Facebook is a socialnetworking site that allows you to share information among a group offriends, or in the case of businesses, fans. But not only can you shareyour current status, thoughts and ideas, you can also share photos,videos, polls, upcoming events and more.
For business use,Facebook users should create a business page rather than just astandard profile. However, you cannot create the business page withoutalso having a personal profile account. If you already have a profile,you can create a business page off of that, but be aware that there maybe some cross over. If you want to keep your personal and business lifecompletely separate, you may want to create a separate profile with avariation of your name and different e-mail that is geared toward yourbusiness.
To start from scratch, go to www.facebook.comand click the line that says “Create a Page for a celebrity, band orbusiness.” Facebook will ask you if you already have an account. If youdo, you can create your business page off your existing account, asmentioned above. Or you can create a new account by following thedirections.
Once you have an account, you’ll get a page that asksyou to choose a Category (Local; Brand, Product or Organization; orArtist, Band or Public Figure). If you choose Local, you can thenchoose the type of business, such as Store. Or if you choose Brand,Product or Organization, you can further choose Products, Online Store,Retail or any other listing. The category you choose determines theinformation fields you will have on your business page. With theLocal/Store choice, you will get address, phone, hours, website andparking information fields. With the Brand, Product or Organizationcategory, you get founded, website, company overview, mission andproducts fields.
After you choose your category, enter yourbusiness name. If you are a retailer, it’s best to enter your storename as well as keywords such as “gift shop,” “florist” or “homedecor.” So if your gift shop is called Smile On, enter “Smile On GiftShop” as your company name. This will allow your Facebook page to showup better in searches for “gift shop.”
Authorize and click“Create Page.” You now are at the basic structure of your page. Fromhere you can start adding images, posts, events and all the fun itemsthat make Facebook so engaging!
Start by adding a photo foryour page. Hover over the question mark box and upload a picture thatreflects your business, such as your shop’s storefront, an interestingdisplay or a product closeup. You could also upload your logo. Ifyou’re adept at Photoshop, you can create an image that shows yourbusiness as well as your logo and place that in this spot.
Next,drop below the photo and click in the box that says “Write somethingabout...” Add some attention-grabbing copy that is fun and engagingwhile clearly stating what you are all about. Search results will showthis description when your business page appears, so make sure the copyreflects your business.
From there, click on the “EditInformation” in the Info tab. Here, and in the Detailed Info below it,you’ll enter your business information. The Basic Info will appear onthe side of your page. Once you’re ready, hit Publish to make the pagego live. Don’t worry too much; Facebook makes it easy to edit contentas you go along. Now keep building your page. Follow the directions toadd events, photos or videos in the various tabs. Start posting in thebox that says “What’s on your mind?” Post a hello to your customers.Post about new products you got in store or about upcoming events. Addpictures from past events, great display shots, or even photos of yourfavorite customers. You can also add other applications such as Polls,Promotions or Testimonials to further enhance your page.
Once youhave a business page in place, you want to start bringing in fans.Become a fan of the page yourself, then use the “Suggest to Friends”link under the picture to suggest the page to any of your Facebookfriends. If you have a website, create a link that says “Become a fanof our Facebook page.” Add your Facebook URL to your e-mail signature,blog about it (with a link, of course) and include it in yournewsletter. You could also make a sign for your register that says“We’re now on Facebook! Join us for fun and Facebook-only specials.”Keep promoting the page and your fan number will build. As fans join,others will become aware of your page as well and the exposure willspread.
One note about Facebook URLs. When you initially set up abusiness page, the URL is a long string of characters, which is notconducive at all to printing on business cards or posting on signs.However, recently Facebook has allowed users to create personalizedURLs. With business pages, however, you first need to reach 100 fansbefore you personalize your Facebook URL. So be patient, build your fanbase and set your URL as soon as you can. But be aware that once youset it, it cannot be changed. So be absolutely sure that you get itright the first time.
You can also get more exposure for yourbusiness page by using Facebook ads. Click on “Promote Your Page withan Ad” underneath your photo. With Facebook ads, you choose the title,image and copy, and then specify who your ad will target by choosinglocation, gender, keywords, etc. After that, you determine a dailybudgeted amount to spend and a bid on your cost-per-click amount. Thead will appear on the right side of Facebook user profiles. Interestedpeople can click on it and become a fan of your page.
Remember tokeep your Facebook page dynamic. Post periodically about new andinteresting products or events, respond to others, add links tointeresting articles, etc. Or use your Facebook page for feedback. Askfans what type of products they’d like to see you carry, or if youshould increase your hours. Every time you post, that post appears onthe pages of all your fans, so they are constantly reminded of yourbusiness.
Bringing It All Together
Facebook and the othersocial networking sites are great tools for small business, but theyaren’t the magic bullet that will immediately make your business tonsof money. You’ll need to spend some time making the sites work for you.Set aside a certain time of the day to work on these sites. Many peoplefind it helpful to check the sites once at the beginning of the day andonce again at the end. It also helps to have someone in your companythat is interested in this type of marketing and web usage. If they digTwitter, Facebook and the like, they are more likely to post often andnot think of it as a chore. Give as well as you get with your fans andfollowers and you’ll build your business in a viral way.