Facebook. It really has become part of our everyday life hasn’t it? If you are not on Facebook these days, you are definitely part of the minority. While it has become a fantastic tool for friends and family to keep in touch, it is also proving to be a great business tool. Those businesses that use Facebook swear by it as a way of keeping in touch with their clients and promoting their products & services.
There are, however, many businesses out there that are a little scared to delve into Facebook. Some believe it is not relevant to their business or that their target market wouldn’t be on Facebook. You might be surprised to learn that the statistics for Facebook users show that it is not only the Gen X’s and Gen Y’s that are the biggest users. In Australia there are over 10.4 million Facebook users (and climbing fast). The largest growth area in new users is coming from the 35-65+ year old age group – who coincidentally, just happen to have more disposable income than their younger counterparts! These people are quite possibly your clients.
With many business owners (like me!) time challenged and under the pump, I’m hoping that this post will explain why it is definitely worth your time and effort to set up a Facebook page for your business:
On the weekend I was helping my Mum (she is a branch manager for NAB). We were participating in a local street parade and had a stall set up to help promote the branch. We were hoping to spread some goodwill by giving away some goodies, which would hopefully create some leads for the bank. I got the job of handing out what seemed like millions of balloons to millions of children. It was like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’. Kids can be super scary when they want a balloon!
I was trying to explain to Mum the benefits of having a Facebook page for her NAB branch. I told her the best way to build a relationship with her clients is to be transparent, give information and show them they are the experts in banking! Facebook allows you to do just that. People want to deal with people, and if they like you . . . well the deal is nearly done.
If Mum had already set up a Facebook page, she would have been able to:
- Announce they were supporting the community street parade
- Invite them to come along and check out the free giveaways
- Promote the Rotary raffle they were selling tickets for
- Discuss some banking packages exclusively available on that day
- Post pictures of the day on the Facebook page for clients to see
In business we are all seeking ‘hot leads’ or ‘qualified prospects’. By promoting the branch and this event on Facebook we would have been guaranteed of meeting customers and new prospects at the parade who were genuinely interested in the bank, the branch and the items on offer. The positive effect would flow on, even with those customers that didn’t come along to the event. People love businesses that get involved with their local community – and Facebook would have been a simple yet subtle way of advertising this to Mum’s customers.
Setting up a Facebook page for your business is very simple, click here to get started. On an ongoing basis, you need to commit to regularly updating your followers about you and your business. I’m pretty sure my Mum is busily setting up a Facebook page for her NAB branch. So . . . . do you think you are ready for your business to reap all the rewards Facebook can bring?
Don’t worry if you’re still a little unsure of how to go about it all, help is at hand! iCreate Solutions can get your business Facebook page set up and ready to use in no time at all. Visit http://www.icreatesolutions.com.au/social-media.html for more information or request a quote at http://www.icreatesolutions.com.au/contact.php.
What are your thoughts? If you a facebook page up for your business up and running, let me know if you think it is working for your business.
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Social Media, Web Design
June 30th, 2011
Posted by soniakeen
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