Facebook is second most popular site in the world. That’s a lot of attention! With that many hits, visits and members, you need to join if you haven’t already. But whether you already have a profile page or will be setting one up (after reading this of course) we have some Facebook tips to help you get the most out of the site and your page.
Facebook Tip #1: There’s more Value than Just the Volume
There is greater value to Facebook than just the number of fans and friends you can collect. Facebook is a great way to bond with your target audience. You can find out more about your users and customers, and the more you know about who is buying and using your product, the better you can serve them. The more you know the needs of your customers, the better you can meet those needs and the better your relationship with those customers is. And a great relationship means customer loyalty and a boost in your brand image.
Facebook Tip #2: Strategize
Why did you make a page for your product or company? Did you have a goal in mind? Or did you join because everyone else was doing it? You will need a strategy for Facebook.
You should have communication goals that outline ideal results from your Facebook Friend connections.
How does Facebook fit into your marketing strategy? Is it just for exposure? Is it for customer service? To pass along information to potential clients? Who are your active supporters? What else do they like? You need to answer these questions before moving forward so you can set benchmarks and figure out what success from Facebook would look like.
Facebook Tip #3: Create a System
Once you’ve decided on your goals for Facebook, you need to set up a system. When are you using Facebook? Is your blog linked? Is your twitter feed? Do your status updates always include links? If you know the goal of your Facebook page, you can start to build a system of status updates, information, linking, joining Groups, and Discussions to make that goal a reality.
Facebook Tip #4: Be Personal and Professional
Convincing people in this day and age to befriend a brand or join and company fanclub is hard. You can make it easier by making your company’s profile page your profile page, and having your employees create their own professional pages as well. This will make your business’ presence on Facebook more personal, and enable you to make the connections and build brand awareness personally, instead of friend requests coming from an anonymous company.
You still need to be professional about your profile page and your employees’ pages. Anything you wouldn’t want a customer to know or see should not be included.
Facebook Tip #5: Be Realistic
Even with you as the face of your company, it won’t always be easy to build brand awareness and promote your company or products. People don’t always like being sold to, especially when they are thinking more along the lines of casual connections instead of shopping. You need to be realistic about your relationship with your Facebook friends and think about what value you can offer them. There are ways that you can inspire brand loyalty and recommendations if you work to be a resource and provide insider information, customer assistance and support.
Facebook is a chance to connect. It’s one of the best ways to communicate online. With these five Facebook tips you can take full advantage of Facebook.
