Social network marketing is one of the latest approaches to getting your business out there on the Internet. Having a close connection to a great deal of Internet users will allow you to promote your business for free. Most of the popular platforms do not require a fee to sign up. You can also choose to place a paid advertisement on these sites, which will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. The following is more information on social network marketing and the best sites for doing this kind of promotion.
There are many different platforms available for social media marketing. Most people would say that Facebook and Twitter are currently the most popular of them all. MySpace probably follows closely behind, though it still seems geared more for teenagers. For videos, Google's own YouTube is definitely the place to be. LinkedIn provides you with a more formal system in which you can network with others in your career field. You also have social bookmarking in this realm, with Digg, Delicious, and Reddit being among the top sites for this form of promotion.
The purpose of social network marketing is to connect with as many consumers as possible. This can be done by advertising your products and services on sites that many people already frequent. Facebook, for example, offers many a place to reconnect from people they have known since childhood. There are also games and other applications that keep users coming back to the site every single day. With this much traffic, having your advertisement in the sidebar of the screen can be a very good social network marketing idea.
Also, social media marketing can help you form a bond with your customers - as well as lead them to helping you advertise your business. Facebook's "Like" and comment features let your friends share your statuses with others on the platform. Twitter offers a ways to do this as well, since anyone can retweet a message to their own followers.
Gaining as many friends on these sites as possible is what this form of marketing is all about. The more people you have as your friend, the more people you have to spread the word about your company.
YouTube and other video sites offer a unique approach to social marketing. Many people only surf the web to watch videos. Reading articles and other pages of content may be too much for them, so they choose to check out the latest videos that have been submitted on the web. This is why making videos is so helpful nowadays.
Social network marketing is all about getting your name in front of as many people as possible, and videos are the latest craze. You don't even have to make a video related to your business. Having a funny clip with your website URL at the end will get you many hits in just a few minutes of uploading the video to YouTube.
About the author: Kanute Fleming is the owner of Start-Online-Business-Guide.com, which is aimed at helping people build a profitable online business. Learn more about social media marketing and how to start and run a successful online business.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
How to Use Social Media for Business - A Beginners Overview
Social media- it's a popular buzz word these days, but what does it mean, and more importantly- how can you increase your sales using it?
WHAT is it? Social media is a term used to describe online media websites like You Tube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare and thousands of other websites. They are called social media sites because anyone can contribute, comment and share the content placed on these sites.
HOW does it work? Social media is a way of connecting with people that is extremely popular and may even be more popular than traditional ways of connecting, like on the phone or face to face.
WHY should I care? The easiest way to describe social media is that it's like attending a networking event. If you don't go, the attendees won't likely know about you never mind get to like you or trust you, which are the 3 precursors to a sale.
HOW do I use it to generate sales? By getting prospects to Know, Like and Trust you, when they are ready to buy they will choose you instead of your competitors.
WILL it guarantee me sales? No. The bottom line is that in order to have a chance of getting an online sale, you need to have a presence online.
The biggest thing I have learned, which lead me to my networking analogy is that you need to communicate differently with your audience than you would through traditional media like the radio or print ads. What is different is that a hard or obvious sell simply doesn't work. It works the opposite way that you want it to. Imagine attending a networking event where someone is handing out brochures or has set up a tradeshow booth- what a turn off!!
Social media is about being present in front of people that are prospective customers or alliances in an authentic way that encourages interaction.
It's certainly a different way of doing things which is very user centered- with each interaction you MUST keep in mind- what's in it for my prospects?
In my experience there are 3 ways to have people engage with you. Make them laugh, Shock them or give them valuable information. Deliver value in a memorable way and you bet people will remember you when they're ready to buy.
So, how do you get started? The best way is to simply start. Create accounts and add the people you already know, your competitors and companies in related industries and then sit back and watch what is popular and what do people like?
The biggest 3 reasons that I find people don't get started are: knowledge, time and money.
As for knowledge, stay tuned and I will educate you on everything you need to know to have a successful social media campaign.
For time, it's a matter of scheduling it as a MUST DO on your list. I started by committing to 15 minutes a day during lunch, and after the first few weeks it's easy.
As for money, well, it's free to do it yourself and the knowledge is free. So unless you're looking to outsource your social media campaigns you don't need money - how great is that?!
Learn how to grow your business online: Internet Marketing Calgary
Learn how to get a website that works Calgary Web Design
WHAT is it? Social media is a term used to describe online media websites like You Tube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare and thousands of other websites. They are called social media sites because anyone can contribute, comment and share the content placed on these sites.
HOW does it work? Social media is a way of connecting with people that is extremely popular and may even be more popular than traditional ways of connecting, like on the phone or face to face.
WHY should I care? The easiest way to describe social media is that it's like attending a networking event. If you don't go, the attendees won't likely know about you never mind get to like you or trust you, which are the 3 precursors to a sale.
HOW do I use it to generate sales? By getting prospects to Know, Like and Trust you, when they are ready to buy they will choose you instead of your competitors.
WILL it guarantee me sales? No. The bottom line is that in order to have a chance of getting an online sale, you need to have a presence online.
The biggest thing I have learned, which lead me to my networking analogy is that you need to communicate differently with your audience than you would through traditional media like the radio or print ads. What is different is that a hard or obvious sell simply doesn't work. It works the opposite way that you want it to. Imagine attending a networking event where someone is handing out brochures or has set up a tradeshow booth- what a turn off!!
Social media is about being present in front of people that are prospective customers or alliances in an authentic way that encourages interaction.
It's certainly a different way of doing things which is very user centered- with each interaction you MUST keep in mind- what's in it for my prospects?
In my experience there are 3 ways to have people engage with you. Make them laugh, Shock them or give them valuable information. Deliver value in a memorable way and you bet people will remember you when they're ready to buy.
So, how do you get started? The best way is to simply start. Create accounts and add the people you already know, your competitors and companies in related industries and then sit back and watch what is popular and what do people like?
The biggest 3 reasons that I find people don't get started are: knowledge, time and money.
As for knowledge, stay tuned and I will educate you on everything you need to know to have a successful social media campaign.
For time, it's a matter of scheduling it as a MUST DO on your list. I started by committing to 15 minutes a day during lunch, and after the first few weeks it's easy.
As for money, well, it's free to do it yourself and the knowledge is free. So unless you're looking to outsource your social media campaigns you don't need money - how great is that?!
Learn how to grow your business online: Internet Marketing Calgary
Learn how to get a website that works Calgary Web Design
Create a Facebook Fan Page
bbbhave a Facebook Fan Page for your business? You may be missing out on one of the greatest marketing strategies if you don't. Today I want to share with you one way you can use Facebook for business: by creating an Official Facebook Page, also known as a Fan Page.
If you still aren't sure Facebook is right for your company, first I'm going to provide some statistics that may have you taking a second look, then I'll discuss why and how to set up a Facebook Page. Does Facebook really matter? Yes! Definitely yes! Here are some noteworthy facts about Facebook that clearly indicate its importance and potential impact on your company:
Half of Facebook's 400+ million users spend approximately 55 minutes on the site each and every day.
The average user has 130 friends and is connected to 60 pages, groups, and events-this means massive viral exposure for your content is possible.
People are sharing more than 25 billion items of interest (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) each month.
Women over 55 years old are the quickest growing group of users and the average person on Facebook is 35.
Hopefully you can see from those facts and demographics, your company belongs on Facebook and setting up a Facebook Fan Page for your business is an incredibly wise marketing tactic.
The Importance of Establishing a Facebook Page. The biggest distinction between a personal profile, group, and page is that the only one viewable to the public and indexed by search engines is a page. This provides you, your business, and your page with SEO value-you will rank higher in Google when people search for your product or service. And because it's public, individuals don't have to have a Facebook account to view your page-there's no barrier to entry.
Even though you can only have one personal profile (with a limit of 5,000 friends), Facebook will let you set up several pages with an unlimited number of fans. You're also able to message all of your fans at once with a Fan Page, but can message only a few people at once on your personal profile. What's even better is that you can focus in on a targeted niche when you send a message. For example, you could message only females of a certain age in Dallas, Texas.
The viral potential of Facebook is also important to keep in mind. This means that posts on your Official Page's wall show up in the News Feed which reaches a broader audience on all of your fans' personal profile pages (remember the average Facebooker has 130 friends-that's an additional 130 people on average that view your post X the number of fans for your page).
Another common feature of Facebook is Groups, but bear in mind, Groups aren't public content and therefore, aren't indexed by the search engines.If you want to set up a Group, I recommend you first create an Official Page for your business, and then set up a Group as a subpart of your Page.
How to Create an Official Facebook Page. It's easy to set up a Page for your business on Facebook. Just go to the Facebook homepage and click on "Create a Page." Next, you'll either sign into your Facebook account or create a new one.
When creating your Official Page, keep in mind these success tips:
Work on it and create it before you publish it.
Rather than inviting all of your friends to "like" your page, only suggest it to those in your target market.
Build your page and content with SEO in mind - make your page keyword rich.
Interact and engage; start discussions, ask questions, get to know your fans.
Give fans something special-an incentive to become a fan. Maybe this is a coupon code, special discount, free gift, etc.
Connect your Page with your other social media accounts like your blog, Twitter, and YouTube (consider using an application like Involver).
Always be sharing interesting, relevant content, even if it's not your own.
Don't forget to build your list! Add an opt-in box for a free gift directly to your Facebook Page with an application like Static FBML, which lets you add custom HTML to any of your pages.
Creating an Official Facebook Page is just one way to utilize Facebook for your business. Want more ideas and training on how to monetize Facebook? In a free 76-minute webinar on Facebook Monetization you'll discover 8 specific action steps and marketing strategies you can implement immediately to begin monetizing Facebook in as little as 15-20 minutes a day. This was a MAXED-OUT webinar and now it is part of a training archive in a paid membership site, but Ashley Acker, Ph.D. is giving you instant access for free! Click here to access the webinar and create your Facebook Monetization Blueprint.
If you still aren't sure Facebook is right for your company, first I'm going to provide some statistics that may have you taking a second look, then I'll discuss why and how to set up a Facebook Page. Does Facebook really matter? Yes! Definitely yes! Here are some noteworthy facts about Facebook that clearly indicate its importance and potential impact on your company:
Half of Facebook's 400+ million users spend approximately 55 minutes on the site each and every day.
The average user has 130 friends and is connected to 60 pages, groups, and events-this means massive viral exposure for your content is possible.
People are sharing more than 25 billion items of interest (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) each month.
Women over 55 years old are the quickest growing group of users and the average person on Facebook is 35.
Hopefully you can see from those facts and demographics, your company belongs on Facebook and setting up a Facebook Fan Page for your business is an incredibly wise marketing tactic.
The Importance of Establishing a Facebook Page. The biggest distinction between a personal profile, group, and page is that the only one viewable to the public and indexed by search engines is a page. This provides you, your business, and your page with SEO value-you will rank higher in Google when people search for your product or service. And because it's public, individuals don't have to have a Facebook account to view your page-there's no barrier to entry.
Even though you can only have one personal profile (with a limit of 5,000 friends), Facebook will let you set up several pages with an unlimited number of fans. You're also able to message all of your fans at once with a Fan Page, but can message only a few people at once on your personal profile. What's even better is that you can focus in on a targeted niche when you send a message. For example, you could message only females of a certain age in Dallas, Texas.
The viral potential of Facebook is also important to keep in mind. This means that posts on your Official Page's wall show up in the News Feed which reaches a broader audience on all of your fans' personal profile pages (remember the average Facebooker has 130 friends-that's an additional 130 people on average that view your post X the number of fans for your page).
Another common feature of Facebook is Groups, but bear in mind, Groups aren't public content and therefore, aren't indexed by the search engines.If you want to set up a Group, I recommend you first create an Official Page for your business, and then set up a Group as a subpart of your Page.
How to Create an Official Facebook Page. It's easy to set up a Page for your business on Facebook. Just go to the Facebook homepage and click on "Create a Page." Next, you'll either sign into your Facebook account or create a new one.
When creating your Official Page, keep in mind these success tips:
Work on it and create it before you publish it.
Rather than inviting all of your friends to "like" your page, only suggest it to those in your target market.
Build your page and content with SEO in mind - make your page keyword rich.
Interact and engage; start discussions, ask questions, get to know your fans.
Give fans something special-an incentive to become a fan. Maybe this is a coupon code, special discount, free gift, etc.
Connect your Page with your other social media accounts like your blog, Twitter, and YouTube (consider using an application like Involver).
Always be sharing interesting, relevant content, even if it's not your own.
Don't forget to build your list! Add an opt-in box for a free gift directly to your Facebook Page with an application like Static FBML, which lets you add custom HTML to any of your pages.
Creating an Official Facebook Page is just one way to utilize Facebook for your business. Want more ideas and training on how to monetize Facebook? In a free 76-minute webinar on Facebook Monetization you'll discover 8 specific action steps and marketing strategies you can implement immediately to begin monetizing Facebook in as little as 15-20 minutes a day. This was a MAXED-OUT webinar and now it is part of a training archive in a paid membership site, but Ashley Acker, Ph.D. is giving you instant access for free! Click here to access the webinar and create your Facebook Monetization Blueprint.
5 Ideas For Making Money With Facebook
How to make money with Facebook? Is it really possible to make money with Facebook? It seems like making money with Facebook is on everybody's mind these days. If you are one of those people who want to know how to make money with Facebook, here are some ideas to help you get started in making money on Facebook.
These methods don't require you to buy anything or pay someone to tell you the "secrets". As a matter of fact you can start making money with your Facebook right now without having to spend any money at all. These are no "secrets" for making money on Facebook. Simply some very basic methods that people use to make money elsewhere, but with a little work and patience you can apply the same methods to make money on Facebook.
Of course, like any other method to make money, you need a market for it. In this case the market would be Facebook friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the more chance you have of making (more) money. What if you don't have much Facebook friends? Fortunately it's very easy to create a massive market (friends for Facebook) simply by searching and inviting others to be your friend. But, if you want to take it to the next level and automate the finding and adding friends process, there are some software that can do just that.
Ok, lets get to the point and see how you can make money on Facebook. Here are some proven ways you can use to make money on Facebook.
Showing ads on Facebook
With all the Facebook applications that make it easy and a snap to start showing ads on your Facebook, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of this method, specially if you are popular amongst your Facebook friends, and have a big audience to show your ads to. Using AdSense, chitika and other PPC advertising companies you can easily setup your ads and customize it to your liking. Make sure to set it somehow that it serves ads related to product and services that you know your Facebook audience is interested in.
Writing a Facebook book (How To...)
Facebook is attracting more and more members everyday. And lets face it, not all of these people are Facebook savvy. And even though getting started with Facebook for you and I might be simple and quick, many people have problem with the basic things. Write a small and to the point e-book about Facebook and how to use it. Maybe a simple step by step instruction for getting started with Facebook. Or an e-book about how to use different application to make Facebook experience a better one. There are many possibilities. With the huge amount of Facebook apps and all the new ones that are added daily, this can be quite big. You don't even have to pay to promote your e-book, simply use your own Facebook or better yet create one for your e-book and start promoting it.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook
It's the same idea as showing ads, but in a more direct way. Register for free with affiliate networking sites such as ClickBank, Maxbounty and etc, and pick a product relevant to your Facebook audience interest to promote. You will be provided a simple code which is a link with your affiliate id embedded in it. Whenever someone clicks on that link and buys the product or service, you make money by getting a commission.
You can create an entirely new Facebook for that product and start promoting it there. A friend of mine is actually doing it for 4/5 different weight loss product. He created a Facebook page for each product and started adding friends to his Facebook. He writes short posts about the product and posts it on his Facebook with his affiliate link in it. Hi is making a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this. I know it's not much, but for something that doesn't cost you a dime and takes about 30 minuets to setup, and takes about 20 minutes or so a day to run, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Blogging about Facebook
There are already some people doing it. But there is always room for new voices. Get a free blog over at blogger and use Google AdSense (which is already integrated in blogger, so even if you don't know how to show ads on your blog, you can set it up with couple clicks) to show ads on your blog and make money that way.
When you established yourself as an authority and a trusted person for anything related to Facebook, you can get some sponsor and maybe use affiliate networking sites to find and promote Facebook related product.
Create and sell a Facebook application
If you are savvy enough and know your way around, why not use your skills to make a Facebook app of your own and sell it to Facebook users? Again, once you made it, you can use the same strategies mentioned above (blog or a Facebook page for the app) to promote your app.
There you have it, 5 ideas you can use to make money not only on Facebook, but you can also apply the same ideas to MySpace, Twitter and other social networking platforms to make money.
Satrap is the founder and author of controversial blog, blogstash.com. A blog full of great how-tos and information about making money online. Visit blogstash today to get your share of this valuable information and learn how to make money online.
These methods don't require you to buy anything or pay someone to tell you the "secrets". As a matter of fact you can start making money with your Facebook right now without having to spend any money at all. These are no "secrets" for making money on Facebook. Simply some very basic methods that people use to make money elsewhere, but with a little work and patience you can apply the same methods to make money on Facebook.
Of course, like any other method to make money, you need a market for it. In this case the market would be Facebook friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the more chance you have of making (more) money. What if you don't have much Facebook friends? Fortunately it's very easy to create a massive market (friends for Facebook) simply by searching and inviting others to be your friend. But, if you want to take it to the next level and automate the finding and adding friends process, there are some software that can do just that.
Ok, lets get to the point and see how you can make money on Facebook. Here are some proven ways you can use to make money on Facebook.
Showing ads on Facebook
With all the Facebook applications that make it easy and a snap to start showing ads on your Facebook, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of this method, specially if you are popular amongst your Facebook friends, and have a big audience to show your ads to. Using AdSense, chitika and other PPC advertising companies you can easily setup your ads and customize it to your liking. Make sure to set it somehow that it serves ads related to product and services that you know your Facebook audience is interested in.
Writing a Facebook book (How To...)
Facebook is attracting more and more members everyday. And lets face it, not all of these people are Facebook savvy. And even though getting started with Facebook for you and I might be simple and quick, many people have problem with the basic things. Write a small and to the point e-book about Facebook and how to use it. Maybe a simple step by step instruction for getting started with Facebook. Or an e-book about how to use different application to make Facebook experience a better one. There are many possibilities. With the huge amount of Facebook apps and all the new ones that are added daily, this can be quite big. You don't even have to pay to promote your e-book, simply use your own Facebook or better yet create one for your e-book and start promoting it.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook
It's the same idea as showing ads, but in a more direct way. Register for free with affiliate networking sites such as ClickBank, Maxbounty and etc, and pick a product relevant to your Facebook audience interest to promote. You will be provided a simple code which is a link with your affiliate id embedded in it. Whenever someone clicks on that link and buys the product or service, you make money by getting a commission.
You can create an entirely new Facebook for that product and start promoting it there. A friend of mine is actually doing it for 4/5 different weight loss product. He created a Facebook page for each product and started adding friends to his Facebook. He writes short posts about the product and posts it on his Facebook with his affiliate link in it. Hi is making a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this. I know it's not much, but for something that doesn't cost you a dime and takes about 30 minuets to setup, and takes about 20 minutes or so a day to run, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Blogging about Facebook
There are already some people doing it. But there is always room for new voices. Get a free blog over at blogger and use Google AdSense (which is already integrated in blogger, so even if you don't know how to show ads on your blog, you can set it up with couple clicks) to show ads on your blog and make money that way.
When you established yourself as an authority and a trusted person for anything related to Facebook, you can get some sponsor and maybe use affiliate networking sites to find and promote Facebook related product.
Create and sell a Facebook application
If you are savvy enough and know your way around, why not use your skills to make a Facebook app of your own and sell it to Facebook users? Again, once you made it, you can use the same strategies mentioned above (blog or a Facebook page for the app) to promote your app.
There you have it, 5 ideas you can use to make money not only on Facebook, but you can also apply the same ideas to MySpace, Twitter and other social networking platforms to make money.
Satrap is the founder and author of controversial blog, blogstash.com. A blog full of great how-tos and information about making money online. Visit blogstash today to get your share of this valuable information and learn how to make money online.
5 Ideas For Making Money With Facebook
How to make money with Facebook? Is it really possible to make money with Facebook? It seems like making money with Facebook is on everybody's mind these days. If you are one of those people who want to know how to make money with Facebook, here are some ideas to help you get started in making money on Facebook.
These methods don't require you to buy anything or pay someone to tell you the "secrets". As a matter of fact you can start making money with your Facebook right now without having to spend any money at all. These are no "secrets" for making money on Facebook. Simply some very basic methods that people use to make money elsewhere, but with a little work and patience you can apply the same methods to make money on Facebook.
Of course, like any other method to make money, you need a market for it. In this case the market would be Facebook friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the more chance you have of making (more) money. What if you don't have much Facebook friends? Fortunately it's very easy to create a massive market (friends for Facebook) simply by searching and inviting others to be your friend. But, if you want to take it to the next level and automate the finding and adding friends process, there are some software that can do just that.
Ok, lets get to the point and see how you can make money on Facebook. Here are some proven ways you can use to make money on Facebook.
Showing ads on Facebook
With all the Facebook applications that make it easy and a snap to start showing ads on your Facebook, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of this method, specially if you are popular amongst your Facebook friends, and have a big audience to show your ads to. Using AdSense, chitika and other PPC advertising companies you can easily setup your ads and customize it to your liking. Make sure to set it somehow that it serves ads related to product and services that you know your Facebook audience is interested in.
Writing a Facebook book (How To...)
Facebook is attracting more and more members everyday. And lets face it, not all of these people are Facebook savvy. And even though getting started with Facebook for you and I might be simple and quick, many people have problem with the basic things. Write a small and to the point e-book about Facebook and how to use it. Maybe a simple step by step instruction for getting started with Facebook. Or an e-book about how to use different application to make Facebook experience a better one. There are many possibilities. With the huge amount of Facebook apps and all the new ones that are added daily, this can be quite big. You don't even have to pay to promote your e-book, simply use your own Facebook or better yet create one for your e-book and start promoting it.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook
It's the same idea as showing ads, but in a more direct way. Register for free with affiliate networking sites such as ClickBank, Maxbounty and etc, and pick a product relevant to your Facebook audience interest to promote. You will be provided a simple code which is a link with your affiliate id embedded in it. Whenever someone clicks on that link and buys the product or service, you make money by getting a commission.
You can create an entirely new Facebook for that product and start promoting it there. A friend of mine is actually doing it for 4/5 different weight loss product. He created a Facebook page for each product and started adding friends to his Facebook. He writes short posts about the product and posts it on his Facebook with his affiliate link in it. Hi is making a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this. I know it's not much, but for something that doesn't cost you a dime and takes about 30 minuets to setup, and takes about 20 minutes or so a day to run, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Blogging about Facebook
There are already some people doing it. But there is always room for new voices. Get a free blog over at blogger and use Google AdSense (which is already integrated in blogger, so even if you don't know how to show ads on your blog, you can set it up with couple clicks) to show ads on your blog and make money that way.
When you established yourself as an authority and a trusted person for anything related to Facebook, you can get some sponsor and maybe use affiliate networking sites to find and promote Facebook related product.
Create and sell a Facebook application
If you are savvy enough and know your way around, why not use your skills to make a Facebook app of your own and sell it to Facebook users? Again, once you made it, you can use the same strategies mentioned above (blog or a Facebook page for the app) to promote your app.
There you have it, 5 ideas you can use to make money not only on Facebook, but you can also apply the same ideas to MySpace, Twitter and other social networking platforms to make money.
Satrap is the founder and author of controversial blog, blogstash.com. A blog full of great how-tos and information about making money online. Visit blogstash today to get your share of this valuable information and learn how to make money online.
These methods don't require you to buy anything or pay someone to tell you the "secrets". As a matter of fact you can start making money with your Facebook right now without having to spend any money at all. These are no "secrets" for making money on Facebook. Simply some very basic methods that people use to make money elsewhere, but with a little work and patience you can apply the same methods to make money on Facebook.
Of course, like any other method to make money, you need a market for it. In this case the market would be Facebook friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the more chance you have of making (more) money. What if you don't have much Facebook friends? Fortunately it's very easy to create a massive market (friends for Facebook) simply by searching and inviting others to be your friend. But, if you want to take it to the next level and automate the finding and adding friends process, there are some software that can do just that.
Ok, lets get to the point and see how you can make money on Facebook. Here are some proven ways you can use to make money on Facebook.
Showing ads on Facebook
With all the Facebook applications that make it easy and a snap to start showing ads on your Facebook, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of this method, specially if you are popular amongst your Facebook friends, and have a big audience to show your ads to. Using AdSense, chitika and other PPC advertising companies you can easily setup your ads and customize it to your liking. Make sure to set it somehow that it serves ads related to product and services that you know your Facebook audience is interested in.
Writing a Facebook book (How To...)
Facebook is attracting more and more members everyday. And lets face it, not all of these people are Facebook savvy. And even though getting started with Facebook for you and I might be simple and quick, many people have problem with the basic things. Write a small and to the point e-book about Facebook and how to use it. Maybe a simple step by step instruction for getting started with Facebook. Or an e-book about how to use different application to make Facebook experience a better one. There are many possibilities. With the huge amount of Facebook apps and all the new ones that are added daily, this can be quite big. You don't even have to pay to promote your e-book, simply use your own Facebook or better yet create one for your e-book and start promoting it.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook
It's the same idea as showing ads, but in a more direct way. Register for free with affiliate networking sites such as ClickBank, Maxbounty and etc, and pick a product relevant to your Facebook audience interest to promote. You will be provided a simple code which is a link with your affiliate id embedded in it. Whenever someone clicks on that link and buys the product or service, you make money by getting a commission.
You can create an entirely new Facebook for that product and start promoting it there. A friend of mine is actually doing it for 4/5 different weight loss product. He created a Facebook page for each product and started adding friends to his Facebook. He writes short posts about the product and posts it on his Facebook with his affiliate link in it. Hi is making a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this. I know it's not much, but for something that doesn't cost you a dime and takes about 30 minuets to setup, and takes about 20 minutes or so a day to run, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Blogging about Facebook
There are already some people doing it. But there is always room for new voices. Get a free blog over at blogger and use Google AdSense (which is already integrated in blogger, so even if you don't know how to show ads on your blog, you can set it up with couple clicks) to show ads on your blog and make money that way.
When you established yourself as an authority and a trusted person for anything related to Facebook, you can get some sponsor and maybe use affiliate networking sites to find and promote Facebook related product.
Create and sell a Facebook application
If you are savvy enough and know your way around, why not use your skills to make a Facebook app of your own and sell it to Facebook users? Again, once you made it, you can use the same strategies mentioned above (blog or a Facebook page for the app) to promote your app.
There you have it, 5 ideas you can use to make money not only on Facebook, but you can also apply the same ideas to MySpace, Twitter and other social networking platforms to make money.
Satrap is the founder and author of controversial blog, blogstash.com. A blog full of great how-tos and information about making money online. Visit blogstash today to get your share of this valuable information and learn how to make money online.
5 Ideas For Making Money With Facebook
How to make money with Facebook? Is it really possible to make money with Facebook? It seems like making money with Facebook is on everybody's mind these days. If you are one of those people who want to know how to make money with Facebook, here are some ideas to help you get started in making money on Facebook.
These methods don't require you to buy anything or pay someone to tell you the "secrets". As a matter of fact you can start making money with your Facebook right now without having to spend any money at all. These are no "secrets" for making money on Facebook. Simply some very basic methods that people use to make money elsewhere, but with a little work and patience you can apply the same methods to make money on Facebook.
Of course, like any other method to make money, you need a market for it. In this case the market would be Facebook friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the more chance you have of making (more) money. What if you don't have much Facebook friends? Fortunately it's very easy to create a massive market (friends for Facebook) simply by searching and inviting others to be your friend. But, if you want to take it to the next level and automate the finding and adding friends process, there are some software that can do just that.
Ok, lets get to the point and see how you can make money on Facebook. Here are some proven ways you can use to make money on Facebook.
Showing ads on Facebook
With all the Facebook applications that make it easy and a snap to start showing ads on your Facebook, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of this method, specially if you are popular amongst your Facebook friends, and have a big audience to show your ads to. Using AdSense, chitika and other PPC advertising companies you can easily setup your ads and customize it to your liking. Make sure to set it somehow that it serves ads related to product and services that you know your Facebook audience is interested in.
Writing a Facebook book (How To...)
Facebook is attracting more and more members everyday. And lets face it, not all of these people are Facebook savvy. And even though getting started with Facebook for you and I might be simple and quick, many people have problem with the basic things. Write a small and to the point e-book about Facebook and how to use it. Maybe a simple step by step instruction for getting started with Facebook. Or an e-book about how to use different application to make Facebook experience a better one. There are many possibilities. With the huge amount of Facebook apps and all the new ones that are added daily, this can be quite big. You don't even have to pay to promote your e-book, simply use your own Facebook or better yet create one for your e-book and start promoting it.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook
It's the same idea as showing ads, but in a more direct way. Register for free with affiliate networking sites such as ClickBank, Maxbounty and etc, and pick a product relevant to your Facebook audience interest to promote. You will be provided a simple code which is a link with your affiliate id embedded in it. Whenever someone clicks on that link and buys the product or service, you make money by getting a commission.
You can create an entirely new Facebook for that product and start promoting it there. A friend of mine is actually doing it for 4/5 different weight loss product. He created a Facebook page for each product and started adding friends to his Facebook. He writes short posts about the product and posts it on his Facebook with his affiliate link in it. Hi is making a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this. I know it's not much, but for something that doesn't cost you a dime and takes about 30 minuets to setup, and takes about 20 minutes or so a day to run, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Blogging about Facebook
There are already some people doing it. But there is always room for new voices. Get a free blog over at blogger and use Google AdSense (which is already integrated in blogger, so even if you don't know how to show ads on your blog, you can set it up with couple clicks) to show ads on your blog and make money that way.
When you established yourself as an authority and a trusted person for anything related to Facebook, you can get some sponsor and maybe use affiliate networking sites to find and promote Facebook related product.
Create and sell a Facebook application
If you are savvy enough and know your way around, why not use your skills to make a Facebook app of your own and sell it to Facebook users? Again, once you made it, you can use the same strategies mentioned above (blog or a Facebook page for the app) to promote your app.
There you have it, 5 ideas you can use to make money not only on Facebook, but you can also apply the same ideas to MySpace, Twitter and other social networking platforms to make money.
Satrap is the founder and author of controversial blog, blogstash.com. A blog full of great how-tos and information about making money online. Visit blogstash today to get your share of this valuable information and learn how to make money online.
These methods don't require you to buy anything or pay someone to tell you the "secrets". As a matter of fact you can start making money with your Facebook right now without having to spend any money at all. These are no "secrets" for making money on Facebook. Simply some very basic methods that people use to make money elsewhere, but with a little work and patience you can apply the same methods to make money on Facebook.
Of course, like any other method to make money, you need a market for it. In this case the market would be Facebook friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the more chance you have of making (more) money. What if you don't have much Facebook friends? Fortunately it's very easy to create a massive market (friends for Facebook) simply by searching and inviting others to be your friend. But, if you want to take it to the next level and automate the finding and adding friends process, there are some software that can do just that.
Ok, lets get to the point and see how you can make money on Facebook. Here are some proven ways you can use to make money on Facebook.
Showing ads on Facebook
With all the Facebook applications that make it easy and a snap to start showing ads on your Facebook, there is no excuse for not taking advantage of this method, specially if you are popular amongst your Facebook friends, and have a big audience to show your ads to. Using AdSense, chitika and other PPC advertising companies you can easily setup your ads and customize it to your liking. Make sure to set it somehow that it serves ads related to product and services that you know your Facebook audience is interested in.
Writing a Facebook book (How To...)
Facebook is attracting more and more members everyday. And lets face it, not all of these people are Facebook savvy. And even though getting started with Facebook for you and I might be simple and quick, many people have problem with the basic things. Write a small and to the point e-book about Facebook and how to use it. Maybe a simple step by step instruction for getting started with Facebook. Or an e-book about how to use different application to make Facebook experience a better one. There are many possibilities. With the huge amount of Facebook apps and all the new ones that are added daily, this can be quite big. You don't even have to pay to promote your e-book, simply use your own Facebook or better yet create one for your e-book and start promoting it.
Affiliate marketing on Facebook
It's the same idea as showing ads, but in a more direct way. Register for free with affiliate networking sites such as ClickBank, Maxbounty and etc, and pick a product relevant to your Facebook audience interest to promote. You will be provided a simple code which is a link with your affiliate id embedded in it. Whenever someone clicks on that link and buys the product or service, you make money by getting a commission.
You can create an entirely new Facebook for that product and start promoting it there. A friend of mine is actually doing it for 4/5 different weight loss product. He created a Facebook page for each product and started adding friends to his Facebook. He writes short posts about the product and posts it on his Facebook with his affiliate link in it. Hi is making a couple of hundred dollars a month doing this. I know it's not much, but for something that doesn't cost you a dime and takes about 30 minuets to setup, and takes about 20 minutes or so a day to run, I don't think it's a bad deal.
Blogging about Facebook
There are already some people doing it. But there is always room for new voices. Get a free blog over at blogger and use Google AdSense (which is already integrated in blogger, so even if you don't know how to show ads on your blog, you can set it up with couple clicks) to show ads on your blog and make money that way.
When you established yourself as an authority and a trusted person for anything related to Facebook, you can get some sponsor and maybe use affiliate networking sites to find and promote Facebook related product.
Create and sell a Facebook application
If you are savvy enough and know your way around, why not use your skills to make a Facebook app of your own and sell it to Facebook users? Again, once you made it, you can use the same strategies mentioned above (blog or a Facebook page for the app) to promote your app.
There you have it, 5 ideas you can use to make money not only on Facebook, but you can also apply the same ideas to MySpace, Twitter and other social networking platforms to make money.
Satrap is the founder and author of controversial blog, blogstash.com. A blog full of great how-tos and information about making money online. Visit blogstash today to get your share of this valuable information and learn how to make money online.
How to Use Facebook For Business
ookThere are a growing number of social media sites being used by businesses in their company marketing efforts. The secret to using social media effectively is not to be everywhere, but instead to have an online presence where your current and prospective customers are online. Contrary to what many believe- Facebook is not just for college students or for personal use. Facebook is increasingly being used by companies in many creative ways such as to build their brand image, to drive traffic to their website and blogs, to announce or get feedback on new products, manage their online reputation, attract employees, communicate company information, and as a means to intercept potential prospects. For many companies, this increased company communication is leading to enhanced relationships with current and prospective customers. In this article, I will outline how a planned internet marketing approach can lead to positive results for your business. I will begin the article by addressing a few common misperceptions about Facebook that I hear most frequently from my clients. Next, I will detail how to use and set up the various sections of a Facebook account. I will conclude with several recommended applications that will add functionality to your company Facebook page.
Common misperception #1: Facebook is only for personal use
Each time I give presentations on using social networking sites for business there is the perception in the audience that Facebook is only useful for communicating with friends and family. Facebook started as a closed community for college students, and has not been as effective as Linkedin at highlighting the business page and advertising features. However, Facebook continues to grow in use by companies looking to reach the more than 200 million active users, and has very powerful and targeted demographic tools that help companies to hone in on their target market.
Common misperception #2: Facebook is only for college students
According to the Facebook Press Room page, there are more than 200 million active users on Facebook and a million new members are joining each week in the U.S. alone. Contrary to what many of my audiences believe- more than two-thirds of Facebook users are not in college. According to comscore.com, more than 50% of Facebook's users in the U.S. are over 35; the single biggest age demographic in the U.S. on Facebook is now between 35 and 44, and Facebook's fastest growing age group is 55 and older. They also reported that Facebook ranks as the top social networking site in the majority of European countries.
Common misperception #3: I am too busy for this, and besides-it is not worth my time
Some of the reasons why social networking sites like Facebook are increasingly being used by companies is because they provide businesses the opportunity to easily and efficiently communicate regularly with the people in their network. Networks can include people with whom they are currently doing business, people whom they would like to do business, vendors, and potential business partners.
Social networking sites like Facebook are serving as an adjunct to, and in some cases, replacement for, traditional means of communication such as newsletters and direct mail. Facebook can be used to regularly announce or get feedback on new products, spotlight new employees or existing employees accomplishments or talents, reward customer loyalty, promote special events and special offers, as well as to create partnerships. According to a Forrester Research interactive marketing online research survey (March 2009): "40% of companies surveyed expect to cut direct mail budgets, while 35% will decrease newspaper spend, and 28% will slash magazine money in order to spend more in interactive media." Some companies have reported that by using these online means of communication they have reduced their marketing budget while at the same time increasing sales.
Why Social Networking works:
What companies that use social networking sites are finding is that these sites allow them to more regularly communicate with people, vendors, clients, colleagues, and prospects, which, in turn, helps business understand their customers needs better, increase trust, and therefore build better business relationships. Most people know that Facebook has been helpful as a tool for connecting or re-connecting with friends, family and co-workers. And most understand that even the personal connections have the potential to become new business opportunities-so it makes sense that Facebook can be used to communicate with those in the business milieu.
How to Set Up a Facebook Profile:
To make use of Facebook you need to set up an account. After registering you need to do the following in order of importance:
1. Create a Profile
In order to begin to use Facebook you must create a profile detailing information about yourself. Based on site policies, you can create only 1 profile, and it must be tied to a human name, preferably your real name, not a business name. We will review setting up your business page later in this article, but first you must set up your personal profile. If you are a married female, use your maiden and married names so more people can find you. Facebook has a "Friend Finder" feature that allows users to search for people by school, company, or organization. In order for people to find you -you must so be sure to list all of your previous schools, organizations, employers, in your profile. Thoroughly complete the "About Me" section to describe your business and what services or products you offer. In the "Information" box on your profile page, you need to include links to your website address, newsletter, blog and other business information such as your company contact information, logo and a photo of yourself. Your profile page should be considered your "branding" page or your marketing campaign. If you are working for a company-you don't have to list all your personal interests-just limit your entry to listing your professional interests. You can syndicate your blog on your profile page. By doing this you are enabling any post that you make to automatically appear on your profile page and all of those people who are connected to you will see it.
2. Build Your Contact List
Facebook was created based on the concept of connecting with friends. You can send and receive "friend requests" and once accepted, your friend can view your profile and you can view theirs. To begin connecting with people that you know, you can either import your address book/ contact database, or you can also search Facebook for individual people.
You can also view the friends list of each person with whom you are connected. If you know any of your new friend's connections, or you would like to know them-you can send a connection request. You can grow your friend list by inviting all your clients, business associates, customers, family, friends, co-workers, school alumni, neighbors, and anyone else you think would be interested in connecting. I would suggest also using the search feature on Facebook to look up people with whom you have lost contact. After befriending -your profile will show up on all your friends' pages. Therefore, the more friends you have- the more pages your profile will appear-leading to more people who will see your page and possibly get in touch with you.
3. Communicate by using Wall Posts
Each Facebook member has a "wall" where friends can post messages. In the business networking world, this is the online equivalent of calling them on the phone. You can send a complement to a colleague on their work by writing this on their wall, comment on their new service or product offering, or communicate an upcoming training or networking opportunity.
4. Update Your Status
At the top of your Facebook page is a status box. When you post a status update, everyone in your friends list can see your update on their home page. For business owners, this is the place to share tips, promote events, post blog updates, announce new products, links to your affiliate programs, links to interesting video or audio presentations, websites, articles, and newsletters.You can add updates as often as you are able in the " What's on you mind?" box. These will appear on all of your friends' pages so ensure that they are meant for everyone on your friend list, and are professional in nature. Otherwise, you risk people removing you from their list.
5. Participate in Groups
Online groups allow you to network virtually with potential clients and peers. You can also join Groups on Facebook that are related to your work. There are groups for therapist, teachers, coaches, and every conceivable profession. You can network, and learn from experts in the field. Another way to maximize the potential and relevance of these groups is to start one of your own. There is no cost to do this and this is a great way to improve your company's visibility. For example, I started a group for mental health facility administrators in Boston. This group is now a resource for sharing best practices and may over time lead to mutual referral relationships. To access groups, start from your Facebook home page, view the list of applications and click on "Groups." You can browse through thousands of groups by area of interest, by industry and geography. There are an incredibly varied selection of topics and professions all over the map.
6. Build Your Friends List
For business purposes, it makes sense to have as many friends as possible. One way to do this is to join a group and send connection requests to fellow members with a note letting them know of your interest in connecting with them on Facebook. Just as you would with an in-person business introduction, be sure to check out their profile and learn about what they are currently doing. Networking always works best when there is a two-way exchange. Find ways you can be helpful to them such as introducing them to a colleague or potential business partner and they may likely reciprocate and return the favor. Also, create your own events page, or post on the Facebook "Events page." You can even see how many RSVP and get feedback from attendees.
7. Create Fan Pages
Because Facebook requires that a profile be designated to a person, not a business, they have instead provided the ability to create fan pages. You can create a fan page for a business, book, product, author, speaker, celebrity or just about anything else you want. To create a fan page, scroll all the way down to the bottom of Facebook and click on "Advertising" (don't worry, this is free to set-up). Next, click on "Pages" at the top of the screen. You will find some helpful explanations about how pages work, along with the link that will allow you to create your own fan page. Once your page is created you can add links, events, discussion boards and other features that make them interactive. Your updates from your fan pages will appear on your profile so your friends will know about them. You can invite people to become a "fan" of your page as an alternative to sending friend requests which will help you to further cultivate an online community
8. Use the Marketplace
Facebook has an online marketplace that allows you to list your services and products at no cost. This is a great way for you or your company to get exposure. You can also use the marketplace to find items or services that you need.
How To Set Up a Business Page on Facebook
Setting up a business page is easy. Just log in to your profile page and scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Then click on "Advertising" or by following this link: http://www.facebook.com/business That will bring up a page with the blue links one of which is called "Pages." Click on Pages, and then click on the green "Create a Page" box on the right of the screen. You can now start filling this information in to create and customize your business page.
After you create your business page, Facebook will automatically add an application called the "Page Manager" which should be located on the top and left side of your log. Again choose Facebook Pages, then choose the best category for your business. Click this link to load your business page where you can then edit and add to the existing content.
It is important that you choose the name of your Facebook page carefully because the page name will become your key word search terms, and is the only text that is used in a search on a Facebook page. Once your page is in place, you can add applications that help to enhance how you represent your company in your own unique way. To find applications for Facebook, click on "Applications" in the upper left corner of your page, or search for them at this link: http://www.facebook.com/apps Applications are fairly easy to install and to set up. If you have difficulty with any one application-please note that there is often more than one application available to accomplish the same task.
Facebook Applications for Business:
Simply RSS : This allows you to display up to eight RSS feeds on your Facebook page and display the feeds from your business's main site and newsrooms.
Upcoming: Add all of your events to upcoming.org, and you can easily display them on your Facebook page with Upcoming's Facebook application.
My Flickr: Display photos from your Flickr account using this application. These photos can include logos, product photos, photos from events, etc.
Posted Items Pro: Allows you to embed multiple YouTube, Yahoo, and Google Videos, music mp3s, sites, files, and more onto your profile and Facebook pages. You can add any variety of these elements, making it great for a media center or press section.
Twitter APP: If you have a Twitter account this application will automatically pull your tweets into your Facebook status, and it automatically installs a Twitter-themed icon letting all you friends on Facebook know that you are on Twitter. It also saves you time in updating and ensures that you have some profile activity to keep you relevant. If you are not on Twitter yet-you can add this at any time.
By implementing these applications you will be creating an interactive page that gives visitors a more complete understanding of your business.
Make the Time to Stay Relevant
In order to stay relevant on Facebook, you need to continually update your Page and use the site. If you do not have the time needed to do this consistently- then I would suggest you hire a copywriter or social media consultant to help. The more actions you take, the more you appear in a fan's News Feed. This keeps you in their mind, and in their friend's feeds when they interact with you. But updating content will do more than keep you on the News Feed; it will also help make your Facebook Page one that people will return to by offering fans an incentive to continue to read your content and return to your page. There are many ways to do this such as providing exclusive content, special promotional pricing, exclusive contests, product previews, or privileged access to company events.
I hope this information has been helpful to you in getting started in using Facebook. Make no mistake about it-social networking is not a passing fad. Facebook, and other social media sites are here to stay. So regardless of whether you make use of all the social networking sites- you cannot discount the recent research indicating that customers are increasingly going online to gather company and product information, compare prices, and place orders. As with any new technology social networking will take time and effort for businesses to fully benefit from it; however, it is my belief that this time and effort, if done consistently and in a planned, thoughtful manner, will be time well spent.
Wayne Kessler
The author of this article, Wayne Kessler, is an Internet Marketing Strategist, speaker and behavioral change consultant focused on helping individuals and small businesses to increase online sales, strengthen their brand, and dramatically boost web site traffic through proven online marketing concepts. His business, Accelerated Business Services, is based in Massachusetts, and provides in-office, or remote services worldwide. Visit him on the web at http://www.waynekessler.com
Common misperception #1: Facebook is only for personal use
Each time I give presentations on using social networking sites for business there is the perception in the audience that Facebook is only useful for communicating with friends and family. Facebook started as a closed community for college students, and has not been as effective as Linkedin at highlighting the business page and advertising features. However, Facebook continues to grow in use by companies looking to reach the more than 200 million active users, and has very powerful and targeted demographic tools that help companies to hone in on their target market.
Common misperception #2: Facebook is only for college students
According to the Facebook Press Room page, there are more than 200 million active users on Facebook and a million new members are joining each week in the U.S. alone. Contrary to what many of my audiences believe- more than two-thirds of Facebook users are not in college. According to comscore.com, more than 50% of Facebook's users in the U.S. are over 35; the single biggest age demographic in the U.S. on Facebook is now between 35 and 44, and Facebook's fastest growing age group is 55 and older. They also reported that Facebook ranks as the top social networking site in the majority of European countries.
Common misperception #3: I am too busy for this, and besides-it is not worth my time
Some of the reasons why social networking sites like Facebook are increasingly being used by companies is because they provide businesses the opportunity to easily and efficiently communicate regularly with the people in their network. Networks can include people with whom they are currently doing business, people whom they would like to do business, vendors, and potential business partners.
Social networking sites like Facebook are serving as an adjunct to, and in some cases, replacement for, traditional means of communication such as newsletters and direct mail. Facebook can be used to regularly announce or get feedback on new products, spotlight new employees or existing employees accomplishments or talents, reward customer loyalty, promote special events and special offers, as well as to create partnerships. According to a Forrester Research interactive marketing online research survey (March 2009): "40% of companies surveyed expect to cut direct mail budgets, while 35% will decrease newspaper spend, and 28% will slash magazine money in order to spend more in interactive media." Some companies have reported that by using these online means of communication they have reduced their marketing budget while at the same time increasing sales.
Why Social Networking works:
What companies that use social networking sites are finding is that these sites allow them to more regularly communicate with people, vendors, clients, colleagues, and prospects, which, in turn, helps business understand their customers needs better, increase trust, and therefore build better business relationships. Most people know that Facebook has been helpful as a tool for connecting or re-connecting with friends, family and co-workers. And most understand that even the personal connections have the potential to become new business opportunities-so it makes sense that Facebook can be used to communicate with those in the business milieu.
How to Set Up a Facebook Profile:
To make use of Facebook you need to set up an account. After registering you need to do the following in order of importance:
1. Create a Profile
In order to begin to use Facebook you must create a profile detailing information about yourself. Based on site policies, you can create only 1 profile, and it must be tied to a human name, preferably your real name, not a business name. We will review setting up your business page later in this article, but first you must set up your personal profile. If you are a married female, use your maiden and married names so more people can find you. Facebook has a "Friend Finder" feature that allows users to search for people by school, company, or organization. In order for people to find you -you must so be sure to list all of your previous schools, organizations, employers, in your profile. Thoroughly complete the "About Me" section to describe your business and what services or products you offer. In the "Information" box on your profile page, you need to include links to your website address, newsletter, blog and other business information such as your company contact information, logo and a photo of yourself. Your profile page should be considered your "branding" page or your marketing campaign. If you are working for a company-you don't have to list all your personal interests-just limit your entry to listing your professional interests. You can syndicate your blog on your profile page. By doing this you are enabling any post that you make to automatically appear on your profile page and all of those people who are connected to you will see it.
2. Build Your Contact List
Facebook was created based on the concept of connecting with friends. You can send and receive "friend requests" and once accepted, your friend can view your profile and you can view theirs. To begin connecting with people that you know, you can either import your address book/ contact database, or you can also search Facebook for individual people.
You can also view the friends list of each person with whom you are connected. If you know any of your new friend's connections, or you would like to know them-you can send a connection request. You can grow your friend list by inviting all your clients, business associates, customers, family, friends, co-workers, school alumni, neighbors, and anyone else you think would be interested in connecting. I would suggest also using the search feature on Facebook to look up people with whom you have lost contact. After befriending -your profile will show up on all your friends' pages. Therefore, the more friends you have- the more pages your profile will appear-leading to more people who will see your page and possibly get in touch with you.
3. Communicate by using Wall Posts
Each Facebook member has a "wall" where friends can post messages. In the business networking world, this is the online equivalent of calling them on the phone. You can send a complement to a colleague on their work by writing this on their wall, comment on their new service or product offering, or communicate an upcoming training or networking opportunity.
4. Update Your Status
At the top of your Facebook page is a status box. When you post a status update, everyone in your friends list can see your update on their home page. For business owners, this is the place to share tips, promote events, post blog updates, announce new products, links to your affiliate programs, links to interesting video or audio presentations, websites, articles, and newsletters.You can add updates as often as you are able in the " What's on you mind?" box. These will appear on all of your friends' pages so ensure that they are meant for everyone on your friend list, and are professional in nature. Otherwise, you risk people removing you from their list.
5. Participate in Groups
Online groups allow you to network virtually with potential clients and peers. You can also join Groups on Facebook that are related to your work. There are groups for therapist, teachers, coaches, and every conceivable profession. You can network, and learn from experts in the field. Another way to maximize the potential and relevance of these groups is to start one of your own. There is no cost to do this and this is a great way to improve your company's visibility. For example, I started a group for mental health facility administrators in Boston. This group is now a resource for sharing best practices and may over time lead to mutual referral relationships. To access groups, start from your Facebook home page, view the list of applications and click on "Groups." You can browse through thousands of groups by area of interest, by industry and geography. There are an incredibly varied selection of topics and professions all over the map.
6. Build Your Friends List
For business purposes, it makes sense to have as many friends as possible. One way to do this is to join a group and send connection requests to fellow members with a note letting them know of your interest in connecting with them on Facebook. Just as you would with an in-person business introduction, be sure to check out their profile and learn about what they are currently doing. Networking always works best when there is a two-way exchange. Find ways you can be helpful to them such as introducing them to a colleague or potential business partner and they may likely reciprocate and return the favor. Also, create your own events page, or post on the Facebook "Events page." You can even see how many RSVP and get feedback from attendees.
7. Create Fan Pages
Because Facebook requires that a profile be designated to a person, not a business, they have instead provided the ability to create fan pages. You can create a fan page for a business, book, product, author, speaker, celebrity or just about anything else you want. To create a fan page, scroll all the way down to the bottom of Facebook and click on "Advertising" (don't worry, this is free to set-up). Next, click on "Pages" at the top of the screen. You will find some helpful explanations about how pages work, along with the link that will allow you to create your own fan page. Once your page is created you can add links, events, discussion boards and other features that make them interactive. Your updates from your fan pages will appear on your profile so your friends will know about them. You can invite people to become a "fan" of your page as an alternative to sending friend requests which will help you to further cultivate an online community
8. Use the Marketplace
Facebook has an online marketplace that allows you to list your services and products at no cost. This is a great way for you or your company to get exposure. You can also use the marketplace to find items or services that you need.
How To Set Up a Business Page on Facebook
Setting up a business page is easy. Just log in to your profile page and scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Then click on "Advertising" or by following this link: http://www.facebook.com/business That will bring up a page with the blue links one of which is called "Pages." Click on Pages, and then click on the green "Create a Page" box on the right of the screen. You can now start filling this information in to create and customize your business page.
After you create your business page, Facebook will automatically add an application called the "Page Manager" which should be located on the top and left side of your log. Again choose Facebook Pages, then choose the best category for your business. Click this link to load your business page where you can then edit and add to the existing content.
It is important that you choose the name of your Facebook page carefully because the page name will become your key word search terms, and is the only text that is used in a search on a Facebook page. Once your page is in place, you can add applications that help to enhance how you represent your company in your own unique way. To find applications for Facebook, click on "Applications" in the upper left corner of your page, or search for them at this link: http://www.facebook.com/apps Applications are fairly easy to install and to set up. If you have difficulty with any one application-please note that there is often more than one application available to accomplish the same task.
Facebook Applications for Business:
Simply RSS : This allows you to display up to eight RSS feeds on your Facebook page and display the feeds from your business's main site and newsrooms.
Upcoming: Add all of your events to upcoming.org, and you can easily display them on your Facebook page with Upcoming's Facebook application.
My Flickr: Display photos from your Flickr account using this application. These photos can include logos, product photos, photos from events, etc.
Posted Items Pro: Allows you to embed multiple YouTube, Yahoo, and Google Videos, music mp3s, sites, files, and more onto your profile and Facebook pages. You can add any variety of these elements, making it great for a media center or press section.
Twitter APP: If you have a Twitter account this application will automatically pull your tweets into your Facebook status, and it automatically installs a Twitter-themed icon letting all you friends on Facebook know that you are on Twitter. It also saves you time in updating and ensures that you have some profile activity to keep you relevant. If you are not on Twitter yet-you can add this at any time.
By implementing these applications you will be creating an interactive page that gives visitors a more complete understanding of your business.
Make the Time to Stay Relevant
In order to stay relevant on Facebook, you need to continually update your Page and use the site. If you do not have the time needed to do this consistently- then I would suggest you hire a copywriter or social media consultant to help. The more actions you take, the more you appear in a fan's News Feed. This keeps you in their mind, and in their friend's feeds when they interact with you. But updating content will do more than keep you on the News Feed; it will also help make your Facebook Page one that people will return to by offering fans an incentive to continue to read your content and return to your page. There are many ways to do this such as providing exclusive content, special promotional pricing, exclusive contests, product previews, or privileged access to company events.
I hope this information has been helpful to you in getting started in using Facebook. Make no mistake about it-social networking is not a passing fad. Facebook, and other social media sites are here to stay. So regardless of whether you make use of all the social networking sites- you cannot discount the recent research indicating that customers are increasingly going online to gather company and product information, compare prices, and place orders. As with any new technology social networking will take time and effort for businesses to fully benefit from it; however, it is my belief that this time and effort, if done consistently and in a planned, thoughtful manner, will be time well spent.
Wayne Kessler
The author of this article, Wayne Kessler, is an Internet Marketing Strategist, speaker and behavioral change consultant focused on helping individuals and small businesses to increase online sales, strengthen their brand, and dramatically boost web site traffic through proven online marketing concepts. His business, Accelerated Business Services, is based in Massachusetts, and provides in-office, or remote services worldwide. Visit him on the web at http://www.waynekessler.com
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