There are more than a billion users on Facebook—more than a billion! And, you’re probably one of them. If you have a business and want to reach as many people as possible, you need to be on Facebook—it’s a no-brainer.
Let’s talk about easy to implement strategies for promoting your business on Facebook as well as some essential Do’s and Dont’s to consider.
First, let’s define the difference between a Page and a Profile.
A Page is your Business Page. This is where all the business magic happens and where you’ll post your promotions, services, videos, and links to your website.
A Profile is your Personal Profile. This is where you connect with college friends and post pictures of your sweet, adorable kittens.
Now that *that* is out of the way, let’s dive into the details to make sure you’re using the Facebook platform to the fullest advantage.
I see a lot of people with two Profiles. One that they use for personal and one for business. Not to mention, a Page will give you essential business insights that a Profile can’t. Don’t miss out on the valuable analytics!
ProTip: Did you know that using a personal profile for business is against Facebook Terms “and you could permanently lose access to your account if you don’t convert it to a Page?”
So, besides the obvious—Facebook’s terms and possibly losing account access, why should you opt for a Page instead of a Profile?
Your Profile is limited to 5,000 friends. That means, as a growing business, you won’t be able to connect with an endless amount of prospective clients. And, isn’t that kind of the whole point of being on social media?
It’s not totally trustworthy. When people see that you have two Profiles, it looks pretty suspicious. What have you got hiding back there, eh?
Profiles are not enough to represent a business. With Profiles, you don’t have access to Facebook Tabs, which are used to explain more about your business. Examples of these Tabs include About, Services, Reviews, Events, and Video.
The power of ads. You can’t run ads with a Profile. For that, you need a Page. Ads allow you to reach a targeted group of people at a price that fits your budget. Running an ad can mean the difference between reaching 50 people or 50,000 people.
You won’t get shut down. This is a biggie and one that I’ll repeat over and over again. You are at risk of losing access to your account if your Profile is for a business. Why risk it?
Are you using your Profile for business and are ready to give Facebook Pages a try? Here's information and the steps you'll need to easily convert your Profile to a Page.
Once you’ve published your page, you’ll want to publish content! Here are 3 content ideas to help you get started:
Expert tips - Share accounting, app-related, or tax tips with your followers! You can do this as a graphic, as a text post, or video.
Publish a blog or video series - We all read blogs, and we all know that video is big right now, and it’s not going anywhere! A weekly video series is a great added bonus to your page’s content, and will keep followers coming back for more. For example, as businesses prepare for tax season, it would be a great time to showcase your tax knowledge with 3-4 minute videos sharing tax tips for your target market.
Publish resources - If you find an article, an app, or other resource that would be beneficial to your followers, post it and let them know why this is need-to-know info.
Don’t forget to publish your own blog posts!
When your Page is up and running, be sure you’re posting consistently as this will help increase engagement. And, if you’re worried about your friends missing out on your posts, share them with your Profile. That’s not against any guideline!
If you’re proceeding with caution when it comes to building your Facebook page, contact me today for a free consultation on your social media strategy! We’ll make sure your Page is up and running, and working hard for your business in no time.
