With over 833 MILLION users and counting, Facebook is THE social media behemoth and is quickly changing the way businesses reach their customers and how consumers use the internet. Whether you are a Fortune 500 company or a one-man show, Facebook users represent a massive audience for your business and you can’t afford not to have a presence there.
Add to that the fact that Facebook fan pages are free and a great way to not only connect with fans and potential customers but to continue to engage them on a regular basis and you’ve got a pretty tempting proposition, right?
- Has your business ever invested in print ads? If so, what was the readership?
- Was it 833 million?
- And was the cost of that one time readership?
- Was it FREE?
Expand the Reach Of Your Business
Facebook provides fan page stats (through a tool called “Insights”) that can provide you with meaningful insight into your fans, where they live, how they engage, their interests, etc. You can also track which comments receive the most interaction so that you can continue to post content that will engage your fans.
While not all Facebook fans become customers, according to Mashable 2011 statistics:
If the average Facebook user has an average of 130 friends and is connected to 80 pages, events and groups, (Social Media Examiner), and they choose to recommend your brand on Facebook, you’ve just reached up to 130 more people, most of who share common interests and/or demographics with that fan!
A Facebook Scenario:
Imagine your best customer is on Facebook and Likes your business fan page. It’s published to all of his 130+ friends that he has just “Liked” your page. Your page now resides in his “Likes” section where his friends can see it at anytime. Now every time you post a status update on your fan page, your customer might see it in his newsfeed depending on how often he checks into Facebook. (Given that about 48% of the 18-34 age range check Facebook as soon as they wake up and about 28% before they even get out of bed and many check on their mobile devices throughout the day, there’s a very good chance they’ll see your post!)
If it’s quality content they will probably read it and if they find it interesting they might even “Like” it. Now their 130 friends will see they’ve just “Liked” your post. A few of their friends may click on it to check it out. If it’s really great, someone might even “Share” it as their own status update or a new fan might “Like” your page and the process starts all over again!
Google rankings and SEO Benefits
Beyond the benefits of connecting with your target audience, Facebook fan pages offer SEO benefits as well, because Fan pages are fully indexed by Google meaning your Facebook fan page content could come up in google search results. This not only increases exposure for your business but also for your website, assuming you have links from your Facebook fan page back to your website. Google counts back links, (links from other sites pointing to your website) as “votes” for your website, thus they help to increase your website ranking in Google search results. Google also considers the source and more weight is given links that come from higher-ranking and established websites, so links that come from Facebook, the second-most trafficked website, second only to Google itself, will likely hold more weight.
More Personal
Facebook fan pages can act as a mini-website and another means of directing traffic to your website. But they also create an opportunity for you to connect with your customers on a more personal level by sharing content, photos, videos, hosting contests, and creating groups and events. Facebook also provides apps that work as tools to let you ask questions and survey your fans, as well a check-in feature to let fans check in to your establishment and let their friends know they’ve been there. You can even setup custom deals for fans that “check-in”.
So, if you don’t have a Facebook fan page for your business, get started!
Some great resources for Facebook information, statistics and fan page tutorials:
- 2012 Facebook stats
- Social Media Examiner 2012 Facebook statistics infographic
- Great Copyblogger article full of links to various Facebook fan page tutorials and explanations
- Article and Infographic on how to effectively setup your Facebook Fan Page Timeline
Need help setting up your Facebook Fan page?
Facebook pages are free and easy to manage, but some may want help with some of the advanced features or just don’t have time to figure them out. That’s where I can help. If you need help with a custom-designed Facebook page, contact me today or click here to visit the ABC Design Lab Facebook page and check out my custom designed Facebook fan page packages and pricing.
