One year since the country entered lockdown, digital payments have become the norm for convenient and safe transactions. Illustrating this trend, online payment gateway PayFast saw a 412% increase in payments made using QR codes between 01 March 2020 and 28 February 2021. Some of the fastest new growth industries include online alcohol sales, bakeries with home delivery services, and e-commerce stores catering for pet supplies and jewellery, all of which have grown by between 1 000 and 3 000 percent. This is just one of the recently releases online behaviour statistics that showcases that your clients “live” online. As a result, we simply have to embrace the digital world.
One way to connect to your client is through social media. While Facebook and social media platforms are fun outlets and great ways to connect with others, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also a great way to network and grow your business. As a financial advisor, you might think that you don’t need to have a Facebook page for your business but think again. It is a great way to connect with others, especially as Facebook globally has 2.74 billion monthly active users and there are more than 1.82 million people active on Facebook on a daily basis. In South Africa, it is estimated that we have 23.77 million users in total, with 25 to 34-year olds accounting for 33.6% of Facebook users and 3.6 percent of users aged between 55 and 64 years old.
In a recent In Advisorpedia post, Samantha Russell prioritises various ways to promote your business on Facebook:
Sign Up for a Business Page and optimise your profile
To get started, you should create a business profile, which is incredibly simple. All you need to do is:
- Log onto Facebook
- Click on “Pages” which can be found on the left sidebar
- Click “Create New Page”
When signing up for your business page, make sure you are doing a few things, such as:
- Uploading a profile picture
- Uploading a cover photo
- Including basic information about your business
Identify and be active in groups that target your niche
It is so important to connect with like-minded individuals who are more likely to connect with you and your content. You can connect with your audience in Facebook Groups without paying for a single thing. Facebook is filled to the brim with people looking to give and receive information.
Next week: How to post valuable content
