ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2011. A lot has changed about Facebook since then.
Here’s a link to a good basic article about getting your company started on a Facebook presence.
Keep in mind, not all companies NEED to be or even SHOULD be on Facebook. For example, pure B2B organizations may not see any benefit from Facebook and maintaining your FB page, comments and customer interaction could simply be a big time suck.
However, IF you have strong consumer orientation and need interaction with large groups of potential customers, then a Facebook page may be just the ticket to higher sales. A few businesses that benefit from the enhanced exposure might include:
- Restaurants
- Service businesses (auto shops, cleaners, landscaping, remodeling, travel agencies)
- Consumer product companies
- Retail stores (single or chains)
- Non-profits or donor-based organizations
- Advocacy groups and political parties
Just make sure that when you start down the Facebook path (or Twitter or Google+) that you have adequate resources to maintain your page AND follow-up with those people who take the time to support you! Your inaction or failure to keep things “fresh” could hurt your image more than if you’d never done it in the first place.