Social media has become one of the most important channel for communication. The word “social media” automatically directs our mind to Twitter, Instagram and most importantly Facebook. Facebook, being the most crucial and recognized medium was initially aimed for the Harvard students, when Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea of interactive website. Later, the membership allowed the students of Stanford, Yale and Columbia (Ivy League Institutions) to use it, and in 2006, the platform opened to all.

The website immediately attracted the audience, especially college and university students. According to the data provided by Facebook, 890 million users had registered on Facebook by early 2015, while there are 1.44 billion active users who engage on the media.

With the increase in popularity of the medium, the users also became diverse. Businesses, corporations, brands and professionals from all lifestyles depend heavily on Facebook to interact and communicate with their consumers and target audience.

The role of inbound marketing is crucial in building a name for your brand or product, and social media lets you exactly do that. An asset like social media marketing is important to build businesses and engage with potential buyers; hence, brands should understand the difference between personal and business Facebook profiles to communicate professionally. For that, businesses create Facebook pages, which have options like Profile picture, Cover photo, Status, Picture and Video updates, Event Planning and other features like polling. The nature of business is represented by the inclination towards specific features and the way it prefers to interact with its target audience. This allows users to read, communicate and share the information in real time, which in turn lets businesses understand the fondness and leanings of their target audience.

All of this might sound easy and simple but it requires research and effort. Planning the whole process and executing it with accurate strategies takes time and skill. The clutter of brands and products on Facebook can take away the interest of your audience from your product, if it has not been exhibited and marketed efficiently.

Companies are coming up with ideas to tackle this problem by providing in-built Facebook apps and innovative softwares that are pre-designed and allow the businesses to insert just the information needed to deliver to the audience. Bleupage is the examples of one such software, which allows businesses to “Promote products and build marketing lists directly inside Facebook fans news feed.

Instead of posting on your page, and waiting for the users to visit the content you have shared, it lets you post directly inside the newsfeed hence attracting more users. The app then lets you collect the data and analyze the “best performing posts” in order to understand what content reached what type of audience. The in-built page creator tool lets the user to create a Facebook page without getting into the hassle of doing it on Facebook. The most note-worthy feature is email- marketing that allows user to view content once they insert their email addresses in the interface tab. The tool is an effective way to build mail lists for your audience and target customers who are interested in your content. The software allows to custom design the content you want to post like coupons, video content and so on. To make the post viral, users have to share it before they can view it for themselves that allows the flow of content in not only targeted audience but also diverse users.

Tabfu is another software that allows the creation of Facebook Tabs and motion posts, resulting in increased interaction between the product and user. It is specifically put together to increase the marketing and promotion of products and brands on Facebook. The “page templates” option allows you to choose the type the marketing you want for your business. It includes sales pages, launch pages, webinar pages and many more. Within the template, the businesses are allowed to edit the copy and put in the content they want to share. Color scheme can also be changed and can be matched to your brand outlook. It allows inserting pictures of your choice or choosing from the database within, as well as videos and slideshows. This not only saves time to create the content distinctly but the specialty of a graphic designer is not needed as well. The option to link other social media profiles like Twitter, Google plus, Instagram and LinkedIn with Facebook page make it easy for users to find and follow you on multiple platforms.

With all the cutting- edge technology and applications, it has not only become impossible to neglect the platform for business purposes, but the perception of social media itself has changed. What was considered a time-waster and irrelevant is now an understood and well-managed platform. According to research, approximately 94% of all businesses use social media like Facebook and Twitter for marketing purposes. There no longer remains a “need” for brands to build traditional websites and advertising on print and electronic media. A well-managed business Facebook page can help users stay updated and connected. Businesses report that their sales double when they use social media for marketing and promotion purposes.

When a user engages with the information posted on the page, it automatically appears in the timeline of his/her friends. Traditional marketing is considered unauthentic, but this feature attracts the attention of other users as this means that their personal contact is interested/ endorsing the information posted. The concept of brand ambassadors is in line with this feature, since a third party is recommending the brand to its friends and followers.

The research also indicates that 93 percent buying decisions are based on latest trends followed on Social media. The users show more interest in a product or brand if they are connected to it on social media and are constantly updated about it. This means that focusing on audience and making them feel connected is more important than just marketing your brand. Brand loyalty has become a key component in the success of businesses, which is possible by rewarding the most loyal and influential followers. Investing time in partners and audience increases the value of brand and increases its promotion, resulting in increased sales.

In the current scenario, consumers demand from businesses more than ever, so it is critical to stay updated on the needs of users. This facilitates the extensive economic activity of companies unlocking further opportunities and connecting manifold audience.