subject: Ten Reasons Why Your Business Needs A Facebook Page [print this page] 1. Get More Attention From Search Engines1. Get More Attention From Search Engines
One of the best things about a Page on Facebook is the ability for that Page to be indexed by the major search engines and appear in a search for your company name within days. Both profiles and Pages are indexed and considered a strong source of relevant content in the eyes of the search engines. Much like a blog where there are frequent posts of fresh content, so goes your
Facebook presence. For businesses, this can be an invaluable way to drive more traffic to your Page.
2. Tap into the Social Network Community
Another benefit of having a Page for your business is that anyone can find your business on Facebook in ways perhaps that you never dreamed of. Sure, they can find your business by doing a search, but the real beauty of Facebook is the numerous ways that your business can be found just by being part of Facebook and updating your content regularly. Friends of fans can experience your business by seeing any updates you post from your Page to their friends News Feed. Fans can share and pass along your Page to others, thereby helping you to tap into a new audience for your business with their endorsement!
3. Target a Global Digital Audience
The World Wide Web is global in nature and anyone can find your business on the Web if they know what to look for. While Facebooks membership keeps growing, you have an opportunity to get your business noticed by some of the most connected people on the Web today across the globe.
Think about your ideal customer and the hobbies and activities they enjoy. If being on the Web and being social sounds like a fit for your audience, then Facebook is the place for your business. Moreover, as Facebook builds their audience on a global basis, you are right there for them.
4. Attract Unlimited New Clients
Unlike your profile where Facebook limits the number of friends you can have to 5,000, your Facebook Page can have an unlimited number of fans. This is why you want to update your Page regularly with interesting content. If you want to attract thousands to your Page, then consider the quality and the frequency by which you can post content. This is the key to building an unlimited number of fans.
5. Engage Your Audience
Facebook is free for everyone. So why wouldnt you want to have more traffic, more awareness, more fans, and more business as a result? Adding a provocative discussion topic to your Facebook Page and inviting all your fans to comment actually allows your target audience to do some marketing for you because they can spread the word to their friends, who may not yet be a fan of your Page. In doing so, they act as the viral accelerator to your marketing free!
6. Sync Your Company Blog to Your Facebook Page
Although Facebook may be free, the need to create content to attract an audience is not. This challenge is not unique to Facebook; it affects all forms of social media and social networking. Being aware that you need a strong content creation engine is good, but be sure your content flows from one form of social media to your other forms of social media. In other words, if you have a company blog, be sure that you synchronize it with your Facebook Page so that when you post to your blog, the content posts to your Facebook Page for your Facebook audience to read.
7. Run a Promotion Just for Your Fans
When you have something to send to your entire fan base, you can do it with Facebook. This is a great way of re-engaging them with your business. If you want to run a promotion or send a discount to drive them to your offline store, you can do that. But dont forget to track your efforts; you can close the loop and have a way to track the effectiveness of this option. This could be as simple as collecting the coupon code you used, having a check box on an
order form to gauge where the lead came from, or asking the caller if they are calling into your call center. You dont want to lose the opportunity to see how much business and return on investment you can have from this medium.
8. Facilitate Fan-to-Fan Interaction
Another important consideration when thinking about starting a Facebook Page is the ability to encourage fan-to-fan interaction. Where else can you get a platform that allows your best fans to talk with each other? This can be exceptionally helpful in some industries that have complex products. Your Page can work as an outpost where fans can support each other by answering
questions and providing tips on how to make your product work better. Moreover, it works like a year-round focus group. Use your Wall to generate and actively try to keep the conversation going.
9. Host a Fabulous Event
Using Facebook Events is a great way of getting people together virtually or in person to support your local business, brand, or product. Events are also a very economical way of getting the word out beyond your normal in-house marketing list by inviting the fans of your Page (or members of your Group). Fans can also help you promote your Facebook Event to their friends by sharing the event if it seems of value to their friends.
10 Promote a Worthy Cause
Take a tip from Lance Armstrong, the world famous bicyclist, who is also known for his participation on social networks. His Facebook Page has 336,000 members. He brands himself relative to his expertise and what hes known for, being a bicyclist and the founder of LIVESTRONG. Armstrong provides up-to-date notices on his latest races, as well as videos and pictures of his current location and different bikes that he likes. More importantly, he uses his page to promote his LIVESTRONG cause. Social media is the perfect tool to unite fans around an issue that matters to you.
