The positive and the Negative - Is Advertising on Facebook Beneficial for Smaller Businesses?

By Julia Koor


In the not too distant past, when an individual decided to find out more information about a business or service, they usually 'Googled' the business, and all was well and done. However, today there is another option, custom Facebook fan pages for business promotion.

Facebook landing pages are a form of social media savvy that has proven to result in positive outcomes for larger businesses. With more than 800 million possible Facebook users, with an extra 50% active online on any given day, Facebook has emerged as the No.1 method for business advertisements. Many larger companies such as Coca-Cola and Starbucks all have Facebook profiles, or Facebook landing pages. However, the million-dollar question for smaller businesses is "can they afford to go all-out via advertising on Facebook!"

According to numerous studies, small businesses with custom Facebook fan pages for business purposes can increase their revenue by 50%. Success stories from small businesses state that they have increased profits from previous years when they had no Facebook exposure.

Success stories like these, instil the incentive many small businesses need in order to take advantage of social media. However, some small business proprietors weren't pleased with their advertising experiences on Facebook. This may be because they didn't understand the vigour of a social networking medium.

Companies that are still in the phases of structuring themselves, or are novices to social media campaigning, are advised not to go "too deep in their pockets" in order to advertise on Facebook. Its best to take it slow in the initial stages by spending a minute amount of cash to see which direction their efforts are taking them. To their credit, Facebook does offer business-friendly advertising services for smaller businesses. Businesses can select their target audience, when they want their advertisements to turn-up. Additionally, they have the opportunity to select various budget distributions such as pay-per-click or bulk.

Thus, businesses can apportion a moderate budget while commencing their campaigns on various demographics and afterwards changing the campaign as they go along. Compared to other Internet advertising forums, Facebook is considered the perfect spot to advertise forums, events, blogs and websites. With the privacy settings on Facebook, visitors can select when and how they want to be exposed to advertisers, groups, or individuals. When users signal what their interest are makes it easier for businesses to filter traffic and aim at the appropriate audience.

Subsequently, the advertisement word restrictions on other networking sites are not as "business friendly" as Facebook, thereby granting more promise of media success. Even though Facebook users are directed more towards socializing, sharing photos, and planning special events, by positioning an image with an attractive introduction sentence to their Facebook advertisement, any person can advertise their website, page or event.

Overall, Facebook is great for small companies because of its economical affability and the exposure a small business can receive due to the larger target audience. Conversely, the efforts for advertising put into Facebook should be taken seriously. In the end, this will save time, money and disappointment.




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