Look, I get it. Social media is everywhere, and it often feels like it’s better at promoting divisiveness than it is at boosting connectivity. Whenever I log on, all I seem to see is people using it for – in my opinion, anyway – all the wrong reasons. I cringe every time I see my aunt post a selfie to Instagram, I can’t fathom why anyone would share a quinoa acai berry scone recipe on Facebook, and I have absolutely no idea how 29.4 MILLION people find Miley Cyrus worth following on Twitter. It’s a mystery that’s up there with the creation of Stonehenge.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that social media is more pervasive in America than ever before, and it’s no longer just a way for your friends to not-so-subtly brag about how wonderful their lives are. No, social media is now a powerful medium for marketers to connect with potential customers, and that’s especially true in the case of Facebook. Every major business has a Facebook page, and even if you’re not listed on the stock exchange, you should too – here are five reasons why.
1. Trust
Establishing a Facebook page immediately makes your brand more visible, and it gives customers the opportunity to review your products and services. They can provide feedback – good or bad – by commenting on your page, rating your company on a 1-5 star scale, or sharing it with their friends if they are particularly satisfied. If a potential customer searches your company and doesn’t find a linked Facebook page, warning bells immediately start to ring in their head. A Facebook page provides transparency, and failing to have one can be seen as potentially having something to hide. More importantly, failing to utilize social media reflects poorly on you as a business owner in {ip:cityName}. If you’re unable to do something as easy and important as setting up a Facebook business page, how much trust can they really put in you to produce high-quality products?
2. Connectivity
As mentioned above, having a public Facebook page enables you to interact with your current and potential customers. This is a good thing. A business Facebook page allows people to quickly see what kind of company you’re running, and lets you interact with fans in a way that’s much more personal than by phone or email. You can use your business page to answer questions, address complaints, and provide visitors with a look inside your business and what makes it great. This public sphere is perfect for molding your company’s image, and far more accessible than the typical website. I can’t tell you how many times my business page has been messaged by potential clients looking to learn a bit more about the services I offer – or how frequently these warm leads turn into paying customers after I’ve answered their questions.
3. Advertising
Facebook is a great way for you to market your product, both through your business page and through paid ads. You can keep your built-in audience of Facebook followers informed every time you have a new product, service, or deal to offer, while their advertising platform is great for reeling in new customers. It’s an incredibly robust feature that allows you to explicitly advertise to people that fit your target demographic. Use filters like location, language, gender, and even marital status to hone in on individuals that are almost certain to be interested in what you have to offer. Best of all? Facebook advertising is relatively cheap, with cost being determined on a per-impression basis, which allows you to market effectively and economically.
4. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic
Facebook makes it incredibly easy to link your website with your business page, and even lets you include a call to action button of your choosing (I personally recommend “Shop Now”, which sends users directly to your ecommerce site). The result? A whole new set of eyes on your products, and a whole lot of new customers. This won’t necessarily overtake organic search engine traffic in terms of importance, but with ecommerce being a numbers game, you should take advantage of every opportunity to drive new traffic to your online storefront.
5. Discovery
How many times have you been aimlessly scrolling your newsfeed only to end up on a previously undiscovered page? If your Facebook habits are anything like mine, this happens fairly often. Having a business page on one of the largest social media platforms makes it that much easier for your company to get discovered. Use your page to create compelling, clickable content, and it’ll inevitably get shared by fans of your page – and once it does, a whole new Facebook audience will suddenly be aware of your company and all the great products and services it has to offer.
You don’t have to be a social media junkie to set up a Facebook business page, but if you’re serious about using one to boost sales and website traffic, you should seriously consider hiring a consultant to manage it for you. Their expertise will allow you to reap all the benefits social media marketing has to offer, taking your company to all new heights in the process. You simply can’t afford to ignore Facebook any longer – create that business page and officially bring your company into the 21st century.
