Facebook and your business

As someone who was a little hesitant to really embrace ‘Social Media’ when it first took the world by storm I have recently been quite inspired to learn more about it and how it can work harder for businesses. Here are a few tips which might help you.

1. Add your brand. It is great to have a Facebook page but to get anything out of it you have to brand it up. Adding your logo/branding to your profile image is the first step. Connect the dots to create increased awareness. Chances are if someone spots your logo, corporate colours or style in one spot they will be more likely to remember who you are and what you offer when seeing it again.
2. Make a lasting impression. Once your branding is established you should take the time to create a custom entry page. This will control what your visitors are looking at and where they go to next. This is the best way to create a portal between your blog, website or online shop as well as your wall, discussion tabs and other built-in Facebook page features. You might need a coder to help implement these things, but it is worth the investment.
3. Interact and inspire. No one cares if Mary had a baby last week, if you kicked your toe on the way to work or what you had for breakfast. They will care if you have an interesting piece of advice that is industry relevant, a special offer, a sale, a collection of tips and advice. You can even branch out into news-worthy topics and current affairs. Try to think about what will interest your core demographic and then work hard at maintaining that attention. It takes only a second for someone to switch off and stop listening to you.
4. Connect it up. Facebook is like a billboard. People look there often and pay more attention to it on a daily basis (some people are connected to it as though it is their life force). When you post a new blog, release something new, update a web feature – make it public knowledge.
5. Ask questions. Everyone loves to share their opinion. Use this as your chance to get interaction. If everyone looks to be getting a lot out of your Facebook page there is a higher chance others will want to join in.
6. Keep your content open to the public. Whilst private pages are handy for some setups. If you are a public company and want everyone to see what you offer, let them check you out before committing to the ‘Like’ button. It will gain you far more attention.
7. Leave of absence. If you are away for a period of time (and for some reason don’t have internet or phone access to internet during this time), try to adopt an administrator who can monitor and update your Facebook page while you are gone. It is important to keep momentum going.
8. Shout outs! By typing the @ symbol in front of a Facebook company name you can tag/connect with other Facebook pages. It helps connect people with other pages of interest and it posts your link to their page helping to self-promote also.
9. Link it up. You can get a custom URL on Facebook as soon as you have more than 26 fans. A custom URL makes it easier to locate and promote your page (easier than learning a string of letters and names). To customise your URL go to www.facebook.com/username/ – once you set a URL you cannot change it.
10. If you don’t have a Facebook page… go and create one! You are missing out on tonnes of FREE exposure. To see what we have done in Facebook so far you can visit www.facebook.com/shellgraphix and www.facebook.com/myormeau – if you need help customising your page feel free to contact us.