30+ Ways to Use Facebook for Business

Facebook has become one of the most astonishing phenomena of our times, with its influence traceable in many aspects of our life.

You might be wondering: Can such power be used to leverage your business?

The answer is this: it could, and, in fact, should!

Here is a list of 30+ tips that will give you an idea of how to use Facebook for business by:

• Creating your page
• Improving its appearance
• Choosing content
• Enhancing your marketing strategy
• Advertising your page

Creating your page

1. Don’t leave any gaps

Before you delve into the particulars of Facebook marketing, make sure you know how to create a Facebook account that guarantees the trust of your customers.

Now:

The easiest way to secure their trust is to fill out your profile without missing anything. You wouldn’t find a page that’s missing crucial information trustworthy, right? Then don’t expect your customers to do so.

2. Play by the rules

Facebook doesn’t allow accounts created solely for business. But here is the deal: that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to gain an advantage. Steering clear of issues should be one of the first points in your Facebook marketing plan.

To do that, start with reading the Facebook policies regarding business accounts. Don’t forget that there might be a small detail there that will prove to be a disaster if you find out about it too late.

3. Create a Facebook business account

Here’s a useful tip: you can create a business account without the need to create a personal Facebook page. Be advised, however, that if you already have a business account and go with this method, be ready to see both your personal and business Facebook page banned.

4. Ensure privacy

If you feel some information is inappropriate for the public eye, feel free to remove it.

But don’t delete it outright—that will result in your account becoming less trustworthy. You can configure the parts you don’t want people to see as private in settings.

5. Synchronize your accounts

Integrating valuable information from your other resources is an essential part of Facebook business account setup.

Are you posting information on your blog that you feel your audience would like to know? Use a plugin that will automatically post this on your Facebook page for you.

6. Create friend lists

Wondering how to use Facebook for business without annoying your friends? There’s a built-in feature for that:

The easiest way to do it is to keep everyone who isn’t from your family in the “Work” category. But you will fare better going a step further and creating groups for business partners, press, advertising, supplies, and so on to organize your business.

7. Choose the right photo

Here are two Facebook business page tips you may find useful:

• First, find a picture that makes your profile recognizable. Was it featured in a marketing campaign? Then you can be sure that your audience won’t be confused.
• Second, check if it looks good on the page. Remember, it is the first thing a customer will see. Don’t spoil that precious first impression.

8. Don’t get too personal

Those photos of your last party? Showing them to clients won’t boost your sales much. Don’t forget to mark your albums as private, and check who can see what to avoid showing up in the press in an undesired light.

Improving appearance

9. Expand your coverage

Remember: not everyone will go to your Facebook page to read your posts. Many people will visit only for contact information.

So, a good idea on how to promote your business on Facebook would be to include as many contacts as possible. Business phone numbers, email addresses, a newsletter subscription address—anything may turn out to be significant.

10. Create a vanity URL

That cacophony of letters and numbers in your link may look technical and sophisticated, but if you are interested in how to use Facebook for business promotion, you better make it readable.

Vanity URLs look better, are easy to remember and type in the address box, and suggest that you care about your business image and your customers’ convenience.

11. Make your page visible

Some of your customers will look for your page on their own, but the rest you need to invite.

Now that you have a readable URL, you can not only add it to your email signature and blog but also print it on your promotional materials and business cards as a part of your Facebook strategy plan.

12. Make use of all functions

Now that you have your page correctly configured, it’s time to make use of its possibilities. The most obvious advice on how to promote your Facebook business page for free is to connect it to your business.

Post updates on your progress, share plans for future developments, comment on your decisions. In short, make it useful for the clients.

13. Connect your Twitter account

In the age of social media, it may not be enough to create a Facebook page. Make sure the Twitter population is not left out.

In addition to covering a bigger audience, Twitter can be connected to Facebook to repost tweets automatically. Just make sure you configure your synchronization right—otherwise, you’ll soon find your business page flooded with tweets.

14. Go visual

Try to use visual aids whenever possible. Do you have a video of your latest presentation? Share it. An appropriate image to help you communicate your ideas? Add it.

Even those graphs and charts can help readers go through an especially data-heavy text – not to mention they look cool.

15. Upload email contacts

If you have been actively using your email for business communications, here is a trick: you can retrieve all those valuable contacts with a single click of a mouse.

Doing so will instantly give you access to your current and previous partners and customers, saving you time.

Choosing content

16. Back your ideas with literature

If you need some small business Facebook post ideas, here’s one to help you gain credibility.

Find an article that has a reputable author and aligns with your view on business, and refer to it on your page.

Review a popular book and comment on your take on the matter. Share a link to a blog that supports your ideas.

17. Don’t overdo posting

Speaking of flooding, make sure it doesn’t overshadow meaningful information. Showering your customers with links and ideas every half an hour is not a current Facebook marketing strategy for a reason.

People are simply not meant to concentrate on that much data. Make sure you stick to the “no more than a few posts a day” rule.

18. Prepare for anything

Received an attractive business proposition? Check on the author—his Facebook business page login and details can tell you a lot about the future partnership.

Remember we talked about how information on a business page can be telling? Here’s an opportunity to check it. But here’s the kicker: they’ll likely do the same, so make sure that you are ready by the time this happens.

19. Choose your posting time wisely

Posting at the right time is a Facebook marketing 101 strategy.

Do it too early, and most visitors will miss out on it.

Make it too late, and by the next day, it is buried under other posts in your customers’ newsfeeds.

Be aware that your audience may not share your habits—or your time zone. Time your posts strategically!

20. Post discounts and deals

In case you didn’t figure it out by now, the page you created is an excellent place for advertising your products.

Be wary, however, as pages overloaded with recurring ads are neither enjoyable nor informative. Try to limit your scope to discounted offers and deals.

Enhancing your marketing strategy

21. Obtain new friends

Facebook wasn’t meant for business use, but it has tremendous potential to do just that. Here’s the deal: its social component is an excellent tool for finding new partners.

Start by asking your friends if they have somebody in mind. The more you do it, the better the site will understand your needs. Be persistent, and soon you won’t need to search how to promote your business page on Facebook—the engine will do it for you.

22. Find mutual contacts

There’s an excellent feature that makes using Facebook for marketing easier. It’s called People You May Know and includes contacts of those who turn up often in friends lists of your friends. You can use it to check if you have missed someone you may already know.

But it gets better: it allows you to find people who are valuable to you and who you haven’t had a chance to meet yet.

23. Don’t cling to your page

While running your business page on Facebook, you will find lots of people who will turn out to be great partners.

But it gets better: you will be able to get help from them outside the web. Invite them to speak on your live appearances or ask them to attend a workshop—this will strengthen your ties to the business world and broaden your scope.

24. Track your progress

Once you start gaining an audience, you must obtain insights into the demographics of your visitors. Marketing on Facebook is much easier once you understand who visits your page, how often, and why. Want to know the best part? These features are 100% free.

25. Tailor your content

Now that you understand your audience better, what advantages does it give you? For starters, you can now adjust your content to make your page even more popular.

But it gets better: take it one step further and configure your post segmentation. The function of enhanced post targeting will ensure that marketing on Facebook reaches visitors with the specific demographics it was intended for.

26. Test your guesses

Now that you have a grip on Facebook’s surveying tools make sure to make the best of this knowledge.

Can’t decide on the best version of an ad? Release both and track the audience’s reaction.

Advertising your page

27. Utilize Facebook ads

If you feel there’s untapped potential in your page, you should consider using the Facebook ads service.

It uses social algorithms to choose the most suitable target audience, has a flexible pricing policy, and is an excellent way to boost your sales without dramatically increasing your Facebook business page cost.

28. Connect your page to the website

Once your business page gains momentum, you can use it to leverage the potential of your website using Facebook Connect.

This function enhances the functionality of your resource by adding several social networking features. More importantly, it allows you to track visitors’ demographics easily and simplifies communication with customers.

29. Be responsive

Whether your visitor filed a complaint, sent positive feedback, or left a bit of information you find useful, react to it. This gives an impression of professionalism and care and garners customer loyalty.

30. Enhance the functionality

If there is an app that was developed for your customers, or that can be helpful to your audience, make sure to include it in the dedicated section of your page.

Interactive elements will attract their attention and improve the usability of your resource.

31. Don’t shy away from other businesses

You can focus posts on your content, but it would be a better idea to expand your coverage to offers and events by others.

By including other relevant information, you will make your content more diverse and have a better chance of being noticed by potential partners.

32. Be informed

Facebook newsroom releases information on important changes and new features. Subscribe to it to stay updated and maximize your page’s performance.

Start now and see how useful Facebook can be

Facebook’s original design was not as a business-oriented resource. But that does not mean you cannot use it as one. In fact, its enormous popularity and diverse audience make it a perfect candidate for gaining an advantage in sales.

And here’s the kicker:

Most of the opportunities it offers come free of charge, and those that do not are well worth their price. All you need to make it big is dedication, communication skills, and a handful of tips to make it a little bit easier.

With this list as your guide, you already have a good idea of how to use Facebook for business. All you need to do is start—and see how effective Facebook marketing can be.