Facebook for Business.

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One of the best online platforms to make an impression on customers is Facebook. Every SME should consider having a Facebook presence for their virtual existence. The social networking platform has 1.66 billion users every day and 2.5 billion people log in every month! What better way to network and establish lasting relationships?

Facebook has committed to support all businesses, especially SMEs. Apart from providing affordable advertisement space, the platform has a host of tools that can be used to improve your online presence.

Why Should Your SME Be on Facebook?

Before jumping into how you can use Facebook to boost your SME business online, here are some benefits of being on the site, according to CreditEnable:

  • Attract New Clients: Building clientele can be difficult. The traditional word-of-mouth approach can only take you so far. Facebook is a global platform that can help you reach millions of people across the world without having to leave your office or home!
  • Engage with Existing Customers: Facebook provides you a hassle-free means to stay in touch and interact with existing customers. You can answer queries through messages and comments instead of attending long phone calls. It can also be a great way to build a community.
  • Understand Your Customers: People talk. With engagement on Facebook, you will be able to understand what your customers think of your business, what their needs are and how best you can serve them.
  • Good for SEO: If you already have a website on the internet, then Facebook can help direct traffic to your site. Posting regularly on a Facebook page will give your SEO a boost as well.
  • Affordable Advertising: Placing ads in papers and drawing up targeted marketing campaigns can be expensive. With Facebook, you can use their pre-existing targeting ad template to create ads that will reach the audience you want at a much cheaper rate.

How to Use Facebook for SMEs?

There are many ways to use Facebook to your SME’s advantage. The key is to find the right strategy that is suited to your business and target audience. CreditEnable outlines how to get started:

  • Set Up a Page

A Facebook profile is for individuals. As a business, you need a Facebook Business Page. For this, you need a personal profile that you can link to your business. The page gives you a range of sections that you can fill out for people to get to know your SME. Update the About section with details of your small business, create engaging posts on the page and build a community. You can also create events on the page. You can use this space to announce offers, new products, and even sell items under the Shop section. Facebook also gives customers a chance to review your business, which will improve your reputation.

  • Post Content

It is not enough to simply create a page and let it idle. To make the best of it, create and post content regularly. From new product announcements to video clips, keep your SME business page active. Facebook has an Insights option that will provide you analytics for free, such as the number of people engaging with your posts, number of likes, their demographics and purchase activity. You can use this information to improve your products.

  • Create Ads

Once you have an active page, you can promote the page for a fee to reach more people. Facebook also offers advertisement options to small businesses. You can create your own ad campaigns, choose your target demographic, pick the platform where you want it to run (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network or all) and track their progress. If you prefer, you can also choose video ads. Facebook lets you do all of this within a budget of your choice!

  • Sell Products Online

You can also use Facebook to sell products online. Apart from the Shop option on your business page, you can also use Facebook Marketplace to list your inventory with price and shipping details. This will help your SME reach a global audience and also boost sales.

Facebook for Small Business is designed to help SMEs go online with as little trouble as possible. Especially through the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent slowdown, Facebook is an effective way to stay in touch with customers and keep your business going. Facebook has introduced different features for small businesses to tide through this time, such as launching a “Business Nearby” option that lets people discover small businesses in close proximity and a “Support Small Businesses” sticker to improve SME reach.

The networking platform is also updating other COVID-19 resources, announcing best practices for online business communities and giving business tools a boost. There is no better time for your SME to get on Facebook! Get started now!