In my work circle, everyone knows that it's a great idea to leverage the power of Facebook for his or her small business. Yet, when I do live presentations locally with people outside of my circle, I'm astonished to meet people who aren't sold on the value of social media at all, let alone Facebook.

Not only do I want to convince people about using Facebook for their small business, I want to make a case for using Facebook advertising. But one step at a time -- let's start with the reasons to be on Facebook.

One: Facebook gets you in front of a new audience.

This is sort of a no-brainer, but here are some stats[1] that may help convince you:

• 1.26 billion overall users & growing
• 757 million active users daily
• 138 million active daily users in the US

Two: Facebook creates demand.

My Econ degree is kicking in here. Think of it this way… if someone is using a browser and searching for something–say blue jeans– and then several blue jeans ads pop up... well, that's demand fulfillment.

But, if you are cruising your Facebook feed and you see a product or service that you immediately want that you weren't even looking for... Well, that's creating a demand for something that didn't exist: demand generation.

Three: Facebook puts a human stamp on your company.

Maybe you've heard of the Geico gecko? Or Flo with Progressive Insurance? How about the Aflac duck? These are all brand mascots, very successful ones. What they've done is make a boring insurance company have an amusing personality.

Brilliant.

You don't have to create a mascot for your company, but Facebook is a mechanism for you to add a human personality to your brand.

Four: Facebook helps make people aware of what you offer.

It used to be said that you need 7-10 "touches" with a lead before they become a customer. I've heard that with social media, it's many more "touches" because we are all bombarded with so much information now. Regardless, you want to get in front of people as much as you can to make it crystal clear who you are, what you do, and how you can help.

Five: Facebook facilitates word-of-mouth marketing.

You've seen those Facebook ads in which up above the ad it lists all the people who like a particular brand: "You, Jane Doe, and Dick Doe like 'Insert Brand Name Here.'" Social proof, my friends.

Six: Facebook is a platform for communicating (and selling).

Duh, I know. With liking, commenting, and sharing, you get a lot of feedback about how much your audience likes, or doesn't like, a post.

Have you heard of Lolly Wolly Doodle? This mom crushed online sales on Facebook with her children's clothing designs. Here's the story in Inc. magazine. And here's Lolly Wolly Doodle’s Facebook page with over a million likes.

Seven: Being on Facebook helps build trust.

Having a continuous, reliable presence with excellent content builds trust with your audience. If you make promises and deliver consistently over time, people believe in you.

Eight: Being on Facebook can create loyalty.

I remember when I was monitoring the Facebook feed of a big-name coach that I worked with, and she had a heckler who commented on one of her posts. We discussed how to respond, and my client advised me to be patient because she believed her "tribe" would come to her rescue. And they did by telling the heckler to get lost. Loyalty.

Nine: Being on Facebook helps define your brand.

You hear the word "brand" a lot, and there are several definitions. To me, it means what people think of when they think of the company or solo entrepreneur. It's how you're defined.

Your posts on Facebook can help determine how people think of you since what you post tells your story. This is particularly helpful if you want to make-over your brand and start fresh, or even if you just want to change course.

Drum roll… and the last one (not really last, I'm sure there are lots more) …

Ten: Because HubSpot said so.

Here's HubSpot's article on the subject: Facebook Isn't Dead: 10 Reasons to Keep Using It for Your Business. And if I'm not mistaken, they came up with 10 reasons that are different than my own. That's lots of reasons!

Can we put this topic to bed yet? ;-)

Your thoughts are welcome!

[1] Kim Garst of Boom Social 2014


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