5 Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Facebook Page

Social media is a big deal – it can also be overwhelming, particularly for someone who doesn’t have any experience using it. It’s really not that bad if you take the time to break it down and tackle one area at a time. Last month we covered how LinkedIn can benefit small businesses. Today we’d like to point out how important having a Facebook page can be as well. Facebook is fast becoming one of the most powerful social media marketing tools for business owners. The best part is it’s free! If that’s not compelling enough, here are 5 reasons your small business needs a Facebook page.

Getting to know you…

Ok, before I launch into the full-blown rendition of the show tune (and trust me, you don’t want to hear it), the song always comes to mind when it comes to Facebook because it’s such a useful tool in terms of really getting to know your customers. Just imagine being able to engage all of your current and potential clients at the same time with the click of a button. There’s no way you could do that in person. But you can on Facebook. And we all know that learning about and understanding the needs of your customers is the most important way to keep them happy and coming back.

And the winner is…

Want an easy way to get people talking about your business? Launch a contest or giveaway. Let’s face it – people LOVE free things. You’d be surprised how just offering a free hour of service or a product giveaway will have people clamoring to be the big winner, no matter what the prize. I can say this because I’m one of those people. Facebook makes running contests super easy, and it’s a fantastic way to increase visibility and word-of-mouth marketing for your business.

Good ol’ competition...

Even if you’re not the least bit tech savvy and think social media marketing is a huge waste of time the simple fact remains that if you are holding out, you’re missing out. Why? Because chances are very good that your competition has already jumped on the bandwagon. If you’re not prepared to join them and make your own online presence known you are most certainly going to lose business as a result. Remember, if they can’t find you they’ll find someone else.

Reach for the stars…

Ok, if you don’t want to take my word for it on how impactful having a business Facebook page can be, consider this little fact: at present there are over 800 million active users on Facebook. Yes, I said 800 million. Can you seriously afford to lose out on reaching that many people?!? Even if a small chunk of those are people in your area, the odds are still in your favor. Seriously - there has never been an easier way to reach so many people with little effort.

Rubbing cyber elbows…

Any small business owner worth his weight knows the importance of networking. Facebook is a great way to connect with other businesses in your area and show some support for one another. You “like” their page, they “like” your page and it’s one big happy cyber family. And if you took my advice about connecting and forging partnerships with other complimentary businesses, this is a ridiculously easy way to do so.

What on earth are you waiting for?

By now you should be sufficiently convinced that your small business needs a Facebook page. So where do you start? There are a ton of helpful tutorials online (like this one, complete with a handy dandy video) that should help get you off the ground. Take your time, get to know the platform and do everything you can to get the most out of it. You won’t be sorry. Oh, and once you’re up and running, feel free to drop over and “like” Synclio on Facebook. See you there!

Labels: small business tips, social media marketing