Over half of Facebook users go to a local business’ page weekly, so it’s not surprising that marketing agencies see Facebook as one of the best social media platforms to invest in as a small business.

This platform can help small businesses build brand awareness, attract new customers, retain existing customers, increase sales, and improve customer service.

1. Create a business page.

Is your small business Facebook-ready? A small tea shop, an eCommerce store, or a landscaping company may benefit from Facebook. If you can only concentrate on a couple social media networks, make Facebook your top choice.

How do you find out? Ask your clients whether Facebook is a good way to interact with them. You can send a survey via an email list or through a social media post. Inquire about their preferred platforms and brands.

Getting Started

The Facebook page you create for your business will inform prospective customers about your business, its mission, and what you offer. If you’re nervous about setting up a page, it’s actually quite easy. Facebook provides templates, so you just choose the one that works best for you.

Upload a profile image that includes bright colors and an easy to read logo. Include contact information like a phone number, email address, and website (if you have one). If you serve customers locally, include your location or physical address as well.

The About section will allow you to give background information on your company’s mission, history, and products/services. It’s vital that people know what you do! Tell them what makes your company unique.

A cover picture is your brand’s initial impression. Evoke an emotion or inspire action, like taking advantage of a seasonal sale. Take a snapshot of your product in action, your business, your staff, or your current deal. Be sure to fill in all of the contact info fields.

2. Match your target demographic to Facebook users.

Some social media networks have more active audiences than others. You can match your target audience’s interests, values, beliefs, and personality to the social media platforms you’re considering.

For example, Millennials love Facebook. With over 290,000,000 users, the platform is worth exploring for all age groups. On the other hand, if you want to reach adolescents, try TikTok, where 25% of users are aged 10 to 19.

3. Examine your competitors.

Your target demographic is likely on Facebook if comparable companies have significant followings and get many comments and likes. After all, your competitors’ customers could be yours! Just start posting.

However, if your rivals aren’t on Facebook, it’s probably not for you. On the other hand, if numerous clients say they’ll follow you on Facebook, it means there’s untapped potential in your industry.

4. Customize your CTA button.

At the top of your Facebook page, you can customize the CTA button to encourage your followers to take a specific action. Other CTA considerations include:

• Vanity URLs: After 25 followers, you may obtain a branded URL, which helps to further brand your business page.
• Videos: Posts with videos get more attention and interaction than posts with only text. Facebook videos immediately play, making them much more appealing.
• Text Posts: Utilize text-only postings to poll your followers or create discussions. If you include a link, it will display a sample of the website, grabbing more eyeballs than text-only posts. Use them to promote a bargain or a blog article.
• Photo Postings: People notice photos on Facebook while looking through their feed. Photos are easier to publish than videos and have a higher possibility of interaction.
• Phone Videos: These are natural and may help viewers connect. Showcase new items, behind-the-scenes shots, and Q&As through video. Go live to interact with the audience in real-time.
• Stories: Instead of creating a status update, share a story. Facebook users are more interested in a business or product after seeing it in their stories, according to Facebook. Stories are suitable for informal content. Post exciting questions and polls to keep folks interested.

5. Be human, not pushy.

Your customers come for what you can offer them, but they remain for your human-like interaction with them on social media.

Consider Facebook to be a brand extension. You may still upload promotional material, but it should be mixed in with lots of compelling, non-promotional content to attract Facebook fans. And remember to respect their privacy as much as possible.

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However, Facebook is also one of the biggest advertising opportunities for businesses today. More than 1 billion of its users log in daily, making Facebook too big for businesses to ignore. And as organic reach — posting updates on a group/page — reaches its success limit, more and more businesses are turning to Facebook ads to increase their exposure and traffic.

But are Facebook ads the right investment for you? Here are some benefits to advertising on the world’s biggest social media platform.

1. Your audience is on Facebook

As mentioned, more than 2 billion people actively use Facebook. Using Facebook ads allows you to not only reach current customers, but new customers whose interests or beliefs align closely with your brand.

The audience present on Facebook also spans across many demographics. Users aged 18-34 take up a bulk of the audience, at 56%. However, older audiences are quickly increasing with almost half (46%) of 65+ year olds using the platform. No matter who your target audience is, you should be able to find them on Facebook.

2. Access to fine-tuned targeting tools

Facebook ads use a variety of advanced targeting tools to reach your audience. They factor in the basics, such as age, gender, and location, but they also look at lifestyle characteristics such as interests, hobbies, and even recent buying behavior to expand your potential customers. Such targeted forms of advertising are hugely beneficial to any business.

One tool that Facebook provides is the ability to reach Lookalike Audiences: people similar to those that already engage with your company. This tool is just one of many that can increase your reach, and ultimately, your brand success. Facebook shows your ads to the people who are most likely to buy, providing the best results for your campaign. 

 3. Budget-friendly advertising 

A big budget isn’t necessary for a big outcome. Using Facebook ads is one of the cheapest methods of advertising in today’s marketplace. 

Other forms of advertising that were more popular in the past, such as radio ads, commercials, and billboards, are far more costly than Facebook Ads, and the same desired results are achievable.

Less than $10 in Facebook ads can easily lead to a reach of 1000+ people if you strategize and plan well.  And you can even set daily or lifetime budget limits — that you can change at any time — to ensure that you’re only spending as much as you want or can on your advertising. 

4. Ease of use

You don’t need to be an expert to figure out how to use Facebook advertising to your business’ benefit. With easily customizable ads that allow you to choose your type of ad, your target audience, and your budget, Facebook ads are for any business owner — tech-wizard or not.

Marketing goals are also easily factored in. Do you want to increase brand awareness? Post engagement? Likes or clicks on your page? Reach a wider audience? From sponsored stories to video ads to carousel ads, Facebook ads will have a way to get the results you want for your company.

5. Free analytics 

Building on its budget-friendly rep, Facebook ads also provide free analytics for your campaign. You’ll get real-time results to see what is and isn’t working. This allows you to easily adjust your ads to increase their performance.

Facebook provides reports with metrics such as weekly reach, page likes, and engagement. You can easily see which posts are effective and which aren’t doing so well, then fine-tune your ads in a way that makes them more successful. Such flexibility isn’t possible with forms of traditional marketing. 

With an ad such as a tv commercial, it’s difficult to measure effectiveness while the commercial is still being run. Usually, a business has to wait for reactions from the public, or movement towards or against their marketing goals to gauge the success of the commercial. Facebook, on the other hand, provides reports for your campaign as soon as possible, giving you the best results for your investment.

6. Remarketing

Remarketing is an advertising approach that Facebook makes easy. Say someone visits your website but does not make a purchase. Facebook is able to track this visitor and show them an ad for your company at a future time, while they’re scrolling through their feed. Re-engaging customers this way can lead to more website visits and better conversions.

This tactic can also be used to drive repeat business: purchases by customers who have bought from you in the past. You can directly import past customer emails into your Facebook ad campaign. This means your ads will be shown to people who are already engaged and are willing to buy.

7. Referrals

When you advertise on Facebook, your audience can help you expand your reach. Customers that are already engaged with your brand can easily tag their own friends and family on your ads. And because they have a connection with the people they are tagging, those people are more likely to trust the quality of your product or service.

Plus, there’s always the potential to go viral on a social media platform. Take Squatty Potty for example. They posted a video ad in 2015 that went viral with over 1 million shares and thousands of comments. Users tagged friends and family with comments like “You need this!”. One ad led to a massive increase in brand awareness, website visits, and sales. 

8. Facebook is mobile 

Almost 80% of Facebook users only view the platform on their phone. During their work breaks, while traveling to and from work, or when bored, people are likely to use their phone and browse through Facebook. Using Facebook ads allows you to catch these people during their down time, when they may be more likely to buy.

9. Facebook is fast

Facebook gives you the option to add a call-to-action (CTA) to your ad. This is a button that gives the customer a direct action. It might be downloading your app, subscribing to your emails, or booking an appointment. This provides a sense of urgency for the ad viewer and encourages them to click on your ad. With this method, you’ll reach your marketing goals fast.

Using Facebook ads has countless benefits for any brand. Strategizing, knowing your audience and recognizing your company’s goals are all you need to get started. For more information on advertising with Facebook, you can also check out their Business Centre.

The post Why You Should Be Using Facebook To Advertise appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

As per the recent changes, Facebook will show less of posts from business pages, videos, links to external blogs – which means less visibility of the content posted from business and professional pages. However, the new Facebook update has come as a sign of relief for small local businesses because the change will make it simpler for the customers to find and interact with the local businesses. And, the change possesses a serious threat to Google Local. The social networking service is gradually making a transition to become a useful tool for the members.

4 Imperative Changes of Business Pages on Facebook

1) Prominence of the recommendation feature

To make it easier for the local small businesses, Facebook has made the recommendation feature prominent, which is helping local businesses to cultivate recommendations among the customers. Getting the user to click on the recommendation button will lead to a timeline post, which is then visible to the friends and family members of the customer. It is working as a potent stimulus for local businesses to reach their audience. And, it’s probably the most significant aspect of the Facebook Local.

2) Enhancement in local searches

While Google Local is the dominant platform for local search, Facebook wants to increase its market share, Facebook local is helping users in their search for local SMBs. Even though the search engines like Google Local dominates the local searches at 80% percent compared to 48% for the social networking site, Facebook is a dark horse in the race and probably the only one which can match Google’s size, resources, and audience. The new local search results are displaying information by popularity among friends and not strangers. Furthermore, for medium and small businesses with a brick-and-mortar store, Facebook is helping the users find a local retail shop without leaving the social networking platform.

3) Expansion of ‘Event’ feature

The ‘event’ feature of Facebook enables one to invite customers to any business event. According to Facebook, local businesses which sell tickets with the events feature witnesses an increase in the number of tickets sold. The timeline features the details of the event for customers who express interest in going. The post is visible to the friends and family members. It generates positive word-of-mouth publicity without the business doing anything.

4) Sharing of business information

Due to the updated algorithm of Facebook, business owners can easily feature information such as price, hours of operation, recommendation or even a menu on the business page. The new changes allow businesses to share information such as upcoming offers and events.

How are Retail Businesses Using Facebook to Realize their Marketing Goals?

For offline retail brands, Facebook is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity. With a little research about the audience and tactics to use the social networking platform, small and local businesses can exponentially grow their sales figure and increase their brand awareness.

Here are a few ways how Facebook is doing everything in its power to help the local retailers.

1) Reach customers earlier using relevant ads

Let’s say a potential customer is planning to purchase eyewear from a retail shop, but has not yet decided on the type of frame and its color. The retail business can leverage the advantage of dynamic ads to reach the customers in the initial phase of their journey. If the same person is interested in buying contact lenses instead of the eyewear, the dynamic Facebook ad displays images of the contact lenses and pushes the customer in the purchase funnel.

2) Increase in store sales 

The store sale optimization feature of Facebook enables retailers to find the right message to display to the potential customers. The feature is helping the local retail stores to take advantage of their offline data to drive in-store sales. The new algorithm ensures that the customers are likely to make an in-store purchase irrespective of whether it’s returning customer or a new customer.

3) Personalized retail catalog

Using the latest enhanced collection ads launched by Facebook, retailers can provide a personalized retail catalog to the audience. It provides the retailers with flexibility which was earlier missing on Facebook.  Retail stores can use the Collection to inspire product discovery and increase their revenue.

4) Online reviews 

Today, customers hardly purchase without reading the reviews on sites like Google or Yelp. Reviews help a customer to understand what the previous customers have to say regarding the brand. And, for reviews, retailers can rely on Yelp because in the United States 49.6% of the customers whose income is above $100k use Yelp before buying a product online. So, how can retailers use Facebook reviews when Google and Yelp dominate the online review market. According to research, Facebook accounts for 50% of the total social referrals and 64% of total social revenue. So, Facebook reviews do matter, and retailers need to give them importance.

Success Story of a Retail Businesses Using Facebook

Facebook and the retail sector are a perfect match because the social platform allows the retailers whether local or global to reach their marketing goals. Swedish food retailer Matsmart used Facebook to double its revenue in 3 months using a series of highly segmented and dynamic ad campaigns. The brand used Facebook to grow brand awareness and sales. In a time period of 6 months, the ROI of the company shot up to 4 times and the revenue from the Facebook campaign increased by 1.6 times. The campaigns run on Facebook were segmented primarily based on the demographics, and the campaign was designed to attract new visitors to the website. Relevant products were shown to the customers at the right time, which resulted in the massive success of the campaign.

Summary

The algorithm shift introduced by Mark Zuckerberg has left small business owners in a dilemma because the new feed will foster genuine engagement. Though the update will help increase engagement, businesses have to understand how to overcome the hurdles and ensure their content is reaching the right audience at the right time. Also, small and medium businesses with a limited budget need to reevaluate how to use Facebook and create a marketing strategy which will circumvent the negatives which come in conjunction with the latest changes. Facebook and the other social neighbors will continue to shock everyone, so businesses need to ensure they don’t get too comfortable with a single platform. To keep up with the social game, a business owner should be flexible, open to changes, adaptable.

Authored by: Priya Jain, reporter for SmallBizTechnology.com

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