Not involved in the Facebook frenzy? Why not? Facebook is now 500 million members strong, the second-largest web property in the world, just behind Google. According to founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company hit this impressive milestone July 21. He is confident they'll eventually hit a billion active users.
If you wonder why you need to have a Facebook page for your company's website, think about what constitutes a savvy marketing plan today. Facebook is a great revenue generator for certain industries and niches.
Like top-earning celebrities, companies need to be ready to do business anytime, anywhere, with any customer.
A Facebook Page thus provides you with powerful ways to generate awareness, connect with your customers, and build relationships with Facebook users. Pop artist Lady Gaga holds the record, having amassed 11.3 million fans on Facebook.
Maybe you're on Facebook and not sure what to do now that you're there. A company Facebook page is the perfect vehicle to send the message that you want to engage. In the best case scenario, both you and your employees are on Facebook, engaging with potential clients.
Facebook success in three steps:
1. Build a presence
2. Engage your audience
3. Spread your message
Knowing that your Facebook strategy isn't about marketing, the first message to potential customers shouldn't be a sales pitch. The quickest way to strike out on Facebook is to hit them with sales pitches and requests. Instead, pre-sell your potential customers by positioning yourself as trusted advisor. Demonstrate your authority and expertise. Engage them with status updates, video and notes. Answer questions.
Make sure they possess the right information to buy your products or services with confidence.
People also love articles and tips from the company CEO, notices about upcoming seminars and insider news.
Involve employees in your Facebook plan. Getting your entire company on Facebook can help create an immediate impact in your social presence online. You need more than one person to create a social brand.
Let each employee have a voice by having them set up personal accounts. Use incentives and bonuses to motivate your employees to share the task of taking care of the company's current and potential clients. Present it as a shift from email whose power social media has reduced.
The first step is to create a meet-the-team page. Provide a bio picture, so people can make a visual connection with each person within your organization. Also have links to the social profiles they maintain and are active in so clients can subscribe to their updates. The more clients that interact with your page, the more opportunities your business has to generate interesting social stories that can spread quickly through Facebook.
Post updates and respond to comments. Maintain a back-and-forth exchange. Have employees respond to each other's company-related updates. This shows that employees are involved and eager to connect.
Savvy clients read industry blogs and follow the people they like. Promote employees who write blogs by linking to their bio page and social media profiles.
Promote your page to Facebook users. On the site, Facebook Ads are effective at driving word-of-mouth marketing for your Facebook Page. Ask them to click "Like" on your page to increase the number of connections across Facebook.
Promote your page outside Facebook. Spread the word by encouraging customers to interact with your company's Facebook page. Download the Facebook Page Badge "Find Us on Facebook" to direct your customers to your presence on Facebook.
A Facebook tip sheet:
1. Update frequently. Keep your 'fans' current about what's going on in your world.
2. Don't push a message, but rather communicate with your market.
3. Have sharing widgets on your site: "Upload to Facebook, Tweet This!"
4. Become keenly aware of what people like to share on the web.
5. Deliver information that your clients want and expect. Don't change your focus.
It's not about the numbers. Building numbers for the sake of being able to say that you have 100,000 followers isn't the goal. It's about the activity. You're on the right track if the numbers grow along with traffic to your website
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Originally Posted by adrianh
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