Facebook for Businesses 101

With over 1.65billion monthly active users worldwide, it is safe to say, Facebook is too big to ignore in your marketing initiatives. But before you jump on the bandwagon, here are the basic know-hows to utilize the reach Facebook can bring to your business or organization. If you are already a Facebook advertising veteran and want tips on how to improve results by reaching your business' target audience, click here.

First things first. If your business or organization still doesn’t have a Facebook Page, create one. It is fast and simple to set up and is free. A Facebook Page is similar to a Facebook profile but for businesses. You can set your logo as the profile photo of your page and enter your company’s information in the About section. If a fan "Likes" your page, your page posts could be shown onyour fan’s newsfeed. So take some time to enter relevant yet unique information that sets you apart from other similar businesses in your about page.

Once your page has been set up, start writing posts on your wall to get people engaged. These posts may appear in the newsfeeds of those who has "Liked" your page. The number of people who see your page posts are based on Facebook’s proprietary algorithm, so it is important to to write relevant and useful information only. Try posting articles, blogs, announcements (i.e. new product launches, promo codes etc) related to your company/industry. However, refrain from posting too often as it may be regarded as spam to your fans and they may choose to ‘unlike’ or ‘unfollow’ your business.

How to Get More People to see your Page Posts

So now that you have your Facebook Page, how do you connect with other Facebook users and let them know about your business or organization? You can ask your Facebook friends to "Like" your Page so it will appear in their newsfeed for their friends to see. By doing so, it will give your Page more credibility because someone they know liked it and will increase the chances of them clicking to your Page. By posting relevant and engaging content on your Page, your fans may also share your posts on their own newsfeeds for their friends to see.

For Pages who have smaller fan bases and want to increase your fan base and reach a bigger audience, you can get more people to see your Page Posts by utilizing Facebook Advertising. You can choose from per-click or per-impression options and daily limits can be set to ensure your marketing budget is intact. As part of the campaign set up, you can target ads at specific geographic areas, age, gender, interests etc. Facebook offers several ad choices to choose from depending on your marketing goal. There are campaigns to promote events, videos, local businesses, mobile apps, etc. Click here for more information on the various ads that can be run on Facebook.

To ensure your business continually engage and acquire fans, posting on your wall on a regular basis with relevant and compelling material along with creating Facebook ads are recommended. If you are time-starved and would like help in reaching more prospects via Facebook, feel free to contact us and we can make a recommendation on the best strategies for your business.