Help Your Business Grow with Facebook

Stop what you’re doing and go to your favorite website. It can be a store, a blog, a news site, a radio station, etc. Now look for that little Facebook button… did you find it? Chances are you did and you’ll probably see one on the majority of websites these days. Why? Facebook is growing into one of the most well-recognized and profitable sites in the world.

Remember its first inception? Back in the day when you had to be a University student to sign up? I remember signing up and thinking it was the lamest thing in the world. Compared to Myspace at the time, Facebook was boring and bland. It had no character and the only thing that made it appealing was the level of education you needed in order to even gain an account. Myspace was customizable and the social site for friends and strangers. Anyone could sign up and get their account, as long as they were at least 13 years old. Fast forward a few years. Facebook changed its design a few times, they allowed high school students and alumni to sign up and their security features grew more advanced. Myspace, on the other hand, was growing weaker. Trying to hold on for dear life, they just couldn’t escape the grasp of hackers. My lost and forgotten account was hacked and turned into a page for a 13 year old girl from Japan. There were so many kawaii .gifs! When the public became aware of Myspace’s failing security features and Facebook’s growing strength, the switch was almost immediate. One day, out of the blue, everyone had a Facebook account, and since then it has remained the top social networking site on the globe.

So, what does this have to do with social marketing and business? Everything. Remember that little button you spotted earlier? Facebook has expanded from a small social networking site into a global marketing tool for individuals and businesses large and small. With the advent of the Facebook “pages” feature, many companies have turned to Facebook to market their product, leaving their formal sites as their more detailed information hotspot. You can shop through Facebook; you can check out menus and make reservations; you can enter contests and download coupons. Facebook is helping companies grow and reach larger markets; and, with the integration between social network and website, signing up for an account is just a click away. Seriously. Nowadays, most sites requiring an account give you the option of logging in with Facebook, so there are no forms for you to fill out. This might not seem like much, but it is actually a massive marketing tool. When accessing your site is easier, it’s more likely people will actually sign up if they feel less annoyed during the process, because who likes filling out forms?

Another thing Facebook does that a normal site can’t is reach a mass number of people at once. Let’s be honest, if you’re not on Facebook at work, you’re not a normal American. Since so many people are on Facebook at the same time, on the same day, “liking” the same companies, when that group updates their status to announce a new business venture, it will automatically show up on each follower’s news feed (unless they’ve hidden them from appearing, of course) and reach X amount of people instantly. No more having to send out newsletters or write blog posts announcing it (okay, you should still do these things if you want to succeed) when you can easily click “post”. It’s simpler, it’s more convenient, and it gives you feedback. Plus, Facebook pages now have a new “insights” tab for admins. They go so much deeper than the previous insights did and provide you with analytics for almost anything you can think of. If you export a report, you’ll have a spreadsheet 20 pages long with all the numbers you need to know. If you prefer the online route, clicking on any number will pop up a graph with more detailed information.

There are so many advantages to incorporating Facebook with your business. Chances are, you’ll see an increase in traffic; and trust me, this is traffic you won’t mind getting stuck in!