There was a while there when everyone was telling you “You have to get on Facebook.” If you asked why, you probably didn’t get a very good response. There’s a reason for that.
Using Facebook for Your Business
You can use Facebook for your business – for some businesses it makes a lot of sense. But for many, many businesses, investing a lot of time and money into Facebook makes very little sense. Will likes, shares and comments within Facebook really benefit your business?
Before you decide whether or not to spend time with Facebook, you should decide how you want to use it.
3 Ways to Use Facebook For Your Business
There are basically three ways to use Facebook for your business:
Using Facebook as a Person for Your Business
If you are your own brand – for example, you are a therapist – it’s possible that you can use Facebook effectively for your business while only using your personal profile.
Upside: You can use Facebook more actively than a business and you can engage with Facebook Friends, and Facebook Friends of Facebook Friends, in ways businesses cannot.
Downside: Your family and your actual friends that you are Facebook Friends with will likely find your constant business promotion annoying.
Basically, you should only use your personal profile for your business if you have no interest in the social aspects of Facebook.
Facebook Business Page
A Facebook Business Page is the official way businesses use Facebook. Every brick-and-mortar business should a Facebook Business Page, brands likely should to, and if your business is a pop-up style, you should definitely have one. The question isn’t whether or not to have a Facebook Business Page. Rather, the question is, how much time to devote to it. I have discussed the Facebook Business Page here.
Facebook Ads
Like all pay-per-click (PPC) ads, Facebook ads have both their downside and their upside. Facebook ads are significantly different than search engine and website ads. Customization and targeting are quite different (and arguably superior) but you must ask yourself a simple question: do you really want to pay for Facebook page and post likes? Is there any value in that? For many businesses, there is no value in Facebook ads. It really depends upon how you are using your business page.
I have discussed PPC ads in detail here.
Should You Use Facebook for Your Business?
Not sure whether or not you should use Facebook for your business? I can help. Contact me to discuss the pros and cons of Facebook and other social media for your business.