Are you a small business owner and looking to promote your products or services? The stepping stone would be to create an online store and then set up your Facebook business page, which is free, and link that store to your page.

Facebook started as a social media and a social networking platform and in 2006, it opened a page section for small businesses. With around 2.85 billion active Facebook users across the world, the platform automatically offers a great opportunity for SMBs to strengthen their social media marketing tactics as well as grow their audience base. Currently, there are over 60 million Facebook business pages with 1.5 million pages for SMBs in India alone.

So, what other ways can you earn money using social media platforms?

In this article, we will show you how easy and profitable it can be when you use Facebook to your advantage and how to grow your customer base and make money.

Focus on the Target Audience

Around 9.5 per cent (As of April 2021) of total active Facebook users globally included women within the age group of 18 and 24 and males within the age group of 25 and 34. So, make sure that you create the target audience based on the age group that is most likely to connect with your niche.

Make Your Facebook Business Page Mobile-Friendly

As of July 2021, 95.1 per cent of the Facebook traffic is generated through mobile devices and hence it’s important to make your Facebook business page mobile-friendly. Make sure that your page appears sleeker on mobile devices, while the audience can access the page without any hassle.

Sell Products through a Website

If you already have a website up and running, it’s one of the best ways to start monetising your page. Promote your products using Facebook ads or and link the page audience to the product page on your website.

Create Special Facebook Offers

Running offers and discounts at regular intervals do the trick most of the time. Instead of simply posting “Click here to buy the''X `` product'', create a special offer, say for example “a free lipstick” when people buy makeup worth Rs 1,000 (for a limited period).

Promote eBooks to Engage Audience

Consider selling a digital book (eBook) to capture the interest of your followers and visitors on your Facebook page, and direct them to your website. Use platforms like Amazon to distribute the eBook and are also easy to integrate.

Sell Your Services Using your Success

When the page has achieved considerable success, start selling your skills and share your success mantra

Create a Fan Page

Create a fan page to build a follower base, get likes and post frequently to get the required amount of likes and followers.

At the same time, according to studies, pages with 10,000 fans and less, record an audience engagement of 0.52 per cent and that’s considered to be a relatively higher number because it has been observed that engagement falls as the number of viewers grows.

Create a Facebook Group

To create a Facebook group, make sure you have an account on Facebook. The next step would be to provide a group where all members will have access to the same products or services based on their experience.

Send Traffic to Affiliate Marketing Sites

The traffic generated organically or through Facebook groups or fan pages can then be diverted into affiliate programs or other affiliate sites with more effort. To begin with, you need to be approved by an affiliate network to be a part of them. Thereafter, simply post a link and start earning money.

Create Paid Fan/Group Subscription

This will help you earn through monthly or other periodic payments by the audience. In return, offer them Top Fan badges, or by offering exclusive discounts.

Allow Sponsored Posts

If you have already successfully built a following and a fan base, leverage this to earn a handsome amount through other agencies or businesses wanting to post their business ads on your Facebook business page.

Facebook events, Facebook marketplace, regular blogging, are some other ways to build an audience and monetise your Facebook page for business. Once you have gained a sufficient number of followers, use it to your advantage for a steady income.

The author is a Tech Columnist

DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are the author's own, and Outlook Money does not necessarily subscribe to them. Outlook Money shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.