HOW TO: Tackle Facebook for Your Business

Image courtesy of http://www.watblog.com

I promised some tips for getting started with social media for your business, so we’ll start with Facebook. I’ll begin with the basics, so if you’re already a Facebook pro, feel free to skip ahead a little.

WHAT IS FACEBOOK?
Facebook is a social networking site with more than 500 million users. This is about 1 in 14 people in the world! And Facebook has surpassed Google in that it receives more page views each day. Facebook is the best social media option for business-to-customer relations.

Facebook users have profiles where they put information about themselves, and they connect with people they know as “Facebook friends.” To become Facebook friends, two people have to mutually agree they want to share information. Profiles are more private.

It’s a little different for businesses. Businesses, organizations, celebrities, etc., start Facebook Pages. These are similar to profiles, but instead of becoming “friends” with Facebook users, they have the chance to “Like” your business. When they “Like” your business’ Page, they become Facebook fans. Pages are more public.

WHAT’S YOUR POINT?
I’ve mentioned all this so I can say this: It’s important that you start a Facebook Page for your business instead of a regular profile. You don’t want to force customers to ask permission to “Like” your Page, and you want people who aren’t already Facebook Fans to be able to view the information on your Page.

Here is something Sarah Evans said at Social Media Marketing Boot Camp with Sarah Evans: Facebook is all about the “Like.” You want customers to Like your Page. You want them interact with what you post on Facebook by clicking the Like button and commenting. (The image on this blog is of a “Like” button.)

WHAT DO I PUT ON FACEBOOK?
But what to post? There are so many options!

• To start a Facebook Page, you must already have a personal Facebook profile. So create a profile at Facebook.com, and then click here to start your business’ Page.
• Post photos and videos — of your barns and sheds, of happy customers with their barns, of repos, of events you hold, of your employees and facilities, etc.
• Post status updates — greet your customers, thank your customers, tell them what’s new with your company, post satisfied customers’ comments, ask questions to get them involved, etc.
• Post “Notes” (like blog entries) — about current promotions, about the materials you use when building your barns. Detail why your barns are quality-built, add customers’ testimonials, write employee bios and company history, offer relevant storage tips, share barn-building news, etc.
• Post “Events” — when you’re having a sale or month-long promotion, when you’re opening a new lot, etc.
• Post links — to your website, to relevant articles (with your brief commentary), to videos you want to share, to your blog entries, etc.

ANY MORE TIPS?

• Don’t just get your business on Facebook just to get them there. Have a vision for what you want to accomplish with Facebook. Set goals and check them often to see if you’re meeting them or if you need to adjust them.
• Be creative. Think outside the box. Watch what other builders are using Facebook for and strive to do better! Check out how other companies use Facebook Pages, and tweak their methods to work for selling barns.
• Encourage participation by responding to all comments, even if it’s just, “Thanks for your comment!”
• Ask customers and Facebook Fans what they want — and listen.
• Consider a Facebook contest or special promotion of some kind — but not before consulting Facebook’s guidelines on the subject.
• Advertising on Facebook is inexpensive, and it’s a great way to gain Fans and promote sales. Here’s my how-to blog on Facebook advertising.

Does this guide help you get started (or continue) on Facebook? What other questions — big or small — do you have? If you don’t want to post them here, feel free to call or e-mail me.