Marketing with the popular social media site Facebook may seem like a no brainer. Several business, established and start ups, use Facebook to garner more revenue and interest in their products. But, like most things, there are pros and cons to marketing on the well-known social media site.

The best part about Facebook is that anyone can sign up for free. The bad part about Facebook is that anyone can sign up free. As of the fourth quarter of 2016, Facebook had 1.86 billion monthly active users and about 40 million businesses utilizing its site. With so many consumers and businesses, a business owner can have a difficult time standing out especially since Facebook has a set template.

Businesses are not able to create unique pages that can attract consumers. You can however, add videos and photos to stand out or use the new feature of “going live.” Need another pro? Well, consumers can leave reviews and businesses can communicate with consumers easily in comments or through messenger. Ease of use is another pro in marketing on Facebook. It is simpler than ever to upload a status, photo or video on your business page, and you can do it using multiple devices.

It’s also easy to search for goods and services; however, your business may be 54th on the results list. The consumer will need to be motivated enough to continue searching to find your company. Whether choosing to market on Facebook or any other social media site, it’s good to know the pros and cons.

Facebook marketing pros

1. able to reach a wide audience
2. free signup
3. can add media (videos, photos)
4. consumers able to post reviews, can communicate with consumers
5. can buy/sell items

Facebook cons

1. Difficult to stand out
2. Cannot change template
3. too many users/business
4. Preferential searching