Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
500 Million Reasons Small Businesses Should Join Facebook
Thursday, July 22, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
Social media has turned into a global phenomenon as evidenced by
this week's announcement from Facebook
headquarters. At 500 million members, Facebook hit the halfway
point to a billion users, a feat unheard of merely 5 years ago
(when Facebook launched). As the internet continues to permeate all
aspects of life, social media has carefully followed in its
path.
It's hard to imagine 500 million-to put it in perspective, it is more than the
current populations Germany, Russia, France, England, Italy, Spain,
Canada combined. If Facebook were its own country, it would be the
3rd largest in the world, trailing only India and
China.
Out of the 500 million, the United States claims around 125 million users, or 20% of
Facebook's population. According to Mashable.com, "each American Facebook user
spends an average of 421 minutes on Facebook per month, which
amounts to more than 14 minutes per day; even if you lump together
the time spent on Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Microsoft/Bing,
Wikipedia, and Amazon, it still doesn't beat Facebook." The bulk of
their user base is 18-34 year olds, making up 57% of the audience
(while the 35-44 age group retains 14%). This means that at the
very least 70% of Facebook users are potential small business
participants or consumers.
Although all 500 million reasons may not be viable, here are
three motivators to start participating and interacting with these
large percentages:
You can have a small business with big
objectives. Just because your business is small, doesn't
mean your clients need to be local. The internet has opened up
previously untouched avenues for small business success, and
Facebook integrates the social aspect of branding and customer
relations. Don't be overwhelmed by 500 million people-a small
business can succeed in a big world (in fact, they could lead the
next technological revolution).
Go where the people go. The ability to market
to millions of people with a couple clicks is a revolution in
itself. Any business person knows that in order for your product or
service to succeed, it must be seen, heard, and used. Therefore,
when you hear other people say "Facebook just isn't for my
business," ask them why they choose to ignore a country of possible
customers bigger than the United States. While direct marketing may
irk Facebook users, small businesses can use the influence of
locality (and the future looks promising for local search) and word
of mouth to promote themselves.
Cost of Facebook: $0. Small businesses have
little room in their budget for marketing. What better way to push
a promotion or product through a medium that costs no money?
Allocate a few hours a week to interact and experience the world of
Facebook, both as a user and as a small business owner. The value
in social media is the immediate connections and the relatively
promising ROI from just a little online effort.
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
Leave comment: