Last week, Beth and I went to to the “Boost your Business with Facebook” half-day conference at the beautiful Aria in Minneapolis. It was a great morning of learning and getting insight not only from Facebook Marketing experts like Mari Smith, but also small business owners, and Facebook staff. With now more than 40 million active small business Pages on Facebook, and ongoing Facebook changes and advertising options, Facebook seems to be making a more deliberate effort to reach out and help small businesses achieve their goals through Facebook Marketing and Facebook Advertising. 
What we learned at Boost your Business with Facebook:
Facebook is making itself more accessible for support and questions related to Facebook Advertising. This was evident in not only the educational event itself, and the abundant amount of Facebook staff at the conference there to answer questions, but also in the new “Support” and “Chat” features they have recently implemented for Facebook Advertising Help. I for one was thrilled to see the Facebook Ads Chat feature and have been very happy with the support I have received so far!- Jonathan Czaja, Director of Small Business at Facebook and Minnesota native, announced that there are big changes coming to Facebook Pages this fall. Stay tuned!
- The cohesive message from the panel was about being authentic. Remember, your business posts is going to be seen on a person’s personal newsfeed sandwiched between pictures of their spouse and kids. Be respectful of that space and try to fit in by being authentic and personable with content.
- If you have difficulty being transparent as a business owner, try to look at it from the perspective of your customers. People want to connect with the person behind the company, so try to find a level of comfort with connecting personably with fans via your Facebook Page. Telling stories and showing the “grind” of your business helps to humanize your staff and create trust. It becomes your identity.
- Videos are getting attention on Facebook! There are 4 billion video views per day on Facebook and 1 million small businesses have created videos on Facebook. 75% of videos are viewed on a mobile device. You can now use Facebook Ads to promote a video as well. Make sure the first 3 seconds are engaging.
- People, especially the younger generation, define themselves by their purchases. Factor this in to your social media and business strategies. When creating posts or ads on Facebook, do something that elicits a gut reaction and ultimately action.
- Find your “Brand Zealots” – the consumers with an emotional attachment to your brand that will engage with your brand online, help to provide new ideas and feedback for your brand, and help spread the word about the brand it loves. Brand Zealots have the ultimate in brand loyalty and will often stand up for the brands it loves online. For one of the panelists, the Herbivorous Butcher, who sells meat-free meat, their brand zealots came out of the social media woodwork when they needed them most, and they called this their #veganswarm.
Ultimately, this conference promoted the many options small business owners have to promote their business through Facebook Marketing. Whether your business is trying to boost online sales, get more in-store traffic, or promote an event, there are viable Facebook Advertising methods that can help you reach your goals. You can check out more photos from the event or ask us questions about Facebook Marketing and Facebook Advertising on the Vivid Image Facebook Page.
