Using Facebook for Business

The secret's out that social media can be used to the advantage of businesses and organizations of just about all walks. And even though for some owners the details are still sparse and the benefits are unclear, there's a growing willingness to open up shop in an unfamiliar land. As long as it will pay off.

So does it pay off?

Let's look at Facebook for example. No longer just a handy way to keep up on friends' and classmates' whereabouts, this application has scaled astronomically into a platform for doing everything. It's not just wall updates and profile photos anymore.

An Opportunity Recognized
It didn't take long for the entrepreneurial spirit to indwell the Facebook space, and now there are almost as many ways to market a brand as there are ways to do all that other social media stuff (i.e. share vacation photos, tell your friends why you didn't like Twilight, play 36 uninterrupted hours of Mafia Wars, etc.).

At a glance, here are a few ways to use Facebook for business:

• Ask for customer suggestions
• Start a whisper campaign about a new product or service
• Share examples of other people using your product creatively
• Facilitate a contest
• Promote an upcoming event, meeting, or open house
• Showcase a star employee or honored customer
• Link to associations or groups that share your values/purpose

Whatever you do, remember that people are looking for your brand online. No matter how small your office is or how few employees you have, someone wants to find you. You wouldn't be in business still if you didn't already know this. The trick, then, as with all SEM work, is to make it as easy as possible to be found. And Facebook can help with this.

Like your company's e-newsletter, Facebook offers another road for getting new people to your phone number, contact form, or online store. As you contemplate your next move, consider the following best practices.

Three Tenets of Using Facebook for Business:

Thoroughly complete your profile. Filling out your company's name and phone number isn't enough. If that's all people wanted, they could have just consulted your insanely overpriced phone book ad. This is a free chance to tell people why you exist; relish it!

Keep it fresh. It could be argued that one of the few things worse than completely avoiding a Facebook presence would be to create a profile initially only to let it fall into abandon and neglect. If it helps, imagine sending your resume from 20 years ago to your next potential employer. They don't want to read what you were doing in the past; they want to know what you're doing right now. As do your fans.

Remember what it's all about. Facebook isn't a classifieds service. At least not yet. Its purpose, in part, is to connect people. Before you set out to shill for your company at every turn, consider what people are looking for when they find you on Facebook. Chances are, they're looking for a face to put with your organization's name. You can help them by adding to and updating your photos section, your video section, events, discussions, and notes.

August Ash has an Internet Marketing Strategy team that likes to talk about this kind of stuff. To be honest, they really, really like to talk about this stuff. They're pretty good listeners, too. If you're interested in taking your business or non-profit into its next chapter of marketing, let us know.