Pic Originated by Steve Holzner
Facebook is the biggest social network in the world. Yet what can we do to benefit from this network as far as business growth is concerned? I was asked this question a lot. According to some people, there seems to be a lack of means to promote a business on Facebook compared to LinkedIn or Twitter.
Well, for a starter, I have 7 pieces of advice for business owners and entrepreneurs when it comes to growing a business on Facebook. Here they are.
1. Fan Page
Facebook just hit 350 million users, according to its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Imagine what would happen if your business could tap into this big user pool. Is there a better way to integrate your brand with Facebook? Of course there is. Facebook fan page would be my answer. To set up a page for your own business, follow this instruction guide on Facebook. (Recommended reading: Social Media 101 – The Facebook Guide)
2. Posterous
I know there are many people who own multiple Facebook Fan Pages. If that’s the case, they may spend lots of time posting things daily across all their Facebook pages, including their own profiles. Actually, this is precisely what has discouraged many people from setting up their business pages on Facebook. To solve this problem, choose another social networking platform that allows you to post on different social networking sites once and for all. My personal favorite is Posterous. You can read this article to learn more about Posterous. Of course, there are other services such as TweetDeck or HootSuite that let you do the same thing. These services are hugely valuable for people who do not have plenty of time managing their social profiles.
3. Events
I’ve written many articles previously about how to promote and organize successful events. If you are an entrepreneur, don’t underestimate the importance of promoting your business offline. It could be through a Webinar or an actual face-to-face meeting. In addition to the Facebook Fan Page, the event feature probably is another thing I use most frequently on Facebook. To check out how I promote my event on Facebook, click here.
4. Facebook Ads
Compared to other forms of advertising, Facebook ads have their unique features. To name a few, here are three of them:
- Reach over 350,000,000 active Facebook users.
- Attach social actions to your ads to increase relevance.
- Choose to pay per click (CPC) or impression (CPM) in your local currency, very cost effective.
Most importantly, Facebook ads go hand in hand with Facebook Event and Fan Page. Your event or fan page can reach much broader demographics with the help of Facebook ads. It’s just another effective way to market your business.
5. Marketing/Promotional Tool
There is an app called “Social RSS,” which allows you to add your blog/favorite RSS feeds to your wall, boxes tab or a dedicated tab on your profile or Facebook Page. Basically, if you blog about your business or your entrepreneurial venture, then you have every single reason to integrate Social RSS to your Facebook profile. It makes pure sense.
6. Relationship Management Tools
I. Polls – You can tap the pulse of your potential customers with custom polls for your Facebook Pages! Polls are easy to create and even easier to analyze, with beautiful graphs showing user responses across demographics.
II. Testimonials – Use Testimonials to gather your personal, professional and academic references in one place from your customers, friends, and co-workers. This is a powerful marketing/relationship management tool.
7. Final Advice
While you may spend time targeting Facebook users not in your network, don’t forget to leverage your existing Facebook connections. The rule of thumb is update your online status often enough to attract people’s attention. One tip I have is to link up your Twitter account with Facebook profile to update your Facebook wall whenever you tweet. Spread your Facebook fan page link in different places, such as Google Profile, your Email signature section, & your business cards.
What advice do you have for our audience when it comes to Facebook business strategies?
Related posts:
- My Favorite 26 Facebook Applications for Business People Facebook is the biggest social networking site in the...
- Social Media 101 (Part B) – The Facebook Guide Facebook is probably the most widespread social media network...
- 30 Ways to Promote Your Business on Twitter without Annoying Your Followers Twitter experienced a spike in its growth in 2009....
- How to – 5 Tips to Promote Your Business Brand Using Social Media As an entrepreneur, I’ve realized how cost-effective it can...
- 20 Tips to Help You Build A Dynamic Online Community Breaking news! One group (NYEBN) that I founded in...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
