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Everyday more and more companies are registering a Facebook page for their business in the hope of driving more traffic to their website and increasing their online presence.

Is Facebook really worth it and why should I bother?

For most businesses, Facebook can have a lot of value. Often, Facebook gets looked at as a time wasting platform or a website for friends to connect. The truth is that Facebook is a valuable system for businesses that are looking to stamp their footprint online and engage with their customers directly. Facebook shouldn’t be ignored – with over 500 million subscribers sharing knowledge and connecting every single day, it is one of the most visited websites in the world. Using social media marketing techniques are very important for any business who wants to engage with potential customers on the internet. More and more people are going to the web to find answers to questions about the products or services they are looking for, be it via Google or social networks. What a business should ask themselves is ‘where are my customers likely to be looking’ and ‘will there be an answer’.

Unlocking your business potential using Facebook

Creating an effective and well designed Facebook business page can provide you with many benefits, for example:

#1 – Drive traffic to your website through your Facebook page to generate leads

People who come across your Facebook page are more likely to then visit your website. Having a business page on Facebook will create more online exposure for your business.

#2 – Take advantage of Web 2.0 advertising to increase your brand awareness

Facebook as a social network has one of the largest web 2.0 populations and is mainly used for people to communicate with each other and share content (e.g. stories, photos and messages). By joining in this community and conversation you are placing your business in the best possible playground for global exposure.

#3 – Build a circle of trust and engage your customers with interactive applications, events, competitions and promotions

Ignite brand awareness and brand loyalty by engaging your customers. Regular promotions and activities which your customers can participate in will increase the amount of time they spend engaging with you, as well as increase your awareness across other social networks.

#4 – Take time to read your customer comments and understand what they are saying

Facebook is a real-time application and when customers leave comments you have the opportunity to respond to them instantly. Not only that, when you update your status, launch a marketing initiative or competition, you are able to read firsthand what your customers are thinking as well as being able to respond immediately. This shows your customers that there is a human behind the page.

#5 – Show your customers you are the experts

By sharing relevant news and content and showing that you know what you are talking about, customers will begin to trust your business. By using Facebook as a platform to share your expertise you will gain brand authority and be seen as industry experts.

#6 – Boost your chances of showing up in search engine results

Most search engines are now incorporating real-time social media posts in to their search results, which means sites like Facebook are becoming incredibly important for any search engine optimisation strategy that a business is implementing.

#7 – Use Facebook Insights to understand your customers

Specifically created for business pages, Facebook Insights enables you to look at demographics for customers on your page and track valuable statistics.

Getting support

It is important to remember that the Facebook community is dynamic and growing all the time. Using a social media consultant to devise a creative and powerful Facebook campaign can be extremely rewarding for your business. When getting started, using Facbook can seem very daunting and it’s likely that you will need the support of a local web design and SEO company who specialise in social media marketing services. Specialists in this area will be able to help you with your Facebook marketing requirements. Don’t forget to use blogs and forums where possible as there will be lots of people who are happy to provide further support and talk about their own experiences and successes carrying out different internet marketing strategies.

Image credit – Thos Ballantyne