Once again yesterday I found myself in a conversation both extolling and deriding the utility of Facebook as a small business marketing tool.
Seems to happen a lot that small businesses hear (urban myth?) of someone making a fortune just using Facebook and think ‘Why not me”
Fair question, with a bunch of ‘maybe’s’ as answers. What should be remembered is that Facebook is one of a large number of social platforms, all are different, but all are vying for your attention and the money that flows from that attention, so choose wisely
Facebook benefits.
- Facebook (as are all social platforms) is a wholesaler of eyeballs, they leverage your use of the platform to attract other eyeballs to which they can sell access. The sheer numbers using the platform, and the targeting ability generated makes Facebook a potent marketing tool, when used well.
- Facebook is terrific at connecting people, one on one. It has become sometimes easier to connect on Facebook than by email or phone, although there is a strong demographic factor in this. Want to connect with me, Facebook is not the place, but you will find my kids there.
- The small focussed groups, connecting one to a few where there is a strong common interest is also a potentially powerful marketing tool for small business, depending on their markets. However, it takes an investment of time, effort, and often money, to leverage it.
- As a tool in the list building box, Facebook has a place, particularly as you seek to identify specific behaviours and interests. This targeting potential of Facebook is from a marketing perspective, its most potent tool
Facebook costs.
- Access to your friends and followers is limited by the algorithms Facebook uses. The organic reach is now around 6%, if you want more, you pay. They may be your posts, friends and followers, but you are in Facebooks house, and they make the rules to suit them, not you.
- Facebook has an addictive quality about it, and can become a ferocious consumer of your time, the only non renewable resource you have, so use it wisely.
- Conversion to a sale on Facebook is a challenging prospect, often overlooked. You can spend heaps and get no sales, no financial return. You might have lots of friends, shares, followers, group members, and all the rest, but few sales. Largely this is because Facebook is at the ‘social’ end of the social media spectrum. People are on Facebook not to buy and sell, but to be ‘social’ There are however, exceptions. There is a buy/sell group in Armidale NSW with thousands of members, and it constitutes a social marketplace, but the transactions often occur offline.
Take-out.
Facebook is great, in some circumstances, use it when those circumstances favour you, and ‘managing‘ your involvement can deliver rewards. However, if you are not focussed on what you want, Facebook will take you to the cleaners. The only right answer to the question ‘Should I use Facebook” is the same as that question directed to any other cost in your business: do it If, and only if, it makes commercial sense to you.
