Should my business have a Facebook page?
Should my business have a Facebook page?
Facebook is cool and fun and it can be a great tool for business. But it’s not right for every business. Before you decide to with use Facebook, ask yourself a few questions about your business and your customers:
Who is your target audience is?
Who you are selling to? If you’re trying to reach a consumer audience and expand your customer base of consumers, then Facebook is probably a good place to be. However, in general, Facebook doesn’t offer a lot of value for business-to-business marketing. BBGS chose not to have a Facebook page, relying on other social networking sites in its online strategy. Facebook is also not a great way to reach buyers of products considered commodities, except perhaps where there are specific events that can drive traffic. (Are you a fan of your toothpaste? Probably not.)
Do your customers use facebook?
Typically you think of Facebook users as a younger audience. But that’s not always the case. Put some of your customer’s names through Facebook’s search function. See if they are using Facebook already. Also, search for businesses similar to yours. Are their pages active? Have they won a lot of fans? Are they getting messages across? If your customers are already there and talking, it might make sense to join them.
Will your brand be helped by creating a fanbase?
You don’t have to be a sports team to have fans. If you have loyal consumer customers who like your brand, they can become your fan base on Facebook. And if you want to influence the friends of people who are your fans, Facebook would be a good place to do that.
For example, Colby Ridge Popcorn started their Facebook page just a month ago and already has over 500 fans. People like traditional local brands like Colby Ridge and will sign on to be fans. Whenever one person becomes a fan, dozens of their friends will see that person becoming a fan and hear about Colby Ridge. This is great exposure and it comes from a trusted source.
Do you sell products in relationship to time?
Using Facebook is a really good way to promote your events and special sales. Do you do Mother’s Day specials? Do you host special events at your business? Facebook’s News Feed can help you with any kind of event-driven selling.
My niece Erica, for instance, is a photographer who puts on group photo session events. When one of her scheduled photo sessions wasn’t completely booked, she ran a special on her Facebook page and quickly filled up the empty time slots.
As with any business decision, consider the realistic costs and benefits before starting with Facebook. While social networking appears to be an inexpensive (did someone say FREE?) way to reach customers, consistency and involvement are the keys to making it work. Be sure to plan the time and messaging strategy as part of your overall marketing plan.
Facebook is a tremendous communications site that helps us stay in touch, have fun and build brands. Now is the time to decide if it’s right for your brand and jump in and test it. Where will it go? Nobody knows – that’s part of the fun of the ride.
Leave a Comment