Facebook is popular, no doubt about that. The question on the minds of entrepreneurs is if there’s any benefit for them to jump in and actually use Facebook to help their business. I’ll see if I can set the record straight for you.
Facebook has grown to become the most trafficked website on the web today. As such, many businesses have flocked to Facebook to connect with customers and prospects. They’re not doing it to be cool – they’re doing it because it drives results.
Facebook’s platform is attractive for a number of reasons. Simply, people use Facebook to keep up with their friends, birthdays and they comment on each other’s experiences. Make a note of that — experiences.
It’s no question that Facebook has a vested interest to attract small businesses on their platform. They want to build a sense of loyalty and serve as a resource for consumers and business owners. It probably doesn’t need to be said, but Facebook also has an interest in having those business owners advertise through their paid-advertising network. And what else would they prefer a business to advertise? Their own assets such as groups, pages, apps, etc.
Facebook is a perfect digital ecosystem. Think about it: Facebook operates a free service subsidized by paid advertisers, supported by applications, supported by people using those applications and facilitating a great way to share experiences with each other.
Here’s why you should make Facebook an active role within your marketing activities:
- Facebook has more than 400 million active users.
- Facebook states 50% of active users log on to Facebook [daily].
- The average Facebook user has 130 friends.
- The average Facebook user creates 70 pieces of content each month.
And that’s the big picture. Don’t think of Facebook as only a means to publish status updates, a place to spend on paid ads or to build “-Ville” apps. It’s a very powerful service to share experiences – both professional and personal. Even some of the most intimate and “privacy-invasive” activities (e.g., tagging, photos and videos) businesses can participate in if it results in a good experience for everyone involved.
When you think of using Facebook for marketing, consider that the most successful brands on Facebook continually test, tweak and try new approaches to engage customers and prospects. Facebook, like many other social media services, changes and transforms on a near daily basis, so what works one day might not work the next.
The question is, as a small business marketer, are you a part of your customers’ and prospects’ social experiences? Are you making their experiences worth talking about and sharing? If not, go the extra mile and your business will earn plugs and kudos from people who use Facebook.
Stay tuned this week – we’re going to go over lead generation and branding campaigns and other exceptional uses of Facebook that move the needle for your small business marketing plan, but won’t break the bank.
Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.
Posted In: Social Media
