In 2018, Facebook hit 1.8 billion daily users, which is massive when you think about how much potential it has for businesses and marketers alike.

However, while it certainly looks to be a great place to advertise your business, it’s not for everyone, and it’s definitely worth taking a look at the pros and cons of the platform before deciding whether to use it or not.

Pros:

Large Audience Potential

As mentioned above, the audience on Facebook is huge. In fact, no other social network comes close. Most businesses choose to make Facebook their number one priority for this reason.

Fantastic Targeting Capabilities

If you choose to go down the route of PPC ads on Facebook, you’ll definitely be impressed by how easy it is to reach your target audience. Because of all the information that Facebook pulls from its users, you can advertise to not only certain age groups and genders, but also people in certain professions, people who enjoy certain TV shows, and even people who have recently bought a house in Nebraska. No other social network comes close to specific ad targeting.

You Can Talk Directly to Your Customers

Not every customer wants to visit a company blog, or sign up to a company newsletter in order to receive updates and offers; many would rather see these things when they log onto social media instead.

In addition to directly targeting those who are interested in your products or services, you can also start up conversations with them and find out what they like and dislike about your company. You can then respond directly to feedback, which will help to strengthen your brand and build authority.

Cons:

Pay to Play

While in the past, Facebook was a great place to garner organic attention, these days it’s more of a pay to play space. High demand for ad space on the site, and users being fed up with the number of businesses on there has led to shrinking organic reach. Because of this, those who want to do well on the site need to pay for ads that specifically market to their target audience.

It’s Easy for Your Page to Go South

Every business encounters a few disgruntled customers from time to time, but one of the main issues with Facebook is how quickly they can take over your page. From leaving negative reviews to posting negative comments on every post you make, to getting their friends involved, it can be hard to monitor and maintain a reputation on the site. Even some large companies, such as Clockwork Digital Agency, have decided to delete their presence on the site after experiencing this first-hand. Sometimes it’s just not worth the upset.

It Requires Commitment

Finally, it’s important to note that running a Facebook page requires commitment. This may be fine for large companies who can employ a social media manager, but small ones may not have the time or energy to keep their pages up to date and interact regularly. If you don’t have the time to keep your page updated, you may be better off using other networks for the time being.

Facebook can be a great marketing tool, but as with every business decision, it’s always wise to weigh up the pros and cons before jumping in head first.