According to a study by research company Lab42, 50 percent of consumers think a brand’s Facebook page is more useful than its website.

It’s no wonder brands are trying to figure out how to use Facebook to grow their business. However, Facebook is adjusting its algorithm to require brands to pay for exposure to their own fans according to Chris Syme, contributor to Entrepreneur.

If you have a Facebook page for your business, you might have seen a decrease in “likes” and interaction. The reason is because you probably aren’t using Promoted Posts to increase your visibility.

Facebook has already altered its News Feed algorithm so posts no longer reach the majority of fans. Recently, a blog post from Spin Sucks mentioned of the more than 63,000 people who have voluntarily liked their page and opted in to have them in their stream, only 30 percent are seeing their updates. The other 70 percent have to set aside a budget to pay to promote their posts to those people.

Many small businesses don’t have the budget to invest in promoted posts and/or Facebook ads. Syme says he has heard rumblings of smaller brands talking about leaving the platform. “They don’t want to take a chance on investing in something that many claim doesn’t show a measurable return,” he says.

If you’ve been thinking Facebook isn’t worth your time and money, Syme provides three ways to promote your brand without Facebook.

Learn Brand Advocacy Strategies On and Offline

Word-of-mouth is important for small brands; they thrive on it. The first step in activating brand advocates is identifying your best customers. Just because someone likes your page, doesn’t mean you’ll be able to build an effective online community. Syme suggests you encourage loyal customers to post positive reviews about your business on third party review sites without offering them incentives.

Make Your Website Social

Syme says if your website doesn’t already have a social look and feel it’s your first disconnect. He suggests you make sure to temper the promotional aspects by having your customers talk about how your product solved a problem for them. If customers are coming to your website, the less you have to worry about Facebook.

Explore Other Social Networks

Check out social networks such as Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. If you don’t have a website, set up a free one using Tumblr or WordPress. Syme suggests you do research and test social media channels, and also take some time to learn engagement strategies.

“Even though Facebook claims to have a billion users, getting the attention of the fans you need to reach is a difficult task, and now, possibly an expensive one,” Syme says.

Facebook isn’t the only place for your business to be, there are plenty of other alternatives. Yes, everyone is on Facebook, but if it’s not working for you, consider other alternatives.

What other ways do you promote your business online? What social networks are working for you?

Image: Sean MacEntee  via Flickr, CC 2.0