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Does Our Small Business Need to Be on Facebook?

Tristan Anwyn

June 17, 2013

The world's most famous social network is great for keeping up with family, posting regrettable photos, and sending your friends electronic potatoes for their virtual farm.

But did you know that Facebook can also be of huge benefit to your business? Read on to find out how to get the most out of Facebook.

How to get started

Getting started with Facebook is very easy.

Simply visit the site and fill out the details to create your personal profile. Next, create a page for your business. This is known on the street as your “fan page” (your personal profile is your “Facebook page”. You can choose a category, a cover photo, a logo, and write a sentence about your business.

The Facebook interface is simple to use. You'll be guided through every step of the process.

Why you should use Facebook

Facebook has more than 1 billion active users – that's three times more than there are people living in the U.S. today. For potential customer base, Facebook is unbeatable.

Here are some other benefits.

* It's free and easy to use – creating a page for your business is as easy as pie;

* You can upload text, graphics and videos to grab your customers' attention;

* Making updates is quick and easy;

* It's interactive. People can get involved by liking, sharing and commenting on your page.

Why you need to be careful

You wouldn't use a knife and fork to carve a sculpture.

Facebook is undoubtedly a good tool, but like any tool it has its limits.

* Facebook is a place to network rather than sell, so you won't necessarily make big bucks;

* Facebook is made up of all sorts. Sooner or later you'll most likely have to deal with an awkward commenter or two;

* Facebook has the right to use any content you publish. So you might want to refrain from using Facebook to tell the world about your super duper secret development!;

* Facebook has the final say over your page and the ability to take it down.

Making the most of Facebook

By understanding the good and bad bits about Facebook, you can easily learn how best to use it for your business.

Here are some simple tips to get the most out of Facebook:

* Keep interactive – ask questions, make offers, and engage your followers with your brand;

* Visit your page regularly to keep an eye on conversations;

* Create content that is interesting. Interesting content is shareable content, and shareable content means more attention for you!;

* Use it to drive traffic to your website - don't let your Facebook page replace your homepage;

* Save the top secret stuff for other places – Facebook is for the things you want to tell the whole world.

Now you're all set to use Facebook for your business.

Be sure to tell your email subscribers, twitter followers and website visitors about your page. With a little work, your fan page can gain you a lot of interest and help you reach a wide audience.

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