Guess what? Facebook Pages (formerly known as Fan Pages) aren’t just for likes of Lady Gaga or Starbucks. Everyone’s doing it and you shouldn’t be left behind. Whether you are running a small business, a charity or promoting yourself; there are plenty of benefits to using a Facebook Page. Here are my top fifteen killer reasons to get you started:
1. It’s free
You can’t beat the price here, it’s free to set up a Page that comes complete with advanced features and that can reach out to over 500 million users. So whatever your marketing spend is, you can’t really afford not to set up a Page.
2. It’s easy
Given that most people know how Facebook works, it’s very easy for them to click a ‘Like’ button to join the Page. There is no sign-up or registration, everything is automated and simple.
3. There are no limits
Whereas a normal Facebook profile is limited to 5,000 friends, your Page allows you to have as many fans as you could possibly attract. The 5k limit may sound high to some people but you have to aim for the stars and 5k is only half way up the tree tops for some success stories.
There are no limits on photos, videos and other media you want to add to the Page. Stuff as much information as you like in here without any worries (apart from a Facebook server crash of course).
4. Your competitors are doing it
Chances are one or more of your competitors have set up a business Page, some of them have attracted lots of fans, some haven’t. Whatever the case may be, you have jump on the bandwagon and let your current and potential customers associate themselves with your brand by clicking that “Like” button.
5. It will generate website traffic
By posting your latest news, videos and blog posts you’ll get fans clicking back to your site. Once they are at your site you are more likely to capture their full attention and convert a visitor into a prospect or even customer.
6. Advanced analytics tools
Facebook provides you with decent tools (called Page Insights) to see your fans demographics, location, level of engagement and so on. This is valuable information that enables you to keep testing new approaches and stir up more interaction with the Page members.
7. Search engine love
It’s no secret that Facebook is a very popular and high ranking site; in fact it’s the number 2 site on the internet after Google. We don’t know exactly how the search engine algorithms of Google, Bing, Yahoo and the others work, but we can expect a Facebook Page for your business to rub off some of that link juice.
What we do know is that you don’t need a password to view the Page, you don’t even have to be a Facebook user. This means search engines can index the Page using their bots.
8. A fantastic reach
There are actually 500 million reasons (and counting) to set up your Page, and by the time you read this the number of Facebook users has probably climbed considerably. Facebook offers an unrivalled outreach that dwarfs that of LinkedIn, Twitter and the other minnows like Xing and Viadeo.
Whilst the reach of Facebook may not be a compelling reason for your business, it simply can’t be dismissed as a factor to consider.
9. Things can go viral
Get the Page right and it could go viral. Whenever someone clicks the ‘Like’ button, their friends are made aware of this in their home feeds. The more people that join, the more this will appear on feeds and the snowball effect kicks in.
10. It’s customizable
Unlike a Linked group, with the Facebook Page you are able to customize the look and feel of the layout. Apart from the obvious filling in the blanks, dragging and dropping boxes, you can actually program the design using Facebook’s own HTML which is called FBML.
You can either do this customization yourself on the Static FBML application, or get professional help which won’t cost too much on sites like Elance or PeoplePerHour. Don't forget that you also set the vanity URL for your Facebook Page.
11. Easy to promote
Facebook are keen on selling you adverts that promote the Page. The advantage of these ads is that they are very targeted, you can pick your demographics, location, interests etc to ensure you only pay to display that ad to the right Facebook users.
If you don’t want to pay for it, simply promote the Page on your site, blog, newsletter, Twitter feed and any other place your target audience are likely to see it.
12. You build a community
By attracting members to your Page, you are effectively building up a community of customers, prospects and anyone else who wants to be associated with your brand. You give these people a platform to interact and share ideas, while you soak up all the information.
13. Voice of your business
The Page is the obvious place to broadcast blog posts, videos, articles that are relevant to your business. Just like an email newsletter, the Page will act as the voice of your business – with the difference being that people can reply in public.
Further to building a community and listening to what’s going on, you should be engaging with the Page members on a daily basis. This means answering any questions they might have, just like most big companies try to do on Twitter.
14. It’s the future
Half a billion users of Facebook today, more tomorrow. I don’t see how Facebook Pages are going to be a novelty or a fad. In my opinion this marketing channel will be increasingly important over time so it’s critical to get stuck in there now and be well positioned for the future.
15. It’s still free & easy
Yes I know I mentioned it first but it’s free and simple to set up a page so what the heck are you waiting for?
Do let me know if you have any questions about Facebook Pages and I will do my best to reply as soon as possible. And while we're at it, why don't you connect with me on Facebook as well!
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