How to Promote Your Business Using Facebook

Facebook is an active social networking site that was launched in February 2004. It is incredibly well-known, and today there are more than 800 million active users registered. In today’s era of social networking, it is thought that no business can afford to not have a presence on Facebook. This can be particularly true for small and local businesses who can benefit from being showcased on the site. In fact, even big companies are pitching their latest releases or promotions on Facebook.

For example, if your business offers Dog and Cat Grooming Services, you should use Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups to start promoting your company for free. With a Facebook Page, you can give your pet grooming service a profile. These profile pages give a local or small business an identity and this can be a good way to define and display your brand. In fact, all local customers and potential customers can opt to become fans of your profile page and can receive any information that is posted to the page. In turn, friends of your fans may also be attracted to the page, specifically people who own pets, and this creates more recognition for a small business. A Facebook Group is similar to a FB Page, but here it is built around a group of people rather than centred on a business. If a message is sent in a FB Group, then the whole message is displayed to all Group members, but settings can be changed depending on who you want to be able to see the messages.

Promoting a Dog and Cat Grooming Service couldn't be easier to do online with Facebook. It's an easy way to advertise any current offers you have as well as any important customer information. You can also advertise your business for free with our online directory listings. Directorynow.co.uk can help you reach local customers that you might otherwise have missed. List your Dog and Cat Grooming services with us now and start promoting your company as much as possible for free online.

Listed below are some more ways to promote your local/small business on Facebook:

Build an exceptional profile. This is one of the first steps to be undertaken. If FB is going to be a marketing vehicle, then your profile should represent your brand. There should be a professional picture, contact info, website details and interests. 

Generate a page that is helpful to users. Instead of only talking about the services you offer or your business, it is good to offer customers some advantages and benefits of your business, or refer to related topics and interests. Post effective content that highlights promotions and offers discounts. Post on related blogs and discussions and this can attract people.

Build contacts and begin discussions. Every Facebook page has a news feed area where the actions of every user are recorded. Whenever someone visits or views your page, that action is recorded in their news feed and on their friends’ feeds. This can also provide good exposure.

Start Facebook groups on the topic of your business. Create groups to allow Facebook friends and clientele to converse about subjects concerning the business or brand, and to start spreading the word.

Link to your Facebook page. Let everyone in the network know about your Facebook page. This can be achieved by writing a blog, and telling everyone on your e-mail lists and newsletters. You can also give a link in e-mail signatures and provide a link on your business website. This automatically expands your network.

Choose whether you want to use paid marketing or not. Facebook does offer some paid marketing options that are wide-reaching and definitely reach target markets. So depending on the size of your budget, you can opt for paid advertising or marketing.

Connect with Groups. It is good to join some online groups or forums within Facebook that are associated with what you do, so you can make more connections and possible business leads.

List any events. If you are hosting an event, speaking at a forum or giving out freebies, create a page and invite all those you want to attend. This is good exposure and will build recognition for your brand.

Reach out. If you appreciate another person’s page or work, then reach out to them on FB and post positive messages.This is also a good way to gain publicity.

Facebook is not an e-mail platform. When sending Facebook messages, invites etc. care should be taken not to spam people. Over-exposure in this way will turn people away and earn you a bad reputation.

There are many social media websites that we can choose to be members of. Each one comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but Facebook stands out amongst them because it is the largest and most influential social networking site of them all. It is a great stage for promoting your local or small business and hopefully gaining recognition and custom. So if you want increased visibility and to market yourself effectively, go forth and Facebook!