Even small businesses need to formulate marketing plans, and with the advent of the social media, it is important to cash in on the opportunities presented by social media sites like Facebook. A popular misconception about Facebook is that it benefits only big names and large businesses. Nothing could be farther from the truth, since Facebook is an excellent marketing tool for businesses irrespective of size.

These impressive figures show the reach of Facebook and the potential it can unleash, for your small business. Thus it is by far the best place to start on your social media marketing campaign. With its large clientele, it is will not take long to establish a trustworthy reputation and build good will.

A simple addition of a Facebook business page will help to connect with customers on a personal level and be accessible to them, answering queries, removing doubts and resolving issues for them. Above all, Facebook will help to increase the net visibility of your business since it will appear in the Facebook search results. A Facebook page must look aesthetically appealing and tempt visitors to read all the information provided. This may take some amount of time, but the results will show that it was time well spent.

Steps to get started on Facebook

1. Create an attractive Facebook page

The first step for making an appearance on Facebook is to have an attractive Facebook business page. It may sound complicated, but it is actually quite easy, since it requires nothing more than going to the Facebook advertising page, creating new business page and entering the required information about the business.

A customized landing page may require the services of a consultant, but otherwise a simple page takes less than a day. The business page can then be uploaded with content like images, video clippings, blog posts and press releases. It is important to provide accurate contact information and also who the page is meant for.

2. Start using your Facebook page to interact

Once the page is ready, it is time to start posting bits of news, updates, pictures, and reaching out to friends, so that they “like” your page and share it with their friends. This is how a chain reaction will begin and your business page will spread.

Interesting blogs will help to develop a loyal clientele, and people will evince interest gradually. This will reflect in questions asked, which must be answered promptly and the answer must be satisfying.

3. Promoting your Facebook page

A concerted effort has to be made to promote your page, since more and more people need to know that your page exists. The page link can be passed on to business associates, friends and acquaintances. Links can also be pasted in newsletters, advertisements placed in Yellow pages and other media.

Facebook can help to spread word about your business across borders and that too at a very fast pace. Its potential needs to be tapped and using it in a planned manner will yield rich results.

Here is an informative infographic containing lots of other Facebook page tips