Now that all brand pages have been converted to the Facebook Timeline, page admins are scrambling to adjust to the new look and feel of their pages. Whether you have embraced Timeline, or are mumbling through your teeth about the mandatory change, there is one asset embedded in the new Admin Panel that you should be aware of: the Build Audience tool.
Although many big name brands have marketing campaigns evolving right along with Facebook, including apps and mobile ads, Facebook has long been known as a relatively low cost and easily accessible way for small businesses to market themselves. This has not changed, and in fact, the Build Audience tool is a testament to the support that Facebook offers small businesses. The new tool allows a more seamless approach to expanding your audience throughout Facebook and by offering a new way to connect through email.
If you are an admin for a page on Facebook, you will notice a dashboard when you click onto your page. To see the page as a fan, simply click “hide” in the upper right corner. You will notice there are a couple of other buttons to the left of the “hide” button. The button we are discussing is the “build audience” button. When you click on it, there is a drop down menu containing the following options:
- Invite Email Contacts
- Invite Friends
- Share Page
- Create An Ad
These are the tools provided to help you build your community. Inviting friends, sharing the page and creating ads are tactics that have been available for some time; however, it’s nice to have them all consolidated in one place. Invite Email Contacts is the shiny new tool that has us excited. It is a true time saver, especially for those who have databases of clients and leads, and have their email contacts organized, okay, or maybe not so organized, but you get the idea. A couple of clicks and – voila! – you have sent an email blast to your contacts inviting them to join your community on Facebook. Easy and free!
Ads will always be a great support tool when you are building your online community, however, that being said, the Build Audience tools are an easy and cost effective way for small businesses to expand their audience. Now, if only organizing all of your leads and contacts were that fast.