Marketing your biz using social media

Facebook is not "new" - it has actually been around since 2004; however, many of us, me included have just started using it in the past year or two. I started using Facebook about a year ago to reconnect with a few old friends, found out that all of my current friends are using it, played some games, poked and got poked, "liked" a lot of things, went online several times a day to update my status (before I realized that my Blackberry had an "app" for that...) and a year later, I am hooked.

During that year, I started noticing that several businesses I frequent where starting "fan pages". In fact, I even set a few pages up for some of my customers. Click, type, save - you’ve got a fan page! Is that all there is to it? The answer in a nutshell is: No.

I have long been trying to tell my clients that the days of "if-you-build-it-they-will-come" on the Internet are gone. If you perform any search on Google and you notice the tens of millions of results that are returned, you should realize that your website is a pretty small needle in a pretty large haystack. A similiar philosophy can be applied to your new Facebook fan page: "if-you-build-it-and-don’t-give-them-a-reason-to-come-back.......they-won’t". Attention spans are short and social media is probably only making them even shorter.

With over 300 million active users and the second most searched database next to Google, Facebook is argueably a very powerful, cost-effective marketing medium for businesses.

Here are some strategies to help you make your Facebook fan page a success:

1. Have a clear understanding of why you want to be on Facebook. Having a Facebook fan page is not necessarily the best strategy for every business, especially as it does take time and resources to do it right. Are your customers on Facebook? If not, don’t waste your time.
2. Make your fan page a resource. Before you begin posting, think about your customers’ interests. What information do they want or need from your company? What would they be interested in? Your fan page is an opportunity for you to showcase yourself as an expert in your field. If you provide these things for your customers, they will return to your page again and again.
3. Post frequently - but do not SPAM. Your goal should be to add value, to educate, to inform, to entertain. More is not always necessarily better. You do not want to become overbearing or over promote your brand. Balance is the key here.
4. Engage your fans. Post questions or topics for discussion that are relevant to your business. The goal here is to get your fans to interact with your posts - interaction indicates interest and interest generates more interest.
5. Answer every post. When a fan posts something on your wall, be sure to thank them, answer their question or acknowledge them in some way. Just because you are hidden behind a computer, do not forget that your fans are human and if they were in your store, you would respond to their comments. (You don’t need to respond to "likes".)
6. Use Facebook as a tool to promote your website. Do you have a coupon on your website? Did you just post your most recent newsletter? Did you update your photo gallery? Let your fans know and include a link directly to the page you are promoting. While we are on this topic, it helps if you are frequently updating your website as this gives you more content to post!
7. Stay true to the medium. Facebook is not your corporate website, so your tone can be less formal and a little more fun. You do not need to use your logo as your profile picture and in fact will probably do better overall if you do not. The use of a logo on Facebook tends to remind people that you are trying to sell them something and are NOT their friend. It would be better to use your own photo, assuming you are the owner or manager. How about you wearing a hat with your logo?
8. Kill two birds.... Did you know that if you have a Twitter account, you can set up your Facebook posts to automatically post as tweets?
9. Evaluate. Just like with any other form of marketing, you need to periodically review and evaluate the effectiveness and either make adjustments or discontinue as necessary. Even "free" forms of marketing are not free if they are taking you away from time that could be spent more productively.

Here are a few more "tips & tricks"...

1. Set your username. Once you have at least 25 fans, you can set a "vanity" domain for your fan page by going to http://www.facebook.com/username/. For example, http://www.facebook.com/SalemCountyWoman/
2. Add your vanity domain to your email signature, right underneath your website address. Make it easy for people to find your page.
3. Link to your fan page from your website. I am not recommending a huge, obnoxious "fan page box" on your corporate website, but a link or small icon to help your customers find your Facebook page is good. By cross-marketing your various consumer outlets, you are providing your customers or potential customers with lots of resources to learn more about your company.
4. Use the "insights" to learn about the demographics of your fan page. There is a lot of good stuff here - gender, age range, geography and how your fans are interacting with your page.
5. Use Facebook’s Social Ads to attract even more fans. You can create an ad and set daily limits so you don’t exceed your budget.

Finally, here are a few specific ideas and examples to help you get started!

For Realtors:

1. Post upcoming dates for open houses under "events".
2. Provide a steady stream of useful information for potential home buyers/sellers, such as: Where can I obtain my credit report and what do I need to do before get pre-approved? What types of programs are available to first-time home buyers? Where can I find information about local schools? What DIY improvements can I make before I list my house to get the most bang for my buck? Is there a "best time" of year to list my home? Should I start looking for a new home before I list my current home? Come up with a list of frequently asked questions such as these and then answer them!
3. Make an announcement every time you list or sell a property.
4. Take pictures of the areas you serve and post links to local events. Show people why this area is such a great place to live!

For Restaurants:

1. Post your daily specials.
2. Post photos and feedback from satisfied patrons.
3. Offer an incentive: "Mention that you are one of our fans to get a 10% discount today!"

For Service Providers:

1. If you are in the "heating & air conditioning" business, for example, offer preventative mainentance tips to your fans. This show of good will goes a long way and people will remember you when they do need a technician.
2. Give advice. If you are an accountant, provide advice on everything from setting up Quickbooks to the importance of saving those receipts!

Good luck and Happy Facebooking!