Quiz: Does your B2B Company Need a Facebook Business Page?

We often get questions from well-meaning manufacturers, distributors, and B2B service providers about Facebook. They hear a lot of buzz about B2B social media marketing, and assume that their business absolutely has to have a Facebook Business Page to be competitive.

While social media marketing can play a big part in a B2B online marketing strategy, it isn’t an online marketing strategy in and of itself. And, while a Facebook Business Page can be a part of your social media marketing efforts, it’s rarely that simple. 

While all businesses are unique and some have different social marketing needs than others, here is a quick three question quiz that can help you determine the answer to that nagging question: “does my B2B company need a Facebook Business Page?”

Facebook for B2B Companies: Take This Quiz and Find Out if It’s the Right Move for You.

1. How would you describe your current B2B online marketing strategy?

A. We’re on target, but still making improvements. I think we’re ready to do more.

B. We have a website and do some marketing initiatives like email blasts, but that’s about it.

C. Strategy? What strategy? I’m not even happy with our current website.

2. If you had to write a Facebook post about your company right now, what would you post about?

A. We’re running a promotion this month for current customers, and we just published an article that I think my customers would find interesting. I’d probably pick one of those.

B. We just launched a new product line. I’d write about that.

C. I’d talk about why our company is an excellent choice to fulfill our customers’ needs.

3. How much time do you (or one of your staff members or marketing partners) have to devote to Facebook marketing?

A. We are already doing a lot of online marketing and content writing, but I think we could squeeze it in.

B. We have some resources available, but I’m not sure if it is the best use of our time.

C. Time? What time? We don’t even have enough time to keep up with our website.

Analyze Your Results

If you answered mostly As:

You can consider Facebook as part of your B2B online marketing strategy. It seems like you’ve got a good handle on your online marketing efforts, and some thoughtful content to share. 

While it is likely that your business will never have thousands of Facebook fans or “likes,” you can use it as a vehicle for content marketing. If you engage with and invite current and prospective customers to follow you on Facebook, and focus on sharing content that they’d find interesting and valuable in their own business lives, you can use Facebook to help nurture leads through the sales funnel. Search engines can also pick up “signals” from social media platforms like Facebook. While other ranking factors are generally more important, a presence on social media sites (including Facebook) that includes meaningful customer engagement can make a difference.

Here is how to create a facebook business page.

If you answered mostly Bs:

Tread carefully. While you’re doing some online marketing and have some content to share, it seems like you may get better “bang for your buck” by considering and enacting other online marketing strategies before you get on Facebook.

The exception would be if you’re in a business where people congregate on Facebook and are receptive to business messages there. Take a look at your competitors. Do any of them have a Facebook Business Page? How’s the engagement? You can get a feel for the opportunity and make a decision from there. For many B2B companies, other social media platforms like LinkedIn are generally more valuable than Facebook. Think about it this way: Facebook is a social media platform that most people use on an extremely personal level. They share photos, connect with friends, etc. They may or may not be in a frame of mind to read and engage with business content. On the other hand, when people used LinkedIn, they are doing so for business reasons. They will likely be in a better frame of mind to accept and act on business content.

So, if you only have limited time and resources, creating a Facebook Business Page should not be your priority.

If you answered mostly Cs:

I wouldn’t recommend getting on Facebook. You’ve got plenty of other things to worry about that will lead to better results. Don’t let building a Facebook Business Page distract you from getting the basics right. For example, a website with good content and strong calls to action will trump a Facebook Business Page every time. 

Furthermore, you don’t want to build a Facebook Business Page and then not update it at all. What kind of impression do you get when you visit a page that hasn’t been updated in two years? Don’t let that happen to your B2B business. Do the big things right first, and then attack Facebook when you have more time and resources.

Already Have a Facebook Business Page for Your B2B Company?

If you already have a Facebook Business Page, but haven’t done anything with it, you’ve got some work to do.

Don’t delete it. You don’t want a social presence to just disappear, especially if you have a few “likes” or followers. Instead, follow these steps:

1. Your bed is made, so put aside a little bit of time to make sure your page is done right and presents a good image of your company.
2. Follow best practices to optimize the business page itself. Ensure a good profile picture (made up of your logo), banner, include a link to your website, and include keyword-optimized content about your company. If you need help with this, take a look at our social media marketing guide or contact SVM.
3. Use your other B2B online marketing efforts to your advantage. Did you write an article for your website? Did you answer an FAQ for a client? Did you visit a client and get a short testimonial on video?  Whenever you have good content in any area of your business, repurpose it into a Facebook post, and be sure to include a link back to the full content on your site. That way, you’ll get some SEO value from it too.  SVM can help with this, as part of our B2B social media marketing services.

Remember: whatever is worth doing, is worth doing right. Don’t let your desire to “be on Facebook” lead you to make decisions that will prevent your company from getting the best online marketing results possible.