With pretty much everyone in the developed world already using Facebook (it’s almost harder not to), Facebook Inc has been forced to look outside of its usual channels to bring in new users and sources of revenue.

It has already been growing its user base in developing economies thanks to the work of its Internet.org charity organization, and this week the big blue social network is doing the something similar with Brazilian business owners by opening a new “Innovation Lab” in the pop-up town of Heliópolis near São Paolo, Brazil.

The Innovation Lab is intended to provide local entrepreneurs with the training and tools necessary to take advantage of Facebook as an advertising and marketing platform. According to Facebook’s Patrick Hruby, several small business owners have already started taking advantage of social media as a communication tool and have “basically hacked Facebook for their use.” Hruby told The Wall Street Journal, “This innovation lab that we’re launching in Heliópolis is a way to bring that knowledge [to more local entrepreneurs].”

“On social media, everyone is equal”

The lab is set up in a local public school classroom and is painted to match Facebook’s blue and white theme. Entrepreneurs can use the lab to learn about the value of Facebook as a business tool, as well as how to use the platform to connect with customers and market their goods and services.

While the majority of residents in Heliópolis are already using Facebook, only 14 percent of local businesses have a Facebook page. The goal behind the Innovation Lab is to increase that percentage, showing the value of Facebook to Brazilian entrepreneurs while also growing the site’s marketing customer base.

With the high cost and low success rate of traditional advertising venues, such as newspapers and magazines, Facebook and other forms of social media offer an attractive alternative to those without the marketing budget to advertise across multiple platforms.

“On social media, everyone is equal. It is more democratic,” said Victor Hugo, a young photographer who started earning more when he switched from newspaper ads to social media. “No one judges you for the car you arrive in.”

photo credit: Ksayer1 via photopin cc