As a small business owner your time is precious, and I can understand why you may not be interested in Facebook. However, that may be a mistake. If you’re not convinced, here are 5 reasons why you should use Facebook.
Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are a fantastic way of getting your message out to your ideal client. It’s very easy to target who sees your ad, and very easy to set a limit to the amount you spend. Targeting is very specific, and you can target ads in many ways such as by targeting people who like certain things; people who like the same things that your existing clients like; people in a certain geographic region; and many other ways. You can promote certain posts that are getting a lot of engagement, or you can create specific ads each targeted to a specific audience, product or service.
Local exposure
A lot of people go to Facebook when they’re looking for anything. Sometimes it’s a straight search for someone, such as “plumber Brisbane”. Others will go to their contacts and ask for Recommendations. Still others will ask within their business or local groups and pages. No matter how people are searching on Facebook, if you have a Facebook page that can be linked to, you’re more likely to be noticed in the responses.
Industry groups
Many industries have Facebook groups for members to be able to support each other, help each other and sometimes to source clients from each other. These groups are sometimes less formal than groups on LinkedIn, but that often helps better relationships to form. Joining an industry group on Facebook can help you develop close relationships with others in your industry, give you access to leaders in your industry and help you keep up to date with the important things you need to know.
Local groups
Local groups are wonderful for businesses that operate locally. You can increase your local profile without advertising and get to see what’s important to your community. For example, my local community is currently very interested in businesses that are supporting environmental causes. Companies who introduce things like reusable coffee-cups, banning plastic straws and offering recycling services are noted. Businesses who are supporting any of these causes get mentioned, and gain business from being a good community member.
Regional Business Groups
Another type of local group, although generally of a larger geographic region are the regional business groups. They’re generally open to any business that operates in the region, such as Brisbane, SEQ, or Queensland. Being a member of these groups helps in a few ways. Firstly, you can learn from other businesses going through the same issues. You can ask for help from experts in the field you’re having problems with. Answer questions and contribute freely and you can place yourself as an expert in your field and become a go-to person. You can also use regional business groups to find partners in complementary businesses for joint promotions or to refer clients with.
That’s 5 reasons why you should use Facebook in your small business. It can be a time suck, but if you use it wisely the benefits are significant.
