SEO Glossary: Facebook

 

What exactly is Facebook?

The Facebook platform has been online since October 4, 2004. Since then, it has had more than 2.5 billion active users worldwide. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. Until 2021, the US company Facebook Inc. was in control. Now it runs together with Instagram via Meta Platforms - also known as "Meta" for short.

 

Facebook is a platform that allows people around the world to network. They can share content such as photos and videos with each other. Facebook also offers a practical messenger that users can use to send and receive messages.

 

Users can sign up to the social media platform for free and send friend requests to add new people to their network. It is possible to connect with friends from real life and family members. However, strangers can also be added to the network.

 

The classic functions such as likes, comments and shares are also available on this social network. In this way, comprehensive interaction with other users is possible.

 

Facebook and its special features compared to other social networks

In contrast to other social networks, Facebook offers a number of advantages:

 

• Most users: The platform covers the largest target group and therefore has more users than Instagram or Twitter.
• Diverse content: A wide range of content can be published and distributed on Facebook.
• Paid advertising measures: These are the most extensive on the platform. Companies have many opportunities to reach their target group via Facebook Ads. The practical Facebook Pixel tool is used for this. You can keep an eye on your ads with the Facebook Ads Manager.

 

What functions does Facebook offer?

Facebook offers a wide range of functions. These are used by private users and companies alike.

 

Profile

Anyone who registers with Facebook creates a free profile. Here you can upload photos and videos and introduce yourself. Visitors can leave publicly visible messages and comments on the profile owner's posts.

 

The profile thus fulfills the function of a business card, so to speak. All important information can be found here. To protect their privacy, users are of course free to decide what information they share and what they do not share.

 

Chronicle

The chronicle contains the entire online life of a user. From previous posts to photos and messages, everything is displayed chronologically. To add something to the digital timeline , people can post directly to their chronicle. Particularly exciting are "life events" that can be posted.

 

Timeline

The timeline contains all friends and all pages that a user has liked. If someone posts something, marks it with a "Like" or comments on it, this is displayed in the timeline. This display is influenced by the algorithm.

 

Friends list

If a user sends another user a friend request, they can accept or reject it. Every accepted request can be seen in the friends list. Friends on Facebook can look at each other's chronicles and exchange information.

 

Pages

Facebook is not just for private users. Anyone who uses the social network as a company or public figure can create a page. There are various categories:

 

• local company or location
• Company, organization or institution
• Brand or product
• Artist, band or public figure
• Entertainment
• good cause or community

 

When users mark such pages with a " Like", they are added to the timeline.

 

Chat or Messenger

Facebook Messenger allows people to write private messages to each other or create chat groups to communicate with a group of people. However, not only text messages are possible, but also video calls and normal calls.

 

What do people use Facebook for?

• stay in contact with friends, family and acquaintances
• Finding people again that you have lost sight of
• Share hobbies and passions with others via your profile
• inform others about important events and be informed yourself
• Read news articles and find out about trends
• Buy, sell and swap things - for example via sales groups or swap meets

 

Is Facebook worthwhile for companies?

If you want to win new customers with Facebook, build up your reach or retain existing customers, you should know one thing: You need a good strategy for the commercial use of Facebook.

 

This is because many companies use the social network for their own purposes. Users are inundated with information and offers every day. You therefore need to stand out from the crowd and offer a special experience.

 

If you have a good strategy, a lot of goals can be achieved with Facebook. You can:

 

• reach your target group,
• tap into new target groups,
• Build proximity to your customers,
• make your brand better known and
• increase your turnover.

 

This makes it easy to say: Facebook is worthwhile for most companies and should not be missing from a comprehensive marketing strategy.

 

Attracting attention on Facebook - how it works

Facebook is the ideal addition to your omnichannel marketing. But to make sure you use this channel properly and take full advantage of its benefits, you need a few tips:

 

• Uniform corporate image
• a common thread in terms of content
• innovative content
• Fast response times
• Customer proximity

 

Facebook offers its users - including companies - the opportunity to present themselves individually. This is particularly helpful for companies, as it allows them to reach exactly the target group that is relevant to them.

 

Companies can share texts, images, videos and links just like private users. These should of course be well coordinated in order to always offer users added value.

 

In addition to the function of publishing free posts, companies can also run Facebook Advertising. This involves placing paid advertisements that you can use to draw attention to your products, services or other relevant content.

 

 

Advantages of Facebook for companies

• Building sympathy and customer loyalty: Companies can advertise promotions and offers and thus strengthen the bond with their customers.
• Greater transparency: Open communication can strengthen trust between companies and users. You can provide a look behind the scenes through casual postings.
• Emotional connection: Customers can identify much better with your products and services or with your brand and build up a certain bond.
• Cost-effective: Using Facebook as a social network is initially completely free of charge. Costs are only incurred when you take advertising measures. However, here you have full control over your finances.
• Interaction with users: As users can like, comment and share content, it is possible to interact with them in depth. This also creates a stronger bond.
• Involving users: Users are usually very open in Facebook comments. They openly write their criticism and wishes here. This is exactly what you can use to further improve your products or services. Create products that your target group really needs.
• High accessibility for customers: Users can reach you or your employees directly. With a personal service, you can improve the user experience and increase customer satisfaction.

 

Possible risks with Facebook

All in all, experts are in favor of using the social network for commercial purposes. However, there are also a few risks that you should be aware of before you get started with your Facebook strategy. Here's how you can prevent potential dangers.

 

Shitstorms are a big issue. In the age of social media, this happens quickly. All it takes is for a post to be worded incorrectly or for someone to misinterpret something in a picture.

 

Then you should be prepared. A shitstorm is usually accompanied by a loss of reputation, which can severely weaken your company. What should you do? Carry out social media monitoring. This allows you to identify risk factors early on and initiate countermeasures before a wave of negative comments even occurs.

 

Another point of criticism concerns the timeliness of Facebook. As there are now many social networks, Instagram and Twitter have a reputation for reacting more quickly to news and trends. Facebook is therefore often somewhat slower.

 

It is therefore worthwhile using other social media platforms as part of your marketing mix. This gives you a constant overview of all relevant trends so that you can always provide up-to-date content.