The edge of the diving board can be a scary place. For some people there is no fear and they love the jump. But, others stand looking over the edge thinking it looked like fun before they climbed up or maybe they never wanted to do it, but were pressured to climb up there. When it comes to social media and business owners I think there are a lot of similarities. Maybe you see what other companies are doing on Facebook and think it looks fun, but once you get started all you can focus on is the fear of jumping.
Now let’s talk about the other type of jumper. We’ve all seen this poor person. They never wanted to be there in the first place. They are uncomfortable, scared, and completely out of their element. It doesn’t matter what type you are, here are 3 reasons why your business should be using Facebook and hopefully, these will help you find a reason to take the plunge into the social media pool.
Did you know that if Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd largest in the world? Did you know that one in three people you meet are on Facebook. Or, how about this?did you know that the average Facebook user has 130 friends on Facebook to talk to about you?
Most of the customers and clients you want to reach are already on Facebook, you should be there too! Take a minute a think about how you are reaching customers now. Facebook can compliment any traditional campaign you are running and expand that reach to help win business.
Facebook’s new promote posts and paid advertisements offer a very specific place for businesseses. There are some huge benefits here. First, you have the ability to determine who sees your ads with a laser-like focus. Facebook allows you to set target demographics by selecting things such as location, age, gender, and marital status. No more wasting advertising dollars and hoping your “type” of customer sees/hears them.
If you have ever thought something like “I would really like to pick my customers brains” or “I wonder what my clients think about this” –on Facebook they will tell you. People are comfortable talking on Facebook. It is an immediate communication tool. When people discover something new or receive great service they want to share it with their friends. Facebook is an excellent way to interact with customers. You can build relationships and loyalty by taking the time to tell them thank you for their business or for positive comments they are posting. You have the oppoortunity to join the conversation.
The flip side of the positive comments are the complaints. If you are thinking something like “I don’t want to be on Facebook because people will just post complaints,” well you’re not alone in that thinking. But, here is the bottom line – IF people are complaining about you online they are going to do it whether you’re part of the conversation or not. Complaints are part of business, but with Facebook you have the ability to immediately respond, you can tell your side of the story, handle the situation, maybe even apologize if necessary — you get to be part of the conversation, which is better than not even knowing what people are saying about your business.
Where you organically rank on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing directly affects how much business you capture online. At very least your business needs to show up on the first page, specifically you want to be one of the first three listings. But, honestly you ultimately want to rank #1, #2, and #3. Social media can help you push your competition off the page. Having a social presence boosts your Google rankings. You should connect your Facebook page to your website and let the two compliment each other.
Facebook has built in ‘insights’ for business pages. You will be able to see what posts people are sharing and what offers they are claiming. You will immediately know if a certain product or service or tip is appealing to your target audience. (Remember we talked about picking their brains?here you go!)
Companies pay huge dollars for focus groups to know what people think?well on Facebook they will tell you for FREE! Insights will show you how many organic views you are receiving (your own friends) and how many viral views (friends of your friends and their friends).
Have you been standing on the edge of the diving board long enough? Ready to take the social?media plunge? Here is our best advice… DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! Well, peer pressure isn’t always a bad thing right?
If you have more questions about using social media request your FREE Perfect Point Marketing Guide to Using Social Media today.