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.

The post Grow Your Business on Facebook in the New Year appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

Who Does This Benefit?

This update brings Pinterest up-to-speed with other social media advertising platforms and stands to be leveraged by advertisers from large, corporate entities all the way to small businesses. Advertisers across the board should take advantage of Pinterest’s latest Ad Manager overhaul. Small and medium-sized businesses with limited advertising budgets, will be able to take advantage of Pinterest’s new features.

Small and medium-sized businesses can now identify and promote top performing organic Pins using insights from Analytics. The efficiency and ease of use of this new feature makes it possible for SMBs to manage their own ads. No longer relying on a third party, SMBs can save time and money in the long run. SMBs can also take advantage of the ability to measure your influence on Pinterest. Tracking monthly viewer numbers and optimizing ad campaigns to be more efficient and effective, offer new analytics.

How Do You Use It?

Small and medium-sized businesses can optimize advertising campaigns by creating ads with ease, define and size audiences, and access reports from the improved dashboard.

The self-serve Ads Manager consists of an easy, three-step set-up process that advertisers can use to create and set up Promoted Pins:

1. Choose your business goal
2. Identify the type of Pinners you’d like to reach
3. Create or select Pins that you want to promote in-home feeds or search results

In addition, advertisers can select multiple Pins to promote at once or create new Pins within Ads Manager. A streamlined campaign creation process allows you to schedule your ads as well as build robust targeting audiences with guidance from audience sizing and the recently launched Audience Insights tool.

Another great feature is the ability to test and optimize ads. You can duplicate top performing campaigns and ad groups to see what’s working and what’s not. If you analyze and adjust accordingly, you won’t have to waste time or money funding an ad campaign that’s not producing results. Advertisers will leverage the tool’s frequency management capability, allowing users to decided when and how often ads are published.

When Should You Use It?

Jump on it now! Pinterest made their big announcement just weeks before Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping season. With the holidays right around the corner, consumers will be flooding Pinterest with searches for holiday gift ideas. What a perfect time to optimize your ad campaign and get your SMB’s product or service in front of a captive audience!

People use Pinterest when they are actively looking for what to do or buy next. The updated features allow small and medium-sized businesses an opportunity to reach people earlier in the decision-making process. Pinterest has made it easier for SMBs to strategically place their ads in front of people at the right time with Promoted Pins. You can even define your audience, making it as broad or narrow as you like, to reach the right customers.

The post Pinterest Overhauls Ad Manager: SMBs Gain Valuable New Tool appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.