Benefit 1: BRANDING: Facebook is great for creating your brand and instilling it into people’s ideas about you. Creating a brand allows you to be more recognizable in the heavily occupied business world so it is important to be able to stand out.

Benefit 2: CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT: Entice, engage and invite customers to your business with a variety of marketing initiatives—promotions, contests, events, sales, special offers—which can all be advertised on your Facebook page. It’s time consuming and I understand that~ Virtual Assistant’s can give you that time.

Benefit 3: DRIVE WEB TRAFFIC: By including a link to your website on your Facebook page you are encouraging fans, friends or interested parties to visit your website, therefore increasing your web traffic—remember the more people to your website the better.

Benefit 4: REPUTATION MANAGEMENT: Having a Facebook account not only allows you to “speak directly” to your customers but it also allows you to see what they think of you, your business and may offer suggestions for improvement. Controlling your reputation is important. As a Virtual Assistant I can respond quickly to any adverse commenting.

Benefit 5: ACQUISITION OF NEW CUSTOMERS: Find consumers who you may never have had contact with previously. Facebook has the ability to open up a new world of customers to you. Again, it’s time consuming to search for your new customers ~Virtual Assistant’s move the mouse quickly for you.

Benefit 6: GENERATION OF BUSINESS LEADS: Not only will Facebook expose you to new customers and clients but also possible business leads. Review others profiles and find out if they’re the right people to target for future business leads. Open your business world up to the possibilities of Facebook.

Benefit 7: CLIENT/CUSTOMER RETENTION: Facebook allows you another avenue to connect with your clients and customers and when they feel appreciated their more likely to stay a client or customer. Increase customer retention rates by listening to what your clients and customers want – Facebook is a great interface for conversation. Commenting, liking and engaging is key.

Benefit 8: ACCESS TO SOCIAL NETWORKING: Most people, when they want information, head straight for the internet. And with the increasing popularity of Facebook people now head straight to Facebook if they want to know more about a person or business. You never know who is using Facebook and with the boom in social marketing your networking possibilities are endless.

Benefit 9: VIRAL MARKETING: Viral marketing is word of mouth on warp speed. Take advantage of this latest marketing tool and get your name out there fast and to lots of people. Create an excitement about your products or services that will result in people not being able to resist wanting to be your Facebook friend.

Benefit 10: BRAND AWARENESS: Do you know how your customers and clients view your business? Do you know if they have any thoughts for improving your business? Brand awareness is a vital element of marketing and is used to measure your client’s knowledge of your business. Tell people more about your business by using the socially acceptable Facebook. It is easy to use and people will like reading about your business and your brand and how it came to be.

Benefit 11: CUSTOMER FEEDBACK: Facebook is a comfortable and user friendly platform that people are happy to use which is why it is a great way to get customer feedback on elements of your business. Use your wall to ask questions and see what responses you get. It also gives you the opportunity to speak directly to customers and clients about any of their comments.

Benefit 12: BUSINESS HUMANIZATION: Put a face, or many faces, to your business. This will allow your current and future customers to see you and know exactly who they’re talking to when they are dealing with you. Placing photos of company events, employees performing their jobs or happy customer pics will humanize your business to those looking for your goods or services.

Benefit 13: TARGETED ADVERTISING OPTION: Facebook also has an option for businesses who want to reach an exact audience and connect with real people. Facebook advertising is a newer element to Facebook and is a paid service which is quick and easy, targeted to your exact demographic and tracked so you can see the results.

Benefit 14: SOLID USER FOCUSSED COMPANY: Although Facebook has only been around since 2004 its growth in popularity is unlike anything before it. From having 1 million users in December 2004 to today having over 400 million users is phenomenal and something that your business should be a part of.

Benefit 15: LET YOUR FRIENDS KNOW THEY’RE SPECIAL: Showing your friends that they’re special to you will benefit your business in a multitude of ways. You can do this with regular updates on new products and services; Special offers for your Facebook friends; Running competitions for your Facebook Friends; and creating a conversation where people feel comfortable to contribute. These will all let them know you are aware of them and appreciate their support.

Let me know how you use Facebook for business?  What other benefits can you name -please leave comments.  Be social.  Thanks much.

~Carla