The answer is NO!!!

As I was preparing for my Social Media Class at Reading Area Community College, I had the most interesting experience happen to me. A week before the class a friend asked me to help him learn how to use Facebook. Me, being the helpful person I am, said, “Yes.” We sat down for what I thought would be a mundane experience for me which turned into a great lesson to share with my class and also you.

Because my friend only had a few likes and posts, I decided to use my own Facebook page for a better learning experience. While there I went to my notifications and noticed a friend of mine had shared an invitation to like his Facebook page. Now this is a very well-known person in the community so he had a multitude of friends. To show my friend how this works, I clicked on the new business page to find it looking like this: No profile photo & No cover photo, no post, no nothing. Oh, but somehow he had 5 likes. So, because I was curious as to what would happen with this page, I clicked and became the 6^th like.

The next day, curiosity got the best of me and I went back to find this page of nothing had 61 likes!!!! Yes, sixty-one! Oh, there was now a profile photo … not with his logo but instead his photo. Oh, did I tell you what type of business this was? No?

He is a photographer. His profile photo was a photo of him???? Someone did comment, nice selfie.

I forgot to tell you the best part of all of this, when I went to search his name the next day, I noticed that 1,000 people were talking about the page. What this means is that all the 61 people who liked the page had this mentioned in their news feed to their friends. He had been seen by over 1,000 people. Imagine if he really would have had this page ready for those visiting his Facebook page. If he would have had photos of his work, his logo on the profile photo area, a collage of photos of his work for the cover photo, when he is available, and where he is available.

The following week I visited the page before my class and he had 72 people like his page with no additional information or posts added. Still the same photo for his profile and no shares, likes, or comments. Oh, but somehow he had two reviews with 5 Stars. Someone knows what to do to help promote this page.

This experience was a good lesson learned on how NOT to promote your page on Facebook and missed a huge opportunity to do business on Facebook. His experience was an affirmation that businesses who are not on Facebook have not missed the opportunity but instead would be entering a social network which is not only ready but accepting of your business. Facebook has and continues to change the way people can choose what they do and don’t want to see and experience. It’s all a matter of knowing what your fans want you to share.

Using the Analytics on Facebook are key to choosing the right time to post your messages on Facebook. Creating a mix of videos, photos, surveys, helpful tips, and audience participation are key to engaging with your audience. Weekly review of your analytics will tell you what is working. When a post seems to have an interest from your fans, reach out for more fans by investing in a Facebook ad which is sent to your friends of friends. Yes, if you are an avid reader of my articles you know I’m not big on spending money on Facebook ads because of the wasted money with Bots but, there are times when it makes sense. The chance of wasting money through a post within your circle is less likely to be wasted. Make the best use of your marketing budget by following this method for Facebook advertising.

Is it too late to market your business with Facebook? Absolutely not. I do caution though that because your audience is ready, you need to be ready, too. Your page needs to be complete even with posts that have been backdated. Now a note to myself, reach out to my friend and help him with his business page before he says, “See, Facebook doesn’t work.”