Updated: July 3, 2011
Well we’re halfway through 2011 and what an exciting year it’s been thus far. We’ve been hard at work with numerous projects, one of which is our search marketing blog here at SEO-e.com.
On this July 4th weekend, we’re all rejoicing in a short break from the hustle and bustle of web marketing and search engine optimization. While we love taking a break and spending time with friends and family, we don’t want to leave our loyal readers in a lurch.
Much of the time, entrepreneurs and small businesses don’t get much of a break from their work. That’s why we wanted to include one of our most popular posts for you to check out.
As you know, Facebook has become the dominant social media channel over the last few years. Over a half billion people have Facebook profiles and many of them logon regularly.
Businesses large and small are looking to social media channels like Facebook to interact with customers, share content, run promotions and answer questions.
As with any new innovations, it can be a challenge to understand how to best harness a particular technology to your advantage.
Continue reading to learn 8 ways you can effectively use Facebook to connect with clients – both existing and potential – and drive more leads to your website, and ultimately conversions. While technologies are constantly evolving, these 8 general principles serve as a basis for successfully using Facebook to your advantage.
And check out some related posts below to learn more about the exciting world of Facebook and social media. Channels like Facebook and Twitter have quickly become an important component of marketing a business online.
If you’re not factoring this into your marketing plans, you’re doing yourself an extreme disservice.
8 Tips for getting your Facebook page Noticed
Facebook is by far the largest social networking utility with over 400 million active users worldwide. As far as social networking, especially if you’re a B2C company like an e-retailer or storefront operation, Facebook is the prime social network to focus your efforts on.
It can be a great place to build your brand online and interact with your customers. But many businesses try Facebook just to give up amid frustration and seeming failure.
Following these 8 steps can help make Facebook a worthy investment of your time and resources, helping your build customers and revenues in the long run.
1. Have your own unique brand image for your profile
If you’ve been on Facebook for fun, you know everyone has their own picture of them self. But when you’re marketing your business, it may not look too appealing to just see a picture of you and/or your staff. Create something unique that will look interesting to someone, especially if it’s only a thumbnail size picture.
2. Post relevant interesting content
It’s one of the basics on any online marketing or SEO effort. Interesting, relevant content is required to keep people coming back. Simply post relevant content from other sites or link to custom content on your own site. Petty self promotion isn’t going to work too well in this environment.
3. Participate in the conversation
Utilities like Facebook are meant to be interactive. Participate in discussions on relevant topics or comment on someone else’s postings. Find every opportunity to start a discussion.
4. Increase interaction by adding apps
App devices on Facebook provide an entertainment value for your visitors. And if they invite their friends, you could potentially have a bigger pool of visitors learning about your Facebook profile and business. Pizza Hut put this to good use by creating an app to order a pizza through the utility – but an app can be anything from a game to special discounts. Check out AllFacebook.com Leader Board for ideas.
5. Direct new visitors to a custom page
Facebook automatically sends traffic to your wall, which can be uninviting. They do however let you use any page for your Facebook homepage. Create a custom page for new visitors instead and have an inviting place for people to learn about you. And change it periodically…like Skittles’ Mob the Rainbow entry page, which changes every month.
6. Post tags of your fans in photos and videos
This takes a little effort but include your fans in photos and videos. You could perhaps run a contest and ask fans to submit a picture of them with your product. After posting the picture, you can “tag” them, which their friends will see on their update.
7. Create customized “tabs” on your Facebook page
Many large companies who use Facebook to their advantage have custom tabs at the top of their profile, which further personalizes your profile. You can use these tabs when introducing a new product or embedding a new poll or announcing an event, like the Threadless t-shirt company, who allows fans to vote on new design, comment and even buy their shirts directly through Facebook.
8. Consider Facebook ads to jump start your profile
It may be worth the investment to purchase some advertising on Facebook to give your profile the initial jump it needs. Getting subscribers to anything is a slow process in the early stages. Facebook ads generate qualified traffic by refining its subscribers by keyword, demographics and category, putting your profile in front of millions of people.
We can’t all have the millions of Facebook fans like Starbucks or Coca-Cola. But it is possible, using these 8 steps, to harness the power of Facebook effectively and draw in a large number of fans. According to Sysomos, over 77% of companies with a fan page have less than a 1000 fans.
Make your Facebook profile the best in your industry by considering these 8 steps.
Related Posts:
Should I add a Facebook “Like” Button to my Webpage?
5 Ways to Achieve Top Facebook Rankings
5 Ways to Create a Sustainable, Engaging Following on Facebook
Which Social Media Channel is Right for My Business?
How Facebook Users Interact with Various Brands and Why
4 Components of the Marketing Funnel and how they relate to Social Media Channels