10 Ways for a Business to Get More Out of Facebook

Facebook is the fourth most-popular site on the web. What is Facebook? To understand what facebook is, you need to understand social networking. Wikipedia defines social networking as

online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging.

Facebook therefore is simply the most popular social networking website/platform. Users all over the world connect and share information, photos, etc on facebook, and it is an abundant resource for businesses. Before you start tapping into the Facebook resources however, you should be aware of certain things:

• Facebook Demographics
  According to iStrategyLabs, over half of Facebook’s users were in the age range of 18-24 this year. Only roughly 8% of the users are above 35. Therefore, if your target demographic is middle aged folks, you probably should look for another resource targetting your demographic a bit better.
• Business Features
  Although Facebook does have business features, most of them require people to be seeking the type of business you are in, and in your area. Therefore you should be doing more Pull marketing than Push marketing. (Bringing users to you for information instead of pushing information at them).
• Advertisments
  Facebook does offer CPC (Cost per Click), and CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions), however Facebook is a pricey advertising platform, with a minumum $5 bid for both CPC and CPM

Now that you know pitfalls to avoid, here are 10 ways for a business to get more out of Facebook:

1. Ensure your profile is fully filled out to gain trust.
2. Create a business account if you don’t already have one.
3. Create a new group or page to market a product or service.
4. Offer promotions or discounts to bring in visitors/get customers.
5. Obtain a Facebook Vanity URL for SEO Purposes and so people can remember the URL.
6. Create links to your Facebook page from your regular website.
7. Join network, industry and alumni groups related to your business.
8. Combine Facebook with other social media tools like Twitter. For example, when someone asks question on Twitter, you can respond in detail in a blog post and link to it from Facebook.
9. Post business updates on your wall. Focus on business activities, such as “Working with ABC Company on web site redesign.”
10. Add your Facebok URL to your email signature and any marketing collateral (business cards, etc.) so prospects can learn more about you.

There you are, 10 short ways to get more our of Facebook. Stay tuned for more helpful posts!