Social Media & Influencer Marketing

Getting Started with Facebook Business Pages and Facebook Marketing

Facebook has long been a useful tool for marketers. With over two billion active users, the social media platform gives brands the opportunity to cast a wide net and attract customers from all over the world.

That said, simply creating a Facebook page for your business or publishing a few targeted ads isn’t enough to leverage the platform to its full potential. To get the most out of Facebook marketing, it’s important to develop a strategy. If you’re able to, partnering with a Facebook advertising firm can help you to develop and launch a strong marketing strategy for the platform. For now, though, the following tips will help.

Why Facebook is a Powerful Marketing Tool

Again, Facebook has billions of active users. That alone is a reason enough for marketers to take advantage of it.

That said, there are many social media platforms with large numbers of users. Facebook stands out from the crowd because it offers tools that make it easier than ever for brands to target specific categories of users.

With Facebook, you can design and publish ads that will show up in the feeds of users who are most likely to be interested in your business. Click here to learn more ad targeting and creating your audience.

It’s also worth noting that the average Facebook user spends approximately 50 minutes a day using the platform. Your odds of reaching potential customers clearly increase when they’re spending nearly an hour each day on Facebook.

Of course, if you don’t understand what users expect and want from their Facebook experience, it doesn’t matter how many ads or how much content you bombard them with. In fact, if you aren’t cautious, you could even make a negative impression on users with intrusive or “salesy” posts.

According to one survey, 87% of people want to have “meaningful relationships” with brands. Facebook gives you the opportunity to cultivate this kind of connection.

Remember, most people who originally signed up for the platform did so because they wanted to forge and maintain relationships with the people in their lives. That’s what they look to use the platform for. Thus, a brand must also come across as a trustworthy friend for a Facebook marketing campaign to be successful.

To achieve this goal, remember these points when designing your page:

Creating Your Facebook Page

Facebook business pages are not the same as the personal pages the average user creates. You don’t “friend” a brand, you “like” it.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming you’ll come across as more authentic if you try to market your brand via your personal account. Although some small business owners think this is a beneficial and unique idea, it can actually get your account blocked or deleted. Additionally, Facebook business pages give marketers various tools they can’t access through a personal account.

Create a Facebook Page

Choosing the Facebook Page Type

Facebook gives marketers several options when choosing how to classify and categorize their page. Examples include Local Business or Place, Brand or Product, and Entertainment. Explore every option and choose whichever one best represents your business.

Obviously, some brands could technically be classified under multiple headings. A business owner who runs their own local shop but also wants to focus on selling a product they invented may not be sure whether to choose Local Business or Product.

If you find yourself in this situation, assess your goals and determine which option most reflects your business. Since there is no cost to setting up a Facebook business page, you could establish multiple pages if you feel you have various distinct goals.

Selecting Images for Your Facebook Page

Although you can technically operate a Facebook business page without a profile picture, cover photo, or graphics, it’s not advisable. Dynamic, brand-appropriate imagery will make your page stand out.

The nature of your business will determine what type of profile picture to choose. If you have a logo, even a rudimentary one, using it is a smart option. You can even design one for free with easy-to-use graphic design tools like Canva, which offers templates for many Facebook marketing image types.

On the other hand, if you’re a freelancer or a one-person operation, a professional headshot may be the better choice.

You should also include a cover photo. Not doing so makes it clear you’re new to Facebook. If your Facebook page doesn’t include this key graphic, it could even give users the impression that you’re an amateur at your own business.

A cover photo can consist of a larger branded image, or it can change periodically to promote relevant events or topics.

Additional elements to consider when designing your page include the description and any additional photos you may want to incorporate. Experiment with different approaches to see what’s most effective. Since Facebook allows multiple people to manage a page, you could also hire someone to assist you throughout this process.

Facebook Marketing Tactics

There are two general ways to build a following via Facebook. You can run targeted ads, or you could build an organic following by posting interesting and valuable content.

Facebook’s goal is to create an advertising platform that is as profitable as it is easy for marketers to use. Odds are good you’ll likely have to set aside some funds to pay for ads. As Facebook allows you to target customers based on numerous demographic details, take your time to plan your campaign thoroughly before running an ad.

Unfortunately, Facebook has made changes that make it even more difficult for new pages to build a following solely through organic reach. That doesn’t mean you should neglect your page, though. Targeted ads may be necessary for you to attract customers, but posting engaging content allows you to keep them by cultivating a positive relationship.

Balance these two strategies, and you’ll see why Facebook is such an effective marketing tool. Just remember that you’ll likely need to keep experimenting. What works for one brand won’t always work for another. By actively using your page, you’ll learn what’s best for your goals.

Get Started with Facebook Ads

Rae Steinbach

Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and writing (of course).

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