Last week I discussed Instagram, so I think it’s only proper to talk about another Meta offering, namely Facebook. Data suggests that every small business can benefit from a Facebook presence. With over 2.91 billion monthly users, Facebook gives small businesses many ways to promote their services, increase customer support, and boost sales and recognition through their Facebook platform.
Here are three reasons why starting and maintaining a business presence on Facebook makes sense:
1. It’s free. Business News Daily’s Max Freedman notes, “Starting a Facebook Business Page is free, and many additional Facebook marketing, and analytics features are either free or inexpensive. Integrating a Facebook Business Page into your marketing plan is a budget-savvy way to reach more people – potentially an audience of billions – with less money.”
As the economy sputters along, many companies are cutting their marketing budget. That is the wrong approach. To win tomorrow you must invest today. Regardless, that’s what makes something like Facebook even more compelling because it’s free. Even if you don’t take my advice and increase your marketing spend, do more with free services like Facebook.
2. It enables you to engage more effectively. Lindsay Kolowich Cox of HubSpot, points out that “when you’re on social media, it’s important that you don’t just use the tool to talk at your audience without listening when they respond. To really leverage Facebook for marketing, you should use social media listening tools and track what people are saying. You can track mentions of your company and follow hashtags so you always know what’s trending and going on with your customers.”
Too often we think we know what our clients want. Facebook helps you really know what your clients want. Think of it as a free listening tool that will help you better engage with current and prospective business.
3. It helps you foster real relationships. SEO tracking company ThriveHive points out that “Facebook pages are a really great way to centralize information and engage with your customer base in a one-on-one format. Unlike faster platforms like Twitter, or image-oriented ones like Instagram, Facebook gives you the space to create a more long-term, interactive platform where you or your social media employees can really engage.”
How does this work in reality? ThriveHive research demonstrates that “If your company roots itself in this sort of one-to-one engagement with customers, a great way to keep your base active is to pin posts to the top of your timeline. Often, customers will visit your Facebook page en masse in search of information, to gauge your company’s stance on a particular issue, or because they are interested in learning more about your company in general. A pinned post can serve many needs, from common inquiries to real-time issues, but perhaps its greatest use is to serve as a focused channel for communication. You can answer your customers’ questions, address company-wide issues or purchasing issues, announce sales, and more.”
Those are just three reasons why you should include Facebook in your marketing strategy, but there are many, many more.
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