Most businesses start online with a business website. You can set up a basic website with fairly low effort using one of several content management systems. Once you get that site up and running, though, you probably start looking at social media as the next clear step.
With over 2 billion active users, Facebook remains the 800-pound gorilla of social media sites. There is a good chance you maintain a profile on the site. That doesn’t necessarily make it clear how to use Facebook for business.
If you’re looking to take your business onto Facebook, keep reading for tips on effectively using Facebook for business.
How to Use Facebook for Business: Start with Your Business Page
Facebook separates out personal profiles from businesses with an option called business pages. That makes your first order of business setting up a business page. The good news is that you can set up a business page from your personal profile using the create button.
You can find the create button on the upper right in your profile. You’ll need a few essential details to publish the page, such as your business name, business type, and profile picture. After you publish, you can add more details like contact information.
Utilize Ads
One of the ways you can use Facebook for business is with Facebook ads. Like several other social media sites, Facebook lets you launch and control platform-specific ads. You can create the ad, set a budget, and define target viewer characteristics on the site.
Every ad goes through an approval process to ensure they meet the guidelines and community standards set out by Facebook. As a general rule, ads that steer clear of illegal activities, pornography, or outright offensiveness get approved.
Shops
Another native feature on Facebook is the shop for business pages. This option lets you list products for sale, descriptions, and prices. You can also include links out to other sites where the product is available for purchase.
The shop option lets you showcase your available products or highlight specific products, assuming you sell physical or digital products.
Posts
Posts provide your most direct communication with your customers. Facebook supports posts of several types, such as photos, video, text, and links.
You can use the options to inform customers about products and sales. They also let you reinforce your brand, address customer concerns, or highlight employee stories. A mix of post types often produces the best results because it helps establish your relationship with customers.
Getting the Most from Your Facebook Business Page
Different businesses come up with different answers about how to use Facebook for business. A jewelry store will likely see a lot of success with photo posts because jewelry lends itself to photography. A writer might lean hard into the shop as a way of getting more eyes on the books.
Look at what products or services your business offers and ask how you can best showcase them. Then, apply that approach on Facebook.
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