Last Name

Business Email Phone Number Company Name Country

Company Size

Select OneWe’re an agencyMyself only2-10 employees11-50 employees51-200 employees201-500 employees501-1,000 employees1,001-5,000 employees5,001-10,000 employees10,001+ employees

I agree to Sprout Social’s Terms of Service. I acknowledge that Sprout Social uses my personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Request a Demo

{ "animations": [{ "duration": 300, "easing": "ease-out", "iterations": "1", "selector": ".Snackbar", "keyframes": [ { "transform": "translateY(100%)", "opacity": 0 }, { "transform": "translateY(0)", "opacity": 1 } ] }, { "duration": 300, "delay": "10s", "fill": "forwards", "easing": "ease-in", "iterations": "1", "selector": ".Snackbar", "keyframes": [ { "transform": "translateY(0)", "opacity": 1 }, { "transform": "translateY(100%)", "opacity": 0 } ] }] }

Thank You for Requesting a Demo!

Someone from our sales team will contact you shortly.

3. Choose & Schedule Your Facebook Content

Highlight your brand values, identify your audiences and create a space that is unique to your company.

Types of Facebook Content & How to Implement

So you know the importance of your content, but which type will work best for your brand? Let’s take a look at the various types of organic Facebook content and how you can best use each one:

Schedule Facebook Content to Your Social Media Calendar

4 Steps for Creating a Social Media Calendar

If you're not taking the time to plan your social media calendar in advance, you could end up scrambling to find Read More …

4. Determine Your Facebook Ads Strategy

Aim for Higher Brand Awareness

You Facebook ad campaigns should always be focused on two things:

Cost Effective

Relevant

Decide on Creative Content

Some of the best aspects of your ad content should include:

Identity: Does it relate to your brand and effectively showcase your product/service? Are your logo and business colors correctly displayed?

Reward: What do viewers get out of it? Is it a deal, promotion, offer code, whitepaper or industry guide?

Tone: Does your content maintain the same tone across your entire Facebook page or business in general?

Action: Your content must drive an action, which goes back to your Facebook goals. A clear and precise call to action is best.

Keep Facebook Ad Content Fresh

Create a spreadsheet and document your core metrics. Each metric will provide you with unique insights into what you specifically want to achieve with your ad:

Click-through Rate: If traffic is essential, track CTR and see where you can improve.

Impressions: Having trouble with visibility? Revisit your image or content and see what can drive more impressions.

Cost to Acquire: If your purpose is to limit spend and budget more effectively, track cost to acquire and set weekly or monthly goals.

5. Engage & Don’t Wait for Your Audience to Interact First

For example, Zippo does a great job at interacting with users on several comments and continues the discussion on Facebook. The brand also acts as a source for info for loyal customers.

Post at the Best Time on Facebook

Thursday is the highest recommended day to post.

Noon and 2 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday are most engaged times on Facebook.

You’re safe to post weekdays between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday is the least engaged day of the week.

The least recommended times include early mornings and late nights.

6. Enable Your Entire Workforce to Use Facebook

However, the biggest issue is finding the right content to share. Most employees fall into two categories:

They’re afraid to share company content on networks like Facebook.

They’re too willing to share company information on networks like Facebook.

Giving Employees a Chance to Share

7. Track & Analyze Your Facebook Marketing Strategy

To be truly successful, you need insights on what works. That’s why social media tools are a must for any marketer trying to get ahead of the game in 2018.

Conclusion

Create Facebook goals that directly affect your biggest needs and address your business goals

Study your Facebook audience demographics

Choose your types of Facebook content and schedule them for posting

Determine your Facebook Ads strategy and drive brand awareness

Engage your audience immediately, including identifying the best times to post

Enable your entire workforce to use Facebook and become brand advocates

Track and analyze your Facebook Marketing strategy to discover what worked and what didn’t

We’d love to know what you do to be successful on Facebook. Feel free to comment below!

This post 7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2018 originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-marketing-strategy/

0 notes

burningcollectivestudent-blog · 7 years

Text

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0 notes

minnievirizarry · 7 years

Text

7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2018

That’s why we created this Facebook marketing strategy for 2018, which includes seven essential steps to not only get started, but also create an impressive plan. Get started now.

Looking to get more out of your Facebook marketing? Try our social media management and analytics tools with a free 30-day trial!

1. Create Facebook Goals That Directly Affect Your Biggest Needs

Addressing Your 2018 Goals

Here are some common yearly goals for businesses and how an effective Facebook strategy can help you in 2018:

Adding more value to the organization: Facebook can better nurture customers, improve awareness and provide more resources to you audience. Make Facebook your go-to source of information.

2. Study Your Facebook Demographics

Age & Gender

Pro Tip: don’t limit yourself because you think younger generations are only on Snapchat and Instagram. Facebook is still most used network among 18-29 year olds.

Location & Income

As for income, data shows the highest amount of Facebook users (84%) make less than $30,000, while 77% make more than $75,000.

A Better Way to Manage Social

Request a Demo

First Name Last Name

Email Phone Number Company Name Company Size

Select OneWe’re an agencyMyself only2-10 employees11-50 employees51-200 employees201-500 employees501-1,000 employees1,001-5,000 employees5,001-10,000 employees10,001+ employees

Request a Demo

Someone from our sales team will be in touch soon with more information or to schedule a private demonstration.

Thank You for Requesting a Demo!

Someone from our sales team will contact you shortly.

3. Choose & Schedule Your Facebook Content

Highlight your brand values, identify your audiences and create a space that is unique to your company.

Types of Facebook Content & How to Implement

So you know the importance of your content, but which type will work best for your brand? Let’s take a look at the various types of organic Facebook content and how you can best use each one:

Schedule Facebook Content to Your Social Media Calendar

4 Steps for Creating a Social Media Calendar

If you're not taking the time to plan your social media calendar in advance, you could end up scrambling to find Read More …

4. Determine Your Facebook Ads Strategy

Aim for Higher Brand Awareness

You Facebook ad campaigns should always be focused on two things:

Cost Effective

Relevant

Decide on Creative Content

Some of the best aspects of your ad content should include:

Identity: Does it relate to your brand and effectively showcase your product/service? Are your logo and business colors correctly displayed?

Reward: What do viewers get out of it? Is it a deal, promotion, offer code, whitepaper or industry guide?

Tone: Does your content maintain the same tone across your entire Facebook page or business in general?

Action: Your content must drive an action, which goes back to your Facebook goals. A clear and precise call to action is best.

Keep Facebook Ad Content Fresh

Create a spreadsheet and document your core metrics. Each metric will provide you with unique insights into what you specifically want to achieve with your ad:

Click-through Rate: If traffic is essential, track CTR and see where you can improve.

Impressions: Having trouble with visibility? Revisit your image or content and see what can drive more impressions.

Cost to Acquire: If your purpose is to limit spend and budget more effectively, track cost to acquire and set weekly or monthly goals.

5. Engage & Don’t Wait for Your Audience to Interact First

For example, Zippo does a great job at interacting with users on several comments and continues the discussion on Facebook. The brand also acts as a source for info for loyal customers.

Post at the Best Time on Facebook

Thursday is the highest recommended day to post.

Noon and 2 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday are most engaged times on Facebook.

You’re safe to post weekdays between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday is the least engaged day of the week.

The least recommended times include early mornings and late nights.

6. Enable Your Entire Workforce to Use Facebook

However, the biggest issue is finding the right content to share. Most employees fall into two categories:

They’re afraid to share company content on networks like Facebook.

They’re too willing to share company information on networks like Facebook.

Giving Employees a Chance to Share

7. Track & Analyze Your Facebook Marketing Strategy

If you plan to improve your strategy for 2018 and into 2019, it takes helpful insights from Facebook analytics tools and its competitor analysis features. Every social media marketer knows about these tools, but sometimes the budget isn’t cut out for premium products.

We understand that at Sprout Social and want to provide small mom and pops to enterprise agencies with the tools they need. Our beautifully-designed reports give access into multiple Facebook Pages, activity overviews and content reports to see what works best.

To be truly successful, you need insights on what works. That’s why social media tools are a must for any marketer trying to get ahead of the game in 2018. Always make room for changes and think of ways you can improve today.

We’d love to know what you do to be successful on Facebook. Feel free to comment below!

This post 7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2018 originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-marketing-strategy/

0 notes

minnievirizarry · 7 years

Text

7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2017

Let’s be honest here–Facebook isn’t slowing down. There are more than 1.86 billion monthly active users on Facebook, which includes a 17% year over year spike since 2016. For your business, brand or enterprise company, this channel is unavoidable if you’re truly trying to create a worthwhile play in social media marketing.

That’s why we created this Facebook marketing strategy for 2017, which includes seven essential steps to not only get started, but also create an impressive plan. Get started now.

Looking to get more out of your Facebook marketing? Try our social media management and analytics tools with a free 30-day trial!

1. Create Facebook Goals That Directly Affect Your Biggest Needs

Addressing Your 2017 Goals

Your CEO most likely sent out an inspiring email or gave an enthralling speech at the end of 2016 outlining the core goals for 2017. OK–maybe it wasn’t life changing, but we bet if you looked back, it has everything you need for your Facebook marketing strategy in 2017.

Here are some common yearly goals for businesses and how an effective Facebook strategy can help you in 2017:

Adding more value to the organization: Facebook can better nurture customers, improve awareness and provide more resources to you audience. Make Facebook your go-to source of information.

2. Study Your Facebook Demographics

Additionally, understanding the latest demographics is important as this network’s audience fluctuates through the years. But for 2017, let’s take a look at last year’s core demographics:

Age & Gender

Pro Tip: don’t limit yourself because you think younger generations are only on Snapchat and Instagram. Facebook is still most used network among 18-29 year olds.

Location & Income

As for income, 2016 data shows the highest amount of Facebook users (84%) make less than $30,000, while 77% make more than $75,000.

3. Choose & Schedule Your Facebook Content

You Facebook Page shouldn’t be like a used car lot–full of ready-to-pound salesmen. The content you produce should be compelling, entertaining or helpful to your audience. People know they can get an elevator pitch on your website or ad. But this doesn’t mean your social networks, especially Facebook, have to be a home for promotions.

Highlight your brand values, identify your audiences and create a space that is unique to your company.

Types of Facebook Content & How to Implement

So you know the importance of your content, but which type will work best for your brand? Let’s take a look at the various types of organic Facebook content and how you can best use each one:

Facebook Stories: New to 2017, Facebook Stories are in-the-moment content clips. This was based off Instagram Stories, which ultimately were from Snapchat Stories–seeing a trend here? Brands have tested their efforts on Snapchat for a few years now. But with the newest release, you can attempt this style of content with one of your biggest networks. Follow our Snapchat guide for ideas!

Schedule Facebook Content to Your Social Media Calendar

Check out our guide on how to create a social media calendar here!

4. Determine Your Facebook Ads Strategy

However, you should always put more effort into your social media strategy than what you expect to get in return. Growing your audience and brand loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. You have to earn it. But there is one shortcut to get there a bit faster–social media advertising. Specifically on Facebook, there are more than 4 million advertisers with just an average click-through rate of 0.9%. Advertising on Facebook is simpler, but not easier. You still have to effectively build your brand and showcase it perfectly with ads.

Aim for Higher Brand Awareness

You Facebook ad campaigns should always be focused on two things:

Cost Effective

Relevant

Decide on Creative Content

Some of the best aspects of your ad content should include:

Identity: Does it relate to your brand and effectively showcase your product/service? Are your logo and business colors correctly displayed?

Reward: What do viewers get out of it? Is it a deal, promotion, offer code, whitepaper or industry guide?

Tone: Does your content maintain the same tone across your entire Facebook page or business in general?

Action: Your content must drive an action, which goes back to your Facebook goals. A clear and precise call to action is best.

Keep Facebook Ad Content Fresh

Create a spreadsheet and document your core metrics. Each metric will provide you with unique insights into what you specifically want to achieve with your ad:

Click-through Rate: If traffic is essential, track CTR and see where you can improve.

Impressions: Having trouble with visibility? Revisit your image or content and see what can drive more impressions.

Cost to Acquire: If your purpose is to limit spend and budget more effectively, track cost to acquire and set weekly or monthly goals.

5. Engage & Don’t Wait for Your Audience to Interact First

You can help drive Facebook engagement by asking people to simply engage in the first place. However, you can’t sit back and wait for your followers to interact. You can’t reach everyone, but there are ways to increase engagement. For example, Zippo does a great job at interacting with users on several comments and continues the discussion on Facebook. The brand also acts as a source for info for loyal customers.

Post at the Best Time on Facebook

Thursday is the highest recommended day to post

1 p.m. on Thursday is the most active time

You’re safe to post roughly any day between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Strongest posting days are through Wednesday to Sunday

The least recommended times include early mornings and late nights

6. Enable Your Entire Workforce to Use Facebook

However, the biggest issue is finding the right content to share. Most employees fall into two categories:

They’re afraid to share company content on networks like Facebook.

They’re too willing to share company information on networks like Facebook.

Giving Employees a Chance to Share

7. Track & Analyze Your Facebook Marketing Strategy

If you plan to improve your strategy for 2017 and into 2018, it takes helpful insights from Facebook analytics tools. Every social media marketer knows about these tools, but sometimes the budget isn’t cut out for premium products.

To be truly successful, you need insights on what works. That’s why social media tools are a must for any marketer trying to get ahead of the game in 2017. Always make room for changes and think of ways you can improve today.

We’d love to know what you do to be successful on Facebook. Feel free to comment below!

This post 7-Step Facebook Marketing Strategy to Dominate 2017 originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie http://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-marketing-strategy/

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