Everybody’s on Facebook. That’s both good and bad. Establish a presence there and you’ve got a ready-made audience of millions around the world. Unfortunately, your competition is equally massive. Fortunately, you don’t have to conquer the world, only the part of it that’s potentially relevant to you and your service or product.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Get to know the neighborhood before you move in.
Like most social networks, there is an option to learn about the service before creating an account. This feature is somewhat difficult to find in Facebook, but it’s worth the effort. Go to the bottom, right-hand side of the home page. You’ll see a listing of services in blue: Login, About, Advertising, Developers, Jobs, Terms, Find Friends, Privacy and – finally – Help. Click on Help. Once you get to the Help section, select a tab at the top of the page which says: Getting Started. Click on Getting Started. Now read.
- Join the network as you, not as your business or service.
Remember, people join social networks to socialize. They won’t take kindly to a sales pitch disguised as friendly outreach. If you want an ad, buy one. Use your Facebook profile to talk about yourself and your interests. Those interests include your business, but should not be limited to just that. People want to get to know you. If they know you already, they want to find out what’s happening in your life. Work your business into the rest of your activities, but don’t spam your friends.
- Use Facebook Networks, Groups, Applications and Pages to expand your reach and subtly introduce your products/services to an interested audience.
Facebook organizes people and activities into networks (geographic), groups (interests), pages (created by businesses, which users can link to) and applications (i.e., games, profile enhancements, utilities and more). This is what often accounts for the “Facebook addictions” complained of by so many people. There’s a lot here, so begin your search by area or by interest (there’s a search box on the top, right-hand side of every Facebook page).
Join a few groups that are relevant to your business or service, remembering to participate in a personable way. These don’t have to be “business” groups, but should reflect the type of person you’d like to attract. If you’re in the food business, for example, join cooking groups or pages. If you’re a writer, join a writing group. You have a bit more “room” to talk about your business here, but make sure any conversations are consistent with your chosen group’s mission.
- Don’t spam.
Make friends, build trust, share what you know and let people know about you. That should include your business, as an important part of your life.
Facebook is a social network, not Amazon.com. A lot of businesses have a page or an application here, but it’s part of an overall marketing strategy that helps drive traffic to their dedicated network, website or blog. As a Facebook user, you will need to find a way of balancing personal and commercial messages. Work to establish your identity, post frequently – including photos, videos, music, etc. – respond to other peoples’ posts, join like-minded groups and make your business your passion, not just your job. You may just make the sale!
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Sounds very interesting.
Spike, you are awesome! Love your perspective, thanks for sharing.
Thank you ! As a relative Web 2.0 newbie, this was really helpful.
Becky Williamson
http://www.beckywilliamson.com