It's clear that technology is bringing people closer by transforming how we connect to each other. It's simply stunning to think about the sweeping changes that social media platforms have created for human connections at all levels. And, there is no other social media brand today has the enormous global reach combined with the personal intimacy and immediate engagement of Facebook.
So, the question facing businesses today is how does a business build the kind of trusted connections that Facebook creates between friends? How can a business spark conversation, inspire sharing and nurture an engaging experiencing to drive business results?
Facebook provides three areas of social interaction that both B2B and B2C businesses can benefit from: pages, ads and technology. Many businesses are already leveraging these tools with great success - and for many marketers, these concepts are already well understood and implemented in creative, dynamic ways on behalf of their businesses. But, for those that are just getting started, here are a few key pointers:
1. Connect with People through Your Page - On Facebook, pages are the essential place where businesses connect with people who care about them. Create a place for your business if there is not already one - and claim your place if one already exists. And, as you are building out your Facebook page, remember to create a compelling welcome page. When constructing your Facebook profile, consider these tips:
1. Add profile photos and phot albums of your business and your products
2. Fill out your business information, hours and description
3. Invite your friends, employees and family to "like" your page
4. Remember, once you acquire 25 users, and your can choose your own vanity URL
- Make sure your vanity URL it not confusing
- Make sure your URL represents your brand
2. Engage People Through Facebook Ads. Aim to reach, and engage, at least 10% of your current customer base. And, target the 10% that tend to be the most passionate advocates, the real influencers that will spread your story. These are the fans that are most likely to help you spread the word about new products, exclusive offers, special discounts and limited time deals. As a first step, be sure that you are consistent about posting to your Facebook page - and that you try to offer variety in your postings to include status updates, photos, videos, links, questions and events. Then, turn the post into an ad that appears on the right-hand side of the page. As a next step, consider displaying your ad to friends of fans in order to broaden your reach.
Remember - new "likes" to your Facebook page can become sponsored stories directed to friends of fans. Let your friends promote your brand for you - to all their friends. Sponsored stories demonstrate to a much larger audience how their friends have engaged with your business, making the message more relevant. And, as word of mouth marketers know, once someone sees their friends interact with a business, essentially endorsing that brand, they are twice as likely to engage, and four times more likely to purchase from that business.
3. Leverage Technology - Consider making all aspects of your business social. Consider a technique as simple as the social media icon plug-ins: simply implement social plugins to let users share their favorite products with their friends. Implement the Facebook "Like" button on product pages of your website as well as your homepage. Social plug-ins can make your website more engaging, and also provide you with important feedback about what products and services your customers like best.
And, remember to leverage the power of Facebook's "Insights" to better understand your Facebook fans. Facebook offers businesses an administrative tool called "Insights" that allows you to better understand when users are engaging, what they are responding to, what they care about.
Remember, there is no magical number of posts you need to accomplish every day, but by paying attention to "insights" you can learn more about what your audience responds to - so you can exceed their expectations!
