Do you know how many active Facebook users there are?

Over 2.8B. Yep, almost a third of the entire world is there. And with this, Facebook provides an unmatched opportunity to reach a broad, diverse audience. Especially with its sophisticated advertising tools.

However, promoting a small business on Facebook is not easy. The costs are getting higher—especially if you’re not brining the most out of your ads—and it’s hard to keep track of all new stuff.

But it’s not impossible to score with Facebook ads. Even as a small business.

As a Facebook Ads Agency, we’ve managed ads for hundreds of clients so we have decided to share a few tips

1. Optimize Your Facebook Business Page

First things first. You need a Facebook Business Page to even start promoting your brand.

Why so essential? Because an optimized business page is your professional online presence on the platform. Here, your potential customers can find all important information about your brand including:

• What services you offer
• What are your working hours
• What is your location
• How to contact you

It’s also a place where they’ll see recent posts on a well-curated page, which will enhance trust and credibility. 

Don’t forget communication: An optimized Facebook page allows you to easily interact with your audience—through comments and direct messages. This engagement helps you build customer relationships and also provide valuable insights into your audience’s preferences.

Additionally, it can help you sell or settle any disputes, boosting your credibility.

What can you do: Add your brand company picture, cover photo, and detailed product or service information. Your bio should clearly explain who you are and what you offer.

For example, a local bakery can use a warm, inviting cover photo showing their best-sellers and a description like, “Freshly baked goods made with love in [Your Town].”

An anatomy of a well-optimized page from one of our clients.

2. Run Ads—If You Have the Budget 

Facebook Ads allow you to reach specific audiences. Target users based on location, interests, and behaviors. Start with small budgets and monitor performance. You can experiment with different ad formats like Carousel or Video Ads for higher engagement.

Example: A local coffee shop can target ads to people within a 5-mile radius, highlighting limited-time offers and new flavors.

Also, Meta Business Suite now bundles several “pro-level” analytics tools that take the guesswork out of content and ad decisions:

• Enhanced Audience Insights reveals age, interests, and purchase habits of the people already engaging with you, and lets you build high-intent custom or look-alike audiences in one click.
  Predictive performance dashboards surface when (and with which format) your posts drive the most clicks, so you can schedule and design future content around proven peaks.
  Conversions API + Conversion Lift tests tie both online and in-store sales back to specific ads, showing the incremental revenue your spend generated—perfect for trimming waste and doubling-down on winners.
  AI-driven Advantage+ campaigns then auto-redistribute budget toward the creatives, audiences, and placements that the data says will hit your chosen goal (leads, sales, store visits) fastest. 

The only problem with Facebook Ads is… well, they cost a lot.

And if you’re not sure what you’re doing, who you’re targeting, and where to optimize… you’ll throw a lot of money down the drain.

For a smaller brand, that can be death sentence. So make sure you get at least some minimum knowledge before you start paid promotions.

3. Post Regularly and Consistently

One of the best ways to promote your business is to maintain a presence.

When you post often, you keep your brand top-of-mind for your followers and keep your business visible in their feeds. 

Consistent posting also helps to build trust and reliability with your audience, as they come to expect regular updates, promotions, and relevant content from you.

The most important thing? By posting regularly, you increase the chances of engaging with your audience. And it’s no secret that Facebook’s algorithm favors active pages.

So, the more you post, the more likely your content is to be shown to your followers. This increased visibility can lead to more likes, comments, and shares—and ultimately, more traffic to your page or store.

Plus, consistent posting allows you to showcase different aspects of your business, whether it’s new products, behind-the-scenes content, customer testimonials, or seasonal promotions. 

Tip: Create a content calendar to post regularly. Consistent posting keeps your business top of mind and increases engagement. 

Mix content types, like photos, Reels, to maintain interest. Aim for 3-5 posts a week, but focus on quality over quantity.

4. Engage With Your Audience

Remember when we said you should post regularly?

It’s partly for staying top of mind, but also partly because it will make others engage with your brand. This helps you build strong, lasting relationships and warm up future customers.

If you’re responsive, you show that you care about your audience, value their input, and can also them solve their problems. Also, don’t forget that personal interaction builds trust and loyalty, making customers more likely to return to your business, or recommend it to others.

Don’t forget about community: Engagement also creates a sense of everyone being a part of the same thing. Positive interactions can help you humanize your brand and make it more relatable—something younger generations particularly appreciate.

For example, a gym could ask followers to share their fitness goals for the year and provide a free consultation to the most engaging comment.

5. Leverage User-Generated Content

User-generated content is one of the most powerful promotional tactics.

UGC includes any content, such as photos, videos, reviews, or testimonials, created by your customers or followers that showcases your products or services.

It fuels your social validation, builds credibility, and often makes your brand more desirable. 

Here are the benefits: 

• Authenticity and Trust: UGC acts as social proof. When potential customers see real people enjoying or benefiting from your products, it builds credibility and trust. Consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from fellow buyers than from businesses themselves.
• Increased Engagement: Featuring your customers’ content encourages them to engage more with your brand. It makes them feel appreciated, and they’re more likely to share your page or create additional content. This increases your organic reach and can attract new followers.
  Content Variety: UGC provides fresh, diverse content for your business page, giving it a more genuine and relatable feel. It also saves you time and effort in content creation while still providing engaging posts for your audience.
  Building a Community: Sharing UGC fosters a sense of community among your customers. It shows that you value their input and encourages others to engage, leading to a more interactive, loyal following.
  

So yes, posting User-Generated Content is a win-win. 

6. Mix Up Your Content Formats (Yes, Reels Too)

If you want to go organic, don’t just stick to photos or text posts. Facebook’s algorithm rewards variety.

Try mixing in Reels, Stories, live streams, and longer-form videos to capture attention and keep your audience engaged. Different formats appeal to different types of users and increase the chances your content gets seen (and shared).

• Reels: Short, punchy, and algorithm-friendly. Perfect for quick tips, behind-the-scenes, or product showcases.
• Live Videos: Great for real-time engagement like Q&As, product demos, or events.
• Longer Videos: Ideal for tutorials, founder stories, or customer testimonials.

More formats means more reach. And the more ways people can engage with your business, the better your results.

Pro tip: Test different formats to see what your audience loves, then double down on what performs best.

6. Join Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are goldmines for organic reach—and yes, the algorithm loves them.

Why? Because groups are all about community-driven conversation, and Facebook wants more of that. Posts in groups often get more visibility than posts on your business page, especially when there’s real engagement happening.

Here’s what that means for your business:

• You can join existing local or niche groups related to your industry and start offering helpful tips, answering questions, and building trust (without spamming).
• Or better yet, create your own branded group to cultivate a loyal community around your products or services.

Whether you’re a pet groomer sharing before-and-afters or a skincare brand offering weekly Q&As, groups create a two-way relationship with your audience.

Bonus: You get direct access to what your audience is thinking, asking, and needing—perfect for market research and future campaigns.

Be helpful first, promotional second. The visibility and trust will follow.

One of the brands we worked with has a super niche, super active group on Facebook that is absolutely crushing it:

7. Host Facebook Contests and Giveaways

What creates the biggest excitement and buzz? Free stuff, of course.

And contests and giveaways are the best ways to offer free stuff while also boosting engagement. 

Keep in mind that your rules should be simple and the brize should align with your brand. This can help you grow your following and get everyone trigger-happy to share your page. 

Besides promotion, giveaways have hidden benefits, too. 

First, they help you collect UGC, for example—if you ask people to say something positive about your brand or take a photo using your product so they can be eligible to enter the contest.

Second, they allow you to build email lists. If your contest requires the audience to opt in their email address, you can later use that same email address to send different types of email campaigns.

Here’s an example of a giveaway that was shared across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook:

A generous offer, eh?  

9. Create Facebook Events

Hosting a Facebook event can be a highly beneficial strategy for small businesses. 

Do you know how whenever a Facebook friend is interested in an event, it somehow also shows up on your feed? The Events category has a wide reach and helps your brand get visibility. 

A Facebook event provides a dedicated space for promoting your product, service, or brand to a targeted audience. And this can be a virtual product launch, a sale, a workshop, a special promotion, or whatever comes to mind.

Other benefits? Events also help create a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging people to sign up or attend. Facebook allows you to invite followers and their friends, which can lead to expanded reach and new customer acquisition.

Example: A small brewery can create an event for a new beer release, encouraging people to RSVP and share the event with friends.

Or sometimes, you can even combine an event with an ad to attract potential customers:

Source: Hubspot blog

10. Track Analytics and Adjust Strategy

Use Facebook Insights to track the performance of your posts and ads.

If you review your Facebook Insights and ad performance frequently, you can measure how well your posts, ads, and campaigns are performing.

What to look for: Key metrics such as engagement rate, reach, click-through rate (CTR), and conversion rates provide valuable data on what’s working and what isn’t.

This data allows you to adjust your strategy accordingly. 

For example, if you notice certain posts are generating higher engagement, you can create more content along those lines. 

If a particular ad isn’t converting well, you can tweak the copy, visuals, or targeting. Or stop the ad altogether. Sad, but it happens.

Tracking can ensure that every effort contributes to better results. Which, in the case of a small business, is super important.

Time to start promoting

Guess what? Promoting your small business on Facebook doesn’t require a massive budget.

However, you’ll need a smart strategy and what’s even more important… you’ll need consistency.

rom optimizing your page to engaging your community and tracking performance, each step adds up. Stay active, stay authentic, and let your content do the talking. Growth is just a few posts away.

And of course, if you need any help, reach out! We’re here to help.