In the era of a digital age along with working our way out of a pandemic, there is no denying the power of an online presence. Social media has become a necessity for businesses of nearly all types. However, Facebook can be intimidating to small business owners, and understandably so. We are offering a basic guide to Facebook for small business owners, helping you navigate your way through this powerful social media platform that can bring leads and sales.
Is Facebook Good For Small Businesses?
As of the second quarter 2021, there are nearly three billion active Facebook users. The age range of users on Facebook spans pretty dramatically, although younger users tend to gravitate to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
However, if you are a service or product-based business, there is room for you on Facebook! There is also plenty of potential for you to connect to existing and even new customers.
So, how can a small business owner get started on Facebook?
Setting Up Your Facebook Profile
The first step is to set up a business profile on Facebook. You will want to use the Facebook Business Suite to get started.
Inside this dashboard, you will be able to set up your profile. You want to fill out the profile and its entirety. Be sure to include all of your contact information, including your phone number and address.
You will also want to choose a Facebook handle name, making it easy for customers to navigate to your Facebook website. Choose something that is short and memorable, or your brand name if it is available.
You will also want to make sure that you have a Facebook profile photo as well as a cover photo. Each of these photos has its own dimension requirements, so if you have a graphic designer, they will need to follow these guidelines.
What should you use for a Facebook profile photo or cover photo? Make sure it is relevant to your business. Many brands will use their logo as her profile picture. As far as the cover photo, it can be a photo of your team, your building, projects that you have done in the past, and more. This is a perfect time to highly focus on branding for your business.
Lastly, don’t forget to set up a call-to-action button. Facebook allows small business owners to add buttons to their Facebook such as Book Now or Contact Us.
How To Market Your Business On Facebook
After you spend time getting your Facebook profile set up, now comes the biggest mountain that tends to scare business owners: marketing your Business on Facebook!
While this can certainly be a mountain to climb, rest assured that there are nearly endless ideas for marketing your business on Facebook.
However, the best place to start is to consider a social media content calendar. On this basic guide to Facebook for small business owners, we’ll show you some ideas for creating a content calendar.
Tips For Creating A Facebook Marketing Calendar
The technology behind your Facebook marketing calendar doesn’t have to be complicated. You can use something as simple as Google spreadsheet or an Excel spreadsheet.
You will want to decide how many days a week that you want to post, as well as those designated days. For example, you may decide to pose three times a week, and make your schedule post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
If you are new to Facebook, you might not want to try to overwhelm yourself with too many posts. Stick to what is realistic for you to handle, even if it is once or twice a week.
What To Post On Your Facebook Page
Another major trip up for small business owners is knowing when to post on Facebook. Once again, there are nearly endless opportunities for you to use.
Before and After Photos
If you provide a service such as flooring or roofing, you can use before and after photos. Before and after photos can be incredibly powerful for building your reputation and sharing your credibility. Before and after photos also tend to get a lot of attention, which can result in shares and reaching more new customers.
Educational Content
Facebook provides a prime opportunity for sharing educational contact. When people visit your Facebook page, they might be looking either for photos or to get some questions answered. You can use this opportunity to share plenty of educational contact, no matter your industry.
For instance, you can use a single Facebook post to answer one question. If you have a FAQ page on your website, you can pull one question and use that as a Facebook post. Don’t forget to add a picture!
Links to Blog Posts
If you currently have a blog on your website, Facebook is one of the best places to promote it. In fact, your weekly blog post can be used to fill up slots and your social calendar when you are out of ideas.
The reverse is also true. If you do not have a blog but you have empty space in your social media calendar, consider starting a blog for your business so you have more content to share.
Keep in mind that there are numerous advantages to blogging, including search engine optimization and building authority for your business.
Share Customer Testimonials
If you have customer testimonials, this is another great piece of contact to share on your Facebook page. Just like blogs and before and after photos, customer testimonials help to build up your credibility.
Unique And Interesting Facebook Post Ideas
While this basic Facebook guide for small business owners offers easy tips for Facebook marketing, your creativity can catch your attention.
If you are looking for a bigger variety of more interesting and unique ideas for your Facebook post, consider the following.
Start A Weekly Series Or Campaign
One of the easiest ways to consistently come up with ideas is by using the same idea over again each week. However, you will put your own unique twist on this. You might come up with a weekly campaign with a catchy name. For example, a home improvement company can showcase a Window of the Week. Each week, the focus is on a new replacement window that is installed for a homeowner.
Meanwhile, you can also implement daily campaigns. For example, a Mexican restaurant might implement a word of the day campaign. Not only is this easy to create each day, but it’s also educational!
Tie Your Social Post To Interesting Holidays
A quick Google search of interesting holidays will yield a lot of results. You may be able to find holidays that correspond with your business.
For example, a home improvement company can also take advantage of Energy Saving Awareness Month, which is in October. Their entire monthly calendar can be scheduled around this mom, giving energy saving tips and more.
Implement Video
Video contact and feel very intimidating to small business owners. However, know that you do not have to have a high production budget to make this successful.
In fact, there are basic ways that you can create video with your phone. You can use your phone’s camera and a tripod from Amazon to capture basic video.
However, if you are interested in professional production, this is a great investment for your business as well. There are a range of video production services that can greatly enhance your presence on Facebook, including:
- Testimonial videos, showcasing how your customers came across your business and their experience working with you.
- Drone videos, showcasing a birds-eye view of your services, which can work great in industries ranging from lawn care to home remodeling.
- Commercials, suitable for formats ranging from social media to TV.
- Fun branded videos, allowing your imagination to ran rampant
The sky is essentially the limit when it comes to creating video content for your business. Not only can you use video content for Facebook, but you can also repurpose it for YouTube. YouTube can help you reach yet another untapped source of potential customers.
Quick Tips for Creating Facebook Video
If you think you’d like to try video production as part of your Facebook strategy, these tips can help you experience success:
- Film your video in natural light. This is ultimately the best use of lighting that you can get! If you’re in the sunshine state, natural light should be more than plentiful.
- Be mindful of video length. Determining the right length for your video is a strategy in itself.
- Act natural and be yourself. Customers can sense when you are uncomfortable on camera.
- Ensure the video is well-filmed and interesting to keep the attention of your customers.
Basic Guide to Facebook for Small Business Owners
If you’re struggling with creating content for your Facebook, Hooked Marketing will help you reel in more customers with an array of services. We provide plenty of elements to complement your Facebook marketing, including blogging, video production, branding, and even logo design.
When you’re ready to take your Facebook presence to the next level, contact us to get started!