Using Facebook’s Tools #1
for Small Business to reach Customers
from USA Today 5/30/13 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz
Yellow Pages >> Facebook – which has taken over as a lot of businesses as the primary vehicle for keeping awareness of their business in front of the public. And there’s a lot more to managing a Facebook business page than what it originally seems. You have to ask customers to “like” your establishment. The Facebook “like” is a vote of confidence, online word of mouth. You need active involvement of your Customers to grow your business. Unless you keep Customers actively involved, a ‘like’ doesn’t go very far.”
Facebook’s Power. With more than 1 billion members, is by far the largest social network. If Facebook were a country, it would be slightly smaller than China & India – the two largest. Because of its size, Facebook has become the most important first step for any small business’ social-media plans. It regularly updates products that small businesses can use to attract customers. Beyond the “like,” here’s some of the. . .
new FACEBOOK tools
• Graph Search. Introduced in Jan 2013 and currently only available to a small percentage of Facebook users, Graph Search lets you query the social network for Facebook members “likes” on favorite restaurants & local businesses. Facebook says the tool, when fully implemented, can make it easier for people to discover your Facebook page and learn about your business. Facebook’s director of small business, says: “It’s imperative that businesses take the time to update their listings to make sure they show up in Graph Search”. You should have a current address, phone number & operating hours on your Facebook page. “In the same way that having a Web page really mattered 10 years ago, being part of Graph Search and having your company “discoverable” is really important today”.
• Promoted Posts. Businesses can profit from their “likes” by creating ads that appear in the News Feeds of folks who have liked them — and in the News Feeds of their friends, as well. “It’s a simple, easy way to increase your reach,” says the Director of the service launched last year. The budget is based on how many folks an advertiser wants to reach, and can be targeted via location, age & interests. It can start at $5 a day”.
• Mobile App Install Ads. For businesses with their own apps, Facebook offers a paid way to get customers to download the App via an Ad that redirects consumers to the iPhone App Store or Google Play.
(Check-in and other Tools featured in the Premium Content)