• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • All Articles
  • Arts & Culture
  • Health
  • News
    • News
    • Announcements
    • Obituaries
    • The Official Dish
  • Opinions
  • Horoscopes
  • PODCAST
  • Subscribe

Ambush Magazine

The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™

  • Read All Articles
  • Print Archive
  • Old Archived Site
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

Facebook 101 for Business

October 8, 2019 By Charles Pizzo

With over a billion users, Facebook is a great place to start marketing your business via social media. Instagram and Twitter are viable alternatives—and ultimately, you will want to use all three—but Facebook’s near total market penetration and easy-to-use tools make it the best first option. 

Business owners will sometimes question the use of social media because their business already has a web site. While both are on the internet, the similarity stops there. Noted communication and technology writer Shel Holtz says a web site is the reference web, whereas social media is the collaborative web. 

Web sites typically only communicate in one direction, from business to consumer (or to other businesses). The information is primarily static—lists of products, people, photos, policies, press releases, hours, etc. Social media, on the other hand, allows for two-way communication. Potential customers can talk back, ask questions, and engage in conversations. Content is dynamic and constantly changing. 

Advertisement

Getting Started

One of the more common mistakes that occur is to start a personal page on Facebook for business purposes. Facebook offers many options for individual, group, and business pages, etc. 

On business pages, things operate differently. The public likes the page to start following it (no approval necessary). Posts automatically have their privacy set to public to reach the widest audience. And, unlike personal pages, there is no limit on the number of friends a business page can have.

If you goofed and started a page for business as a personal page, simply refer to Facebook’s help pages for instructions on how to convert it. 

Advertisement

Start here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/creation/

Once the page is created, it’s important to dig into the settings to name it. In this day and age, it’s surprising to run across pages whose link is a string of numbers, but it does still happen. Facebook may restrict naming the page until it has 25 followers. Don’t be shy—invite your family and friends to follow the page to get things rolling. 

For non-marketers, Facebook’s system of sizes for photos can seem Byzantine. The profile picture (usually a logo), cover photo, posts (which some people call ads), and events are all different. If you put a photo into a spot without optimizing it for the size of that location, it will end up cropped. Don’t get frustrated—search online for a web-based photo editor. 

Advertisement

Precision matters. Search online for Facebook photo size guides, cheat sheets, or templates. They are all available, usually for free. It’s helpful to add the current year to your search terms to avoid outdated info.

Posting Tips

Facebook is a casual medium. Use conversational style. Most people prefer to be informed rather than sold. Let them know about your products and services, their uses and benefits, without sounding like a flyer one might find in the Sunday paper (or worse, a late-night infomercial). 

Keep your posts short, about 4-6 lines. The majority of users only scan, not read. Get to the point fast. And by all means, NEVER USE ALL CAPS (online, that’s considered SHOUTING).

Advertisement

Post often. Facebook is a medium that needs to be constantly fed. Post daily, or at minimum, about two to three times per week. Unlike advertising, social posts don’t reappear. Find creative and inventive ways to talk about business in small chunks. 

Include a photo as often as possible, formatted into a square beforehand (again, so it doesn’t get automatically cropped). LGBT+ audiences tend to be visual, so take (or have someone take) the best possible photos of your product. Don’t be afraid to photo edit to make them more sales worthy.

Avoid using the words “I” or “we.” It’s not about you—social media is about the reader. Rewrite your sentences to use the word “you” as much as possible (it takes discipline). Example: instead of “we are offering a special this week,” write “you can save 20% all week on <product or service>.”

Advertisement

Another marketing basic: include a call to action. Ask the reader to do something, such as “Join us for this sale,” or “Come see the latest fashions.” “Call us today for an appointment,” is another example.

If your posts are appealing, expect to generate some discussion. Before responding, put on your customer service hat (think concierge in a fine hotel). Answer as courteously as possible (even if you think the question is stupid). Thank the reader for their interest. Be extremely tactful. Remember, other potential customers are reading your responses and making purchase decisions. Don’t turn them off with an unprofessional attitude. Respond to every question because a lack of follow-up reinforces the belief that you don’t care.

If you follow these basic guidelines, people will follow the page. Be patient, it takes time. Stay consistent, considerate, and communicate professionally to build a following on Facebook. 

Advertisement

Filed Under: Business

Related Posts

’Tis the Season for Instagram
Financial Wisdom for College Students
Tips for Working Remotely

About Charles Pizzo

Charles Pizzo is an award-winning PR person who offers creative solutions to help businesses reach their audience more effectively. He is a former Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Primary Sidebar

Connect & Join the Conversation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Recent Print Editions

  • Volume 38 Issue 17
  • Volume 38 Issue 16
  • Volume 38 Issue 15
  • Volume 38 Issue 14
  • Volume 38 Issue 13
  • Volume 38 Issue 12
  • Volume 38 Issue 11
  • Volume 38 Issue 10
  • Volume 38 Issue 05
  • Volume 38 Issue 04

Recent Articles

  • Women Make History: Carnival 2023
  • An Interview with author Mark Chestnut
  • Trodding the Boards March 7, 2023
  • Bartender Spotlight: March 2023
  • Under the Gaydar (March 2023 Event Calendar)

Experience Gay New Orleans

  • Gay New Orleans
  • Gay Mardi Gras
  • Gay Easter Parade
  • New Orleans Pride
  • Gay Appreciation Awards
  • Southern Decadence
  • Gay Halloween

Categories

  • A Community within Communities
  • Announcements
  • Arts & Culture
  • Bartender of the Month
  • Book Review
  • Business
  • Chop Chop
  • Commentary
  • Drag Queen Profile
  • Featured
  • Film Review
  • Financial
  • Geo Doing Geo Things
  • Health
  • Horoscopes
  • Interviews from Key West
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Moments in Queer New Orleans History
  • Museum Spotlights
  • Music
  • Musings by Catherine
  • New to New Orleans
  • News
  • Obituaries
  • Opinions
  • Pride Spotlight
  • Profiles & Spotlights
  • Sports
  • The Here and the Now
  • The Official Dish
  • The Real Cheese
  • The Rockford Files
  • Trodding the Boards
  • Uncategorized
  • Under The Gaydar

Footer

Ambush Magazine Logo

Ambush Magazine is New Orleans' and the Gulf Coast's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer entertainment, news, and travel guide since 1982.

Publisher TJ Acosta
Editor-In-Chief Reed Wendorf
Founding Publisher/Editor Rip Naquin-Delain
Senior Editor Brian Sands
Distribution George Bevan Jr

Email info@ambushpublishing.com
Phone (504) 522-8049

Recent Posts

  • Women Make History: Carnival 2023
  • An Interview with author Mark Chestnut
  • Trodding the Boards March 7, 2023
  • Bartender Spotlight: March 2023
  • Under the Gaydar (March 2023 Event Calendar)

Proud Member

Gulf South LGBT Chamber Logo

Let’s Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · Ambush Publishing LLC All Rights Reserved · Website Built by Reed Wendorf · Log in