Informative and serving as a refresher course is how Felicia Mycyk of the Ambridge Connection described the Facebook Small Business Boost event recently held in Pittsburgh.
“I learned that getting viewers of your page engaged is a key component of a successful Facebook Page campaign,” said Mycyk.
The purpose of the free workshop co-hosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council and supported by U.S. Representative Mike Doyle was to offer small business owners advice on how to optimize their presence on the social network site which they consider the world’s largest. Since 2011, Facebook has held more than 50 Small Business Boost events across the country helping small businesses build a Facebook Page; improve their engagement with customers, and to create ad campaigns. In the Keystone State alone, Facebook has enabled more than 60 million connections between local businesses and users.
For the last decade, Facebook has changed the way we communicate on a personal and business level. According to Bess Yount, Facebooks’ Small-Medium Business Associate over 25 million small businesses use Facebook to connect with customers. There are more than 2 billion connections between local businesses and people who use Facebook and in an average week, there are more than 645 million viewer, and 13 million comments on local business Facebook Pages.
“Small businesses need to use technology more in their operations. The Internet plays an important role in all aspects of business,” explained Congressman Doyle. “Small businesses can gain a competitive edge by using social media like Facebook wisely. The flip side of that coin is that they could get left in the dust if they fail to adapt to technological change and innovative business practices.” A former entrepreneur, the Congressman says he is well aware of the challenges many business owners face in getting their operation up and running; and then growing their company.
Mycyk, based in Ambridge, the owner of a website that connects its viewers to all things local, said information shared during the presentation dealt with ways for Facebook users to best utilize their Facebook Page.
Yount pointed out that the best way to bring people to a business page is by having clear goals for the campaign, having a creative page with interesting content.
“It is good to use a profile picture or business logo as well as pictures,” she said. Inviting people from your e-mail list to like your page, posting useful information and questions to engage users, she said makes a page useful. Her tips are to by authentic, consistent, responsive and to turn successful posts into valuable ads.
Yount also said that promoting your page by advertising to people in your area who are on Facebook is a key way to attract business. According to her statistics, 92 percent of people searching social media for local businesses do it on Facebook. “When they learn about your services or see special offers on Facebook, they are more likely to stop by and shop.”
Founded in February 2004, Facebook is defined as a social networking service. In celebration of their 10 years they have created a tool which allows users to create a movie timeline of their time on Facebook. To do so the link is www.Facebook.com/lookback.
The Pittsburgh Technology Council also played a role in the Facebook Small Business Boost by sharing resources to assist participating entrepreneurs. Headed by Audrey Russo, the membership organization serves as the principal point of connection for companies from four primary clusters of the technology industry that are represented by a critical mass of businesses in southwestern Pennsylvania including, the Advanced Manufacturing / Materials, Green Technology, Information Technology and Life Sciences sectors. Council officials report that the membership consists of entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies and growing organizations comprised of businesses whose company or organization has an interest in saving money, building connections and establishing a presence in the region. “The Pittsburgh Technology Council is important to this region,” Congressman Doyle attests.
“We are thrilled with our partnership with Facebook,” acclaimed Russo and pleased to work with Congressman Doyle. “He is committed, very assessable and cares about public policy.
With more than 150 small business owners participating in the event, Facebook officials, the Tec Council and Congressman Doyle considered the workshop a success and have plans to continue the partnership.