Marketing is one of the core components of running a business. No matter its size, from the smallest mom-and-pops up to multinational corporations, a business must get information about its goods and services to the public. An entrepreneur or company can have the greatest product in the world, but, if it is not marketed correctly, no one will even know it exists. One of the first steps in successful marketing is figuring out where are the people are you want to advertise to. These days, one of the best answers to this is Facebook. Over the past decade, Facebook has become one of the most visited sites on the web, and because of this, Facebook marketing is one of the best tools a business can have at its disposal.
One of the first and easiest things a business can do when starting to use Facebook marketing is to set up their Facebook page. Randi Sherman’s The Social Calling has a good post that was written immediately after the IPO offering of Facebook, which details why businesses should still use Facebook for outreach and marketing. Having a Facebook page allows a company or business several advantages. Setting up a page will add an extra way that they can be discovered by customers when using search engines. Customers can like a business page, which in turn shows up on their feed and can be seen by all those on their friends list. A page can also help a business better identify who their target audience is, as well as anything they may have in common. Second, setting up a page allows businesses to have another vehicle for customer service. Customers can send a message requesting more information or one seeking help with any issues they may have. Also, having a page on Facebook also allows customers who are satisfied by a business’s customer service to easily share their experiences. Also, having a page can help limit the impact of negative customer experiences.
Next, having a page allows businesses to get messages out to a large number of people quickly. Customers can be engaged through a platform they are used to. They will also be able to see any informational posts from the company wishes to send to, such as new product releases and recalls. Frequent posting allows customers to build a sense of trust in a company. Having a page is not the only way that a business can use Facebook marketing, traditional ads can also be used. Ads on Facebook however, can do quite a bit more than a traditional advertisement. A business can create ads based solely on a specific target audience. Ads can also be designed to target those who have liked a business’s page, targeting those who may have similar interests. Ads can also be created to target those who may not know about a business’s page, but have interests that may be able to be met by it. Facebook ads can also be easily analyzed to see just how well or not they are working.
Using Facebook marketing, a business can get its message out fast and easy. And while how marketing is done may have changed due to the rise of social sites, many of the same core principals still can be used through using a business’s Facebook page or by the creation of ads. A page allows customers who know about a business to get more out of that relationship, and ultimately strengthens the authority and trust of that brand.