Facebook is the largest social network yet with over 2.1 billion daily active users. Having a Facebook Page for your business is similar to having a website on the Internet. It allows you promote your business or brand to millions of users who fit your perfect customer profile.
A Facebook page is a public profile specifically created by businesses, brands, organizations, celebrities and anyone seeking to promote themselves publicly online. Think of your Page as an online“shopfront” where people can find, connect and interact with your business.
That said, is your business taking full advantage of your Facebook Page?
It doesn’t matter anymore, now that you are here, we’ll focus on why you need a Facebook Page, its benefits and some Facebook Pages you can learn from, but first, here are
5 Reasons Why You Need a Facebook Page Now
1. Brand Awareness
As you create relevant posts, make new connections and deepen existing relationships on Facebook, you’re automatically generating awareness for your business free of charge. This is possible because anytime people “like” your page and/or posts, their friends are notified. thus , every post is an opportunity to get in front of tons of prospects.
2. Identify Your Audience
Facebook Page makes identifying your target audience a tad easier through Facebook’s highly calibrated demographic, interests and insights data which give deeper understanding of who your target audience is, their demographics and interests.
3. Drive Traffic
Having identified your target audience you can now plan posts and content that will drive traffic to your Facebook Page, website and other external assets or destinations of your choice. From free organic traffic to paid traffic, there’re smart ways to drive highly targeted traffic.The audience you identify and connect with through your FB Page can become a traffic generating machine.
4. Connect and Strengthen Customer Relationships
As you generate traffic, your Facebook Page is a great platform for communicating directly with potential and existing customers in a way that they’re already familiar with, from simple posts, to complex polls or even Q&A sessions and private messaging. This helps you establish authority and trust.
5. Advertising
A Facebook Page features a Facebook Ads Manager. With Facebook Ads, you can increase reach, visibility and engagement using lead generation ads, photo ads, video ads, dynamic product ads, etc. The upside is that having a Facebook Page lowers your ad cost while simultaneously building your audience. With as little as $1 you can get started.
Following are
Some Interesting Facebook Statistics
1. Facebook adds 500,000 new users every day; 6 new profiles every second.
2. 30% of internet users’ use Facebook more than once a day.
3. Posts with photos receive 179% more engagements than other posts.
4. There over 60 million active business Pages on Facebook.
5. Over 2bn people can be reached through Facebook ads.
6. A whopping 93% of social media advertisers are using Facebook Ads.
Below are some benefits of having a Facebook business page.
Benefits of Having an Active Facebook Page
1. Discoverability
Bands, brands, businesses, individuals or organizations are more discoverable with FB Pages. At a glance, visitors can see all your contact info and can visit your website via your link, call, email or chat you up. Plus you can show up in search results.
2. Community
Whether you’re discovered by recommendation, accident or search you can begin to build a community around your page and business; a community of people who identify with your brand values, posts, content and overall vision. This builds connection, trust and credibility which are great for business.
3. Bigger Market
With a Facebook profile you’re only allowed 5, 000 friends and no more. However, with pages you can have millions of fans who like your page and what you do or stand for. That’s 5,000+ potential customers for you..
4. Page Insights
With more potential customers it becomes difficult to manually measure or track their activities, interactions or engagement with your page. However, with Page Insights you get behind the scenes access and insight into their activities. This can help you create more relevant content,
5. Better Targeting
Whether for content creation or Facebook or Instagram ads, your page helps you better target your ideal customer by delineating their age, gender, demographics, location, preferences, etc. This way you know more about your followers and how to engage them..
6. Humanization
Some brands are so big that their customers can hardly ever get their attention. With a Facebook Page your brand is more approachable and humanized. Now alienated customers can connect and feel loved, valued plus interact with you on a casual, friendly level.
7. Low-Cost
Creating an FB page is free as well as maintaining it. Depending on size and needs, most businesses spend hundreds or thousands of dollars developing, deploying and maintaining their website. This is not the case with Pages and yet you gain almost all the benefits of having a website.
Now, here are
7 Facebook Pages You Can Learn a Thing or Two From
There are brands killing it on Facebook. They may be bigger and different from your niche but you can learn a thing or two from them, e.g
1. Microsoft (13m Likes)
For a tech company, Microsoft found a way to bridge the communication gap with their audience through emphasizing visual content and avoiding too much tech talk. They communicate with content that their Facebook audience can easily understand and relate to.
What to Learn: No matter how complex your business is, keep things simple and easy to understand.
2. Coca-Cola (107m Likes)
Coca-Cola’s is one of the foremost companies that understand the need for fan engagement. Its Facebook Page is mostly run by fans. By posting very little of its own updates, it lets the fans do the talking by sharing customer generated content, which receives thousands of likes and comments.
What to Learn: Asking for fans’ opinions, videos, stories and photos is endearing and shows that your brand cares. Make your fans your number one priority and watch them promote your business for you at no cost.
3. Xploit Comedy (576k Likes)
Nigeria is home to many comedians who compete for fan loyalty and attention. Xploit comedy consistently creates interesting and funny videos which their audience can identify with and relate to.
What to Learn: By identifying with your audience’s pain points and helping them through mutual challenges, you create a deep connection.
4. UEFA Champions League (67m Likes)
Football is about the most popular sport. UEFA tries to meet fans needs by basing its content strategy on football related activities, championships, matches, fixtures, highlights, awards, news, etc.
What to Learn: Create content that carries on the conversation and which involves your loyal followers..
5. Nike (33m Likes)
Nike Facebook Page in addition to showing off kicks, also shows charitable initiatives, and causes they support. There are also separate pages for each product line to better target different market segments while maintaining an “umbrella” account with a consistent image which is truly remarkable.
What to Learn: Create separate but connected Facebook Pages for your different standalone products.
6. Zara (27m Likes)
Zara uses lookbook-style photos to display its products. This generates engagement in terms of likes and shares.Customer research is key as their fan base consists of mostly young females. With deep customer understanding and communication, Zara has managed to retain brand loyalty.
What to Learn: Tailored content is always the best. Offer more of what your audience want.
7. Oreo (42m Likes)
This cookie brand uses visual appeal to market its renowned products. The more you interact with their posts, the more you feel like taking a bite, it’s like from bytes to bites.
What to Learn: Know your product and your market so well. Then use your content to make them want more of your products.
Conclusion
A Facebook page is important to your overall marketing strategy. Start exploring it today and start with these amazing pages to get some inspiration for yours.
Let us know how Facebook pages have worked for your brand or business.
Author Bio
Amos Onwukwe is an AWAI trained Business and Ecommerce Copywriter featured in Huffington Post, Dumb Little Man, Self-Growth, Ecommerce Nation, eCommerce Insights, Understanding Ecommerce, Result First, Floship, WeCan, Grow Map, Small Biz Club among others.
Twitter: @amos_onwukwe