Figuring out the value of a Facebook fan has become more complex for many small-business owners, ever since the social media giant began asking businesses to pay to ‘promote’ their posts.
You may have seen the ‘promote this post’ option below each update on your Facebook business page which can cost anywhere from $5 to hundreds of dollars. The price depends on how many users a business wants to reach.
Facebook does have a tough task in balancing users’ desire to broadcast messages against the need to keep news feeds tidy, so limits the number of posts users receives via their news feeds.
The average business post reaches 16 per cent of its fans. A promoted post is supposed to make it possible to increase that reach.
Even Blind Freddy would know that Facebook lured us in with free Facebook pages. Now all of a sudden it comes out that a minimal percentage of your fans will see your posts unless you pay.
I see every day that using social media is a challenge for many small business owners, who often don’t have large staff numbers or the free time for Facebook. Many of my clients are now reshaping their online sales strategies.
Despite all this, the value of social media for your business cannot be ignored.
To combat the above concerns, post photos and ask questions to encourage your fans to participate in your posts, because interaction is everything, it’s how you get onto the home page of your fans’ friends.
