Over a billion people use Facebook to connect and more than half of those people visit Facebook every day. Most businesses in Australia are engaging with their customers in some way through social media.

Marketing and Events Officer at Business Growth Centre, Gina Novoa said while small to medium businesses have a presence, many struggle to get results from their Facebook marketing efforts.

“With the ongoing changes to the Facebook algorithm, marketing through this sphere has become more and more challenging”, Gina said.

“Business Growth Centre is bringing together two of Newcastle’s social media experts to help local businesses navigate their way through the evolving platform that Facebook is.”

Business Growth Centre is hosting a Facebook your Business like a Pro workshop on Friday 27 April for local business owners, solo traders, entrepreneurs and marketing professionals.

Speaking at the event are Michael Smith, CEO and Founder of Pitch Perfect Digital Media, and Alyssa Gill, Founder and Chief Social Strategist and Wordsmith of Squib Communications. The workshop will take participants through the algorithm changes and what they mean for business, crafting an engaging Facebook post, how to increase awareness and provide meaningful content, and leveraging Facebook’s admin functions.

Alyssa said that with organic reach declining due to the move towards a focus on paid advertising, businesses need to be more considered and unique in their approach to Facebook marketing.

“Businesses need to have a strong content marketing plan that both ties into your overall marketing plan and targets your unique audience on Facebook,” Alyssa said.

“It’s important to start with a real understanding of your customer’s interests and needs and the way they interact through the platform. Hard-sell doesn’t deliver results; businesses need to focus on joining conversations, being informative and educational, becoming part of a community and, most of all, being human and real in their content.”

Michael, who will be taking participants through the Facebook algorithm changes, said that for businesses to win on Facebook, they need to be consistent, engaging and create content that speaks to the problems, feelings and aspirations their customers have.

“Mark Zuckerberg outlined in his January algorithm update that Facebook is seeking to create more meaningful and authentic conversations and for some businesses that would result in declining reach. While we have become accustomed to declining reach, customers who are doing market research want to see a page that has current content and to be able to read customer reviews. Ultimately, we like to do business with people we know, like and trust, and an up-to-date Facebook page definitely helps with trust,” Michael said.

The Facebook your Business like a Pro workshop will take place on 27 April at Business Growth Centre from 9.30am.

IMAGE | Local social media experts from Pitch Perfect Digital Media and Squib Communications will help businesses win on Facebook at an upcoming workshop.