Why Is Facebook Marketing Important?
Facebook marketing is important for one simple reason: Facebook is critical for connecting with and engaging potential, current, and past clients/customers.
So what makes Facebook special from all the other social media platforms? It’s all in the statistics. Facebook has 1.8 billion monthly active users in the U.S.! This huge population reaches an even balance of men and women:
Information sourced via Spredfast.com
The graphic below represents how many people in each age group on the Internet are on Facebook:
Information sourced via Spredfast.com
Impressive, no? With Facebook marketing, you can reach an almost even spread of men and women AND over 62% of all ages of internet users can be reached. That is why we always suggest tackling this social media beast first if your target customers represent a widespread demographic. Why not test the water?
TIP: To dive deep into the demographics of the major social media platforms, check out this awesome article from Sprout Social. Certain platforms speak to a younger, older, male or female dominant demographic, which may help you decide which social channel(s) to tackle. Overwhelmed? So is everyone else. Breeze through our straight-forward guide to help you decide what platform is best for your business. Or continue reading this blog post about getting started on Facebook.
Let’s Tackle Your Fears
You are not alone in your fears. While giving talks on Facebook marketing, we have met many, many business owners who fear investing resources in Facebook. There are many things to be scared of in life, but we promise Facebook isn’t one of them! Come out from under your desk settle in for some “business therapy.”
5 Most Common Fears (we hear) about Facebook Marketing
1) I will be putting my brand in a vulnerable position
While you cannot control people’s perceptions, you can control the message your brand is sending. You control the messaging, tone, style, frequency, and vision. You also control the images, videos, and the information you give out on Facebook. There’s so much control that it’s hard to let things get out of control.
One more thing to remember is you know who you want to attract and that is the type of person you’re showing up for. It’s okay if the content is not for everyone. No one business appeals to everyone, so why try to? Be intentional in your brand’s voice and content and you will be able to control the image you convey.
2) Facebook requires too many resources
We’ve heard it all – too much time, too much money, too much EVERYTHING. We totally get that! Facebook management can seem like a full-time job, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We recommend planning ahead, including creating and scheduling posts so you’re not feeling pressure to come up with content every day. This is all about managing your time. Sit down for an hour each month to think of ideas and get them scheduled. Out of the 2,080 hours you may work each year, only 12 of those will be spent on Facebook updates. Not bad! Or designate another employee to take on the role of social media manager. Just be sure your company’s tone and voice is clear so that everyone (see number one, above)–so that all messaging is on brand, no matter who posts.
3) “It costs too much money”
Facebook marketing can be free and does not require ANY funds to be used effectively. You can set up your page, practice scheduling updates, and get the lay of the land with ZERO investment. However, we recommend a small budget ($25-300) to help get your updates and page in front of new users. We grew a client’s Facebook page more than 900% (from 108 followers to 1087 followers) in one year, with a marketing budget of just $100 a month.
Jumping right off of wasting money…
4) Facebook marketing does not provide any return on investment
Facebook can provide a great ROI even at the most basic level of use. Building connections with the community and having them share content is more powerful than any ad you can place. You’re also building your brand image and getting your name out in front of hundreds or thousands of potential customers. According to Forrester Research, 70% of adults in the U.S. trust online brand or product recommendations from friends and family. Facebook = social currency which can mean more customers, clients, and leads, which all point to more profit for your business.
5) Posting the wrong thing or too often will harm my brand’s image
There are many factors that can harm your business’s image, but as we mentioned above, if you’re intentional, mindful, and plan your Facebook updates out, the chance of posting the wrong thing or too often can easily be avoided. We recommend posting 2 – 4 times a week at a maximum, but that does not mean if you post more it will necessarily hurt you. Sometimes events come up and require more updates or maybe you just have timely posts that shouldn’t wait. Try posting different times a week, and monitor the “Insights” tab on your business page to see which types of posts and times are performing well. Figure out what works best for your business’s audience and page and go with the flow! Don’t fear testing different methods and strategies–just make sure you are testing them one at a time so you can zero in on what factors are working.
What’s stopping you?
Now that we’ve shared the power of Facebook marketing and addressed your fears, what else is in your way? You see an opportunity you want to grab but maybe you still aren’t sure how. That’s where we come in.
