Three common Facebook for business questions answered

Back in February, Enterprise Nation and Facebook launched the #SheMeansBusiness partnership aimed at delivering digital training to over 10,000 women across the UK. The programme of events is in full swing and Alison Battisby, one of the eight accredited advisers, shares her top three most frequently asked questions so far by attendees.

It has been just two months since I gained #SheMeansBusiness accreditation from Facebook and Enterprise Nation, and this week I'm delivering my fifth event aiming to deliver Facebook advice and best practice straight from the horses' mouth.

The #SheMeansBusiness campaign celebrates women who have built and run businesses, and delivering resources to help those who might one day do so themselves. However it is by no means limited to women and we've had quite a few men join our events which is brilliant.

At each event, I like to make sure there is plenty of time dedicated to answering any burning Facebook questions which small business owners may have, and these tend to be the most frequently asked:

Is it best to run a Facebook Page or to run a Facebook Group?

Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups are different.

A Page is set-up by an individual, and is designed for a business or cause. The individual who set the Page up and any other appointed managers, known as admins, are hidden from the fans of the Page and no public data is shared about who they are.

A Page has free analytics allowing admins to see the gender, age and location of their fans. It also has access to advertising so you promote sponsored content or run promotional adverts in the newsfeed.

Groups have been gaining rapid popularity in Facebook, but they do need to be set-up and managed by an individual who is happy for their name and profile picture to be on display. There are no analytics nor can they advertise.

Groups were originally intended for shared interests, such as mum's networks or sports clubs. Therefore, Facebook suggests that a Page is best to setup for your business.

What is the best kind of content to post?

Facebook has coined the term 'thumb-stopping content' and is advising businesses to think carefully about the sort of content they post to ensure it stands out in the newsfeed.

The advice is to keep the copy  short, the images bright and eye-catching, and preferably to use moving images such as GIFs or short  video content. A great tool to use is Boomerang, the free app which allows you to make short looping  videos and is a lot of fun!

How much does Facebook Advertising cost?

Facebook allows you to run promotional campaigns from your business Page, from as little as £3 per day. Companies that have seen huge success from Facebook Ads are investing much more to ensure their content gets views, clicks and shares.

The simplest advert to run is a 'boosted post', and this is great for building awareness in your brand or your products. From my experience, I've found that an investment of £25-£50 can go a long way if you are targeting a specific group of people such as those based in a certain area, or of a certain age with specific interests. These are all options available for you to target in Facebook.

If you have more questions, and want to hear about some ways your business can utilise Facebook's tools, then head along to our next #SheMeansBusiness event. Register here.

Alison Battisby, social media consultant and founder of Avocado Social, is one of eight accredited #SheMeansBusiness advisers.