August 04, 2011
Facebook has shown the world it is an amazing poacher and very cheeky, too. Capitalizing on recent stumbles by Google+ when it shut off all company profiles and lost many users, Facebook quickly launched Facebook for Business. This new addition to the many services already available to Facebook users advises them how to best use the leading social media’s marketing tools, according to a company representative. These include tips on setting up profile pages, creating targeted ads, and handling customer feedback. Facebook’s “online education centre” offers no new features but pulls together in one place all the information a business needs to launch and run a fan page. Many marketers have found the process of buying ads on the network too complex. This has spawned a network of third-party agencies that specialize in placing ads on the network. The new business page hopes to offer more of a helping hand. “We want to inspire small businesses by seeing how other businesses have found success on Facebook by sharing their stories,” the rep says. The timing could be sheer coincidence but it is an opportune reminder to the public that unlike Google+, Facebook encourages companies to use its service for promotions and branding. It also shows that Facebook is taking Google’s recent entry into the social-networking landscape very seriously.