Why Small Business Owners Shouldn’t Care About Facebook’s 900 Million Users

Yep, that’s right. Facebook has eclipsed the 900 million user mark and is well on its way to 1 Billion!

Even if 100 million or so of those are fakes or dupes, that’s still a lot of people!

The size of Facebook’s enormous user base is a number that gets thrown around a lot, especially by social media experts who like to use it as a way to convince businesses that Facebook is the place to be.

And while 900+ million is an impressive number, what does it really mean for the small local business owner?

Not much.

In fact, as a small business owner, you really shouldn’t care at all about that number.

However, there are some very intriguing numbers on Facebook that you should care about.

What are they?

Well, according to Facebook’s stats (as of August 2012), within 50 miles of St Louis, there are:

• 44,800 men and women, 23 years old and up, who are small business owners (attention coaches, consultants, insurance agents, accountants, attorneys, etc.)
• 15,400 men and women between 21 and 25 who are in college (want to get the word out about your new hot club or Happy Hour at your bar?)
• 18,100 women between the ages of 18 and 45 who are engaged (good to know for wedding planners, florists, caterers, etc.)
• 24,100 moms with kids between the ages of 0 and 15 years old (there are a whole host of small businesses that would like to target this group!)
• 18,740 men and women 27 and older who are college grads and like luxury brands (do you market a high end product or service to the affluent?)

These are a few examples of the numbers that really matter to small businesses when it comes to Facebook. And they start to give you a picture of the true power of marketing there.

Facebook has the most complete and accurate demographic profile data available to advertisers.

It’s important to note that Facebook advertising is not for all businesses and has great challenges that come along with it. But if you know who your prospects are, Facebook paid advertising is an incredibly powerful way to reach them.