Facebook recently surpassed 2 billion (yes, that’s with a B!) users. To mark the occasion, the company took the opportunity to update their mission statement –

“Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

The new mission statement acknowledges the life that Facebook groups have taken on in the social media space. Groups have become the easiest way to connect with people on very specific topics. Facebook groups are also a fabulous way to gain visibility for your business.

 

There are three key ways to utilize Facebook for your business.

1. Personal profile

For the most part, your personal profile should be reserved for staying in touch with your family and friends. Use it to share baby pics and funny cat memes, but you can still do a little soft marketing. I often mention I have a coaching business and I celebrate my freedom lifestyle and the flexibility my business affords me. Nothing obnoxious, but it gives my Facebook friends a peek at my business and my lifestyle!

Important note: It is a violation of the Terms of Use to market or sell from your personal Facebook page. It’s a big no-no and could get you in a lot of trouble with the Facebook.

2. Facebook business page

I’ll start by saying this: if your business is not on Facebook, you’re hurting your business!

With that being said, you can’t depend on your business page to be the bread and butter of your marketing strategy. Unfortunately, business pages are designed to make Facebook money. This is because the Newsfeed algorithm is set up in such a way that you need to pay to boost posts and pay to run ads in order to be seen. As a result, Facebook business pages generally have very low engagement.

So, maintain a business page in order to boost posts and run ads, but don’t expect to gain a lot of clients from your business page.

Important tip *ding!* – Be sure to use Power Editor when boosting posts so that you can fine tune the audience. It will definitely help you maximize your ROI.

3. Facebook groups

If you haven’t created a Facebook group yet, start one immediately! ?
It’s perfect for a business with little, to no marketing budget. It helps you to build a community and sets you up as an authority on the topic, which will somewhat organically draw people to your business.
Engagement is high in groups thanks to focusing the group on a topic that everyone cares about and has in common. That is why I can’t stress this enough – make your Facebook group about your target audience, not about your business!

 

Bonus! – Public vs. Private vs. Secret groups

  • Public – I recommend setting your group as Public. You can still approve all new members, which will weed out the spammers; but the group members will be able to share your content, which gains you visibility!
  • Private – People that aren’t members of the group can’t see any content, but they can see who is part of the group. I recently changed my group from Private to Public once I realized that my content couldn’t be shared.
  • Secret – I only use these with my clients. Setting your group to Secret won’t help you to grow your business because you have to invite new members. The group won’t be visible in a Facebook search, and content and members are hidden.

 

Facebook is a giant and should be an important part of your business’ marketing strategy. I’ll say it once again – if your business isn’t on Facebook, you’re hurting it! But you’ve got to harness Facebook’s power strategically.

Lastly, don’t forget to celebrate your wins with us in our community group for Ambitious Online Coaches.

xo,

Angelica