Facebook was first established in 2004 and, let’s ‘face’ it, this social media tool has become a way of life. When we pick up our phones or turn on our computers, it’s usually one of the first places we go to do our *cough* stalking *cough*, I mean information sharing and catching up.
Being such a strong point of connection, it has certainly changed the way people engage and interact. And where businesses are involved, it’s rendered a call to question marketing strategies, branding, and how we manage customer relations.
In case you were in denial, we found some statistics from December 2019 to prove our point.
In terms of the leading social platform, Facebook still takes the cake, reaching 60.6% of internet users; there are 2.45 billion monthly active users – so it’s reaching a massive audience- and more than 80 million small businesses around the world using Facebook Pages.
96% of Facebook users access it using their mobile phones, spending an average of 58.5 minutes on it every day.
If you weren’t sure where we were going with this then the take-away word here for your business is ‘potential’.
Irrespective of the size of your business, Facebook is a smart start to your social media marketing endeavours. If the stats didn’t impress you, then know that all types of content work well on the platform and the ability to interact with your clients on another level can be a big positive. You can also make use of Facebook advertising and promotions which allows you to refine your strategies and find the right target market for your service/product.
Using your personal Facebook profile as a business platform is a definite no no.
When last did something good come from mixing business with pleasure? You are going to want to decide between starting a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group. Whichever one you choose is based on the purpose and goals of your business because they encourage different types of engagement. If you are feeling a bit stumped, read on, because we focus on some of the defining differences between the two.
Facebook Pages
This is a non-personal profile page like that of a company, brand, celebrity or organisation. They tend to be business-oriented for the promotion of services and/or products. Pages can be controlled by multiple admins, considered as passive, as the intention of the page is to be branded with visual elements of the company and act as a communication channel with customers. Thus, keeping it professional.
Main Features:
– You can include profile information on your business such as description, contact information, location and so on.
– Posts can be promoted or boosted if you are willing to spend some money.
– You can make use of the messaging functionality; followers can directly message the admin
– You have access to analytics and reviews options; always good for business reasons
– Pages are easier to update and give more options for posting photos, events and URLs
– Pages come up more frequently in google searches than Groups
– Groups can be linked to pages
A downside to Pages is that they are tough to grow organically so you will need to make use of a Facebook marketing tool which requires you to spend some money. It is also difficult to manage conversations on pages and since it is public, anyone can follow it, which can create sticky situations.
Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are aimed at creating community as they serve as communication channels for like-minded people. Groups can be created around interests, goals, beliefs, Netflix series, environmental topics and so on, and people join to exchange information with each other or express opinions.
Main Features:
– You can include basic group information such as a description
– You can restrict access and choose to accept only selected members
– Rules can be set
– Notifications are sent to members when a post is made on the group
– You can promote events (for free) via Facebook groups and send mass messages to all active members
– You can join related groups through your group profile and subsequently share posts and news
Some cons include the lack of Facebook analytics, limited reach of content and not being ‘found’ via searches. Moderating a big group can become challenging plus the group members can see the administrator’s personal Facebook profile. Something to think about.
If you have a business or a start-up then you should, most certainly, have a Facebook presence. Even though Facebook Pages are aimed at the business aspect, you may find that having a Group is the better option for your particular hustle.
Alternatively, you could make use of both, having a Page for strictly business and a related Group for relevant client discussion and information sharing. Either way, it is vital that you keep your content up to date, engaging and under control.
If this is not one of your strong points but you would love to get your business hip and happening on the biggest social media platform, then get in touch with us at www.skivvy.co.za.
