Why Facebook for business?
More than half of the UK’s population and 76% of the UK’s internet users have a Facebook account. Despite reports of Facebook being on its way out, the number of people using Facebook far exceeds any other social media channel and there are still a large number of social media users who only have a Facebook account and don’t have any other accounts.
This is clearly shown in Ofcom’s most recent Adults Media Use and Attitudes report for 2017.
So if you are looking for a way to talk to your customers, chances are they are on Facebook and your business could be making use of it to communicate with them.
It is easy to use, much simpler than a website to update, and can be managed any time, from anywhere, as long as you have a smart phone. If you need help, then I offer Facebook for Business training, but here’s some key things to think about.
You’ll need a business page, which remains separate from your personal profile, so you don’t have to mix the two if you don’t want to. You can have more than one person who updates the page so if there are two or three people within your business who are keen they can all help manage the page.
What to post on Facebook?
Once you’re up and running you can let people know what your business is up to, any offers you are running, last minute changes to opening hours, or you could ask for feedback on new products or ideas. It is best to post most days, and as well as information about you and your business you could also post links to relevant news stories or share posts from other pages that you think your customers would be interested in. People also love behind the scenes updates and information, it might be day-to-day stuff for you, but it builds a connection with your customers and potential customers.
You can also interact with other local businesses by posting on their Facebook pages and community sites such as Balsall Common. If you add something interesting to their page they may share it with their fans, boosting your audience.
The only down side is that Facebook won’t show your posts to everyone who likes your page, there is a complicated formula that determines how many of them will see your updates each time you post, but there are ways to ensure you reach lots of people.
Facebook advertising
One of them is to pay – Facebook offers some very targeted advertising options, and you can select your audience by age, location, interests, and parents with children of a particular age. As prices start from just a few pounds, you don’t need a big budget. But you do need to be careful to select the right options to get the best results.
So what are you waiting for, your customers are on Facebook, are you making the most of it?
Learn more about Facebook
If you aren’t sure how to make the best of your Facebook page, why not come along to my next Facebook for Business training course. We’ll go through the differences between a personal profile and a page, the best times to post, the best content to post, how you can check whether your updates are working, and crucially how to use video on Facebook – a vital skill if you want to make the most of your Facebook Page.
