Should I bother setting up a Facebook business page?

Is it worth it to create a Facebook page for your business? My answer is always yes. Here's why:

1. Risk vs. reward. What's the risk? 1 or 2 hours of your time that ends up being wasted. What's the reward? 1 or 2 hours of your time that gets a few referrals.

2. I say 1 or 2 hours...to really have an awesome Facebook page you should spend more time on it to maximize it's potential. But you don't have to. Maybe you just want to put in a small investment of time to get it going...that's totally fine.

3. Even if you get no referrals, having a Facebook business page makes you look legit. If you're a start-up this is especially important.

4. If you don't have a website yet you absolutely need a Facebook page. The point is that you need SOMETHING on the internet for people to find information on you. A website is the best way, but a Facebook page is a good (cheap) way also.

5. You're not just reaching your friends, but also the friends of your friends. Your reach can get pretty big if you can get people to interact with your page.

6. Even if you also have a website, a Facebook business page will help let people know what's going on with your business. Lots of people spend lots of time on Facebook.

7. Your website and Facebook page can work together. Check out our article on Facebook's "Like" button.

8. If you have the right business, a Facebook page can be HUGE. Some good "Facebook page friendly" industries are:

• photography (people love to share pictures on Facebook)
• dining (people love to talk about food on Facebook)
• tourism
• anything with a cause - politics, breast cancer, etc. Stuff that people like to talk about or share stories

Hopefully we've convinced you that a Facebook page has the potential to help your business. Let us know if you need help getting started. Good luck!