Facebook Is Your Small Business Friend

Creating a website for your small business is just the first step in establishing your online presence. We've mentioned in the past that social media and websites work hand in hand when it comes to attracting and exposing your brand or business to audiences around the world. Although your domain may be utterly important to your business, there are hundreds of millions of people interacting with other online channels your business can potentially get in touch with through the leading social networking player, Facebook of course! Although we definitely do not encourage businesses to rely solely on social networking sites when trying to leverage their brand to consumers, we do see social media as a beneficial addition to your online presence. Take a look at some of the advantages creating a business page on Facebook can do!

 

 

1. It's Free to Get Started

First and foremost, let's get down to what really matters in life- time and money. The cost of registering an account is essentially the amount of time you want to invest in your Facebook page. Though maintaining a Facebook page may not require a monetary investment, it does require you to devote time and attention to customers which could potentially pay off in the long run. With millions of users already familiar with the social platform, the amount of effort you plan on putting in can impact what you receive in return.

 

 

 

 

2. Feedback

Getting customers to engage in feedback can be a difficult task. Especially when companies require a truck load of questions and forms for you to fill out before you can actually submit your comments. Facebook makes it easy. Fans and other audiences can simply write out their questions or comments and post to them straight to your business page. More importantly, a customer's feedback can help you solve product issues you may not have already been aware of.

 

 

 

 

3. Insights

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to having a Facebook page for your business is the ability to distribute information you feel is relevant to your targeted audience. Creating status updates, sharing links and videos, and promotional offers are great ways to leverage your business to potential audiences. And with the help of Facebook Insights, you can keep track of your likes, posts, engagement, total reach and much more. All of which can be useful information when determining whether your posts are targeting the right demographics and ultimately creating interest amongst online audiences.

 

 

 

 

4. Relationships

Converting online consumers into paying customers is just a small fragment as to what your Facebook page can do for your business. The overall purpose of creating a Facebook page isn't about whether or not your posts generate sales, it's more so a way for businesses to develop relationships with their customers. Providing customers with one on one support, and instant communication with your page managers is one of the main reasons why so many online users refer to businesses' social media accounts to get in touch with your business.

 

 

 

 

5. It's the Future

Like it or not, social media is changing the way we communicate. Whether your business chooses to hop on the band wagon and ride the social media wave is completely up to you. However, with competition being prevalent in almost every market, not creating a presence online could put your business at a disadvantage. As older generations continue to age, younger generations will become more technologically advanced which in essence increases the likelihood of their familiarity with social media. Facebook should be looked at as added benefit, and although it may take some effort in continuously posting useful content, your audiences will become more familiar with your brand and see your business being up to date with technology standards.

Post by Kathleen Borg