I get asked this question quite a bit, as Facebook seems to be a ‘safe place’ for many people, and I know exactly why. It where we hang out in our own time, where we connect with friends and families, and we are comfortable using it.
But is it enough for your business?
First things first
1. Where is your target market? If they are on Facebook then this is a good start, because you do want to be showing up where your target market is. So yes, you will need to know this first.
2. Then ask yourself, what are you doing on Facebook? Are you just posting on your page, or do you have an integrated approach? For example, do you run targeted campaigns, do you have a group or are you part of other groups growing your credibility? Because if you are just showing up and posting on your page every other day, this is NOT enough.
3. What type of content are you sharing on Facebook? Because if you think Facebook is a buying platform, you are wrong. Well typically for B2B target markets it isn’t. Because most people hang out in Facebook in their own personal time, so you need to ensure your content is personal and talks directly to them and what matters to them, rather than generic content that talks to everyone (or in most cases talks to your business).
4. Lastly, what is your objective being on Facebook? Is it talk to your followers because your business is established and you are only ‘retaining’ and entertaining your following, or is your objective to gain more followers and grow brand awareness?
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
I have never been a fan of a one-spoke approach…I like the number three. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, so you need to understand the following key parts to determine is Facebook enough for your business?
- What is the objective right now in your business?
- Where is your target market showing up?
- What are you going to do Facebook?
Let me guess, the main objective in your business right now is to ‘attract more clients’? Did I guess right because most businesses objectives are this? So, you are more likely in the awareness phase as you need to grow brand awareness of your business and in so doing Facebook can be an option, but you need to be clever what you are doing here. Growing awareness on one platform I believe is hard work, so you need to be looking at your options to speed this up. Possibly networking with people to grow your awareness, then maybe driving traffic to your website through a blog or a free event, and then supporting this you can consistently show up on Facebook. Yes, I do mean consistently 😊 But Facebook alone to grow your business awareness is a super talent and is going to take time.
As we said, it also all depends on where your audience shows up and what they are looking for. So, if your audience are typically in the B2B space, they do spend time on Facebook, but they are probably more business-oriented on a platform like LinkedIn where you can make real connections with the people you want to do business with. Or as we mentioned above, perhaps they are part of an association or group that you need to show up at or in? The double-whammy, you can be getting them where they are at both in their own time, and where they are building their businesses. Now that sounds like a good recipe.
Lastly, but the most important thing, if you still decide to be on Facebook for whatever reason, it is, maybe time and resources (or I haven’t convinced you yet). You must be smart in what you say and do on Facebook. People don’t want to hear about your products and services, neither do they want to read content that is too generic. So rather take the time to define and redefine an audience that will give you the clarity you need to create content that connects with them. Also be clever and share different forms of content whether it is a post or a Live or an interview via zoom, change things up to create excitement. And if you are showing up on Facebook, show up with intention and consider the options available to you to make the most of the opportunities. Facebook is no longer a platform to just show up on, you need to stick around, comment and engage and start building a community or be part of one if you want to be heard.
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