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If you are not using Facebook to grow your small business, you are missing a big opportunity. Facebook is easy to use and you don't have to pay for it.
Promotions on Facebook begin with putting your small business up on the Facebook site. They lead you through it--and it is simple. Then, start uploading pictures--you're snapping pictures all the time, aren't you?
Pictures attract attention. They don't have to be professionally done. But they should be interesting--a close-up of a slice of cake if you are a baker, a street scene if you're a cafe, a new product you're offering. Even attorneys can announce free sessions on writing wills. You get the idea.
You post a picture on Facebook with a few words and you're done with your promotion for the day. Posting once a month won't get much return. But if you post two or three times a week, the response can be significant. It all depends on your picture--it needs to grab eyeballs.
Example: An upscale consignment shop specializes in fashionable women's clothing. A manikin is dressed in every outfit or dress or coat that comes in. A picture goes up on the shop's Facebook page. Handbags are shown with a close-up of the label. Boots and scarves and sweaters and more show up on the Facebook pages every week. The shop attracts widespread attention. Women call and reserve items to be picked up later, or they rush by after their workday. Facebook has helped turn this consignment shop into a destination. People "like" the page and pass it on to their friends and acquaintances. Referrals come in.
Example: A massage therapist posts pictures of hands working on clients--never showing a face. Pictures of hands massaging shoulders, necks, arms and legs trigger all sorts of responses from people seeing the pictures on Facebook. The response is more calls for more appointments from more people.
Example: Retail operations can show pictures of new products, new items being used, along with announcements of sales, discounts, gift certificates, and events set for weekends. Close-ups of jewelry, potted plants, baked goods, clothing, a deck under construction, and just about any other item can get a response on Facebook. When you run out of things to photograph, take pictures of pets. No matter your business, puppies and kittens always attract attention--and get passed around.
People in small business need all the publicity they can get--especially when it is free. Take advantage of what Facebook offers. No matter the business you're in, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well Facebook can promote what you do.
Facebook is one of the best promotional tools for small business. And, just to make it clear, I have nothing to gain by recommending Facebook.
