Is Facebook Right For My Business?

You know the saying “If I had a £ for every time someone asked me about…”, right?

That question for me is “is Facebook right for my business?”.

It’s something I’ve been asked consistently ever since I started networking and people were discussing marketing and social media. Generally, I’ve found that people fall into two camps “it doesn’t work at all” and “yes, it’s essential”.

I fall into the latter, I believe that a Facebook business page is important to have as a small business owner, but there’s so much more to Facebook than that, and that’s what I want to talk about today.

Is your target audience using Facebook?

That’s the first question I ask anyone wondering if Facebook is right for their business. It doesn’t matter if they’re not, in my opinion.

Your Facebook page will still give them that additional info they’re looking for to check out if a business is real. Often, when we ask for recommendations on Facebook, we’ll quickly search for the business to see what comes up and use the page to determine how genuine the business looks, any testimonials, reviews, recent posts, etc.

Having a Facebook page for your business will give your potential clients peace of mind that you are a legitimate business and able to deliver what you say you will.

Using Facebook doesn’t have to be about marketing

If you are wanting to use it as a marketing channel and you know that your audience is using Facebook, ask yourself if you have the time and money to spend on the platform. Organic reach for Facebook posts is low as they want you to spend on ads. While Facebook ads can be very effective at reaching new leads, it’s not right for everyone.

I’d always recommend scoping out where your target audience hangs out most often. If it’s LinkedIn and Twitter focus on creating content for those platforms as a priority, and use Facebook for key posts such as a new blog, promotion, etc.

You need to be creating unique content for every social media channel that you use, rather than cross-posting everything. It can take a lot of time and effort so working out the best channels for your business is the best way to be efficient with your marketing efforts until you’re ready to outsource.

Facebook groups are a great way to establish your credibility as a business owner

I personally use Facebook for networking in groups and keeping in touch with my clients, suppliers and other local business owners as much as I do for social media marketing. You can argue that it all falls under the “marketing” category but I find giving value and being helpful is getting me better results than anything else right now.

Facebook is pushing groups big time at the moment, and you’ve probably been told that you should have a group of your own. I’m not necessarily sure that’s the right route for every business owner to take but participating in groups is vital.

Just as you attend physical networking events to get to know others and become known yourself, groups serve a similar purpose in Facebook. Those promotional speeches are often frowned upon though as groups are about the value-based conversation, help and support that you can offer other business owners and receive in return. Just turning up to groups once or twice a day, answering questions and generally being helpful can give your credibility a real boost and emphasise the expertise you have in your field.

Don’t feel pressured to use Facebook though

I am a big fan of Facebook for promoting yourself and your business, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. If you really don’t want to spend time on Facebook, know that your target audience is elsewhere and you feel it’ll be a waste of time, you don’t have to use it.

If you do have the time to spare and want to boost your credibility, website’s SEO and be known as a leader in your industry, then Facebook business pages and groups are certainly a method that’s worked well for me.