Should My Business Be On Facebook?
With over 1.66 billion daily active users and as the 3rd most visited website in the world, Facebook is a powerhouse for businesses looking to connect with their audience. That said, with the near death of organic reach, you may be wondering if Facebook is the right platform for your company or service-- particularly if you are a small business or start up with a limited budget.
Here are some quick facts about Facebook before we dive in:
If you thought the daily activity was impressive, Facebook has 2.5 billion active monthly users. That’s a lot of potential new followers! [Source]
Users in the US and Canada only account for 10.1% of Facebook’s user base-- but make up 47.8% of it’s total ad revenue. [Source]
Men, ages 18-34, are 33% of the total, worldwide Facebook user base. [Source]
Women, ages 18-34, are a close second at 23% of the worldwide Facebook user base. [Source]
Ages 65+ is the fastest growing demographic on Facebook as of 2020. [Source]
Only about 40.5% off Teens (12-17 years old) use Facebook-- and this number is anticipated to drop to 37% by 2022. [Source]
Average time spent on Facebook is 38 minutes per day-- and this is anticipated to drop to 37 minutes in 2020. [Source]
Despite these decreases, Facebook is still the dominating social media platform worldwide. [Source]
According to Facebook, 2/3 of customers visit the page of a local business at least once a week. Here are the benefits of having a branded Facebook Page for your business:
Build Trust
No matter the size of your business, an active and well-maintained Facebook Page is necessary to build trust and showcase social proof. Social proof is a psychological term that suggests people will follow the actions and behaviors of the masses. In the case of social media and digital marketing, creating social proof has several layers:
If a potential new customer visits your Facebook Page, an active social media presence (posting daily or weekly updates) with an existing and engaged audience can increase their trust in your company as well as their likelihood to make a purchase or engage with your services.
An active Facebook Page can also boost trust for both new and existing customers if they see the company engaging with follower comments, resolving customer service issues in real time, and keeping the page updated with relevant information about the business and its products.
Finally, social proof can boost likelihood to buy a product. For example, if your company posts about a new product or collection and other followers are excited about the item-- the customer will feel assured in their interest in the product and therefore be more likely to convert.
Brand Reputation Management
Owning your company’s page on Facebook is not only beneficial in building trust, but necessary for brand reputation management. An established Facebook Page can protect your company from disgruntled customers, squatters or trolls from creating a page in your name and using it to negatively impact your business. By owning your Facebook Page, you can protect your company and ensure you-- and only those who represent you-- can speak on the company’s behalf.
While imposters may be able to create fake accounts-- owning your Facebook page will afford you the opportunity to put a stop to these pages and set the record straight to avoid possible customer confusion. It will also allow you to report these pages as impersonators to Facebook.
Customer Service
Brand reputation management is critical on social media and the internet as a whole. By owning your Facebook page, you offer frustrated customers a place to reach you directly. Providing quick, public responses that resolve any customer complaints that arise will give future customers peace of mind that should something go wrong with their order, your customer support team will make it right.
Offering customers the opportunity to reach out to you publicly on Facebook can be a double-edged sword if mismanaged. Be mindful of tone, courteous, and professional in response. While you won’t be able to resolve all customer service issues, responding in a reasonable manner will go a long way for customers who may see the complaint.
Build A Community
Authenticity is the latest in a long line of buzzwords used by social media marketers, but at its core it means communicating openly and honestly with your followers. Build a community of invested brand fans by using your Facebook Page as a space to humanize your company. From featuring challenges the business is experiencing and letting customers know what they can expect from your organization(Hello, COVID-19) to applauding your team members on their wins, customers that feel invested in your company’s success will convert and spread the word.
To engage existing followers organically, use Facebook offerings that are largely unaffected by the algorithm-- like Facebook Stories and Facebook Live. Most importantly, when you craft the caption on your posts, include a clear call to action like “Tell us in the comments below” (engagement) or “Shop now” with a link to the product (conversion) to ensure your post is driving the action intended based on your goals.
Advertising Opportunities
While organic opportunities are slim on Facebook, the advertising opportunities are vast.
“That frequency of usage continues to make Facebook an attractive place for marketers,” said eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson. “This year, US marketers will invest $28.52 billion on the platform.”
If you have the budget to invest in ads, get the most bang for your buck by utilizing look-a-like audiences based on owned customer email lists and data gathered from the Facebook pixel on your website. If you haven’t installed the pixel on your website, do so today to ensure you’re taking full advantage of all the platform has to offer. Click here for a how-to guide on installing the Facebook Pixel.
SEO Benefits of Facebook
Facebook Pages are indexed by Google and therefore provide an SEO boost to your website. Use your posts as an opportunity to drive traffic to your website including blogs, resources, or something as simple as the about page. Be sure to craft a caption and use an image or video that is relevant to the page you will be landing traffic on as bounce rates can have a negative impact on SEO.
Plus, if you optimize your profile with rich content about your brand and use relevant keywords, your Facebook Page will show up when someone searches for your company on a search engine-- potentially knocking competitors out of the prime first page real estate.
While there aren’t many drawbacks of creating a Facebook Page for your business, here are some things you may want to consider before signing up:
Content Quality
As mentioned, organic reach on Facebook is almost extinct, however, Facebook insists that the algorithm rewards two things: quality of content and consistency. Posting for the sake of a post on Facebook-- or any social media channel-- is not a best practice. If bandwidth is an issue, but you know the platform is important for your business, create a reasonable and consistent content strategy. One-high quality post per week is far better than low quality content posted daily. Need a little help planning your social media calendar? Download our free content calendar template for 2020 here.
When all else fails and there are too many other aspects of the business that require your focus, ask for help. Whether that comes in the form of a short-term social media marketing consultant to get your Facebook page and strategy on track, or a local content creator who can create fresh content for you to schedule ahead of time, there’s an option out there for you.
Set It and Forget It Mindset
Facebook is not a platform you can set up and forget. It requires monthly maintenance at minimum to ensure your page has the most up to date information about your company. If a customer arrives at an inactive page with outdated content-- they may wonder if you’re still in business or a reputable company.
An inactive Facebook can also turn into an active public relations nightmare. Install the Facebook Page app on your phone and turn on notifications. The app will alert you to new comments, mentions, and tags, allowing you to manage customer service needs or thank customers who leave you positive feedback. If a potential customer comes to your page in search of reassurance that your company is reputable and sees negative reviews and unanswered customer questions or complaints, they will likely take their business elsewhere.
Overselling on Your Facebook Page
Your Facebook Page should be a place the customer can get to know your business on a meaningful level. Create content that adds value to their feed by linking to resources, creating how-to guides, and sharing behind-the-scenes details that those who don’t follow them will miss out on rather than overselling. Follow the rule of thirds-- every 3rd post can be about selling your product or services and the other 2 should add value.
Your Audience Isn’t on Facebook
While it’s still a good idea to own your Facebook Page and keep it up-to-date, if you’re a very niche business like a plastic manufacturer or deal primarily in business-to-business (B2B) transactions, Facebook may not be the best use of your time. A site like LinkedIn or Alignable may be the better option to connect with other businesses and engage with current or potential employees.
Takeaway: should my business be on facebook?
When deciding if Facebook is right for your business, there are a lot of considerations. At Ice Cream Social Media Co., we advise our clients that owning their usernames or handles on all social media channels is always a best practice. This simple act can save future headaches-- and potentially millions of dollars.
Got your Facebook Page up and running, but need some help with optimization and strategy? Email us today and let’s chat about how we can help you achieve your goals and reach your audience.
How do you use your Facebook Page as a part of your overall marketing strategy in 2020? Tell us in the comments.