The latest stop on the U.S. Chamber-Facebook-NFIB ‘Small Business Boost’ road show took us to Effingham, IL – the “Crossroads of Opportunity.”

While Effingham might be the smallest city the road show has visited – the population is just north of 12,000 people – we were not surprised that a packed room of 200 small business owners and entrepreneurs turned out, eager to learn how to leverage Facebook and its 800 million users to connect with current and prospective customers.  As one attendee told me, “Even in Effingham, a presence on Facebook is a must for any small business.”

We were pleased that Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL-19) took time and joined us in Effingham to kickoff the event.  The Congressman highlighted the value of staying current with technology, for Members of Congress and business owners, alike.  The Congressman admitted he was also there to learn as much as anyone else about what Facebook offers, and the possibilities to reach and communicate with his “customers,” the people of Illinois’ 19^th Congressional District. 

The event was similar to a handful of others hosted across the country already.  In addition to taking Q&A from many of the 200 folks in attendance, Facebook marketing gurus provided a 101 about the site and a more advanced tutorial on business strategies, including:

• Connecting current and potential customers to your page in an interactive environment;
• Reaching fans, friends of fans, and others through innovative marketing campaigns; and
• Using insights and page optimization tools to analyze your visitors and what they care about, and using that intelligence to direct your advertizing.

Facebook also urged all those in attendance to take part in their Small Business Boost contest that will provide up to $10 million worth of free advertisements to small businesses and has a grand prize of $10,000 in advertising credits to the contest winner.  To get them started, Facebook was generous enough to give every attendee a taste of the power of Facebook advertising by handing out free tote bags containing “how to” info and $50 worth in free Facebook ads.

Effingham Chamber of Commerce President, Norma Lansing, summed it up best, “Facebook, the U.S. Chamber, NFIB and Congressman Shimkus came together to provide timely information on a hot topic, and the innovators, entrepreneurs and job creators of Effingham responded.  We are already hearing from attendees and those who could not make it clamoring for similar events.”

I guess that means they “liked” it.