Building a website is a great first step for any small business, but how do you attract potential customers to it? That’s where a social media strategy comes in!
With over 3 billion monthly users, Facebook remains one of the largest and most popular social media platforms, making it a great place to start for any small business.
Whether you’re building an engaged community or running targeted ads, Facebook gives you the reach and tools to attract, connect with, and convert the right people, whatever your marketing budget.
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If you’ve been wondering how to get started, this article will be your oracle for all things Facebook for small business, from how to grow your page on Facebook to strategies for Facebook marketing. Ready? Let’s dig into the details!
What is Facebook marketing?
Facebook marketing is all about getting your brand in front of the right people, building relationships with potential customers, and turning those relationships into sales. The best part is you don’t need a massive budget in order to do just that (music to any small business owner’s ears!).
Facebook offers plenty of opportunities to create awareness around your business and engage with users both organically and via paid ad campaigns. The first step is setting up a Facebook page — this is your brand’s homepage and the foundation of a Facebook marketing strategy, where you can post engaging content and interact with your following.
To expand your reach with paid ads, you can boost existing posts or create paid campaigns with specific goals in mind, such as driving traffic to your website. You don’t need much to get started; Facebook ads for small businesses can be effective even with a small spend.
Facebook Marketing vs Facebook Marketplace
Facebook marketing and Facebook marketplace may sound similar, but they serve quite different purposes for a small business owner.
As we’ve established above, Facebook marketing is all about reaching, and engaging with existing and potential customers with your Facebook page content, community engagement and paid advertising.
Facebook marketplace is a place where users can buy or sell new or pre-loved products directly to Facebook users who are searching for them, similar to eBay or Craigslist. Although the platform doesn't support the sales process itself, it can be a useful space to advertise new products at no cost. For small business owners, we recommend sticking to a Facebook marketing strategy, however, for sustained growth.
Why Facebook marketing still matters for small businesses
In the fast-paced world of social media, many small business owners may wonder if the oldest platform is where they should focus their marketing efforts. The answer? The stats speak for themselves.
Facebook continues to dominate the social media landscape with over 3 billion monthly active users worldwide. That’s a whole world of potential customers. What’s more, Facebook is the third most-visited website behind Google and YouTube as of 2025. This puts the platform ahead of other leading platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
When it comes to e-commerce, approximately 38.5% of U.S. adults are projected to make purchases directly through Facebook in 2025, underscoring its role as an e-commerce platform that’s not to be overlooked.
So, what age groups are on Facebook? Millennials (25-34) make up the largest segment (31%) of Facebook users, followed by Gen Z (18-24) at around 22% and Gen X (35-44) at around 20%. This broad demographic reach makes the platform an invaluable tool for reaching the right audience with tailored content and ads that drive real results.
Alongside the potential for significant reach and visibility for small business owners, Facebook is also a great place to build a community — and tap into existing ones. With the accessibility of Facebook Groups, both global and local, users can find like minded people that share their interests and passions. Whether it’s a local rambling group or a global group of baking enthusiasts, you’ll definitely find your people.
While your Facebook marketing strategy is invaluable in growing your business you still need to have a professional website to attract audiences and secure new customers. Luckily, Durable’s AI Website Builder is a quick and easy way to get up and running.
How to optimize your Facebook business page
We’ve established why you should have a Facebook presence, but how do you go about creating one from scratch? Let’s start at the beginning: setting up and optimizing your professional Facebook business page. This is the foundation of Facebook marketing for small businesses.
Facebook business page optimization
Follow these simple steps and get your Facebook business page up and running in minutes.
Step 1: Choose a username and fill out the About section
Make it easy for potential customers to find you! Name your page after your business, or another name that people search for to find your business. The about section should be clear and concise, simply explaining in short paragraph what your business does or what services you can provide for customers.
Step 3: Add a profile photo and cover photo
This is one of the most important steps as brand recognition is everything! Pick images that best represent your brand (we recommend using your logo). For the cover photo, choose a high-quality image of your store, products, or latest marketing campaign to make a strong first impression.
Step 4: Fill out contact information
This should be up-to-date, with your website link and information on how your customers can find or get in contact with you.
Step 5: Add a call to action
Want your customers to visit your brand new website? At the top of your Page, you can choose the action you want people to take, like visit your website.
6 types of posts to share on Facebook:
Facebook allows you to post a range of content formats, from simple text-only posts to reels. So when should you post what?
Here are some top tips and social media engagement techniques for small businesses:
Text
Engage your following with simple questions or statements that spark conversation. Simple.
Link posts
Link posts are best to use if you want to drive customers to a specific place, such as driving to a new blog post or product on your website.
Photo posts
Want to post a photo update about you or your business or an album showcasing a new range or launch? Photo posts are a great way to show off your brand and life behind-the-scenes. What’s more, posts that contain photos see significantly higher engagement rates than posts with links or plain-text posts.
Reels
Video is arguably the most effective and engaging content format in 2025, so get your camera phone out and get creative! Jump on a trend, share relatable moments as an entrepreneur or show off your services or products and watch the views roll in.
Live video
Want to engage with your audience in real time? Live video is great for doing just that. You can use it for Q&A sessions, product launches, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, or live tutorials, making your brand feel more authentic and personal.
Stories
Don’t sleep on stories! As of 2025, Facebook Stories boasts an impressive 500 million daily active users, highlighting its widespread adoption among Facebook's user base. Perfect for sharing authentic moments behind-the-scenes, or interacting with your following.
Looking to expand beyond Facebook? Check out our Social Media for Small Business Guide for tips on growing your brand across multiple platforms!
Best strategies for Facebook marketing
Engaging with your audience
Successful Facebook marketing isn’t just about getting eyes on your Facebook page, it’s about getting people to engage with it — so encourage interaction with your following. Check your notifications for new comments to reply to and spark conversation with your content.
Pro tip: Get to know your audience and discover what they want to see from your brand and experience on your Facebook business page. You can do this by asking questions in text posts or using polls in posts and stories. It’s also a great way to get new ideas for Facebook content.
Creating a content calendar and being consistent
One of the key strategies for sustained Facebook marketing growth is by being consistent. The best way to do this is, and keep yourself accountable, to create a content calendar with a mix of different content formats. There are plenty of easy-to-use AI tools out there to help speed up your content creation, too. Posting once or twice a week is a great place to start.
Pro tip: Being a small business owner is busy enough, so make your life easier by prepping your content and scheduling your content in advance. You can do this natively on the platform, or using a third-party tool like Buffer.
Using Facebook Groups for business growth
With over 10 million Facebook Groups on the platform, there’s one for every niche or interest. So what’s the best Facebook Groups strategy? When starting out, it’s a good idea to see what groups exist that relate to your business and engage with users. It’s also a great way to get insights into any pain points or queries people have around your business niche.
Once you’re established, consider starting your own Facebook Group for fans of your brand to create an engaged community of super-fans. Here, you can offer exclusive discounts or exclusive behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, for example.
Pro Tip: People join Facebook Groups for value, not ads. Focus on engaging discussions, helpful content, and insider perks rather than just pushing products.
Creating engaging content that converts
As we’ve established above, different content formats are most effective for different post priorities. Want to drive to a blog post? Opt for a link post. Want to show authentic behind-the-scenes moments in real time? Stories are the way to go.
If you want to drive engagement, it’s a good idea to prioritize video — and the algorithm is favouring it in 2025. Reels, as with Instagram, are in a vertical format so make sure to film in portrait, with an engaging hook and plenty of personality!
Pro tip: See what times your followers are most active in Facebook analytics to maximize engagement.
Leveraging Facebook insights & analytics
The best way to inform your Facebook marketing and content strategy is to understand what is performing and what isn’t. With a Facebook business page you get access to analytics and demographic data, which is packed with interesting insights about your audience and content performance, including which content formats are driving the most engagement. Check your analytics regularly and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
Key metrics to focus on include:
- Reach (how many eyes have seen your content). This is a good indicator of brand awareness.
- Engagement rate (total number of likes, comments and shares divided by total followers or individual post reach). This shows how your content is performing relative to your following size.
- Link clicks — this shows you how many times people clicked off to visit your website.
Pro tip: When you’re starting a Facebook marketing strategy from scratch, feel free to experiment! It’s the best way to learn what your audience likes and dislikes — and develop your own style.
Running Facebook ads for small businesses
Running Facebook Ads gives small businesses two main options: boosting posts and running paid campaigns. Boosting a post (paying to expand your reach) is the simplest way to get more eyes on your content and involves a simpler set-up.
Paid campaigns offer more control, letting you create customized ads with specific goals like driving website traffic, generating leads, or increasing sales. Both options help you target the right audience, ensuring your marketing budget is spent on people most likely to become customers.
Common Facebook marketing mistakes to avoid
Small business owners have to wear many hats, including being their own marketing department, so be savvy with the time you spend on your Facebook marketing by avoiding some of these common mistakes:
- Overposting or Underposting – Posting too often can overwhelm followers, while posting too little makes your brand easy to forget. Aim for a consistent, balanced schedule.
- Not engaging with followers: The best way to build a loyal, authentic community around your brand is to interact with your following! In an overwhelming digital world, the personal touch goes a long way.
- Ignoring analytics: Facebook provides insights on what’s working and what’s not. Failing to track performance means missing opportunities to optimize your strategy.
- Targeting the wrong audience: Running ads without refining your audience can waste money. Use Facebook’s sophisticated targeting tools to reach the right people.
- Focusing only on sales: In a competitive marketplace, just promoting your services or products is not going to cut it. People connect with storytelling, just just good discounts.
Get started with your Facebook marketing strategy
Inspired and ready to go? Great! You don’t have to master your Facebook marketing instantly. Start small by implementing a tactic or two each day, and watch your community grow and your business thrive.
A strong social media strategy works best with a professional website, one that inspires visitors to take action. With Durable’s AI Website Builder, you can create a stunning, optimized site in minutes, complete with customizable templates, built-in SEO, and mobile-friendly design.
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