Why You Should Start Now, on Facebook

Okay, all the ‘new year, new you’ BS is winding down and with the start of February we’re starting to settle in to who we’re really going to be this year. For most of us, this ‘new you’ is probably not very far off from the old you. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have goals.

If one of your goals for the year was to start your own business or blog, this post is you making the first step in making that goal a reality so keep reading.

As Sheryl Sandberg said, “Done is better than perfect.” And in terms of starting your own business, this couldn’t be more true. There will always be ways that you can optimize your business organization and strategies but getting it in front of potential customers and supporters is one of the biggest hurdles you will face in the beginning. How do I know? I’m doing just that, right now. Launching your business in front of your family, friends, supporters, haters and even complete strangers takes a lot of guts. Therefore, showing the extreme confidence it takes to launch your own business requires quick action – before we chicken out.

Traditional digital business marketing advice would tell you that any business in 2017 absolutely and unequivocally needs a website and it would be right.

And it would also be wrong.

Yes, having an owned digital location (aka a website) to send your followers to is important, but it’s not something that usually can be set up quickly (or necessarily cheaply). Social media on the other hand, is designed to be set up quickly. Below, I outline the eight reasons why getting started on Facebook today is the right move for you to take one step towards realizing your goal for this year.

Speed and simplicity

Setting up a Facebook business page is a quick and simple to follow process. Facebook has created a user-friendly guided set up which answers any questions you may have along the way.

Popular platform

Facebook is one of the largest social networks on the planet which is great for Zuckerberg but what does that mean for your business? It means, that with over one and a half billion users, chances are pretty good that most if not all of your target market use the platform and therefore can be engaged with and advertised to there as well.

Targeted ads

With such a large user base on Facebook, ad targeting becomes very important and Facebook has some of the best capabilities of any media in the world. There are so many categories you can choose for the audience you would like to advertise to including geographic location, income, parental and marriage status, interests and hobbies, recent purchases and so many more including unique combinations of the above.

Mobile-friendliness

In April 2015, Google rolled out an algorithm change that overtly favored sites optimized for mobile in mobile Google searches. What this meant for any business without a mobile-friendly site, was that they would be pushed to the back of the line in Google. What does this have to do with Facebook? Facebook has a great mobile-optimized design and independent mobile app allowing customers and fans to connect with your brand without you having to pay a programmer for some potentially expensive website updates.

Customer service

Facebook allows you to be incredibly responsive in your customer service efforts by providing live chat features and push notifications direct to your phone. With notifications turned on, you can get an alert direct to your cell any time someone messages your page, leaves a comment or checks in to your physical location.

Networking

When you network with individuals, you can follow up by connecting on a platform such as LinkedIn. When you network with a business owner, you can additionally follow up by liking their Facebook page as your Facebook page. This can be a great way to remind them of your connection to your business and encourage a follow back.

Track engagement

How do you know which of your content is most popular? How do you know what your audience likes, shares and responds to? Facebook analytics, called Insights, allow you to track those engagements. Insights track views, likes, engagements, reach and more for an adjustable period from today to the last 28 days.

Track your competition

Another noteworthy feature of Facebook Insights is the Pages to Watch category. This section of Insights allows you to track up to 5 or more similar pages to your own so you can see how your own page measures up. You can see key stats from all the pages including likes and posts over the past week.

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I hope this has convinced you to make the first move right now and set up a Facebook page for your business or blog. It’s free, straightforward and a relatively quick process that can get you communicating with a like-minded audience right away.

Above, I have created a follow-along video that walks you through how to set up a Facebook business page and if you complete the form below I’ll send you a copy of my FREE 45 Content Ideas for a Rich Facebook Strategy.