The Six Most Important Tips on Using Facebook for Your Small Business

Using Facebook for your business can be a good way to attract more customers, products, or services to your company. Here are some top tips for using Facebook to your advantage:

1. Use public Facebook messages to alert fans of any special offers or discounts that you are currently offering. This is a quick and free way to get your message to a large number of followers. Never rely on private messages, because some people do not accept private messages from companies or groups, and these won’t attract the attention of a wider audience.
2. Try to keep up with changing Facebook regulations with regards to business pages. For example, it is important to be aware that a new system called EdgeRank now means that your posts will only appear automatically on the feeds of about a third of your followers, unless you pay an additional fee. Depending on the type or amount of content you post, and the number of followers you have, it may or may not be worth paying to get around this with sponsored stories.
3. Be active and encourage fans to engage with your content. Invite fans to like, comment, and share by posting something they can relate to. This will make your comments practically work for themselves, as your followers’ likes and shares will appear on their own walls too. This will gain you extra exposure from all the followers of the commenter as well. Fans are more likely to share posts that include a picture, so consider using a picture which is appropriate to the content you are trying to share.
4. Ask Questions. Questions elicit responses, and people on social media always have opinions to share. Not only will the answers to your questions become visible on the commenter’s feed (therefore bringing extra attention to your brand) but you can also gain extra insight into what your customers want and need from you, and you can adapt your business accordingly.
5. Running simple contests on Facebook can work as free advertising. One simple (yet brilliant) Facebook advertising idea is to run a contest where the winner gets to be the Facebook “face” of your company or product. Invite your followers to submit photos of themselves doing something unusual (within reason!) or standing somewhere unusual with one of your products and offer the prize of being your cover photo for a few months. Narrow the photos down to your top 10, and then get fans to vote on the best one. You will gain a lot of additional exposure as the contestants rally their followers to try to get extra votes!
6. It may seem obvious, but always make sure that the information and contact details for your company are up-to-date and relevant. If people want to find the location, phone number, or email address of your business, your page may be the first place they turn to. Include a map if possible. Making it as easy as possible to get in contact with you or to find your business will encourage people to use your business.

Using Facebook to promote your small business can be a cheap and effective way to attract new customers. These important tips will help you to make the most of your Facebook page.