Next Tuesday, May 28, representatives from Facebook will travel to Santa Barbara to host a workshop called “Facebook’s Small Business Roadshow,” from noon to 1 p.m. at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort, 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m.

This free workshop will provide small-business owners and entrepreneurs with the tools to leverage the world’s largest social network to grow their business.

Facebook and NAWBO-Santa Barbara Chapter are excited to welcome special guest speaker Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, who will be in attendance and deliver remarks before Facebook begins the workshop.

During the workshop, small-business owners and entrepreneurs will learn everything from starting their business’s Facebook page and attracting new customers through their page, to engaging with clients and creating ads for their business. At the end of the workshop, there will be a drawing for a $2,500 advertising coupon.

Facebook’s Small Business Roadshows help local small-business owners throughout the country, from beginners to experienced users, use Facebook to build a community around their business and reach new customers among Facebook’s 1 billion-plus users.

Here’s how Facebook helps California’s small businesses:

» So far in California, in an average week Facebook has enabled over 1.5 connections between local businesses and people.

» On average, there are over 89 million views of California local small business pages per week.

» Across the United States, there are more than 2 billion connections between local businesses and people.

» There are 645 million views and 13 million comments on local US business Facebook pages on average per week.

» Approximately 70 percent of monthly active users in the U.S. and Canada are connected to a local business on Facebook.

— Brandon Lepow represents Facebook.