Facebook for small business

Have you heard business coaches and mentors talk about the importance of using social media?  Are you confused as to why you would spend your time on facebook or other social medias?  Why are people using business pages to promote their products? Read about the benefits of Facebook for your business as explained by an experienced business coach.

Using Facebook to Connect to Customers

Business has changed because we as consumers are shopping differently, so any leverage we can obtain over our competitors is to our advantage, we must be smart about how we do business now.  With the information age and use of the internet expanding our customers knowledge, we now need to be able to give more of something to them, for them to buy from us.  What we give them may be as simple as them liking us, or thinking of us as a friend, but we need to think a little bit differently and provide a wonderful experience and connect with them as many times as possible so they remember who you are.

If your business is specific to your local area, your focus should be on building contacts that are local too, people who you might bump into on the street, that might introduce you to their friends.   You want local foot traffic.  Facebook is great for staying top of mind for your customers too, people like to do business with people they know, trust and like so the more your name pops up the more they think of you and refer you to their friends.

What to Post on Facebook

woman using mobile phone

woman using mobile phone

Share what you have been doing both in business and in general life, this will make you human and relatable, this is what builds the credibility and gets your customers knowing who you are. Share your knowledge, your challenges, your excitement as you achieve things, share things freely so others can embrace your enthusiasm for life.

Lets say your business is a hairdresser, in the morning you could post, that the pancakes were a wonderful way to start your day, in the afternoon, when your quiet with no bookings, you could post on your timeline, “for the next 2 hrs you have appointment times available for 3 $20 haircuts”. That evening you could post how your wonderful man took you to a fabulous dinner and how special he made you feel.  If you mix the posts up from personal to professional people will get to know you, they will like you and that is what makes them refer you to their friends, which is the best type of business to get, as you are already qualified to your new customer.

Lets say your business is a baker, you have a cake shop, maybe every evening at 4.30 you run half price specials for the items you have left over for the day.  This must be run in conjunction with other posts, posts that build credibility and rapport with others so you become part of their lives rather than the salesman at the door type of scenario.

A plumbing business, electrician or a tradesman might have a bi-weekly maintenance tip that they post, this can be an educational snippet for his contacts, it makes him/her a leader in their particular field, someone who can be trusted because they know about the topic and are an expert.  They have increased their credibility and improved their profile as a professional businessperson.

An accountant, lawyer, financial planner, stockbroker, mortgage broker etc. may also do the same thing, include bi-weekly business hints, tips to saving money, increasing tax claims, or anything that they may help their contacts in any way, or that their contacts can share with their friends.

Business to Business Facebook connection

Facebook can be great for connecting with people in the same business or industry and you can bounce ideas off each other, be support to each other and maybe even joint venture in some way.  Ask your business coach or mentor if they have other clients that would be good for you to do business with.  Joining groups that are outside your local area, even in different countries can be really helpful, you can ask questions, get ideas and grow using other peoples tips that normally you wouldn’t necessarily have known about.

Keep Facebook profile Updated

Always include your business on your About Me page, fill in all the different categories so it comes up on your home page, also include details like your school, education, past employers etc. so if someone searches for former work places, colleagues, people who went to their school, as some people do, your name will come up and your business will be listed too.  The more places you write your business name, the more people will see it, the more people hopefully will equate for more sales.

Facebook and other social media has become an important part of small business marketing. Thinking outside the square and doing things a little differently to your competitors is a great way of standing out, in time your competitors will follow your lead, but you can move on to the next thing as they are just chasing your tail.  So every different way you can promote your business is a way to introduce your business to new people and reinforce your name in the minds of your customers.  So be inventive, build relationships, get yourself known and your business will grow and flourish. A business coach can help you navigate the most effective approaches to keep you connected to your customers.

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