Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 2004, chances are you have heard of Facebook. Facebook is a social networking service with over 500 million (think 1/12^th of the planet) active users. Whether you use the service to keep in touch with friends and family or not, Facebook’s use as a marketing tool has powerful potential. The face of the web is changing. Many businesses don’t use their web addresses in advertisements, but rather encourage people to “like” them on Facebook. That’s why you have to be onboard with this useful service.

Some Options to Consider

                There are a few different options when creating a Facebook profile. The average Facebook user is on Facebook for personal, not professional reasons. They use standard profiles where you add pictures, enter likes and activities, and connect with other friends. This isn’t necessary the profile you want.

                You have two options to consider when setting up your business Facebook profile. Facebook does offer business accounts. However, with a downside. Business accounts don’t give you the same access to the site and its information. You will not be able to view the content of users on the site, cannot send or receive friend requests, and cannot be found in the search bar. The same person also cannot have a personal account and a business account, as this violates Facebook’s terms of use policy. This is certainly a gap in functionality. You are in need of these capabilities to fully use Facebook as a marketing tool.

The Most Effective Method

                Facebook has an effective and customizable way to advertise on the social media site. A Facebook allows you to maintain a professional presence on the site. A user can have one Facebook account or profile but a user can have multiple Facebook Pages. A profile/account and a page are two different things. Facebook Pages come prebuilt with certain functionality based on business category. For example, if you are advertising a small recording studio, the page would have a music player where you could upload samples. These pages are very easy to build, and can also automatically accept fan requests.

                Pages are a great way to broadcast information. You can post the latest news about your company, or special deals, and anyone who is your friend on Facebook will see these updates in their news feed. You can also use pages along with a personal profile, since they are not separate accounts. This is a great option because you can create a personal profile, create a business page, then encourage all of your friends to become a fan of the business page to receive all the updates.  

                Pages are terrific because they are highly customizable. They let you provide lots of information to your friends. And frequent updates to the page will ensure that it stays in the news feeds of your friends. This is a savvy marketing technique because it will keep your business fresh in their memories. Facebook provides an unparalleled market of people you can connect with. And did we mention that creating a page is free? The ease of use, combined with the potential to reach millions, is why Facebook as a social marketing tool makes perfect sense.