How to Make Facebook Work for your Small Business

So your receptionist’s cousin’s friend has told you “Your business needs to be on Facebook.” Before you rush and have just anyone stumble around to set up an account, please take time to strategically plan your approach. One key thing to remember is… a premature Facebook page with little information and no plan can do more harm than good for your business. Facebook is essentially “free”… but without time and effort being invested, you may do damage to your company’s image. Check out our post I Have A Plan…….Social Media Plan, That Is… to see some details on beginning your social media plan. So where do we begin?

1.       Develop your Facebook business account. This Facebook Tutorial and Help Center will answer some of your questions about building your business account.  Be sure to take advantage of all the elements your new page offers, such as…

a.       Page Analytics

b.      User Updates

c.       Facebook Badges for your Website

2.       Begin your outreach by creating three or four “base posts” to give new users some information to view. These posts should be a part of your plan and reflect your company’s marketing goals. They should also offer some utility to your page’s users. It’s important to remember that people need a reason to “like” your company’s page.

3.       Spread the word about your company’s page. The most important part to any social media campaign is promoting it outside of Facebook. Driving traffic to the page can be done by:

a.       ‘Suggesting the page’ to friends

b.      Word of mouth

c.       Placing a link or badge on your website

d.      Facebook Ads  (recommended, but that’s for another blog post)

e.      Placing Facebook icon and personalized Facebook address on print materials (brochures, ads, business cards, etc.)

Over time, your message and plan can be changed to accommodate new directions, a more refined message, or new offerings from your business. Just remember, Facebook is always changing and you will have to invest a little time continuing your social media education. A final thought, every post may be your first impression on a potential customer. Make the most out of it…