How to use Facebook for business? | Everything you need to know

Facebook is the largest and most prominent social media platform, so it needs to play an important role in any businesses social media strategy. Every business should have a Facebook business page as it’s the perfect way to promote your products and services, boost brand recognition and increase customer support.

So, who is on Facebook these days…

• There are 2.79 billion Facebook users globally
• Facebook has 44.84 million users in the UK
• Facebook is used more than once by 44 percent of the UK online population
• The largest age group using Facebook in the UK is aged 25 to 34 years old, with 11.2 million users
• 52% of users are women and 48% are men

[Source: Statista]

What is a Facebook business page?

A Facebook business page is a great way for you to connect with your customers (both existing and potential) and share new and relevant information about your business, products and services as well as communicating key updates and upcoming events. It’s a free web page that you can use to expand your online presence, raise brand awareness and boost customer support and engagement.

Just like a personal Facebook profile page, your Facebook business page allows you to post updates to your timeline, add stories and send and receive messages. You’ll also be able to get notifications and like, share and comment on other Facebook users and pages content as well as engaging with customers on your own page.

When thinking about setting up a business page on Facebook and implementing a social media strategy it’s important to remember Facebook isn’t about the hard sell. Your goal in using Facebook for your business is to let customers get to know the people behind the logo. You’ll want to portray your business in a friendly, sociable manner, as a place where customers are treated well and “everybody knows your name.”

For example, photos should illustrate not just you at your desk but Iris knitting a member of staff a cosy hat, or your staff teaming up for a fundraising day supporting a local charity. If done correctly, your users become loyal followers and Facebook can be a very significant lead generator.

How to use a Facebook business page for marketing

Engage with your Facebook audience and tell your story

Facebook is great for ‘storytelling’ in a fun, informal, professional manner. There is plenty of space for a lengthy post (60,000 characters but 1,500 is more than enough) with space for one, or even a whole album of images to capture users interests.

Develop and create varied content for your Facebook business page

You can post updates, images and event dates, and users can share your posts, comment, ask questions, click to attend events and like your business page.
Competitions are regularly featured on Facebook and are a great way to promote your business as it allows users to conveniently like and share posts in order to be entered into a prize draw without having to fill out personal details.

Listen to your audience

Social media is a great way to listen to your audience and really get a feeling and understanding for what your followers are talking about, what their needs might be and current trends. By really listening and knowing what your audience wants could help you make key business decisions such as new product or service launches.

Grow your brand exposure

A Facebook business page definitely offers great brand exposure and is now an expected platform for professional businesses to have. Facebookers who are yet to like your page can ‘stumble upon’ your posts or page if their friend(s) are ‘connected’ to you. Users are able to view all the necessary information they need to get to know you – and trust you.

Use Facebook Ads

Advertising on Facebook is one of the most popular way and cost effective ways to reach your target audience and start introducing your brand to new prospective customers. A Facebook advert can increase your brand awareness significantly within your target audience.

Benefits of setting up a Facebook business page:

• Share basic information about your business – a Facebook business page is a one stop shop to showcase your business. You can publicise your business name, address, contact details as well as introduce your services, products and staff.
• Low cost marketing channel – it’s free to set up your Facebook business page and then if you use Facebook adverts it’s a great way for the budget-savvy to reach more people with less money.
• Boost your web traffic – you’ll be driving more people to your website and attracting people who are genuinely interested in your profile, your services and company.
• Talk to existing and potential customers – a great opportunity to show your business behind the scenes and not actively ‘sell’ or promote your products or services. Share interesting and relevant images and videos from around your business and you’ll gain greater success and build long-term relationships.
• Provide customer support – customers can ask questions and staff can reply to them in a timely manner. Users are now wanting answers and information immediately, so this is a much more efficient way than staff answering telephone calls. Plus, it also allows other customers to see what’s been asked and answered so you don’t have to respond to the same thing over and over again.
• Raise brand awareness – by encouraging your followers to like and share your posts it will increase the reach of your brand and promote positive word of mouth which your followers friends will then also see

How to create a Facebook business page

Now it’s time to take action and set up your own Facebook business page. Firstly, you’ll need to ensure you’re logged in to your personal Facebook account (don’t worry, your personal information won’t be publicly visible on your business page).

You will also need to make sure you have the following information to hand:

• Your business name and description
• A profile photo and cover photo

Follow these steps to create your Facebook business page:

Step 1: Sign up

Go to www.facebook.com/pages/create

You’ll then need to update the page information on the side bar as shown

• Page name
• Category
• Description

Once completed, hit the ‘Create Page’ button.

Step 2: Add your images

Now you can add your profile picture and cover photo and save.

Step 3: Adding the detail

It’s important to include as much information as possible so that visitors have access to everything all in one place and will remain engaged and informed. Follow Facebook’s instructions and tips as they’ll lead you through what needs updating in the appropriate page sections. This will include:

• Creating a username
• Adding basic information such as business telephone number, email address, website URL, location, opening hours
• Adding additional information such as privacy policy links, products and services, company overview, price range.
• Linking to other social media business accounts
• Setting up and managing your page admins
• Inviting friends, family, customers to like your page

Step 4: Start posting!

There is not a set template that suits everyone, it is important to put together a bespoke strategy and promote your unique selling points without a hard sell. It is also worth mentioning that most companies can’t be amazing on every platform; that takes a huge amount of bandwidth and resources. Instead choose a couple that are best suited to your business and marketing objectives and be #ROARsome on them.