The world's largest social network and how to make the most of it
Almost everyone has an account, even if not everyone uses it every day. And for many businesses, it is still the first place to get known, advertise or serve their customers. With more than two decades of history, this network is still a key part of digital marketing.
What is Facebook?
Facebook is a social network where people create a profile and connect with friends and family. There, they share posts, photos, videos and links. Businesses, for their part, can create their own pages to communicate with their audience.
Mark Zuckerberg founded it in 2004 with several fellow students at Harvard University. What started as a network for college students opened to the general public in 2006. And within a few years, it became the most used social network in the world.
Since 2021, the network has been part of Meta, the parent company that also runs Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.
Some figures
The latest official user figure is from the end of 2023. At that time, it had about 3.07 billion monthly active users.
Since 2024, Meta no longer publishes separate figures for each app. It only reports the number of people who use at least one of its apps every day. And that figure is over 3 billion.
What has not changed is its user profile. Compared to networks like TikTok, its audience is older. This is very relevant if your business targets adults.
Facebook tools for businesses
The platform offers several ways to have a presence as a brand:
- Business pages: your business’s official profile, with contact information, opening hours, reviews and posts.
- Groups: communities built around a topic, useful for building a closer relationship with your customers.
- Marketplace: a space for users and local businesses to buy and sell products.
- Reels and Stories: short video and ephemeral content formats that increase reach.
- Messenger: the messaging channel for answering inquiries, which can be automated with a chatbot.
Everything is managed from Meta Business Suite. It is the dashboard that brings together your activity on this network and on Instagram.
Advertising on Facebook
Where it really makes a difference is its advertising system. From Ads Manager, you create advertising campaigns. And you can target them by users’ age, location, interests or behavior.
This highly precise targeting is its main appeal. You can show your ads only to people who match your buyer persona. And with budgets starting at just a few euros a day.
In addition, the Meta pixel lets you measure what users do on your website after seeing an ad. With that information, you can launch remarketing campaigns for people who have already visited your store.
If you want to learn more about how they work, we explain it in our post on Facebook Ads.
The organic reach challenge
Years ago, posting on your page was enough for most of your followers to see it. That is no longer the case.
The platform’s algorithm prioritizes content from friends, groups and posts with a lot of engagement. That is why the organic reach of business pages keeps getting lower. Many brands rely on advertising to reach their audience.
Because, in the end, that audience is not yours. If the algorithm changes or your account has a problem, you can suddenly lose contact with your followers.
Even so, posting still makes sense. An active page builds trust, and many people check it before buying, booking or asking for information. The key is not to depend on it alone.
How to combine Facebook and email marketing
This is where email marketing becomes essential. Your subscriber list is a channel you own: no one else decides how many contacts you reach.
That is why one of the best strategies is to use the social network to attract subscribers. Here are some ways to do it:
- Lead generation ads: Meta’s lead forms let people subscribe without leaving Facebook.
- Hook content: offer a lead magnet, such as a guide or a discount, in exchange for an email address.
- Links to your landing page: send the traffic from your posts to a landing page with a subscription form.
- Custom audiences: upload your contact list to Meta to show ads to your subscribers or to find people with a similar profile.
You’ll find more ideas in our article on how to grow your list with Facebook video ads.
An important warning: to upload your list or collect data, you need users’ consent, as required by the GDPR.
How we help you at Mailrelay
At Mailrelay, we make it easy for you to turn your followers into subscribers. You can create subscription forms for your website or landing pages and automatically welcome each new contact. Then, you can segment your list based on how each person joined it.
That way, what starts on a social network becomes a direct relationship by email. All of this on a free plan of up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts. If you want to try it, you can create your Mailrelay account today.
Frequently asked questions about Facebook
Are Facebook and Meta the same thing? Not exactly. Meta is the company and Facebook is one of its apps, along with Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.
Is it still useful for businesses? Yes, especially for targeted advertising and for reaching an adult audience. Its organic reach, on the other hand, is limited.
What is the difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page? A profile is personal. A page is designed for businesses, brands or public figures, and gives access to insights and advertising tools.
In conclusion
Facebook is still one of the platforms with the most users in the world and a very powerful advertising tool. But it is not a good idea to build your business on it alone.
The smartest approach is to use it to get your name out there and capture contacts, and then nurture that relationship by email, a channel you control.
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Find out how Mailrelay can help you with your email marketing strategy.