Using Facebook to market your business

Most new businesses fail simply because the people who matter never heard of them.

Traditional advertising and old-fashioned marketing methods such as cold-calling and postal-direct mail, apart from being expensive, just aren’t effective any more. But free advertising - now that is alive and well.

However it is not something that you can buy or manufacture - you have to earn it by engaging with your target market. Fortunately this isn’t hard to do, you just need to participate on Internet social networks.

Market your business by telephone or direct mail and the chance of getting a response from someone who didn’t know you would be about 2 per cent - and that’s only if you do it right - but by using web 2.0 networks such as Facebook you can expect a response rate of over 80%. It is a powerful social networking service, and it is fast becoming one of the most effective networking tools for businesses to create awareness and interact with their community.

Some employers may have banned access to Facebook at work, but increasing numbers of people are using the site as a business networking tool. Many companies believe that Facebook can add value to their business - as an example more than 6,000 Citigroup employees are now signed up to Facebook, while consulting firm Ernst and Young’s network has over 16,000 members.

Professional networks can be invaluable to people running small businesses, helping to start and grow relationships with customers and within their industry. Any business owner, even one without computer skills, can easily post content that will draw interest from the target market. Getting started on Facebook may seem a little tedious to start with, and may not produce results for a while, but be persistent and if you are sincere people will start to notice. Your snowball will then start barrelling downhill purely from its own momentum.

How FaceBook Works

FaceBook allows its users to connect with each other and share information by posting online profiles, including personal information and photographs, and then connecting to other users who share common experiences and interests. It was initially launched as an online avenue where students could find one another, but has since been transformed into a social network that anyone can use. It become very popular mainly because of its ease of use, taking only a few minutes to update a profile or add new friends.

Getting Started with FaceBook

1. First you need to sign up. To get started with FaceBook you need to submit an online registration form. Creating your own account includes creating a profile about yourself or your business. Your profile is an ideal platform for you to share photos, videos, and audio. You can also include links to your business website. When you first create your profile, it’s up to you how much information you want to include. Don’t get too bogged down in the initial setup. It’s more important to get registered and start experimenting.

2. Connect with your community. Once you have a FaceBook account, it’s time to connect with people in your community. FaceBook offers a convenient Search feature, which can be used to locate people who may already members. Contact them and ask if you can be their friend. Add everyone you know to your list. As mutual friends and friends of friends get added to your list, your contact list will grow fairly quick.

3. Create or join groups that are associated with your line of business. Creating new groups or joining existing groups allows you to share interesting information, join in discussions, share pictures and make announcements relevant to your industry. If you are looking for exposure, make sure you create open groups that can be easily found and one where members can freely invite their contacts to join.

4. Promote your events. Create the event and then invite all your contacts to join. In addition to inviting groups, you also have the option of posting the event details in your profile so interested people can RSVP. To increase exposure keep your events open to anyone. What type of events can you create? Webinars and chats are popular for interaction. If you have a blog, ask people to make comments.

5. Promote your newsletter or blog - FaceBook allows you to share information that is on your blog by either posting a note or by importing your external blog. You also have the option of integrating an RSS feed into your blog with special notes. When the blog is posted, the note is displayed in your profile and all your friends are notified about it. Other members can also add comments.

Facebook can also be used as a research tool. Set up a poll and within a very short space of time you can find out what a representative sample of people think. Used as a research tool Facebook can produce the same results as an expensive, traditional direct mail campaign - and it’s free.

Just having a website is no longer enough - you need to exploit your online presence for all its worth. Not got a website? All businesses need a website if they want to be taken seriously. A good website needn’t be expensive and can be the cheapest and most effective marketing method for your business. Get one here! Facebook does not replace the need for a website for your business it compliments it, and will drive more traffic your way, as does an advert on Wrexham Today, and all can help your ranking in the search engines.

So what are you waiting for? Go to www.facebook.com now! Find me on Facebook here! I’ll be more than happy to be your friend!

Find 101 ways to market your business online here.

This entry was posted on 31/01/2008 at 11:02 am and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.