“I hate Facebook! I Don’t Want to Have a Business Page!”

I hear these words pretty often, by business owners – mostly baby boomers – who are unsure, confused, maybe even a bit scared about Facebook. “All people do is post pictures of the food they are eating! How will that help my business?” Another common comment I get is, “Facebook is social! Why should I promote my business there?” I certainly understand these sentiments, but I am here to tell you that it is still in your best interest to have a business presence on Facebook.

Let’s tackle each of these concerns:

1. I hate Facebook! I understand, and there are many things I also dislike about Facebook. I don’t like seeing photos of what people are eating, I hate reading political opinions, religious beliefs, and I don’t want to see any more selfies or selective stories about how wonderful someone’s life is. While we may be right to dislike these things, the fact is that people spend hours a day on Facebook, more so than any other social media website. Whether you like it or not, your prospects are spending time on Facebook, and so is your competition!

2. Facebook is social, not for business. This is not entirely true, but even it was, my response would be that some of the most effective business networking takes place in social situations. I have made valuable business connections at little league games, family barbecues, and other social functions. To me, this is the purest form of networking. Facebook isn’t purely personal, however. With a business page, one can effectively promote a business.

3. I don’t have the desire or time to be on Facebook. You don’t need to be personally active on Facebook for your business page to get noticed. In fact, you don’t need a personal profile at all. If you lack the time, you can have a social media company take care of it all for you. I understand the concern, and even the fear of this medium which is still not understood by many, You don’t need to be an expert, and you don’t need to immerse yourself in it or do anything that you are uncomfortable with. You don’t need to be visible to others, you don’t need to find high school friends or look at photos of people from your past, or see what they are doing.

Your business should be visible on Facebook (and other social media), because by not being there you are missing opportunities to be seen by your target customers. Social Media is the new frontier. Face it and conquer it!