How to use Facebook for your business

Facebook might not have had an easy ride of late. Media outlets have been grilling the company on issues like fake news, bots and privacy for users. However the platform does a huge amount of good too. It is an incredibly effective tool that if used right, can be extremely helpful for small businesses and entrepreneurs. If you’re passionate about what you do then there really is no better place to show this than on Facebook.

But how does this all work? You don’t just create a page and expect people to flock in their droves to you. That’s not how it works, so you really need to understand the ins and outs of what a business like yours can do to drive people to your page.

Get the branding right on your page

Let’s get started with the visuals, because a plain page with zero branding isn’t going to achieve much. With this in mind, make sure images for your cover photo and profile picture reflect your brand. Include your company logo in the profile picture. The cover photo should contain something that says something about what you do. For instance, if you sell art then zoom in on one of your most popular pictures. Now you’ll have something which will capture your audience's attention.

Call to action

Ever heard of a call to action? This might sound like annoying marketing speak, but it’s actually really simple. This is literally just asking your people to do something. In the case of your business, it might be getting someone to sign up to your mailing list; subscribe to your blog post; like your page; or even get a free sample. Whatever it is you are requesting your audience to do, make sure your Facebook page tells them this. Your business page must have a purpose that takes them directly to your site. Otherwise you won’t be getting very much business.

In the publishing tools section, Facebook allows you to create very clear calls to action before you publish a post. This includes messaging such as sign up, shop now and download. This ensures that everything you post has a clear intent, which is to drive business and interest.

Engage with your audience

Have you heard the saying 'the best things in life are free'? Of course you have. So it’s time to apply this thinking to your Facebook page. Give your audience content worth shouting about which is free of charge and relevant to them. Create fun and interesting content that will get your audience coming back for more. Ask questions; share articles; post videos; the list of what you could share is literally endless. For this reason, it is important that you get an idea of what your audience wants and what they are interested in - which leads us nicely to the next point.

Know your audience and plan accordingly

Time to take one step back. Before you post content, it’s worth trying to get a good idea of what people want. Not easy but very doable. A great tool that you can use is Facebook Audience Insights. This tool is used primarily for people using Facebook Ads to target consumers. However, you can still use this excellent feature to get a break down of your audiences habits. This feature will allow you to look at factors such as demographics, likes and general activities. For more detailed information on Audience Insights, you can learn more in this Facebook insights guide from WithinTheFlow or check out this helpful guide from Hubspot.

Paying it forward

Unlike other marketing platforms, Facebook does not require you to spend a fortune to have an effect and reach your customers. For a minimal amount (let's say £20), you can boost one of your posts so that it can reach an even wider audience. We would recommend doing this for a piece of content that has been popular already. When you boost a post, you'll be allowed to target the demographic and also things like age, gender and interest. This way you know that your post will be seen by the right audience.