Facebook plays an important role in how many small businesses successfully market their products and services. With nearly 2 Billion (with a B!) users, taking advantage of Facebook resources as part of a strategic small business marketing plan should be high priority.
That said, it’s also true that there are some nuances and complexities in successfully marketing a business on Facebook. So it’s likely that you have questions about which resources to utilize, and how to develop and implement a Facebook strategy.
To assist small business owners and managers in developing a better understanding of Facebook as a business marketing tool we have compiled a working list of Small Business Facebook Resources. Keep checking back, we will periodically update this list as we discover other helpful resources.
Dig into this snapshot of the Facebook resources that we use and how each of them can help your company thrive, too.
Mari Smith
Who Is She?
A Facebook marketing expert and thought leader, Mari Smith targets those who are already familiar with small business Facebook marketing and want to develop more advanced effective and far-reaching strategies.
Why Do We Love Her?
Mari Smith has been a powerful force in the world of social media marketing since 2007 and has since received numerous awards from Twitter, Facebook, Fast Company and more. She prioritizes relationships in her marketing strategies and is highly effective at transforming small business brands into booming social businesses.
Benefits to Small Businesses
In 2015, Mari Smith was selected by Facebook to host a series of small business educational events called Boost Your Business. She is recognized as being an expert at the following:
- Optimizing Facebook for small businesses.
- Networking with other small business Facebook pages.
- Leveraging the power of third party apps on Facebook.
- Consistently updating content to reflect changes to Facebook.
Social Relevance
With over 185,000 Facebook likes and 494,000 Twitter followers, she has established herself as a prominent figure in the world of small business social media.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
Mari Smith has an impressive list of resources offered to her following in addition to consulting services. A few of our favorite resources are:
- Mari’s Blog. Updated several times each month, she reveals tips and tricks for getting the most out of Facebook business pages.
- The New Relationship Marketing. Featuring a Forward written by Guy Kawasaki, Mari’s book focuses on relationship building strategies for small business Facebook marketing in a world with increasingly less physical interaction.
- The Social Scoop. A free newsletter that curates each week’s top five Facebook tips and delivers them to your inbox.
Smith is widely considered one of the most knowledgeable people on the web when it comes to social media and Facebook.
Amy Porterfield
Who Is She?
A Facebook marketing strategist who emphasizes the importance of self-employment as the path to freedom, Amy Porterfield has become a hugely likable and influential face in the world of small business Facebook marketing. Her core values are embraced both by her and her clients:
- Hard work
- No drama
- Acceptance
- Sensitivity
- Embracing the unknown
- Enjoy what you do
Why Do We Love Her?
Amy Porterfield quit her job working for Tony Robbins to start her own business-THAT is how much she loves helping small businesses. She has been featured in Forbes, Mashable, Business Insider, among other small business powerhouses and is widely respected.
Benefits to Small Businesses
Amy Porterfield is a pro at breaking down complex strategies into manageable pieces that can be easily digested by small business owners. Her podcasts and webinars include:
- How to Fix Common Facebook Ad Mistakes
- How to Analyze Facebook Ads for Optimum Effectiveness
- Growing Your Business Facebook Page
- Targeting the Perfect Facebook Audience
Social Relevance
With over 228,000 Facebook likes and 141,000 Twitter followers, she has established herself as a valuable resource for small businesses looking to build their social media presence. She is very active on social media and has exceptionally high engagement on her Facebook page.
TechCrunch
Who Are They?
TechCrunch provides news coverage of a wide range of technology areas including updates about Facebook and how they affect small business. TechCrunch has a specific Facebook resources section. Content is updated frequently (a minimum of once a day), making it a fabulous small business Facebook marketing resource for those who want up-to-date information about the social media giant.
Why Do We Love Them?
Founded in 2005, TechCrunch is obsessed with start-ups and is regarded as the leading statistical resource for tech companies. They are the reliable “go-to” source for breaking news about Facebook and anything tech related.
Benefits to Small Businesses
By subscribing to their newsletter and engaging with their other resources, small businesses will have the inside scoop with any changes to Facebook, such as their enterprise social networking. In addition, their statistics about Facebook users and engagement are helpful when small businesses target potential customers.
Social Relevance
Reaching over 12 million unique visitors, TechCrunch boasts a social media following that exceeds 2 million people. The company hosts several major conferences and events and serves as a worldwide platform for tech news and conversation.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
TechCrunch consists of the following resources that provide updates about small business Facebook marketing:
- TechCrunch TV – Several segmented channels that provide industry related news and interviews.
- Crunch Report – A daily round up of tech stories.
- TechCrunch Events – Check out upcoming events.
Bookmark their website for the latest in Facebook news: https://techcrunch.com/tag/facebook/
Andrea Vahl
Who Is She?
A Facebook speaker and trainer who is passionate about helping small businesses to grow, Andrea Vahl is also an improv comedian. The wide variety of content provided by Andrea Vahl is both inspiring and entertaining.
Why Do We Love Her?
Andrea Vahl uses her comedic talent to communicate essential Facebook marketing advice through her alter ego, Grandma Mary. Grandma Mary has interviewed the following experts for the benefit of small businesses:
- Mari Smith
- Gary Vee
- Seth Godin
- Ann Handley
Benefits to Small Businesses
More than anything else, Andrea Vahl is relatable. If you are a small business that is just getting started with Facebook marketing, her website will help you with starting and growing your Facebook page, advertising, and growing your email list from Facebook. She is certainly NOT boring.
Social Relevance
Andrea Vahl may only have a little over 5,000 Facebook likes, but Grandma Mary has nearly 20,000. 26,000 Twitter followers round out her expertise and make her an easy and influential choice for this list.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
Vahl’s free webinar, Facebook Advertising Secrets, is a great starting point for small businesses who are preparing to use paid advertising on Facebook. Her blog is well organized and highly informative. Everyone who signs up gets a free gift.
Post Planner
Who Are They?
Post Planner is an ingeniously designed small business Facebook resource that is specific to small business owners who want to drive traffic to their website and convert Facebook fans into customers. Instead of providing broad tips and tricks about how marketing on Facebook works, Post Planner’s content is specific. They show you tactics like how to make a status update that will go viral and how to capitalize on the likes, shares and other engagement your content earns.
Why Do We Love Them?
This small business Facebook resource is different from most of the others on this list. While it’s blog is packed with useful information, Post Planner also provides some specific tools that could be the perfect resource to launch your small business Facebook marketing efforts to the next level.
Plus, they offer a free trial and then start their plans at only $9/month.
Benefits to Small Businesses
Predictive and proactive is their mantra. They offer the following services:
- Daily Facebook Posts
- Ongoing Viral Photo Creation and Posting
- Managing Facebook Dashboards
- Delivering Posts to Multiple Social Media Platforms
- Detailed Reporting
Social Relevance
With over 391,000 Facebook likes and 44,000 Twitter followers, they have established themselves as a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses looking to improve their social media presence.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
The Post Planner blog is frequently updated and has several great articles about how to master Facebook. More about Post Planner.
Jon Loomer
Who Is He?
Although Jon Loomer offers products and content for Facebook marketers of all levels, he advertises himself as a resource for advanced Facebook marketers. His “accidental marketer” story is inspiring and adds to the level of confidence we have in his teachings.
Why Do We Love Him?
In addition to being a strong influence in the small business Facebook marketing world, he centers his business around his core values, which also positions him as an example of true entrepreneurship at its best. Here is what he values:
- Time with family
- Building the life he desires
- Honesty and authenticity
- Making a difference in the lives of others.
We also love that he is self-taught.
Benefits to Small Businesses
Jon Loomer offers several levels of training, depending on your experience with Facebook. His four week trainings truly test a small business owner’s level of commitment to social media marketing. In addition to paid trainings, his free content is tremendously informative and copious. It includes topics such as:
- Implementing specific Facebook strategies
- Facebook ad testing
- Updates to Facebook
Social Relevance
With an email marketing list of over 100,000 and a Facebook following of 136,000, Jon Loomer is knows the ins and outs of how to attract the ideal customer and deliver the content they need to convert them into customers.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
The first step is to take Jon Loomer’s quiz to determine how much you really know about small business Facebook marketing. From there, sign up for one of the following trainings:
- Beginner. Learn the basics of Facebook marketing and find success with growth and targeting.
- Intermediate. Explore advanced techniques such as optimization and advanced targeting tools.
- Power Hitter’s Club. Once you are spending over $1000/month in Facebook ads and consider yourself an advanced Facebook marketer, learn some “next level” tricks.
Agora Pulse
Who Are They?
Agora Pulse is a company that offers Facebook marketing services to small businesses that don’t have the time or the know-how to manage their Facebook page themselves. They offer services for businesses of all sizes.
Why Do We Love Them?
This small business Facebook resource is one of our favorites because its goal is to streamline the Facebook marketing management process to allow small business owners to run their businesses. Any service that maximizes the valuable time of a small business owner is a winner.
Benefits to Small Businesses
Regardless of how small your business is, Agora Pulse allows you to present a comprehensive ad professional Facebook presence including:
- Engagement
- Contests and Promotions
- Stats and Reporting
- Comparisons with Competitors
- Audience Categorization
Social Relevance
Agora Pulse has over 43,000 Facebook likes and 4,300 Twitter followers and has been featured by Jon Loomer, Social Media Examiner, and RazorSocial.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
Agora Pulse is generous with free tools. Their website offers a comprehensive blog and other Facebook Marketing Tools including:
- Facebook Page Barometer
- Timeline Contest Tool
- Monthly Newsletter
Their free content includes information about selling using Facebook, managing Facebook accounts, and how to create effective posts.
After signing up for Agora Pulse’s service, your business will have access to all of their applications, advanced statistics, fan ranking, competitor benchmarking, and more. With these tools in hand your time spent increasing your businesses reach and generating new leads on Facebook will be much more effective.
Kim Garst
Who Is She?
A Facebook guru who likes to keep her approaches super simple, Kim Garst has developed a Boom Social team to teach small business people how to leverage the power of Facebook. Kim Garst has been ranked on several “top social media influencer” lists including ones by Forbes and Social Media Examiner.
Why Do We Love Her?
Boom Social focuses on SIMPLE. Kim Garst has created a community of small business professionals and her products respect the time and budget of you- the typical small business owner. Her content is presented in easy to digest formats such as blueprints, infographics, and cheat sheets.
Benefits to Small Businesses
Offering a diverse suite of unique products, she offers something for everyone:
- Facebook Ads Success Blueprint. The formula for creating and delivering effective Facebook ads.
- Facebook Ads Launch Pad. A mini-course for Facebook Ads geared towards small business owners with limited time.
- Boom! Social Inner Circle. An extensive library of resources available for $1. You can’t beat it.
Social Relevance
The Boom Social team walks the walk with their 398,000 Facebook likes and 493,000 Twitter followers. They DO what they teach and are continuously fine tuning their process to help their 800,000 clients to make more money.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
In addition to their paid products, they have a blog that is exclusive to Facebook content. Kim’s Show is a weekly show that covers topics designed to inspire small businesses to reach the next level.
A recent episode covered how to brainstorm Facebook post ideas that will go viral.
Facebook Business
Who Are They?
It only makes sense that Facebook would offer resources to help small business succeed on their platform. This resource drives home what we already know-that Facebook is a tool for every business.
Why Do We Love Them?
Who knows Facebook better than Facebook? Have you ever heard of Atlas or Audience Network? We hadn’t either until we began using Facebook Business as a resource. What we love the most is their marketing goals page where you click on your goal and they steer you in the right direction.
Social Relevance
Facebook Business has over 11 million likes on their own platform. Let’s face it, they are the actual experts of their own product.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
If you are interested in becoming certified as an official Facebook marketing expert, Facebook offers the course for that as well as other courses to help small businesses understand and use Facebook marketing tools.
If you are looking for an introduction to the components of Facebook marketing, their overview offers details about:
- Facebook ads
- Facebook pages
- Messenger
- Instagram integration
- Audience network
- Atlas
Find out what Facebook has to say about Facebook marketing.
AdEspresso
Who Are They?
The ultimate Facebook partner, AdEspresso is a simple tool for maximizing Facebook ads. They offer huge benefits to small businesses running Facebook marketing campaigns. AdEspresso started in 2011 as a small web development business, so they know exactly how to grow a small business using Facebook marketing tools.
Why Do We Love Them?
They have rules that make our lives easier. When considering the needs of small businesses, they established the following rules for their product:
- Had to be super easy.
- Would only display necessary info.
- Had to automate optimization tasks.
- Would track and analyze goals.
- Improved the user’s knowledge of Facebook ads.
They follow their rules!
Social Relevance
With nearly 60,000 Facebook likes, it is clear they use their own tools. They are also followed by over 7,300 Twitter followers. They have an ongoing partnership with Canva, Facebook, and Instagram, making them one of the most relevant social media marketing partners on the market.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
This is the best part of AdEspresso. The AdEspresso Academy includes the following:
- Blog. With at least one new post each day, the blog covers everything from optimizing your page to identifying audiences.
- Guides. The Facebook Ads guides are free and rich with content that can be immediately applied to a Facebook Ad campaign.
- Webinars. The free webinar series covers every step for developing a small business Facebook Ad strategy.
- eBooks. Free eBooks provide enough reading material for the next several years. It will be nearly impossible to fail after diving into this content.
Even if you never actually pay for an AdEspresso product, the benefits they provide as a Facebook resource are invaluable.
Digital Marketer
Who Are They?
Another company that focuses on Facebook Ads, Digital Marketer is owned and operated by marketing professionals who test their marketing tools out on their own products. Digital Marketer is regarded as one of the most authoritative Facebook marketing experts out there.
Why Do We Love Them?
There are many reasons, but a few quick ones are that they:
- Invested over $15,000,000 of their own money to test their marketing strategies.
- Figured out how to attract tens of millions of unique visitors to their sites.
- Ran over 3,000 tests on their own strategies to make sure that they will work for you.
- Clearly documented every test and strategy so that small business owners can benefit from the process and result.
And the Digital Marketer blog is nothing short of amazing.
Social Relevance
With nearly 257,000 Facebook likes, thousands of small businesses frequent their website and Facebook page. They are also followed by over 33,300 Twitter followers. Their emphasis on the scientific process has earned them kudos by nearly every influencer in the social media marketing industry.
Must-Have Tools and Resources
We have already mentioned their blog, but there is more:
- Podcast. Perpetual Traffic is highly informative and focuses primarily on paid ads.
- Certifications. While they do not offer anything specific to Facebook, their Social Media Mastery course teaches the essentials of monetizing Facebook.
- Execution Plans. These are mini courses that cover selling through Facebook and structuring ad campaigns.
- Software. Again, not specific to Facebook, but worth checking out.
Whether or not you purchase from Digital Marketer, their blog alone makes them an invaluable resource for small businesses getting started with Facebook Ads. https://www.digitalmarketer.com/.
Next Step: Utilizing These Small Business Facebook Resources
If you’re a small business owner and don’t know how to use Facebook to your advantage, now is an excellent time to learn. Facebook marketing can be a valuable activity for many small businesses and help in build online success.
The resources included have different approaches, levels of content, and tools for assisting you with your Facebook activities. Since different small businesses will have different needs, you can find the resources that work best for your business. If you need further assistance in developing your Facebook or social media strategy or presence, contact Web Presence Solutions and we will be glad to assist you.
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