I am talking here about being present on Facebook as a business. Most businesses find the idea “nice”. Very few, though, take proper action on their Pages. Most have wrong expectations about the results of being on Facebook.
I often encounter small business owners who tired with Facebook. The organic reach of their posts is getting smaller and smaller. Facebook keeps asking them to sponsor their posts. Management of the business page turns into something incredibly time consuming. It takes a large effort of will to step away from and it can become a cause of their social isolation. When they become so deeply dissatisfied, they often ask themselves the opening question. Is there any point in being on Facebook?
I’d say the actual purpose of Facebook presence for a business depends on the perspective that we take.
Is Facebook the right tool for generating more sales, leads or brand awareness?
Let me look at it from a business owner’s perspective first. It would be very nice if with very little time investment, they could get heaps of new clients or sales.
This usually can’t happen.
There are 80 million business pages on Facebook (as of May 2018, source: Facebook). They are all competing for their followers’ attention. Facebook’s News Feed algorithm makes sure that posts that get shown to users are the ones that will foster more discussion and connection. That means that posts from user’s friends and family will have priority over posts from business pages. Posts from groups will be falling somewhere in the middle. (And let me ignore for the moment Facebook’s money-making strategy of pay-to-play).
Anyhow, it is important to remember that social media are not your sales department.
Some business owners then reduce their expectations and hope for heaps of new leads. By leads I mean potential clients or customers. That is possible. I know of businesses whose main source of leads are social media. But that only happens with proper time, money and skill investment.
The same goes for brand awareness. So, business owners can’t hope for many new clients or a significant amount of new leads. Couldn’t they at least hope for free organically-grown brand awareness? No. Same goes. If your input is small, your output will be small as well.
So what could be the purpose of your FB page if it is not easily attainable sales, leads or brand awareness?
The point of Facebook from the user’s perspective
We need to look at the issue from the other side – the Facebook user’s perspective.
Let’s consider a regular person who may eventually turn into your client. It could simply be someone who (for whatever reason) chose to like your business’ Facebook Page.
They spend a lot of time on Facebook. They go there for socializing, entertainment and information. They certainly do not go there to be sold to.
Interacting on Facebook actually activates the brain’s reward center, recent research discovered. Liking, sharing, commenting and returning gives us an inner reward. Hence the addiction.
All these facts combined mean that we need to serve our followers content that they will be happy to see.
Quality content
Quality content either entertains, informs or makes it easier for them to interact with their social circle.
One example would be sharing our content. If the content is high-quality or somehow special, than sharing it would implicitly raise the reputation of a user within their circle.
Our content could also provide a synthesis of newsworthy information. If we add an informed commentary to it, then it makes it easier for users to digest it. It also makes it easier for them to decide whether they feel affinity to our business.
Serving your people
The purpose of your Facebook presence can also be framed as serving your people. (I dislike calling people ‘leads’ or ‘potential clients’ or other terms depicting them as ‘objects of our intentions’).
You can serve your people in many ways. You show your authenticity. You build authority on a subject matter. You help them out. You interact in meaningful conversations. In sum, you gain their trust.
Customer care
Facebook is also gaining importance as the first point of contact with the business’ customer service. This is especially true since the integration of the Messenger onto business pages.
Customer service is what distinguishes good businesses from mediocre ones. Customer service needs to be highly responsive, friendly and effective. Being available on Facebook can give you a competitive advantage over other brands.
Optional upscaling
So, the initial benefits of keeping your Facebook business presence are threefold. You have the option of providing high-quality content. You have the option of serving your people. You have the option of providing kind customer service.
Later you can always upscale your efforts. You would need to invest time, skill and money. To stay consistent, you can either keep learning yourself or hire a professional to help you out.
With that in mind, you can refocus on a more specific and measurable goal, such as increased leads or greater brand awareness.
But by then, you will have reasonable expectations of your social media presence.
