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Facebook pages for small businesses
by Sarah Santacroce
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you have probably heard that everybody is talking about
Social Media. Especially Facebook. So what is all the buzz about? And how is it relevant to you, Page | 1
small business owner?
Being myself the owner of a small business, let me give some insight about these famous
Facebook pages and how I think they can benefit your business.
Why a Facebook Business Page?
A) It’s free
And not many things are, so why not take advantage of it?
B) Huge audience
Facebook is expanding day by day. Here are some statistics from their website:
*Due to hit 600 million subscribers end of 2010
*More than 250 million active users, half of them log on at least once each day
*More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of university
*The fastest growing demographic are individuals 35 years old and older
*More than 8 million users become fans of pages daily
*70 percent of Facebook users are outside the United States
C) Optimized Search Results
Google and other search engines find and list your page. Even better is when you have more
than 25 fans, you are allowed to customize the web address of your page. Instead of
Facebook.com/and a long string of numbers and letters you can have
www.facebook.com/yourcompanyname
D) Increased traffic to your website
On your Facebook page you will promote your website, post your blog posts and showcase your
testimonials. This will automatically increase the traffic to your website and…
Sarah Santacroce
Simplicity Admin Solutions
www.simplicityadmins.com
sarah@simplicityadmins.com
022 534 9294 (EU), 714 656 2324 (US)

2. Let us simplify your workday!
E) Increase your sales
If you utilize your page the right way, you will increase your sales. This will not happen over
night, since you will first have to establish a partnership and gain the trust of your fans. But in
the long run, if they happen to need the services/products you offer, they will know you as the
expert and come to you in the first place. Page | 2
How can I measure my return on investment?
True thing, Facebook does take quite some time to maintain. If you want your fans to interact
and socialize on your page, you need to deliver daily updates, quotes, videos, articles,
interesting facts etc. But will this time you invest be worth it in the end? Hereafter are two tools
which help you to find answers to that question.
1. Facebook statistics
Facebook will send you a weekly update with your Facebook statistics. In it you can see how
many active users you have, how many weekly visits and how many additional “likes” you got
that week. This basically shows you how popular your page is and lets you adapt the style of
your updates.
2. Google analytics
In your Google Analytics account you will find valid information on how many people come
from Facebook to visit your website. In order to measure if they actually buy your product, you
will have to set up a goal with your analytics account.
Sarah Santacroce
Simplicity Admin Solutions
www.simplicityadmins.com
sarah@simplicityadmins.com
022 534 9294 (EU), 714 656 2324 (US)

3. Let us simplify your workday!
Q&A
When preparing for this article, I asked the people in my network what they would like to know
with regards to this subject. Here are a couple of questions I got:
Page | 3
Questions:
1. If I have a Facebook page, do I still need a website?
2. I already have a Facebook personal profile; can I use that for my business?
3. Is there a way that my clients can order directly through the Facebook page?
4. I don’t know what to post on my page, can you give me some ideas?
Answers:
1. In my opinion it’s still better to have a website. The site is where your clients find all the
information about your business, your services and products. Facebook is just a door opener for
your page, a way to bring clients to your website. However, if you feel confident that your main
target public hangs out only on Facebook, you could probably get away with just the Facebook
page. See also my response to Question 3 concerning a store front directly on your FB page.
2. I advise against using your personal profile for business purposes. The personal profile is to
connect with your friends, share photos and experiences. But I would keep that separate from
your business page. That doesn’t mean that you cannot share some personal info on the
business page, but you will be more selective on what you share.
3. Someone asked me if there is a way to have a “store front” directly on your page, where clients
can order and pay for your products and services, without ever leaving Facebook. Yes, there is. I
have never actually used it myself, but I recommend you check out the Payvment application.
Read this review for more information.
There are many things you can post on your wall. Here are some examples:
- pictures of your products
- pictures of your store front
- quotes
- interesting facts
- links to your blog posts
- polls
- videos that you find interesting and relevant
- questions and answers
- discounts
Sarah Santacroce
Simplicity Admin Solutions
www.simplicityadmins.com
sarah@simplicityadmins.com
022 534 9294 (EU), 714 656 2324 (US)

4. Let us simplify your workday!
Don’t forget that there are also many applications you can use to enhance the engagement on your
page. Read this post on Social @ Blogging Tracker on how to increase engagement through
applications.
Page | 4
I hope I supplied some valuable info on the benefits of a Facebook page.
I am not saying that every small business has to have a Facebook page. It does help in terms of
the Search Engine Optimization, but it all depends on your target clientele. If your target public
are other businesses, you might want to invest more time on Linkedin.
If you would like to start exploring this marketing technique but don't know where to start,
send me an e-mail to sarah@simplicityadmins.com. I’d be happy to help you.
Let’s connect:
***
Swiss national, Sarah Santacroce runs Simplicity Admin Solutions, a virtual assistance business
working with small businesses and individual entrepreneurs to help them dedicate their
precious time to their core business. Simplicity Admin Solutions offers tailor made virtual
administrative solutions, Internet and Social Media marketing support and much more at
http://www.simplicityadmins.com. All services are available in English, German and French.
Sarah Santacroce
Simplicity Admin Solutions
www.simplicityadmins.com
sarah@simplicityadmins.com
022 534 9294 (EU), 714 656 2324 (US)