10 Unexpected Ways Facebook Is Good for Your Business

The benefits of Facebook for business

Businesses can reap a number of rewards by using Facebook.

1. Facebook can help build your online brand.

Your business’s online presence is more important than ever as consumer interest in mobile and social media shopping continues to grow, and Facebook may be your best opportunity to get in front of customers near and far.

With Facebook’s approximately 3 billion monthly users, according to Statista, no other social network can offer your business a matching level of potential exposure. As the largest and first social media network to achieve mainstream success, Facebook offers more integration tools than other platforms, including follow buttons, account logins and photo sharing. These tools can lead customers back to your business website and other online content you want to highlight.

2. Facebook forms professional bonds among competitors.

One of Facebook’s overarching goals is to connect people, whether it’s old friends, current acquaintances or those looking to meet new people. Though not every interaction on Facebook is helpful, there are specific instances when the network’s sheer number of users can be beneficial.

Jo Trizila, president and CEO of TrizCom Public Relations, uses Facebook for business and personal improvement. Trizila joined a group of fellow PR professionals in the Dallas area. The group members, who agreed not to steal business from each other, collaborate by sharing tips and advice, such as recommending reporters to pitch to, insurance policies to consider and software to implement. All information shared within the group stays in the group.

“It truly has been a blessing to meet, collaborate and share thought leadership with my colleagues,” Trizila said.

These PR professionals put their egos aside to help each other and improve the quality of the PR industry in the Dallas area.

3. Facebook can change preconceptions.

Certain careers carry negative stereotypes. People working as lawyers, politicians or used-car salespeople can be seen as dishonest just because of their job. Facebook can help defeat these stereotypes.

“Attorneys are often seen as distant and a bit aloof from the general public,” said Kevin Patrick, owner and founder of Kevin Patrick Law LLC. “To me, though, the key to developing business is making a personal connection. People want to feel like they are human and not just a case number. Facebook has been a great way of making those personal connections.”

Patrick’s posts differ from those of most law firms. Because he shows who he is and who his employees are, potential customers are more willing to work with the company.

“For example, my law firm page doesn’t include the typical ’10 things to do if you have been in a car accident,’ but rather, we focus our posts on ways we have served the community, such as making meals for the homeless and other volunteer activities,” Patrick said. “For one, it’s the right thing to do, and two, it has helped create a level of trust, and it leads to new cases.”

4. Facebook can help you find top job candidates.

While a problematic social media persona may eliminate some candidates, Facebook provides direct access to everyone who follows your brand. This visibility can attract the best potential employees to your company.

Post job openings on your Facebook business page so people who would be excited to work for your company are the first to know there’s an opportunity to join. If they aren’t looking for work, they can use the like and share features to notify other qualified candidates who might be interested.

Regularly monitoring your Facebook page can also help you adopt a more focused, proactive recruiting strategy. See which customers engage positively with your brand. Do they post content that showcases your product and service? Do your homework and reach out; you might convert a passionate fan into one of your best assets. [Read related article: How to Recruit Great Employees in a Tough Labor Market]

5. Facebook can increase productivity.

While many argue that social media networks only distract employees, the opposite may be true. When employees take breaks to do something that interests them, they tend to be happier and more productive. If employees enjoy a quick break to check the Facebook news feed and feel more connected to friends and family, they may be more relaxed and focused when they get back to work.

“Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf on the internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher net total concentration for a day’s work and, as a result, increased productivity,” said Brent Coker, a researcher and lecturer in the management and marketing department at the University of Melbourne.

6. Facebook facilitates lead generation.

Facebook integrates lead generation templates directly into its Ads Manager, the portal and hub for creating Facebook ads. These ads can send customers automated messages through Facebook Messenger and then analyze the response, helping you discover what the customer wants in a relatively straightforward process.

For small businesses, this tool is a helpful asset for generating leads without constantly monitoring Messenger or Facebook on desktop and responding to spam accounts or soft leads.

The automated conversations make it easier for companies to connect to target customers, understand their interests, build an email marketing contact list and convert prospects into paying clients. This means Facebook can boost customer engagement.

7. The Meta Appointments tool makes appointment scheduling easy.

Another key feature on Facebook for small businesses is its Meta Appointments tool. Meta Appointments can integrate with a business’s calendar system and help customers book appointment times or demos when they’re available.

If customers schedule appointments through Facebook, assuming the calendar is accurate, this process can save companies time by reducing the number of phone calls to book appointments or time spent monitoring an online booking system. A handful of automated messages can make the process more straightforward than someone manually scheduling appointments.

After a customer books their appointment, they’ll receive a calendar invite, information, directions and instructions.

8. Facebook’s keyword search function helps you find people or content.

Facebook’s keyword search feature makes it quick and easy to find the most relevant content when you need it. It lets you search all types of posts — status updates, photos, videos, news articles and more — using simple keywords, just as you would for a Google search.

To find information on a person, business, event or subject, you just type in a simple keyword or phrase, and relevant information will appear. This process makes it easy to find information on a business partner or network connection, even if you have limited information.

9. Facebook offers digital marketing and conversion rate optimization.

Facebook helps users contact and get information directly from businesses through a series of specific buttons on Facebook ads. These small business marketing features help users communicate directly with small businesses in as little time as possible.

From a business perspective, these features allow companies to expand their reach to new clients, making it easier to convert them with the click of a button. With buttons, businesses can customize their call to action (CTA) based on their communication styles and conversion goals. These CTA buttons include Call Now, Get Directions, Send Message and Shop Now, among many others.

10. Meta Pay makes it easy to get started with e-commerce.

If you want to start selling online through a Facebook shop, Meta Pay is a free, straightforward way to jump into e-commerce and start accepting payments. When you sign up for Meta Pay, it’s easy to link it to your Facebook shop and include it in your payment arsenal.

Anyone with a Facebook account can use Meta Pay on Facebook, Messenger or Instagram to buy almost any type of good or service. When your shop offers Meta Pay, you’ll have access to many customers and give them an easy way to pay and a speedy checkout process.

How to get your business on Facebook

Assuming you already have a personal Facebook profile, follow these steps to launch your business’s Facebook page:

1. Head to https://www.facebook.com/pages/ and click the Create New Page button toward the top left.
2. On the Create a Page section on the left side, add your page name, which should be your business name. You’ll also need to add a category from Facebook’s drop-down menu and a short bio describing your business. Click Create Page on the bottom left.
3. Add your contact information, hours, location and other key information. Click Next.
4. Add a cover photo and a profile, and choose the appropriate action button or create your own. Click Next again.
5. Invite your Facebook friends to like your page, and click Next. Click the Done button that appears, and you’ve created your page.

Get started with Facebook, and then build out further

Facebook has developed the broadest set of business and networking features. With these tools, the social platform exposes businesses to a massive community of consumers and allows brands to engage with shoppers in unique ways. It’s also far from your only option for marketing your business on social media; you can combine it with Instagram for Business, for example. If you do that, you’ll be well on your way to reaching your customers on not just Facebook but all of the platforms they use. Max Freedman and Sean Peek contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for previous versions of this article.