It’s apparent that social media is here to stay. Small business owners who use social networking sites effectively are able to promote their businesses in powerful ways.
One of the best ways to use social media for business is with a Facebook business page. Here are five reasons why a Facebook page for your small business simply makes good business sense.
Reason # 1 – Your Facebook page can teach you more about your target audience
Having a Facebook page for your small business gives you a way to talk to and get direct feedback from your target audience. Think of it as an ongoing focus group. Your fans are there because they are aware of your company, and want to learn more. While they are certainly expecting to receive useful information from your Facebook page, you can also be collecting useful information from them through their participation.
Facebook Insights provides extremely useful information about your fans and their interactions on your page. As a microcosm of your target market, your Facebook fans can tell you a lot about what they want through their interactions, comments, and feedback.
Reason # 2 – A Facebook page gives you a chance to “humanize” your company
Social connections and genuine communication are integral parts of social media, and a Facebook page for your small business gives you a unique opportunity to attach a face, name, and personality to your brand. While your Facebook page may be representative of your company, it also allows you to show the human side of your business through one-on-one conversations, personal tidbits, and non-business interactions.
Even if you automate parts of your social media activity, you can fit in a moderate amount of live, on-the-spot communication to create richer, more “human” relationships.
Reason # 3 – You can build a community on your Facebook page
Facebook pages are excellent places to gather together your customers, prospects, and fans to provide reviews, share opinions, voice concerns, and offer feedback. You can build a community on your Facebook page in a number of ways, including:
- Posting useful, relevant, and interesting links
- Asking fans to contribute with comments
- Organizing contests and promotions
- Providing a place to leave reviews and other feedback
- Offering incentives for activity on the page
If the Facebook page you create for your business successfully brings people together, you can develop a loyal following that will continue to grow.
Reason # 4 – Your competition may already have a Facebook page
We generally wouldn’t recommend taking action in any area of your business simply because your competition is doing it. However, when it comes to social media, not having a Facebook page or presence on other social networks can cost you opportunities, especially if your competition is using social media – and using it well.
Reason # 5 – You can put your business in front of your clients and customers every day
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of having a Facebook page for your small business is the ability to provide status updates, shared links and videos, and other information that appear in your fans’ news feeds once they “like” your page.
With more than 2 billion active Facebook users daily, an increasing number of consumers are using the site to find products, services, and brands to solve their everyday problems. Facebook and other social networks make it easy for potential customers to find you. And when they do, they are often more likely to remember your brand and share it with their own connections.
Ultimately, a branded Facebook page for your business can be a powerful way to expand your reach and increase awareness of your business online.