Table of Contents
- Facebook has more than 2.91 billion active users, making it a vital platform for small business sales and social media marketing.
- A Facebook Business Page can connect you with customers and offer key information about your business, products, services, and upcoming events.
- Facebook Ads and Messenger Ads are highly targeted and effective ways to reach potential customers.
- This article is for small business owners interested in using Facebook to improve their social media marketing and advertising strategies.
Every little business can benefit from a Facebook bearing. With more than 2.91 billion monthly users, Meta – the Facebook company ’ s newly appoint – gives small businesses many ways to promote their services, increase customer digest, and boost sales and realization through their Facebook platform. Using Facebook for your humble occupation may seem challenging because the platform ’ randomness rules and algorithm change frequently. however, with the proper strategies, Facebook is one of the best ways to use sociable media for business. One of Facebook ’ s biggest strengths is allowing you to target a specific audience through paid campaigns and advertisements. The platform maintains a significant measure of information about its users, which can be advantageous when targeting ads. In summation, creating a Facebook Business Page can be an effective humble business selling tool. here ’ s a attend at the assorted ways to use Facebook to benefit your business and maximize your efforts.
Did you know? Facebook ’ mho business offerings used to be grouped under the Facebook for Business umbrella. now, these commercial enterprise tools are called Meta for Business, reflecting the company ’ s new stigmatization .
What is a Facebook Business Page?
A Facebook Business Page is like a rid business web site companies can build on to expand their internet presence. Like a personal Facebook profile, your Facebook Business Page includes functionality for sending and receiving messages, posting updates, getting notifications and interacting with early users ’ capacity through like, sharing and commenting. Of course, given how many companies have a Facebook presence, you ’ ll need your page to stand out from the crowd to draw significant attention to your business. If you ’ re questioning whether the work that goes into distinguishing your company on Facebook is worth it, the many benefits of Facebook Business Pages may convince you to invest the time. Key takeaway: A Facebook Business Page is a detached resource that helps you to connect with customers and grow your on-line hearing. Like e-mail retargeting, Facebook allows you to reach a captive hearing .
Benefits of a Facebook Business Page
If you create a Facebook Page for your company, you can use it to do the follow :
1. List basic contact information.
If people wonder when your earphone line or shopfront is open, they may visit your Facebook page to find out. They ’ ll besides want to know your address if you ’ re a shopfront or your support-line e-mail if you offer services remotely. A Facebook Business Page is a one-stop patronize for listing all of this information .
2. Engage new and longtime customers.
not even your most loyal customers see what happens inwardly your occupation on a daily basis – that is, unless you regularly share elucidating sociable media content with them. A Facebook Page is a bang-up place to post shots from inside your shopfront or behind the scenes with your patronize team. You can besides boost customer employment by updating followers on new products and discounts .
3. Know your audience.
When you have a Facebook Business Page, you ’ ll have access to audience insights and demographics. You can use the data provided to inform a robust demographic market scheme and better target your campaigns .
4. Lessen marketing costs.
Starting a Facebook Business Page is free, and many extra Facebook market and analytics features are either spare or cheap. Integrating a Facebook Business Page into your marketing design is a budget-savvy direction to reach more people – potentially an hearing of billions – with less money .
5. Boost web traffic.
By linking to your company ’ mho web site on your Facebook Business Page, you ’ ll drive more traffic to your web site. The more people you get to your web site, the better the chances of people reading in-depth descriptions of your products and services. Better even, if you sell products on-line, people who jump from your Facebook Business Page to your web site might even buy something .
6. Improve SEO.
Facebook Business Pages are good for more than just your social media presence ; they ’ re besides a boon to your rankings in search engine queries. Tip: When your company web site is Google mobile-friendly, you ’ ll do better in search locomotive rankings, because Google prioritizes mobile page load speed as a cardinal metric .
How to create a Facebook Business Page
now that you know some of the benefits of having a Facebook Page for your business, it ’ second time to start creating one. Follow these steps to set up your page :
1. Create your Facebook Business Page.
The first gradation in creating a Facebook Business Page is to ensure you ’ re setting up the right type of score. Remember that you are creating a Facebook Page, not a Facebook profile. A profile is a personal Facebook account designed to contribution personal data and photograph with friends and family. Pages are public profiles that let businesses and populace figures connect with fans and customers. Users just have to “ like ” a page to start seeing updates from the page on their News Feed. Go to Meta ’ south Set Up a Facebook Page weblink to get started .
2. Answer questions.
To create a Facebook Business Page, you must already have a personal visibility and follow the on-screen instructions. When creating a page, the company will ask for some information, such as a category to describe your page and your business ’ south name, address and telephone number. It ’ sulfur crucial to include as a lot information as possible so that customers can well recognize your page and find information about your occupation .
3. Add profile and cover photos.
You have the option to upload profile and cover photos to your Facebook Business Page. It ’ south well commit to do so, as attractive graphics and a ocular mark star to better engagement rates with your content .
4. Fill in the appropriate Page sections.
You can add many sections to a Facebook Page, but not every section will be a good fit for your business. here are some sections you should consider adding :
- Home: This section is where all your updates and posts live. It’s also the first section users see when they visit your Page.
- About: The About section is one of the most essential parts of your Facebook Page. Fill it out with your address, business details, contact information, hours and website URL. Many people go online to find specific information about a business; don’t let your potential customers down by keeping this page blank.
- Community: The Community section is where posts, photos and videos from customers show up. Customers can also check out your store here. This is an excellent place for your audience to interact and learn more about your company.
- Events: You can create event pages and promote upcoming events in this section. Once you create an event on Facebook, you can invite people and share specific information about it all in one place.
- Info and ads: This section is designed to add transparency to your Page. It shows your followers any Facebook ads you’re currently running.
- Offers: You can post discounts or deals in this section. This is an easy way to encourage people to come to your Facebook Page. Ask customers to like your Page and find a deal on it.
- Posts: This section shows all your posts, including timeline photos and updates.
- Reviews: Under the Reviews tab, customers can write a review and indicate if they would recommend your business. Ratings show up at the top of your Page. Although you can hide the Reviews tab, you may not want to, as it provides valuable feedback to you and potential clients. Reviews help verify your business and make it easy for customers to recommend your products or services.
- Services: You can showcase your services in this section. You can also add information about your specialties – including photos, descriptions and pricing.
- Photos: The Photos tab features the images you’ve posted on your timeline.
- Shop: You can add your inventory to this section so users can buy your products directly from Facebook. Sales are sent to your bank account, and it’s an easy way to start dabbling in e-commerce.
Did you know? One little-known Facebook benefit is that it has been shown to boost employee productivity. A 10-minute Facebook break at work can make workers happier, healthier and more fat .
What are Facebook ads and boosted posts?
If you ’ rhenium having problems reaching users organically, try paid ad options like promote posts or Facebook ads. Boosted posts are posts you place on your Facebook page ; you pay a fee to “ boost ” the post to a target audience. On the other hand, Facebook ads offer more functionality and placement choices. Boosted posts and Facebook ads make it easy to target a specific hearing. aim people who like your page or section by placement, age, sex and interests. Because the platform collects exploiter data, it can target your ad to those most likely to be concerned in your product or service .
Should you use boosted posts or Facebook ads?
Boosted posts and Facebook ads can both be valuable elements of your commercialize strategy. here are some benefits of hike posts :
- Simple tactic: Boosted posts are the simplest way to advertise on Facebook. You choose your target audience, set a budget and determine your campaign’s length. When the post is approved, your target audience will see the post in their News Feed during the campaign.
- Online advertisement: While they have fewer customization options, boosted posts are still considered ads and will be listed as ads on your billing statement.
- Brand awareness: Boosted posts are an excellent way to build a brand, foster brand awareness, and gain comments and shares.
These are key features of traditional Facebook ads :
- Customization options: You have more customization options with Facebook ads.
- Support tools: You’ll create Facebook ads in the comprehensive Ads Manager platform.
- Creative sharing: You have options like sharing the ad to Instagram, Instagram Stories and Messenger, and choosing placement locations, such as on the side of the News Feed.
- Higher control: You create and manage the ad, and select objectives like tracking conversions and lead generation. You also receive deeper targeting capabilities.
Tips for placing Facebook ads
Since boosted posts are straightforward with fewer options, we ’ ll concenter on maximizing your Facebook ads ’ potency. however, many of these tips besides apply to hike posts .
1. Set goals for ads.
Ads are most effective when they have a pass objective. A acquit objective will besides help you track your ad ’ sulfur advance and can help you assess if your market scheme needs tweak. For example, some organizations want to use ads to get people ’ second attention, while others want people to engage with content or links. Facebook defines two common ad types – dynamic and lead – to help businesses accomplish their goals. Dynamic ads promote relevant items from your product catalog and retarget them to people who have shown concern in your web site. tip ads give viewers an easy means to get the information they ’ rhenium seeking .
2. Select your audience and choose the location.
To target the compensate consultation, you need to define the ads ’ pass. Facebook allows you to adjust your audience using the comply criteria : location, demographics, interests, demeanor and connections. localization can help you with a local marketing scheme, narrowing down people in your cosmopolitan area who may find your products or services more relevant than person in a different country or nation. Demographics allows you to choose the old age stove, gender and job title of your target consultation. Use the interests, behavior and connections criteria to narrow your hearing even further. Did you know? Facebook is the most useful platform for reaching an older demographic .
3. Set your budget.
As mentioned earlier, Ads Manager is Facebook ’ s ad management tool. It allows you to purchase ads for Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network, which shows Facebook ads in other publishers ’ apps. Buying an ad requires you to create one and then submit it to Facebook ’ s ad auction. The ad auction allows you to set the parameters used to deliver your ad – including your budget. You ’ ll need to determine how much money you want to spend day by day and over time. Facebook ’ randomness ad auction requires you to set a “ wish, ” which is the maximum come of money you are will to pay when person sees or engages with your ad .
4. Create compelling ad copy.
In marketing, everything ultimately comes back to how effective your copy is, and Facebook ads are no different. Regardless of what type of ad you choose to run, the copy you write must speak directly to your ideal customer and make them want to listen to you. To do this efficaciously, you have to know precisely who you are targeting and what you want them to do.
here are the primary written components of your ad :
- Headline: Start with the headline. Don’t fill it with a boring list of features or blatant marketing jargon. Instead, make it conversational and engaging. When developing your ad, the field listed as the headline is essentially the first sentence above the image; it needs to be as good as the first line in your favorite novel if you want people to keep reading instead of scrolling past.
- Description: Use the description field to combat any anticipated objections. This text will be prominently displayed beneath the image and is easily visible without the viewer clicking to read more. If viewers learn that your offer is completely free or has a money-back guarantee as they are scrolling, you may get them to stop and reconsider.
Keep in mind that the imitate you write will likely need to be changed for different audience segments even if the extend is the same. additionally, it ’ s substantive to try out different combinations and test them to determine the most effective. Tip: Prioritize simplicity in on-line ads. simple ads are more effective at capturing care than building complex ones .
5. Use images and video.
You need eye candy if you want people to pay care to your replicate. This can be a carefully curated visualize that visually articulates your offer or brand, or it can be a video that people will want to watch. If you use stock images, use high-quality images relevant to the advertise replicate. Facebook has respective persona and text rules about persona types and the proportion of words allowed on ad images. It can much be more effective to opt for video for your Facebook ads. People love to watch videos on-line, and editing video recording is easier than ever thanks to the growing field of user-friendly video-editing apps. Tip: When using videos and images in your ads, be certain to avoid copyright misdemeanor, or the creator could hold you apt. Find a free-use prototype or get the subject godhead ’ randomness license first .
6. Create Messenger ads.
Messenger ads are still in the Wild West commercialize phase, making it the ideal time to jump on the bandwagon. The fantastic thing about Messenger ads is they are delivered directly to customers ’ Messenger app, along with messages from their friends, co-workers, and class. It ’ s an intimate space that distillery feels very personal, primarily because few businesses use this platform. It is all-important to keep this touch of closeness at the forefront of your mind when creating ad experiences for Messenger. To do this efficaciously, you ’ ll want to utilize a chatbot servicing to build full campaigns. This action allows you to ask your subscribers a interview or offer them something of value. You can then create an automated experience that moves them further along the sales funnel in a means that feels less like a sales lurch and more like a supporter put up advice .
7. Learn the fundamentals of Facebook advertising.
Facebook ad-targeting specificity has come a long way in the last few years. early on, there were a few haphazard approaches to creating Facebook ads. now, the platform allows you to choose the type of ad campaign you want to run, detailed objectives and customs audiences. You can besides run multiple versions of the same ads to determine which is more effective and limit the total you spend by carefully allocating your budget by day and ad. If this all sounds complex, that ’ south because it is. It ’ s all-important to take your fourth dimension and learn the fundamentals of setting up your campaign by rights. Stunning copy and attention-grabbing graphics are no long enough. It ’ s good to understand how Facebook ads work, but if you don ’ t have the clock time to stay on top of them and their updates, seek help from a seller who is skilled with them. Tip: Some utilitarian tips for hiring a marketing company are to seek references, consider diligence expertness and necessitate for influence samples .
How to use Workplace
Workplace has been on the market for a few years and has seen rapid adoption by organizations of all sizes worldwide. According to Meta, more than 30,000 companies use Workplace as their inner team collaboration joyride. think of Workplace as a supercharge company intranet. It ’ randomness designed to look and feel alike to Facebook, making it straightforward for employees to use. The familiar central News Feed is the instrument ’ s primary coil hub. These are some of Workplace ’ s most helpful functions :
- One-on-one video calls or instant messages via the system’s Work Chat
- Project- or department-based groups to centralize communication and facilitate collaboration
- Business application integrations – such as Microsoft Office and Dropbox – that allow users to share presentations, files, and images within Workplace, and make live edits to documents
- External team collaboration, which is great for organizations that partner with outside companies on deliverables
- Livestreaming video capabilities, which are helpful to companies with remote or traveling teams, as you can easily share meetings and announcements with employees at the click of a button
- Video conferencing platforms and collaboration tools (for example, integrating with BlueJeans lets users join meetings from a phone, laptop or tablet while they’re on the move)
Getting started with Workplace
Follow these steps to get started with workplace :
- Activate and set up your profile. Activate your profile through email or an access code. If you receive an email to join Workplace, click the link and follow the instructions to set up your profile. If your employer gave you an access code, go to Workplace.com and create your account using the code.
- Download the Workplace and Workplace Chat apps. These apps allow you to stay in contact with your teams and be notified of any important updates. Download these apps on iOS and Android devices.
- Join and create groups. Workplace groups foster communication between work teams. When creating a group, you should determine the purpose and privacy setting.
- Communicate through chat. If you want to communicate with someone faster and in real time, the Chat feature will be more beneficial than posting to the group.
- Manage your notifications. You can change your notification settings to ensure you’re getting the ones you need most while muting the ones you may not need to see.
Best practices
After setting up your business ’ sulfur Facebook Page and working with the company ’ s other business tools, it ’ second meter to create content and engage with your followers. here are some tips on using Meta ’ sulfur clientele tools to market your products and services most effectively .
1. Respond to messages.
With Messenger, it ’ s promptly and easy to reply to customers ’ messages. Your inbox is located at the top of your page when you ’ re signed in as an administrator. Messenger is a tool and customers expect you to use it. In fact, the company tracks your Pages ’ reaction rates and times therefore customers know how promptly they can expect an answer. Messenger is attractive to customers because they expect a fast response, and many people are more comfortable with know chatting than calling. Facebook recently announced an effort to merge the message tools on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. This motion emphasizes the importance of using Messenger and these other tools to communicate with customers and answer questions from your followers .
2. Use analytics to determine the success of your campaigns.
Facebook Audience Network is a loose analytics cock. It shows data on actions taken, Page views, the issue of people you ’ ve reached and the number of post engagements. This information can help you measure the effectiveness of your social campaigns so you can decide how to improve your posts .
3. Use publishing tools and schedule future posts.
Use Facebook publish tools to schedule posts to go populate in the future. You can besides create videos, advertise your business, promote an event, make an offer, write a bill and post job applications on your Facebook page. It ’ randomness crucial to post regularly – at least doubly a workweek. If you find that you ’ re spend excessively much time on Facebook each day, try a third-party social media management tool – such as Hootsuite or Buffer. While creating and scheduling multiple posts takes time upfront, it saves you time in the long run .
4. Know your target audience.
Facebook has excellent target tools. When promoting a mail, you can target specific demographics, locations and interest groups. To have successful ads, you need to know your target audience and habit Facebook ’ s targeting tools to reach those likely customers .
5. Be personable, not just promotional.
even though you ’ ve created a Facebook Page to connect with customers and ultimately make sales, your audience doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate want to see advertisements. Try to create personable and engaging Facebook posts .
6. Offer giveaways and contests.
It ’ sulfur challenging to drive constituent traffic on Facebook, but regularly range giveaways and contests help. Before you create a contest or giveaway, make indisputable you understand and follow the party ’ second rules, or you could get in legal trouble. Did you know? There are laws and guidelines to follow when holding sociable media contests and sweepstakes. Check with the social media platform you ’ re using for specific rules .
7. Create and advertise events.
You can create events as a clientele on Facebook. Invite anyone to these events, and pay extra to promote them to a target consultation. Events can be a fun way to engage your consultation and turn them into customers .
8. Share relevant content from other sources.
It can be time-consuming to create and share only original capacity. Curating content from other sources can save time and campaign. Networking with other sources can benefit you in other ways, and they may share your content in return .
9. Converse with your audience.
Don ’ t publish a post and then not open Facebook for a week. Create and share posts to engage with your audience. react to comments, questions and concerns. If you ’ re having conversations with your followers, they ’ re more probably to become your customers. The News Feed algorithm prioritizes personal connections and engagement. In short, your posts won ’ t be seen unless they generate a conversation. Tip: If you ’ re looking to track all battle you have with your customers, consider buying CRM software for your business .
10. Highlight business milestones.
Highlight caller milestones and observe anniversaries on Facebook. These posts normally engage your hearing and will make you seem more personable. If you ’ rhenium offer special promotions for milestones or anniversaries, promote them on your page ampere well.
11. Use Facebook ads.
The best way to reach your craved audience is to run Facebook ads. While these ads price money, they ’ ra effective because you can choose your aim audience based on demographics, behaviors or touch information. Set a casual or overall budget for ads, select the sum of time an ad carry and pick your hope consultation. The chopine tracks the interactions on each promotion you run, helping you develop highly successful campaigns in the future .
12. Create and post videos.
If you ’ re scrolling through your Facebook timeline, you might notice a lot of television. That ’ south because videos do big on the platform. One way to create video recording is through Video ads, which allows you to broadcast to a big hearing for free. With Video ads, you can have real-time conversations with followers and give them an inside look at your commercial enterprise. Sean Peek, Saige Driver, Stella Morrison and Charell Star contributed to the writing and research in this article.