Facebook has exploded and with it has came a new
range of applications and techniques for marketing your business. The
majority of them are free.
Most of the following tools are free (with the exception of
facebook ads which are still very inexpensive!) The applications
mentioned are just examples of what is out ther and there may be many
more available that can do the same job. Maybe even better!
Add the Twitter application to your fanpage. This means your tweets
will become your status updates (you can also do this in reverse)
Why should someone become a “Fan” of your Facebook business page?
If you offer your prospective fans something worthwhile they’re much
more likely to become a fan. Through numerous Facebook apps you can
give away coupons, ebooks, etc…anything downloadable.
Facebook allows users to import email addresses to encourage their
network growth if they haven’t already joined. Do this with your email
list for instant friends/fans!
Businesses can engage with their fans or prospective fans through
virtual gifts, games, quizzes, contests, and many more. Engagement can
be done by utilizing hundreds of free Facebook apps or through custom
development Try searching for Wildfire for some great examples.
It is possible to customize the design of your page using static
fbml or a personal fbml application. Either one will require coding
knowelege and personal applications need to be hosted however they can
greatly improve your awareness via branding, make it easy for people to
get in contact with you by adding email links or forms, offer
incentives to join or promote different aspects of your website such as
mailing lists.
Use Facebooks search facility and community pages/events/groups to
find people in your target demographic and ask them to become your
friend. Once they are a friend you can ask them to become a fan of your
page.
If you havent already registered your facebook page or set up your
page you should think hard about what name to change. Maybe some
keywords would be useful to use here? For example if your business is
based only in New York then it might be worthwhile using this in your
page name or title. If you are a model agency then you should ask
yourself is it important to use it in your name or title along with
your trading name. This will allow you to not only be found on Facebook
for your trade/industry, but easier found on search engines as well.
Think about how people will find your page on facebook? Will they
search for your trading name or your industry/location/service/product?
Take time to think, do not narrow yourself down too much : your name
and page title cannot be changed.
Once your Facebook fan page has 25 fans you can create your unique
Facebook URL (eg. facebook.com/Yourname). This will allow you to market
your business page offline much more easily. Using a URL that is
keyword heavy is worth considering too such as the product you provide.
Connect your blog to your Facebook Fan Page using an app like
NetworkedBlogs. This will provide a constant stream of content and save
time.
Wall news feeds are the first thing your fans see when they log
into facebook. If you drive them into “Liking” or participating in your
posts, their friends will be see it on their walls and may join in
having a viral effect. Compelling content should only require a little
extra effort when planning out your update.
Facebook allows you to advertise a website, business page, group or
event. You can Pay Per Click or the Pay Per Impression. Facebook
advertising also allows you to market to a specific demographic,
geography, sex, keywords, education, agegroup, and much more. Compared
to other ads, Facebook Advertising can be much more targeted.
Facebook is constantly growing, changing and developing. Take 15
minutes every day and you could put many of the above into action and
increase your facebook fan numbers drastically within a few days.
