For some Valley companies, /*Facebook*/ has become a way to do business and meet new customers.
Patty Bolanos said, "It's pretty amazing what Facebook can do as far as getting that clientele in so it's worked for us, it's really good for business."
Bolanos sells insurance and uses the social site to connect with people across the Valley. Wednesday, she was one of more than 100 people who attended a small business boost workshop to learn the ins and outs of marketing on Facebook.
Assembly Member Henry T Perea helped put on the seminar. He said, "So people are out there making their own jobs and so Facebook is an opportunity for those individuals doing that to grow their businesses to gain more customers."
Facebook employees told the audience to first build a page, connect to customers, and find ways engage with them.
Brooke Oberwetter said, "Then to take those customers and fans and turn them into brand ambassadors. That's where that viral marketing really comes into play."
Social media experts say you can increase business through strategies like posting offers and codes online. However, they say consistent and visual postings will help drive users to your page and business.
Oberwetter said, "Pictures speak louder than words and on Facebook, it has a very visual format."
With this new knowledge, businesses say they plan to start posting and uploading right away. They hope those social media skills will pay off in a big way.
There are one-billion Facebook users, and 40 million of them are here in California.
