Should My Business Have Its Own Facebook Account?

Should My Business Have Its Own Facebook Account?

If you are an entrepreneur, you may be considering whether or not your business should set up its own social media accounts.

If you are, we can't blame you!

After all, Facebook had 1.86 billion active users at the end of 2016 — up from 1.59 billion users one year earlier. 

With that many users, it's tempting to create an account for your business.

But should your business have its own Facebook account?

Let's take a look at some things to consider as you come to that answer.

Benefit to My Business

Arguably the most important consideration for your business is how having an account for your business will benefit you and your customers. 

While the number of Facebook users is staggering, it doesn't mean it is appropriate for your customer base. 

Consider the target market for your product or service. Is this demographic someone that has a personal account and uses it regularly?

If not, creating a Facebook page may not accomplish what you want. After all, one of the main reasons you are considering creating an account is likely to reach people. If you aren't doing that, what are you doing it for?

Take a realistic look at the brand you are developing. Ask yourself whether using Facebook falls in line with your brand image. 

Time to Monitor

Another important aspect of having a Facebook account for your business is the time it takes to monitor it.

If your business' page takes off, are you prepared to react to it? This can be a time-consuming task and will take you or another employee away from other things.

Do you have an employee that is well-versed in the trends of social media to monitor the page efficiently and effectively? Not every business owner does!

For example, one of the ways a business account can be useful is through customer reviews and feedback. But if you can't allow time to review these and react to them, it may do you more harm than good.

Incentives Through Facebook

Accounts are free to set up, which is a nice way for online marketing on a budget. 

But it's free to the extent that Facebook doesn't cost you anything. As a business, you are still devoting manpower towards monitoring and upkeep of the page. 

One thing to consider to off-set some of these costs is how you can utilize your Facebook page to create incentives for your customers.

Some businesses offer coupons for "liking" their page. Others offer certain discounts on different days of the week, which helps to build traffic on your page for consumers bargain shopping for your product or service.

Should Your Business Create a Facebook Account?

While at first glance, creating an account for your business seems like a no-brainer, there is a lot to consider.

You need to evaluate how your account will benefit your business. Will it be something used by your customer base? Can it help broaden your product's target market?

You also need to take into consideration the time commitment and need to be active on the page so that it is up-to-date. 

If you opt to create an account for your business, brainstorm ways to keep traffic flowing on your page. Incentives like weekly Facebook-only coupons or sweepstakes might be a way for you to do just that!

A Facebook account can help your business in many different ways but considering these things on the front end will help you make your decision.