Facebook to host business seminar in Springfield tomorrow

Local businesses seeking to engage with customers over Facebook will have the opportunity to learn how from their peers during a workshop tomorrow held by the world’s largest social networking platform.

The event dubbed Boost Your Business, which is open to the public and free to attend, is scheduled 9:30 a.m.-noon at The Old Glass Place, 521 St. Louis St.

Following a presentation from a Facebook small-business expert on optimizing company presence and engagement, a panel of local small businesses will share their social media experiences and strategies in a Q&A session. Businesses slated to take part include Phoenix Home Care Inc., Ozark Mountain Orchard LLC and Shannon’s Custom Floral’s LLC, according to a Facebook news release.

The Facebook Boost Your Business webpage states the seminar will aid beginner to intermediate Facebook business users, and the presentation will cover such topics as content quality, Instagram advertising, ad campaigns, target audience posts and use of the social network’s analytics tools.

The event will open with remarks from Rep. Billy Long, R.-Mo.

“Businesses right here in our community play an integral part in the global economy,” Long said in the release. “The way they engage and build relationships with customers is rapidly changing in the 21st century, and I’m thrilled that Facebook is holding this invaluable workshop to help Missouri’s entrepreneurs stay ahead of the curve.”

According to the release, more than 60 billion businesses have a presence on Facebook, and approximately eight in 10 Facebook users are connected to at least one small business.

Attendees may register at Facebook’s Boost Your Business webpage.

In 2015, Facebook hosted four half-day Boost Your Business events in San Diego, Minneapolis, Boston and Nashville, Tenn., and also has a 10-city European tour scheduled for 2016.