Facebook is the poster child of social media, the biggest name with the biggest numbers.
Big as in 250 million active users … 50 million joining in Q2CY2009 alone. If Facebook were a country it would be the fourth-largest in the world.
The average Facebook user spent 4.5 hours there in June, making it one of the stickiest sites on the Internet.
This path to global domination began in typically accidental fashion. Facebook started out as a small social network for students at Harvard, then allowed other colleges and universities to join. Once the digital doors were opened to the general public, however, business (as usual) soon followed.
And there’s no denying the fact that Facebook is good for business, with search tools, mashup applications, and a model based on public group and fan pages. There’s also a surprisingly simple process to create and manage targeted advertising.
At the same time, Facebook can sometimes be frustrating, difficult to navigate, time intensive (i.e. wasting) and less immediate than its social media brethren.
Top reasons why your business should have a Facebook presence:
- Connect and stay connected with friends and peers
- Prospect and identify new business contacts
- Raise visibility and build brand
- Open doors and build relationships through dialogue
- Place and manage targeted advertising
The bottom line, however, your business should be on Facebook if for no other reason than its user base is too massive to ignore. Initial set up is relatively quick and easy.
STEP 1: JOIN FACEBOOK
Visit www.facebook.com to create your personal account. You can create groups and fan pages for your business later using your personal account, and do not set up a separate public account for your business (according to the Facebook terms and conditions) if you already have a personal account.
STEP 2: BUILD OUT YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE FIRST
The Facebook model is people first, then brands. Part of social media is putting a face to your business – which is you. Be sure to add a picture that helps others recognize you and spend a few minutes updating your personal information, such as background, education, work, etc. That will help you earn trust. Be sure to take advantage and set up a Facebook vanity URL and add it to your email signature and other social media site profiles.
STEP 3: FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE LANDSCAPE
Spend some time looking around and getting a feel for Facebook. A lot of the applications are “thick,” which means installations and additional information gathering, so tread lightly. Best to stick to the basics, which means posting some status updates, some pictures, and adding a few friends. Stay out of trouble by reading the Facebook rules for business accounts.
STEP 4: FIND AND ADD FRIENDS
You can upload names and contacts from your email client to find and connect with others on Facebook. Don’t be shy about searching or using Find Friends to expand your network. Another great way to identify others you may not have considered contacting is to review the friends lists of others, especially professional contacts. Be sure to set up separate Facebook lists for friends, family and business that can be used to assign different privacy controls (i.e. limit business access to your personal photos).
STEP 5: KNOW WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE AND GO EASY ON THEM
Be aware of what you are putting on your pages and who can see them, not just today but years from now. What you say and what you do creates a legacy about who you are and by which you will be judged by others. Don’t overdo it with your updates, and leave the poking, quizzes, photo tagging, etc., for your close personal friends. Most of these fun tools are built to capture personal information about you that will be used in targeted advertising. Even though you may think it’s cool, not all of your friends are that into know “Which Grateful Dead Song are You?” SuperPoke is another great way to annoy all your friends at the same time.
STEP 6: CREATE A PUBLIC PAGE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
This is where it gets a little tricky, because you set up and create your public pages via your personal account. Don’t worry, these public pages are presented/displayed separately and not linked to your personal account by default. Public pages are also good for products or organizations. Another difference is that public pages are for groups or fans, not friends, so unless you add restrictions anyone can view them. If your business isn’t a household name, a group page is often the best way to go, although there are some who feel a fan page is more appropriate. Group pages allow more access controls in letting you decide who to accept and what information they can see. For instance, you probably won’t want your fans to be able to post to your wall page, or create reviews, so be sure and page attention to those settings.
STEP 7: BUILD OUT YOUR PUBLIC PAGE
Similar to your personal account, your public pages include a wall and allow you to post documents, photos and videos, and schedule events. First post a company or business logo, and fill out your business profile completely to establish and earn trust by being as visible and transparent as possible. Add applications to integrate your blog and other social media sites like Twitter with your public page. Consider using it to market your product or service by posting discounts and announcing new features or products. Be sure to join other network and industry groups related to your business. When you are happy with what you have done, take a deep breath, click your settings link once more and change published status to publically visable. Once you do, go to your publlic page and click the button at the top to become your first fan.
STEP 8: DON’T RUSH IN WITH APPS AND FOCUS ON BUSINESS
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should, so be cautious. By all means set up your Twitter feed to automate your Facebook status. And display the upcoming events you are attending or your business may be hosting. Whenever adding a new app or feature, focus on business value.
STEP 9: BUY FACEBOOK ADS AND TARGET FOR YOUR BUSINESS
You can set up and target ads by attributes such as location, age, sex, income, etc., as well as set a budget of as little as $1 a day and schedule automatic payment. You can designate whether you want to pay for your ads by the impression (how many times the ad displays on a Facebook page) or a click-through (which means the user actually clicked on the ad to follow the link).
STEP 10: MAINTAIN AND SUPPORT YOUR ACCOUNT, PAGES AND NETWORK
Proper care and feeding is one of the most important, yet most frequently overlooked pieces of your social networking strategy. Link to your Twitter and business site or blog from Facebook, and vice versa. At the bottom left of your profile page click the “Create a badge” link to generate HTML code and copy/paste it onto other sites and pages to generate a badge directing users to your Facebook page. Check your pages at least weekly to review accuracy of content, maintain lists of friends and fans, post events, and add new applications or features. If someone posted to your wall or made a comment, good or bad, be sure to connect with them personally. Avoid the hard sell approach. Be helpful when engaging. If you reach out to help others, they’ll reach back.
Filed under: Facebook, How To, Social Media, business, engagement, Facebook, small business, Social Media, tutorial
Social MediYeah! 