Facebook Marketing for Small Business Owners

If you consider yourself a digital native, you probably do these on a daily basis:

Use Facebook to get up to date with your friends. Facebook Messenger to directly speak with your friends and family. Use Instagram to upload special memories and see how your favorite celebrities are living their lives. And, perhaps at one point in time, you were active in Snapchat.

How Big is Facebook?

It's no secret that the social media platforms we have mentioned above are all under the social media giant, which is Facebook. Year after year, the tech goliath visits the headlines with their acquisition efforts with other emerging platforms.

Although, it has not always been rainbows and butterflies for the company that birthed the Like Button.

Facebook has been under fire in the past few years with regards to how they handle user information. Facebook's opposition posits that the company has been unethically tracking their user's behavior and data and actively showing them posts that may manipulate their thinking. Some even go as far as saying that Facebook helped shape the 2016 US Presidential Elections results.

However, this did not stop Mark Zuckerberg (the founder of Facebook) from projecting great things for the platform.

In fact, Mark Zuckerberg himself announced in 2016 that by the year 2030, they would already have connected 5 billion people on Facebook. Billion. That's 5, followed by nine zeroes. To put things into perspective, the world has a population of 7 billion.

Despite the debacles they have been going through, Facebook and all their other acquired social media platforms do not show any sign of slowing down.

What Makes People Stay on Facebook?

If we would describe the social media platform with just a word, we would choose the word: Powerhouse.

Facebook seems to have it all.

If you want to be updated with what's happening around the world and see what your friends are up to, the Newsfeed page is for you.

If you're looking to buy any sort of product from a local seller in your area, whether it be real estate, furniture, or apparel, Facebook's Marketplace has got your back.

If you want to be entertained with a feed of videos tailored for your interests, you can stay on Facebook Watch all day long.

If you want to watch the latest game streams from your favorite streamers, discover new ones, or be a game streamer yourself, there is Facebook Gaming.

If you have had no luck in meeting people in the real world or just want to mix things up, Facebook Dating will help you out.

If you want to share something that you think is not worthy of being on your timeline forever, you can use Facebook's Stories feature, which automatically deletes after exactly 24 hours.

When you want to interact with people you share interests with, you can join discussions or start them through Facebook Groups.

What Makes Facebook Great for Business?

Lucky for you, almost all facets of Facebook mentioned above are great avenues for marketing your business! If you're not yet convinced, check out these 20 facts we have gathered to blow your mind.

Facebook has 2.8 billion monthly active users. Wow. (Facebook Investor Relations)
59% of the world's social networking population is on Facebook, and it's the only social media website that reached more than half of the socially connected population. (eMarketer)
Facebook is the 4th most visited website with a monthly traffic of more than 467 unique visits in a single month! (Ahrefs)
Facebook is the third most downloaded app in Google Play Store. It is only outranked by WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The 4th on the list is Instagram. All of which are under the massive Facebook corporate umbrella. (App Review 360)
74% of high-income earners are on Facebook ($75,000 and up yearly income). (SisuDigital)
32.4% of Facebook Users are aged 25-34, the largest audience segment by age. (Hootsuite)
The Facebook app comes pre-installed on most Android smartphones. And Android has a whopping market share of 79%. (Statista)
63% of the population of the USA ages 12 and overuses Facebook. (Edison Research)
Only 5% of the US population ages 12 and over are not aware of Facebook. (Edison Research)
There are 200 million small businesses on the platform in 2021. (Facebook)
98.3% of Facebook users access the social media website through the phone app. (DataReportal)
Adult Facebook users spend an average of 34 minutes each day on the platform. (eMarketer)
Nearly 4 in 10 people (36%) use Facebook as their source of news and current affairs. (Reuters Institute – Digital News Report)
500 million people use Stories daily, and there are 1 billion Stories shared every day. (Facebook for Business)
More than 1.8 billion people use Facebook Groups every month. (Facebook)
The Blackout Coalition, a Facebook group dedicated to supporting Black-owned local businesses, is the biggest group on Facebook with around 1.8 million members. (Facebook)
18.3% of adults in the USA made a purchase through Facebook in 2020. (eMarketer)
Nearly 2 in 3 people visit a local business' Facebook page at least once a week. (Facebook for Business)
An average Facebook user clicks on at least 12 ads in a month. (Hootsuite)
The days with the highest engagement on Facebook are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (Sprout Social)

Facebook's Infinite Scroll and Algorithm

Social media apps are deliberately designed to be addictive.

Gone are the days when we needed to click or actively tap on something to see what's next.

Now, as we are scrolling down, fresh pieces of content are being generated right before our own eyes—gratifying our desire to see new things every time we scroll.

Infinite scrolling is used by many social media platforms to try to lengthen the users' stay on their websites. This prolonged attention on the screen translates to more ads being seen.

Who controls the next posts users see?

The almighty algorithm.

The Facebook algorithm is an automated program that selects the content to display on your screen from a library of millions of posts. It bases your feed on four key criteria.

Relationship – Is it from a Facebook friend, a page, or a personality a user interacts with?
Content-Type – is it a type of media the user usually interacts with? (Status, photo, video, or link)
Popularity – is this gaining traction from users with similar behaviors?
Recency – Is It fresh?

These criteria are measured side by side with a user's behavior on Facebook. In all fairness, Facebook continues to be transparent with the data they keep track of through the Access Your Information feature.

Take note that the Facebook algorithm is very dynamic. Every now and then, engineers tweak the program to maximize engagement.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

Facebook is a vastly populated social media network that you can take advantage of. With the algorithm in mind, you can tailor your posts and your overall presence on Facebook to attract people and convert likes or reactions into actual revenue.

Here are 12 pro-tips to boost your business on Facebook.

1. Be Intentional When Posting

With how the Facebook algorithm works, you cannot just dump posts every hour expecting your audience to see them. Remember, engagement is a big factor in the algorithm. People tend to interact with posts they get value from. So, you may want to ask yourself before posting: "What will this post give to my audience?"

2. Post Regularly

The algorithm values recency, and if you are not new to Facebook, you know that posts get old pretty quickly. Sticking to a content calendar will help you regulate your posts and increase their chances of hitting your audience's newsfeeds more regularly.

3. Plan Your Content

Along with creating your content calendar, having pre-planned content is a great move in avoiding redundancy. With planned posts, you can build up excitement for promotional efforts that your business will be offering.

Facebook hates repeated posts, but if you think a post did not reach its full potential of engagement, you can post it again with an ICYMI (In case you missed it) note.

4. Optimize Your Facebook Page

Facebook is kind enough to guide you through the process of optimizing your page for maximum reach. Facebook's reasoning behind this is pretty logical: a completed Facebook page will look more professional and credible—therefore winning more business. So, take the time to put in the details of your business.

5. Use Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories is a great tool to blend in with the crowd. It humanizes your business with temporary fun posts that are creatively flexible. One of the best things about Facebook Stories is that 58% of people say they have visited and browsed through a brand's website after seeing their Facebook Story.

6. Use Facebook for Customer Service

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of using Facebook for your business is its convenience for customers to reach you. Facebook Messenger for businesses even tells your customers how quickly you usually respond. Also, instant messaging has been embedded so deep into our daily lives that reaching a company through Facebook Messenger feels natural and non-intrusive.

Facebook Messenger now has the feature to send automated responses for the times when you are unavailable and for a quick and accurate answer for your FAQs or frequently asked questions.

7. Post Content People Can Look At

Are pictures worth a thousand words? For marketing, it probably does. Facebook users love interacting with visual materials. Photos and videos get the biggest chunks of engagement on Facebook, so when posting, make sure to add a visual element. When people look at your posts longer, the algorithm interprets them as relevant. It then gets a higher chance of being on the general newsfeed.

Posting visual content adds credibility to your brand the way you believe a Facebook account is a real person by the photos they post.

8. Study Your Audience

This may come off as common sense, but you will be surprised at how many small businesses do not put in the time to know their customers' needs, wants, and the windows of their time spent on Facebook. Knowing these data will give you the upper hand in creating valuable, relevant, and fresh content for your audience.

Your audience speaks a particular lingo that you need to learn. They laugh at a specific flavor of humor you need to figure out. Their hearts get wrenched by the issues you need to know about. Having all this information at your disposal will personify your brand.

9. Make a Facebook Group

Facebook hosts billions of people with common interests. You can take advantage of this by creating a Facebook group for people that share sentiments regarding a niche. Of course, it may take time for your group to grow to hundreds or thousands of members. Still, as long as there is continued interaction, you can be featured in the Recommended Groups section and get hundreds of sign-ups.

Managing a Facebook Group is different in approach from working a page. Hard selling raises a red flag for group members, and they will most likely show themselves out. Your goal is to know and connect with your audience in a more personal manner. Your role is to moderate posts and initiate conversations. Perhaps, every now and then, gently recommend your store, or post your blogs to add value to the group. Once they are familiar with your brand, you will be the first thing they'll think of when they want to buy or avail.

10. Measure Your Progress

Facebook also gives you access to your numbers through Facebook Insights. You will see how your previous posts performed, whether they're paid or organic. It will show how many people saw your posts, reacted, commented, shared, and clicked on your CTA or call to action.

With the data Facebook provides, you can tweak your content, schedule, or your campaigns altogether.

11. Consider Boosting Your Posts

Although organic growth is what everybody wants, Facebook's Algorithm favors paid posts. Paying Facebook to show your posts may be expensive. Still, if you have the right content materials and target the right people, it will all be worth every penny.

12. Be Human

One of the best things about marketing your small business on Facebook is that you can interact with your audience the way they do with you. You can reply to their comments, give them a like or a heart, thank them through Facebook Messenger, or give them a shoutout in your next posts. Surprise your audience that you can speak their lingo. Be humorous, but still be a serious business.

When Should You Start?

Because of Facebook's great design for businesses, the platform may already be saturated with your competitors. Still, even if they have had a head start on the number of followers, all it takes is one viral post, and you're on track to becoming a digital household name. When is the best time to start marketing your small business on Facebook?

Now.

What a read! Good news for you, we have a lot more where that came from.