How to Effectively Use Facebook as an Advertising Tool

by Michael Craig on 21/02/10 at 10:48 am

Looking at it in a business perspective, Facebook is actually a giant advertising tool which a few business owners never seemed to realize until today. In fact, as of this writing, it is ranked the world’s number two by Alexa in terms of visitors and viewers.

Facebook was designed as a social networking site more than an advertising tool since its mission was primarily to cater the networking needs of college and university students to maintain connections in the campus. In the last few years, however, Facebook was flooded with countless users beyond the age of 25, a clear sign that more and more users are coming from the professionals are running their own businesses. In fact, of the entire Facebook users, half of which have college degrees. Today, Facebook boasts of its 140 million users or so around the world. As a result of this massive worldwide invasion, Facebook was forced to translate its website into the major languages of world to cater to the non-English users.

Seen in this perspective, Facebook is now a perfect avenue for small and established businesses alike to promote their products, services and innovative ideas online. Using Facebook as a marketing tool, the following advertising characteristics are unique to Facebook:

1. Joining Facebook is free wherever you are in the world and in most cases its advertising package is affordable.
2. Once you become a Facebook member, you have the chance of turning its 140 million or so members into prospective clients. This is possible through the power of networking.
3. In using Facebook as an advertising tool, you can actually select specific group of people that you want as a market target. You can zero in on their age, gender, location, interests, educational background, language, sexual preference, and many others.
4. By posting photos or videos or links related to your company, you are instantly doing advertising without dropping any word of marketing. You can showcase your business, organization, products or services through these media.
5. The reach of networking is endless. You can invite or visit as many friends as you can. In fact, these friends can become your clients too.
6. On your Facebook webpage, you can actually post a direct link to your company’s website for everyone in the world to see. You can also post other links and contact information about your company in your profile.

Aside from utilizing the Facebook’s features and use them as an advertising tool, you can also go to the next level by putting up a Facebook page or a Facebook group, all for free. In creating a page or a group, you specifically target a certain group of people. If it is a page, you invite others to become fans of whatever product, service you promote on Facebook and by creating a group, you basically invite people to join as members. Either way, you are sure to have maximum exposure to the 140 million or so Facebook users around the world who actually are possible clients.

Finally, if you are determined to use Facebook as an advertising tool to market your product or services, you can try purchasing a Facebook advertising space for a minimal amount. You can choose between two of the most effective Facebook advertising packages such as by impression or pay-per-click. As a marketing strategy, you can actually zero in on specific group of people you want your ad to appear. You can select what age group, relationship status, gender, educational attainment, locations and many others. This is a brilliant advertising strategy because you are actually saving a lot of advertising space from being wasted.