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Melanie Congdon
31 October 2015
SWOT Analysis of a Facebook Business Page
Introduction
Social Media has become popular over the last few years. It is important for businesses
to have a presence on social media because this is how most people look for
information about products and services. Facebook is one of the biggest social media
platforms reaching people of different demographics around the world.
SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis was used to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats of having a business Facebook page. The pros and cons were determined
after using the Facebook Business pages and reviewing the following articles:
“Facebook Pages: Pros and Cons,” by Farid Alhadi
https://www.e-nor.com/blog/marketing-strategy/facebook-pages-pros-and-cons
“The Pros and Cons of Having a Facebook Business Page,” by fotoblog
http://fotocarenyc.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-pros-and-cons-of-having-facebook.html
“Pros and Cons of Facebook for Business,” by dara creative
http://www.daracreative.ie/blog/pros-and-cons-facebook-business
SWOT Table
Strengths
Many people use Facebook
Link to business website
Insights
Opportunities
Advertising
Demographics
Customer interaction
Weaknesses
Time
Cost to advertise
Low engagement
Threats
Negative comments
Competition
Facebook's future
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Strengths
Facebook has over 1 billion users all over the world. Having a Facebook Business page
can make it easier for you to expose your business to a large number of people. In
addition, anytime someone likes or comments on your posts, their friends will then see
your post. Facebook users also have the option of sharing your posts with all of their
friends.
On your Facebook Business page, you can list all of the information about your
business. You can also put up a link to your business website. This gives users an easy
way to access more information about your business. This is especially helpful for
businesses that offer online services.
One of the unique features of a Facebook Business page is the analytics it gives you
about the users your posts have reached. The Page Insights section shows you how
many page likes, people reached, and engagements of your posts on a weekly basis.
Weaknesses
Setting up a page does not take that much time, but you must maintain the page to
make it more effective. Sending out posts is how people are exposed to your page. You
must have to have the time to post interesting content on a regular basis. You must also
have the time to respond to any comments or questions that users post.
Promoting posts to reach beyond the people that have liked your page costs money.
This may be a negative thing for a business with a small advertising budget.
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Facebook has many users, but you cannot
be guaranteed that you are reaching all of
them. Posts may go unnoticed if people are
not logging into to their accounts. Users
can also block you, unfollow your page, or
report your post as spam.
Opportunities
If your business does have an advertising budget, then Facebook is a great way to
advertise. It gives you control over what posts to promote and how much you want to
spend. For as little as $20, you can have your post promoted on 3,000 pages. You can
also choose how long you want to run your ad campaign.
There is great opportunity to reach a broad
range of people. Facebook users are
composed of varying demographics. Facebook
also gives you the option of selecting the
groups you would like to target. You have the
option of choosing the location, age, and
gender of your potential audience. You may
also put in a few key words that will target
people with certain interests.
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One of the most convenient aspects of a Facebook Business page is fact that you can
have direct contact with customers. You can offer coupons and discounts and invite
customers to participate in surveys. Having photos on your page is a great way for
people to see your products first hand. This is a good way to build relationships with
your customers. Do not forget, every time a user interacts with your page, their friends
are notified of the activity.
Threats
Direct interaction can also have a negative side. Users are able to post comments on
your page. These comments may be negative. Whether a negative comment is
warranted or not, it is important to respond to them. If you ignore them, or delete them,
this could make the person even more upset. In addition, you do not want other users to
rely on negative comments to form opinions about your business. Even a harmless
promotion can turn negative.
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The fact that Facebook is very popular means that there are many other businesses
advertising with them. You could have direct competition with a business that is similar
to yours. If that business has a larger budget, more time, and better deals, it could take
away business. You have to work hard at making your business stand out.
Social media is growing, and so is the competition between other social media
platforms. Other sites are working hard to take Facebook’s users. Many fads come and
go. This is evident in the rise and fall of MySpace. There is no guarantee that Facebook
will not face the same fate. It would be a waste of time, effort, and money if people
stopped logging on to Facebook.
Conclusion
Facebook can help market your business. This SWOT analysis was completed to show
the pros and cons of creating a Facebook Business page. The SWOT analysis can be
used to determine if Facebook is a good fit for your business. It is also a tool to guide
you through the negative aspects of having a Facebook Business page.