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Facebook lets you actually talk to people!
A comment made on my blog post about Facebook’s dominance which basically said… “Facebook is only for people who care about social media and media types” had me shaking my head.
He’s not alone in his opinion. Check out this recent study that looked at why many small firms don’t utilize it.
I am not suggesting that every single business on the planet needs to have a presence on Facebook, but especially for many small businesses — it can be a game changer. In fact, I think it’s much more potent for the little guys than it can be for the Cokes, Mini Coopers and Disneys of the world.
Why?
The human element. If I tweet Disney or post something on Coke‘s wall — I may or may not get a response but it’s certainly not going to be a very personal one. But if I write something on the Des Moines Playhouse’s page…a real person is going to give me a real response. And we might even get into a conversation. (see the screen capture to the right)
Isn’t that what we’re all hungry for — more conversations with customers or potential customers?
Here are some of the perks of Facebook for small businesses:
- Built for local and hyper local. It allows you to spend your time talking to people who can actually become customers or already are your customers.
- Supports and encourages word of mouth with the share and like buttons. Odds are most of your page’s fans have a high percentage of friends who are also local.
- It’s a great way to gather testimonials, get customer feedback/input and answer customer questions.
- With their hyper targeted ads, you can very cost effectively deliver your message to exactly and only the people who might care.
- Your audience shows up every day. Facebook is part of their social experience. What better place to connect with them?
- You can use Facebook’s different message vehicles — your business page, ads, events, groups etc. to share different types of news, events, tips etc.
- You can share your work in other media (TV spots, radio commercials, blog posts, enewsletters) to bring in your multimedia campaign elements.
Again…not going to say it’s for everyone. But I am hardpressed to think of a small business that wouldn’t benefit from a well strategied Facebook presence.
I’m curious — what small/local businesses do you think use Facebook well? I’d love to find some examples.
