First, because It can lower your marketing costs when you post organically.
Many business owners are likely told to use Facebook for business and you may have been told the same. Yet, many feel Facebook is a waste of time for marketing.
And it is a waste of time if you are a business owner that is posting and over promoting. If you have a fan base, they will drop off little by little. Your posts will get little reach as time goes by.
Facebook knows when your posts are not getting the attention of your fan base. Side note, hopefully your fan base is not just family and friends. Over time, they will get tired of your constant promotions too.
Social media is meant to be social. Yes, they do offer advertising too. But this is how it works. The benefits of Facebook are as follows...
Think about yourself for a moment. That is what people do on Facebook. They think about themselves (selfies, bragging photos, their comments and pictures of their pets).
Do you have a Facebook page? Assuming you do for the sake of this one way conversation - you have one and you often hop on to see what your friends are up to. Or to see funny posts about current trends.
But now you see an article on Portugal! You love traveling. You love to write or journal about your adventures. And you even managed to go to Portugal once but it was only a one day trip.
So, now you slow down to read this post (this signals to Facebook that it is an interesting post and so Facebook will give the business owner a higher reach for this post so they can grow their audience).
Going further, you even click on the post and go to that Facebook page. It is a travel company that offers travel information, shares links for lovely journals, gives travel updates, educational and inspirational posts about Portugal and other areas that you want to visit one day.
So, you follow this page. Now they have an additional fan - from their pay per click efforts. (their ad was successful. It attracted the right target audience, a lover of travel).
Several times a week, you see helpful articles on passports, the language, the food, tips and tricks about staying safe, packing light suggestions, and tips on how to save for such a trip. You have become a fan of this page so much that you may even share posts with friends that love travel too. (now the reach is going to go even higher for this FB post).
You have been following this page for months. And now, you plan to go to Portugal. And you will likely contact the owner of this Facebook page to get more information. And you will contact them directly from the page since it is most efficient on messenger or directly on a post.
You are very inspired to travel.
This business owner most likely had an ad created at a target audience - you. Someone who may have likely traveled to Europe. Someone who searches articles online for travel, exotic food, and travel on foot ideas. An audience in the age range of 30 something to 60 something and that can afford more expensive trips.
Now imagine if you had followed that page, as a follower, and all they did was promote. No tips, no inspiring travel stories, no travel suggestions and so on.
Over time, you would have gotten annoyed. And likely hid their posts or simply un-followed.
Facebook works. I know. Because I manage my client's Facebook business pages. They get comments that are also leads. They get messages too - asking for more information. They laugh and comment on the funny or inspiring posts that I create for their entertainment.
Facebook is there to help fans socialize, get inspired, and learn about what interest them. Not about your constant promotions.
A formula that I follow is posting 80% on inspirational, educational, funny and quotes. Then 20% of the time it is on the company or the product. (I am talking about organic posts). Pay per click is different.
Reach out if you have any basic questions or need training on your business Facebook page (remotely on a shared screen).
Reach me at: monique.d.marcano@gmail.com
Tags: Facebook for business. Social media marketing.