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Social media marketing is all the rage, but will your business improve by having a Facebook page? Is it worth the already limited time and resources you have? We think so. Here’s why.

First, of the top social network platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Foursquare, Facebook is by far the most popular based on sheer number of users. According to its recent SEC filing, Facebook is now a social media network boasting more than 900 million monthly active users, 526 million of whom visit the site daily. Pretty impressive audience – not to mention, a really active one – don’t you think? So, by numbers alone, it’s hard not to give Facebook a try.

Let’s look past all the nonsensical status updates that drive us crazy. You know, the ones that announce, “I’m finally off work! Now off to the grocery store, then the gym, dinner and bed.” Instead, focus on the people behind the updates. On Facebook, you will find a community of existing and potential customers and clients, up close and personal. These people are an important source for growing your business and probably the best advocates – as long as you stay in touch and keep them happy. After all, happy customers and clients equal referrals to new happy customers and clients, right?

Not convinced yet? Here are five more reasons why your small business should be on Facebook.

1Build loyalty and deepen relationships Facebook is a personalized platform where people share their likes, interests and activities, and having a business Facebook page lets you interact with prospects and customers by sharing news, photos and videos. When someone decides to visit you on Facebook and “like” your page or comment on a post, they are showing

that they want a relationship with your company. These are the people who could potentially create great word-of-mouth referrals to their friends. With all this personal information exchanged regarding likes and interests, you can create exclusive, personalized marketing campaigns (like promotions, deals and events) to groups of people based on specific interests that are relevant to your business.

For instance: A patron eating at a restaurant loves her meal. She posts to Facebook about how great it is and that message is exposed to her 200 friends via the news feed. That’s potentially 200 people that the restaurant can get in front of with no marketing dollars spent.

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5 reASoNS Why FAcebook IS ImPorTANT To SmALL buSINeSS

2 Generate awareness and increase word of mouth While you’re making new connections and deepening existing relationships on Facebook, you are also automatically generating awareness for your business free of charge. how? every user’s action is recorded on Facebook and has a possibility of being published to the news feed for the world to see. So anytime

people “like” your page and/or any of your posts, this action could get published to hundreds, if not thousands, of their friends. So go out there and promote your great content, new product/service launches, special offers and events. every post is an opportunity to get in front of tons of new eyeballs.

For instance: That same patron posted to her 200 friends, and of those people who saw it live commented on the post: “Great place!,” “I loved it too!” It just happens that collectively all of those people had 5,000 friends who could be exposed to their comments and possibly generate even more buzz, and still no marketing dollars spent.

3 Increase traffic and sales Facebook allows people to share products and services they like and have purchased (such as yours) with all their Facebook friends. This is a strong driver of traffic to your Facebook page. You can also drive more traffic to your website with Facebook-friendly applications, such as Foursquare, that allow people to share when

they physically visit your store (known as “checking in”), as well as share when they make purchases online or “like” special offers or deals you are promoting. There is no better product or service endorsement than the proof that your friends have actually bought it, used it or liked it.

For instance: That same patron “checks in” using an app like Foursquare. It gets posted to Facebook and all of her friends now know where she is and what she might be eating.

Facebook averages 2.7 billion “likes” every day

250 million photos are

uploaded daily

425 million mobile

Facebook users

57% female/ 43% male users by gender

Average of 20 minutes time

spent on Facebook

per visit

Facebook Facts: From “10 Things you Need To know About Facebook right Now” compiled by AllFacebook, The Unofficial Facebook Blog

Great place! I loved

it too!

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5 reASoNS Why FAcebook IS ImPorTANT To SmALL buSINeSS

4 Gather valuable marketing information Facebook lets you learn how customers interact with your page and posts thanks to Facebook Insights. This handy free analytics package, built into the Facebook admin interface, allows you to dig deeper into your Facebook fan base, like a demographic breakdown of the types of people who like your business and what

they are specifically interested in. You can also gather the results of survey questions, photo and video posts, and other data to understand more about the content your Facebook followers enjoy so you can create more of what works.

For instance: The restaurant owner sees that when they post the menu for bbQ Wednesdays they get a ton of Facebook likes and mentions compared to other types of content. They also know, thanks to Facebook Insights, that most of their Page “likers” are men who are over 45 years old. Since they’re appealing to an older crowd, they tailor their bbQ price points upwards and include a drink with the meal to increase the perceived value of the dish.

5 Develop new products and ideas Since your customers can be your greatest advocates, why not use them to generate new ideas? most everyone has an opinion they would like to share with companies they do business with (whether you want to hear it or not). Facebook is perfect for this. you can ask questions, post “r&D” photos and solicit feedback,

or do a quick survey. Not only will you find some great new ideas, you also get another opportunity to show your customers that you value what they have to say and have their best interests in mind.

For instance: The restaurant owner thinks that Sunday brunch is a complete waste of time and money, but his employees feel differently. he asks the question on Facebook and gets an overwhelming response that the customers want brunch! he decides to offer brunch the following month and get the word out using a Facebook event to all of his fans.

Small Business Social Networking Stats: From “99 New Social media Stats for 2012” compiled by The Social Skinny

and “ Small business and Social media” by CreditDonkey

Should we start serving weekend brunch?

I love brunch!BRUNCH! YES!

Yes please!

Facebook Insights Helps You Determine Your Facebook Audience

53% of small businesses

are using social media

19% use Facebook, 15% LinkedIn, 4% Twitter and 15% “other,” while 47% report not using

social media for business purposes

at all

88% believe exposure is the

biggest benefit

78% of business executives

surveyed say social media is

critical for success

Have we convinced you that Facebook is no fad? Great! For more Facebook ideas and tips, check out the VerticalResponse Marketing Blog.