Facebook. It’s that one family member that will always be there, but you might have a love hate relationship. As a business owner, it can make you feel like you never know what it wants- sometimes it gives, and sometimes it takes. Sadly, for those who don’t like Facebook, it is a very important platform to have a presence on.

Here’s why:

Facebook is the leader of the pack with over 1 billion active daily users, and counting. This makes it the most-used social media platform, with 22% of the world’s total population as users. Just imagine that connectivity! Facebook makes me want to sing It’s a Small World Afterall. Just like Facebook is the person you love to hate, it’s also that person that knows anyone and everyone. The kicker, this ‘person’ runs into over half of the U.S population several times per day!

We all know that word of mouth can make or break a business, but influencing positive word of mouth can be one of the most powerful marketing tools. This is the reason you want to be on Facebook. It is a place where people connect with friends and family, and you guessed it, share opinions. If your brand has no Facebook presence, how will you monitor what people are saying about your business, and better yet, how will you encourage positive word of mouth? With such a diverse audience, Facebook makes it easier than most platforms to reach your target and encourage conversation between those who matter.

So I may have convinced you, but if you are a social media pessimist you might be wondering what it really takes. If you’re new to this game, we will break down the basics too.

The Basics:

Instead of creating a personal profile to share your life with friends and family, users on LinkedIn create a profile as an online resume. Users list their education, work experience, and professional skills, along with certifications or volunteer experience.

Users can search for job openings, connect with others, join professional groups, and endorse others skills. On the other hand, businesses can create company profiles to share their brand history, mission, vision, and values. Business profiles can also list open job positions and use LinkedIn to recruit and hire employees.

As always, content is an important part of LinkedIn success, and most users share professional resources, motivational tips, and of course promotional materials.

What does is really take:

We found that on average businesses post 8 times per day, which for most businesses can be a lot to manage. The better rule of thumb is that posting two times per day can maximize your engagement, especially if you have a lower following than 10K. The nice thing about Facebook, it lets you schedule your posts ahead of time so you can get it done for the week in one sitting if that works for you. More important than the frequency of posts, is the quality of content you are sharing and its potential to give value to your audience. On average, the best time to post, when more people are on Facebook, is on weekdays from 1-3 PM. The best day on average is Thursday! It is important to note that even though the averages are helpful, you must use Facebook Insights to gather data about your specific audience, to find out what time and what content will be most relevant for them.

If this sounds like too much for you, which it can be for a lot of businesses, it may be best to hire someone to help with your strategy. Whether it be handing it over completely, or receiving coaching so that you are better able to manage your presence in-house, Facebook can be worth your valuable time as a business owner and marketer.