Facebook is a key local business social media platform. As such, it is vital for businesses to remain cognizant of Facebook features which can help them best promote their business. In fact, there are five key features local businesses should consider utilizing.

Facebook Ads: Using Facebook Ads is a great way to engage and grow your local business audience on a limited budget. This is because with Facebook ads, you set the amount you want to spend each day, and you’re charged when your ad is viewed. However, this isn’t the only great feature about Facebook Ads. Your local business can also test out its market messages by creating several different ads. Facebook then allocates more of your budget to the ads which are performing best. Therefore, not only are you getting exposure for your business, but you’re also able to do some test marketing of your sales pitches.

App Center: There are new applications being introduced on Facebook all the time. Therefore, it’s a good idea to browse this center on a regular basis to determine if there’s an app you should add to your local business Facebook site to better engage with your current and potential customers. It’s also a wise idea to always keep an eye on what apps are working well for similar businesses or your competitors.

Video Calling: With so many programs and applications to access in a day, it’s wonderful when two companies, in this case Skype and Facebook, team up to make your local business’ more efficient. Therefore, take the time to set up the video conferencing for your business, and then when you need to connect with customers, vendors, or business associates while on Facebook, you can easily address your need and move on with your day.

Facebook Questions: Often you may want your local business customer opinions on a product in development. It’s easy to get this feedback from Facebook questions. Not only, however, do you get feedback from your customers, but you’re also involving them in your planning process and letting them know they’re a valuable part of your business. Facebook is about building a community and asking questions is a great way to foster the building of yours.

Facebook Insights: To ensure the time you or someone in your local business spends on Facebook is as productive as possible, it’s key to monitor what information and/or actions taken on Facebook generate the greatest response. You can do so in Facebook through Insights. It is easy to see what posts resonated best with your customers. Further, you’re also able to see if particular topics or actions, such as running a special or asking a question, garners more “likes” for your page.

Looking for more great information on how you can utilize Facebook to boost your business? Check out this local business article.

Chris Marentis, an expert in the field of local business online marketing, leverages the internet to generate leads and boost local businesses across North America through his company, Surefire Social.