If you are a part of the Facebook community you have probably heard by now that things are changing for businesses that use posts to reach followers and drum up business.
For years it's been a great way for businesses to reach out to local and long distance customers and admirers. I've been a part of that crazy, wild ride that opened up followers and clients all over the world! I am grateful for that opportunity. Being a small business it's not always in the budget to do large scale advertising. Facebook has helped many of us grow and expand.
There have been changes recently that have made it harder and harder to reach our target audience through Facebook. My posts used to reach several hundred followers. It's now dwindled down to about a hundred for each post. That's a huge market that I'm missing now. I know some that have even said their posts reach less than 20. That is a painful and debilitating blow to us small business owners. The changes are still coming. Expect to see less and less of your followers finding you in their news feed!
Having said that, Facebook is still a great resource for small business. I'm not irritated by Facebook's changes and limitations on business pages. It's business, change is inevitable. It's better to roll with the changes than scoff at them and pout about how it 'used to be'.
There are a few ways we can remedy this:
One: Pay for the posts. I know, I know. The idea of PAYING to have your posts viewed feels wrong in so, so many ways. Especially because most of the ones who view it don't come running to you with money in hand to pay for your services/products. But, have you ever ran an ad in the newspaper? Have you ever had flyers or postcards printed? You paid for those. There was no way of telling whether or not your readers or recipients would come to your business. It was marketing. Simple as that. So is paying for a Facebook ad or post.
Two: Blog! You can blog all you want and no one is going to charge you to increase your views.... right? But, if you choose to blog, how many of your followers on Facebook will take the time to check out your Blog? Keep in mind that many of your 'likes' may not follow you to your blog. But the really, truly interested ones will! Quality over quantity, right? Of course, if you have a very specific audience you can always find ways to get them interested in your business and follow you to your blog. Not to mention, if you blog you have so much more creative control. You can post multiple photos, videos, customize the layout, font, etc. Blogging is definitely more creative that posting. Blogging can take a lot of time and effort. But, clients can tell when you have put effort into something, it shows you value it, therefore they will too!
Three: Email. Yup. Email. In the good 'ol days we only had email. We used to have to send emails to all of our potential clients and communicate directly. *wink wink* All kidding aside, this is a really great way to promote your business and keep contact with clients. I think emailing your latest blog post is one of the best ways to stir up excitement over a new product or offer. If you think this a great way to go but you're more than overwhelmed at the thought of writing, regularly, have no fear! There are pre-made email templates and blogs too! I'm all for the personal touch, but who says you have to stick to the template completely right? The downside to emailing is having to get them on your email list. Not to mention how many people will view your email as spam or junk? We all do it! We see an email from a business we visited in the past and instead of opening the email we just trash it, never knowing what was inside.
Honestly, they all have pros and cons. I have paid for Facebook ads and had nice results. On the other hand, my blog has yielded nicely as well. Email has been equally successful.
It boils down to what feels right for your business. Finding the right combo and sticking with it can give you the results you need to grow your business and reach your target audience!
What am I going to do? I am keeping my Facebook business page, but will post a lot less there. I will post when I blog or have specials posted to my website or blog, but, I am not going to focus on Facebook for marketing. The occasional campaign maybe, but not anything regular. My blog will get most of my attention, it certainly needs it, I've neglected it for so long. Of course, I'll be sharing my blog with those on my email list.
It may take some time to find just the right blog to Facebook ratio, but it can be done!
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