Every business, whether big or small, should be on social media. This means that your business or brand should be using the platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and especially Facebook.

Facebook is one of the most well-known and successful marketing tools in our world today. With more than 2.7 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world. That means it is imperative that your business is actively using it to grow and expand. But, not knowing how to use it effectively can hurt your chances of growing your online presence. Facebook is especially useful for small businesses who want to engage their customers and attract new people.

Facebook offers an abundance of opportunity for small businesses, such as a variety of advertising options (Ad Manager), Facebook groups, Messenger, Page Insights, Business Manager, Hashtags, Custom Audiences, and much more.

Utilizing these tools will positively impact your business in more ways than one. If you want to start promoting your small business on Facebook, you need to consider doing these things. 

1. Start a Business Page 

In order to be taken seriously as a business and create a space where others can easily find you, you need to create a business page. Your business needs a space of its own, beyond your own personal Facebook page. A personal business page gives users the opportunity to like your page, view your content, and engage with you. When you create your page, make sure that you come up with a memorable username, add photos to your profile and cover picture, include tons of information about your business, invite friends and users to like your page, and make it your own! There is no right or wrong way to create a business page, but there are tons of strategies to draw in more people. Once you have ironed out all the details, you can start posting valuable content. The most important thing you can do is to accurately list all of your business information on your page, such as: your business name, phone number, address, email, and business hours. It’s important that your business information is easily visible so that users can notice it right away.

2. Post OFTEN 

It is not enough to have only a Facebook business page. If you want to promote your business on Facebook, you need to create content and post it regularly. We recommend that you post at least once per day. Remember, the more you post, the more people see your content and recognize your brand. Posting regularly is also great for engagement, relatability, transparency and brand credibility. Your content shows so much about your brand, mission and intention to grow. If you are unsure what your audience wants to see, you can always create a poll or look at your page analytics to help you decide what you need to change. You could also check out this article on our website that discusses social media and the content you should post.

3. Create Facebook Ads

If you are struggling to reach and engage users organically, then try using Facebook ads. Facebook ads are an effective, yet subtle tool that allow you to reach more people without bogging them down with an obvious ad. Facebook ads look almost identical to regular posts, except they are incredibly targeted and reach more people. With Facebook ads, you can target audiences by demographic or by those who like your page. Facebook collects data on users and creates audiences for businesses like yours. Facebook ads also includes a pretty cool analytics tool, which gives you a birds-eye view of everything on your site and tracks all details of views, interaction and engagement with your content. It might be worth it to create an ad and see what happens. 

4. Use all of the AWESOME Facebook features 

As amazing as it is to stay is the comfort zone, stepping outside of your normal routine will benefit you in many ways. Facebook has so many in-depth features that are perfect for your business to utilize! Have you ever tried using Facebook Live, video, or stories? All three features are a great way to get in front of your audience and promote your business. Remember, putting out content is the most important thing that you can do for your business. Putting yourself in front of your audience and engaging with them will prove to be so beneficial. Facebook Live allows its users to go live on air. It even sends your followers a notification that you are going live and allows users to watch later if they missed it. Facebook stories allow you to post content that will appear on a user’s feed for only 24 hours. Facebook videos are in high demand, as nearly 85% of businesses use videos as a marketing tool. Don’t forget to use these features! They could be just the tools you needed to increase your following.

5. Create a Plan 

Success doesn’t just happen overnight. Well… It might happen overnight for some people. But generally, success requires a plan and some kind of execution. You need to create a strategy to grow your brand. Whether you prefer to create your strategies on a piece of college ruled paper or on a content calendar, it needs to be something that you will remember to use. Your plan should include what you are going to post, when and how often you will post, what features you will use, and how you are going to grow your audience. Creating a plan might seem intimidating at first, but you will thank yourself later! Once you have created a plan, you will no longer have to worry about creating content last minute or remembering when you last posted. Having a nice, organized place where all of your information is stored will help you track content and move your business in the right direction. 

There are so many ways that you can promote your business on Facebook. But, when you create a plan, you are automatically putting your business in the perfect position to be noticed and grow. As long as you start a Facebook page, create content and post often, use Facebook ads and utilize all of Facebook’s awesome features, you will be on your way to promoting your business like a seasoned veteran. Make sure that when you are creating and posting content, that you are being true and staying consistent with your company’s brand. Do not try to fit the mold of another brand. Stay authentic and true to your company’s culture and the audience will follow. 

Did you know that it’s possible to create a social network on your WordPress site? Well… it is! You can literally turn your WordPress into a social networking platform by using the free WordPress plugin, BuddyPress! 

Why would you want such a plugin on your website? The better question is, why would you not want to install this plugin? If you would like to turn your site into a community of users, add social media features, or attempt to build an entire social media platform with WordPress, then this is the plugin for you!

BuddyPress will allow you to take your site beyond the typical blog or business page. In recent years, BuddyPress has been used as a campus-wide social networking platform for universities, as an internal communication tool for companies, as a niche social networking for very specific interest groups, and for focused communities for products and services. It is also integrated with bbPress to enhance community forms. 

By following just a few easy steps, you can gain all the social media features that you have come to know and love from your favorite social media platforms. BuddyPress comes with multiple social media elements that can integrate directly into your site. Some of those elements include detailed user profiles, published updates, the opportunity to join groups, private messaging, group messaging and so much more. It allows website visitors to network with each other, stay updated on new information, and stay in touch with things going on in the community. This social networking plugin allows you to build your own online platform for any online or offline community!

One of the coolest things about BuddyPress is that there are over 500 plugins available to help you add unique features to your site. But, you do not have to use them! If you only want to use a select few, BuddyPress will adapt to that and only show the menu items and pages for the features you have enabled. Did we mention it is FREE?

This multi-feature packed plugin is easy to integrate into your website and it is very easy to get started! BuddyPress can be installed on your site directly from the WordPress plugin directory.  Are you ready to Install?

1. To begin, log in to your WordPress website’s admin area and find Plugins on the left-hand panel on your screen. Hover your mouse over Plugins. You will see that you have a choice between Installed Plugins or Add New. Press Add New. On the right-hand side, you’ll see a search bar that will allow you to search for options. In that bar, search for BuddyPress. 

2. You will see that BuddyPress shows up on the left-hand side of the screen. In the BuddyPress box, press Install Now. BuddyPress then installs into your system and you will see the option to activate. Press Activate. 

3. After you have pressed activate, you will see this popup. 

4. The picture above is basically welcoming you to the newly activated plugin and letting you know about the recently updated version of BuddyPress. From there, you can click the X in the top right-hand corner and mess with the settings on the newly installed BuddyPress menu, located under the settings sidebar menu. 

5. You can individually activate or disable any component. This makes BuddyPress extremely beneficial for those who only want to add a few of the many social networking elements to their website.

6. Under Components, check any element that you think would fit nicely into your site. You can also uncheck elements that you do not think would look good on your site. This is really where you can add all of your social networking elements.  As you can see, the tabs next to components are Options, Pages, and Credits. The Options button allows you to access the toolbar. The Pages tab allows you to configure the pages that are using the BuddyPress plugin to show member information and their activity. You can also set up the registration and activation Pages in the Pages tab as well.  

This is what your page will look like if you do not yet have any members on your site. The down arrow next to members will allow you to associate a WordPress page with each BuddyPress component directory. Use the down arrow to view the list and choose. The options range from live web chat, to blog, to test page, to set an appointment, and much more.

From there, you can begin adding people to your social network! In addition, the visitors to your site can register to become members! Feel free to play with the different features available to see what you like the best!

Wasn’t this process easier than you anticipated? Are you ready to start your own social network? Go get ’em!