5 Ways Facebook ‘Likes’ Help Businesses

According to data from Facebook analytics firm PageLever, most of your fans don’t see your content. In fact, their data shows that an average of only 7.49% of fans see your posts daily. That means that, unless you’re posting amazing content, only about 7 of each 100 fans will actually see what you post. You may then ask whether Facebook ‘likes’ help businesses.  Here are 5 ways we know they do.

1. Potential to Convert

Facebook fans are potential customers—so more fans mean more opportunities for sales. It’s a numbers game. If we apply the 80/20 rule (80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients) to our social networking, then only 20% of the 7 out of 100 fans that are exposed to your message are in your potential market, and only 1.4 people per hundred are potential customers.

Don’t get discouraged. Social media’s greatest strength isn’t its fan-to-sale conversion ratio.

2. Sharing Potential

The beauty of Facebook is that every update you post has the potential to be shared across multiple users’ streams, easily and conveniently. And, the more fans, the more possibility for viral reach. When a fan shares your status update, link, or photo, he or she spreads your message to new people you don’t normally have access to. Your reach becomes far greater than your actual fan base. Similarly, when you “boost” a post by paying to market the message to even broader audiences, your reach increases exponentially.

Probably sounds pretty complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. There are several benefits that require no calculations or deep thought.

3. Informal Engagement

Your Facebook page is a place where you can let down your hair a bit, show your personality, and be a little less formal. Give your fans a look behind the corporate curtain. Share things going on within the company that you wouldn’t normally post on the company website. Did you and your team just get back from a corporate retreat? Share the pics. Is the company working on a new project? Share a video of the process, not just the final product. Be sure to tag all photos with the names of clients, partners, and organizations that were involved so their fans see your posts as well.

4. Boosted Website Traffic

You can use your Facebook page and other social media profiles to share links to your blog or website—each of which increases traffic and link popularity. The more fans who are tuned in to your updates, the farther your link-boosting spreads, and the more links to your website that exist, the higher your site will rank with search engines. The more important you appear to be, the higher you will be placed in search results.

But, probably one of the most important reasons why large numbers of fans are important is…

5. Implied Credibility

When prospects encounter your Facebook page and see large fan numbers, it makes you look more credible. This makes them more likely to consider what you have to say. If you have 20K fans on your Facebook page and your competitor has 200, guess who is likely to get the business? Yep. You!  It’s human nature to choose the more popular option the majority of the time.

So, while Facebook ‘likes’ may not lead directly to sales, the popularity of a profile does provide credibility, visibility, and opportunity to direct targeted ads toward your fans.

As Facebook continues to grow and adapt with the ever changing online environment, it is important to keep close tabs on how your business, in particular, does with Facebook. Use it wisely.

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Our team can help you increase your fan base on social media. Contact us to discuss your options.