Facebook masterclass to boost business

Written by Allison Cooper

Government is helping entrepreneurs ride the digital wave by sharing online marketing opportunities with them. 

Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) recently partnered with non-profit organisation Digify Africa to host the first of two free virtual digital skills masterclasses for small businesses and media entrepreneurs.

The masterclasses, which form part of GCIS’s VukTalks series, aim to equip entrepreneurs with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy.

VukTalks Boost with Facebook, the first masterclass, taught entrepreneurs how to build their online presence on Facebook.

Digify Africa’s Lead Trainer and Business Development Executive Xolani Sedibe led the masterclass, which was attended by over 80 entrepreneurs from various sectors of the economy.

He explained that the aim of digital marketing is the same as that of traditional marketing (print, tv, radio etc.) – to reach and talk to people about your products and services in an environment where they spend a lot of time.

With traditional marketing, for example, taxi ranks would be the ideal place to advertise as many people use public transport. Your advertising would therefore be seen by a lot of people.

“Facebook also gives you the ability to reach people where they spend a lot of their time – on their mobile phone or desktop computer, for example,” said Sedibe.

Build a business page

When setting up a Facebook business page, you first have to have a personal profile.

He explained the difference between a personal profile, business page and group.

“A personal profile lets you connect with friends and family, a business page enables you to connect with your customers – as they ‘like and follow’ your page.”

A group enables you to build a community of people who are interested in certain products or services.

Follow these steps to open a Facebook business page:

• Create or login to your personal Facebook account.
• Look for and then click the ‘plus’ or ‘menu’ button on the top right of the page (usually next to your profile photo).
• A menu called ‘create’ will pop up.
• Click ‘page’ to create a business page.
• An empty page will open.
• Name your page after your business, or a name that people would search for to find your business.
• Brand your page by adding your company’s logo as the profile picture and a cover photo. Add in all other company details, such contact details, hours of operation and location.
• You can select categories for your page. This is very important, as different categories give your page different features and tabs – similar to tabs on a website.
• You can choose from various templates to suit your business and the services or products it offers.
• Once your page is setup, start posting information and photographs. Choose photographs that represent your business well.

The next step is to manage your page properly, by responding to customers and looking at the page’s insights tab (located on the left-hand side of the page) so you can see how many people follow and like your page and if they like your posts.

You can also learn about the people on your page – for example, whether they are men or women and what age they are.

For more detailed information about Facebook and how you can use it to boost your business, have a look at Facebook’s free e-learning website at www.facebookblueprint.com/student/catalog

Digify Africa provides free half-day workshops designed to help entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level.

“A personal profile lets you connect with friends and family, a business page enables you to connect with your customers – as they ‘like and follow’ your page.”

For more information, visit www.digifyafrica.com.