Facebook - As a successful 'Business Tool'

Facebook – As a successful “Business Tool”

By Geethanjali R, ATHS, Chennai – ao_telehealthservices@apollohospitals.com , presented on 15.6.2012

Facebook is founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his Mark Zuckerberg wrote
college roommates and fellow students. Facebook is Facemash, the predecessor to
a social networking service and website launched in Facebook, on October 28, 2003.
February 2004, operated and privately owned Facemash attracted 450 visitors
by Facebook Inc.[1] As of April 2012, Facebook has and 22,000 photo-views in its first
more than 900 million active users. four hourse online.

On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg launched “The Americans spend 13.9
Facebook”, originally located at thefacebook.com. billion minutes a year on
Membership was initially restricted to students of facebook.
Harvard College. Approximately 70% of
In June 2004, Facebook moved its base of facebook users are outside the
operations to Palo Alto, California. United States.

FACT:

Business success is just within your fingertips if you utilize Facebook as a business promotion tool. You must know the right tactics;
research a bit and after that, create your business page. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2052512


Why Facebook and Business Networking Go Hand in Hand

1.Facebook is a phenomenon that has grown exponentially in a very short time and continues
to do so.
2.Originally used mostly by college students, but now recent statistics prove that it has moved
beyond its original use and has become an incredibly powerful business networking
medium.

Facebook Networking: From Social to Professional

1. This natural evolution from social medium to professional networking site is largely due to
the fact that the kids who originally used Facebook for social uses have now grown up and
become professionals.
2. It is logical that they would adapt the uses and applications available on Facebook to suit
their professional needs and continue contacting people in a way that has become second
nature to them.
3. It is indeed very hard to do because the line has become blurred. If you do draw a strict line,
you may end up losing potential clients or opportunities for business. Today, more than ever,
this is not a luxury you can afford. If you’re careful about the type and amount of personal
information you share, you can perfectly use what was once a social networking tool for
business purposes.


Facebook Networking Benefits for your Business:

Great Exposure

1. Unbeatable potential for exposure.
2. On using consistently and strategically increase company’s visibility.
3. Provides insights, tips and advice.

Improve Google Rank

1. Offers a “Pages” application, which allows you to create a professional profile for your
business, services, and products.
2. With these pages provides an option to include a link to your website, or any other
reference links.


Fabulous Marketing Free of Charge

1. Making use of the Pages application and other applications, you will find great, user-
friendly tools to market your services and products and promote what you do.
2. It will take some time to get the hang of these tools. Start out with a few until you
master them. No one is expected to use all of them.

Targeted Ad Space

1. Facebook offers you the possibility to create ads and target them to a specific age group,
gender and location.
2. You can also track your ad’s performance.


www.internetworldstats.com

Facebook in India:
Facebook monitoring helps to improve your business and social media marketing strategy in every country. Currently, there are 45825620
Facebook users in the India, which makes it #3 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by Country.

Total Facebook
45825620
Users:
Position in the
3.
list:
Penetration of
3.91%
population:
Penetration of
online 56.57%
population

Our social networking statistics show that Facebook penetration in India is 3.91%compared to the country's population
and 56.57% in relation to number of Internet users. The total number of FB users in India is reaching 45825620 and grew by more
than 7780620 in the last 6 months.

Comparing these nearest countries by penetration of Facebook users shows that India has 0.02% higher FB penetration
than Belarus and 0.13% lower FB penetration than Russia.


Healthcare Industry Should Increase Social Media Use
According to a report from technology consultancy firm CSC, doctors in countries like the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom are
successfully using social media tools to connect with patients; and the U.S. needs to catch up with this trend.

As patients are increasingly turning to social networking sites for medical-related information, healthcare providers in other countries have long
participated in the social media conversation. Meanwhile, the U.S. healthcare industry has mostly limited its use of social media outlets to
marketing purposes rather than patient interaction.

In the CSC report, a separate study is referenced, which indicates that consumers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain rank Facebook as their fourth
most preferred source for health content, while in the U.S. only 7% of people seeking health information online do so by visiting social network
sites.

Report Calls for U.S. Health Care Industry To Boost Social Media Use

U.S. health care organizations should take lessons from other countries and expand their use of social media tools beyond marketing
purposes, according to a report from technology consultancy firm CSC, InformationWeek reports.

Key Findings

The report found that across the globe, the health care industry is less proactive than other industries in embracing social media. Within the
health care industry, hospitals are the furthest from using social media to engage with consumers, the report found.

The report also classified countries by how active their hospitals are in social media adoption. It noted that:
Countries with a high level of hospital social media adoption are the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom;
Countries with a mid-range level of hospital social media adoption are Austria and the U.S.; and
Countries with a low level of hospital social media adoption are Australia, Germany and Switzerland.

According to the report, physicians in other countries often use social media to interact with their colleagues and find information about medical
research. The report noted that U.S. health care providers are more likely to use social media for marketing purposes than for interactions with
patients.

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2012/4/11/report-calls-for-us-health-care-industry-to-boost-social-media-
use.aspx#ixzz1vV3UwZZg

Factors Hindering Social Media Use Among U.S. Providers

Caitlin Lorincz -- a CSC research analyst and co-author of the report -- said many U.S. health care providers are hesitant to engage with patients
through social media channels because they worry that health-related information they provide could be "taken out of context and interpreted
as medical advice.“

Possible Applications of Social Media in Health Care

The report noted that despite health care providers' concerns, social media can help improve patient care, especially for activities relating to:

Care coordination;

Care management;

Patient monitoring;

Population health; and

Wellness

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2012/4/11/report-calls-for-us-health-care-industry-to-boost-social-media-
use.aspx#ixzz1vV4371tr


9 Tools That Will Make Your Company's Facebook Page Rock

Tool # 1

Buddy Media is one of the hottest Facebook platforms available right now.
They can do almost anything -- host contests, create video galleries, and provide user analytics.


Tool # 2

Wildfire is the most popular way to run a promotion on Facebook.
They offer a thorough suite of apps that allow you to easily set up contests, sweepstakes,
and offer coupons.


Tool # 3

North Social has an extensive menu of Facebook apps to choose from including Twitter
integration, contests, and RSS feeds. Each app is easy to use, making it the ideal service
for a Facebook novice.


Tool # 4
FBML
If you already have a web designer on board, add FBML to your Facebook page to
create a custom tab. Many companies use FBML for a welcome screen or to feature
a new product.


Tool # 5
Payvment
Why direct your customers to Amazon when they can buy your product on Facebook?
Payvment makes it easy to set up an online store on your page.


Tool # 6
Hootsuite
We all get busy. If you don't have time to update your business' Facebook page,
use Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance.


Tool # 7

MailChimp's Facebook app lets you gather your Facebook community's e-mail
addresses. Send them newsletters, offers, and event invitations.


Tool # 8
Add a Like or Recommend button to your website

Add the buttons to your homepage or individual products on your online store to draw
more traffic from Facebook.


Tool # 9

Reviews

Get feedback from your customers about your products and services. The Reviews
app allows users to rate your company from one to five stars.

Courtesy: http://www.businessinsider.com/10-tools-that-will-make-your-businesss-
facebook-page-successful-2010-10#reviews-9#ixzz1uS7UDn6Q


Five Facebook-Only Strategies For Business Success
By Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer, Social Media Information and education products Company based in Louisvill, Ky., and author of the
popular industry blog SocialMediaExplorer.com

1. Drive Off-Line Engagement With Event
Postings

Facebook event postings are not just whimsical
little calendar items. If you use them correctly,
you can drive a veritable viral wave around what
your business is doing because people who RSVP,
comment or add to the event conversation have
their activity posted publicly to their friends.


2. Give People Virtual Keepsakes With Photo Tagging

Speaking of events, when you have them, take pictures to post on your fan page.
Then create some post-event buzz by inviting attendees to tag themselves in the
photos. You won’t be able to tag most people (unless they are Facebook friends
with the brand page administrator) but encouraging your attendees to tag
themselves and their friends gives you a fun reason to reach out to them after an
event.

This serves as a long tail effect of your event, driving your fans back to your fan
page or event posting to see their images and further engage with your brand.
And as a courtesy, put signage up at the event informing people their pictures may
appear on your Facebook page or website.


3. Turn Customer Service Up a Notch With Facebook Discussion Forums
This tip works wonders for companies that don’t have some sort of support forum on their
own website. Drive customers to your Facebook forums (called “Discussions” on the brand
page tabs) by letting them know they can get support there.


4. Promote Your Page With Super Targeting

Almost every company place ads on Facebook has been thrilled with the outcome. The click-
through rates have been higher than normal display ads and have had immediate impacts
on page traffic.

The great thing about Facebook ads is that when you set them
up, you can hyper-target them to the exact audience you’re
trying to reach. Age, location, interest… filter your targeting to
the specific profile of your target consumer and let Facebook do
the rest. Because the ads are served on Facebook pages only,
Facebook knows the age, location and interests of the people
they serve the ad to. It’s probably the most effective ad targeting
system in the world.


5. Collect Fan Photos and Videos at No Cost

Throw out a cool video contest or activity idea to engage your customers in some fun
creativity. No need to hire a developer to pull together fancy code or pay YouTube
thousands of dollars for a branded video contest.

Just ask your Facebook fans to upload their entries. Using the commenting tools
provided, you can work up some guidelines for judging or just highlight and post the best
stuff on your wall to promote the video makers. Even better, by posting appropriate
policies and guidelines, you can get permission to use anything uploaded for company
advertisements, projects and more. However, you should beware that Facebook has
recently implemented some strict promotional rules.


20 Essential Facebook Apps For Creating Successful Business Fanpage

1) Networked Blogs : Promote your blog on Facebook and to
discover new blogs. NetworkedBlogs is a community of bloggers
and blog lovers. Join the fun, add your blog, and connect with
others who read and write about subjects you like.

2) Static FBML : Add advanced functionality to your Page using
the Facebook Static FBMLapplication. This application will add a
box to your Page in which you can render HTML or FBML
(Facebook Markup Language) for enhanced Page customization.

3) Promotions : Promotions for Fan Pages enables companies
& agencies to easily create and launch interactive promotions
& marketing campaigns on Facebook Fan Pages within
minutes. Promotion formats include: contests, sweepstakes,
coupons & giveaways etc.

4) Blog RSS Feed Reader : Blog RSS Feed Reader allows you to
add a personal blog, corporate blog RSS Feed or any other RSS
feed to your Facebook profile for your friends to read. It’s a
great way to drive traffic to your blog or website.

5) Extended Info : With Facebook, your profile comes with fields
such as Activities, Interests, and Favorite Music, but Extended Info
allows you to add extra fields to your profile, such as Currently
Reading, Favorite Foods, or anything you can think of.

6) Pagemodo : Online facebook marketing tools that helps any
company to present themselves and their products on their
facebook page, without any technical or graphic skills needed! To
seefull review of Pagemodo, please click here.

7) Poll : This is the premier polling application on Facebook. Create
polls for your Facebook pages and Profile pages. Ask your friends
or fans questions you want or create contests for your fans thanks
to Polls! Very simple and easy to use. You can also add pictures,
videos or links into your polls.

8 ) My Business Blinkweb : With the My BlinkWeb widget, you can
show off your website to all of your friends, as well as all of their
friends. When your friends install the My BlinkWeb widget, YOUR
website will be shown on THEIR profile. That means MORE visitors
for you!
9) Twitter : Twitter is a rich source of instant information. Stay
updated. Keep others updated. Use the Twitter for Facebook
app to find and follow your Facebook friends who tweet, post
your tweets to your Facebook profile or Facebook page
and encourage your Facebook friends to follow you on Twitter.

10) Flash Player : This application will add a box to your Page in
which you can upload your own Flash Files to achieve advanced
customization.
11) Involver Application Suite : Involver is a
online company which involves in some great
Facebook apps for business purpose. They
provide free and paid apps. You will Twitter,
Picasa, Youtube for pages, promotion apps
and much more.


12) Professional Profile – Business
Networking : Professional Profile leverages yourFacebook
friends into business connections by consolidating
professional information into one place.

The Social Network is a 2010
13) Links : With Facebook Posted Items, you can share American drama film directed
anything on the internet by posting it to your profile. by David Fincher and written
by Aaron Sorkin
You can post your websites, blogs, videos, and songs,
as well as content on Facebook, like profiles, photos,
notes, groups, and events. The Posted
Items application page displays content your friend.

14) Calliflower – Free Conference Calls : Calliflower
makes it easy for people to plan, participate and follow-
up on engaging and meaningful conference calls that
bridge business and social networks. It’s free. That’s
right, no monthly fee or minutes.

15) My LinkedIn Profile : Display your LinkedIn User
profile or Company profile on Facebook.

16) Podcast Player : Podcast player is an easy and powerful way
to share yours or company audio and video Podcast in
Facebook. One click away, your friends can subscribe your
Podcast to iTunes and download your audios and videos to
their iPod.
17) SlideShare : SlideShare is the world’s largest community
for sharing presentations. You can share presentations &
documents with your Facebook network, upload portfolios,
resume, conference talks, PDFs, college lessons etc. All formats
are supported: ppt, pps, pptx, odp, pdf, doc, docx, odt,
Keynote, iWork pages. Embed YouTube videos in
presentations, add audio to make awebinar.
18) JD Supra Docs : JD Supra Docs enables lawyers & law
firms to include their documents & publications on
Facebook. Lawyers, showcase real expertise to your
Facebook network: stream articles, alerts, newsletters,
briefs, filings, and other publications for your connections to
see.
19) Memorable Web Addresses : This application creates a short,
easy to remember personal web address to take people directly
to your facebook profile, page or group, so you can share the link
with other people, post it on forums, show it on your myspace
page or print it on your business cards.

20) Page Maps : Add a custom map to your
business page or personal profile. Show your
business locations or favorite spots around
town. It displays a mini map requiring no
additional clicks to see, with links to a larger
map or directions.

When to post?


The Future of Facebook: Mining the Human Cloud

Author Doug Laney, Research Vice President at Gartner puts things into perspective by
applying what he describes as “emerging techniques that map these information-
related volumetrics to Facebook’s actual financials and anticipated market valuation.
The results show that you are worth about $81 to Facebook. Your friendships are worth
$0.62 each, and your profile page could be valued at $1,800. The value of a business
page is worth approximately $3.1 million.”

To put it another way, Facebook is essentially mining the human cloud like no other
company has ever done. Yes, even Google. Unlike Google, Facebook knows more
about you than you know about yourself. They not only understand the way you
communicate, but have a clear view of your entire social graph over an extended
period of your life, possibly for some born today, your entire life. They have been able
to cater to a variety of social profiles from the lurker to the information aggregator /
influencer to everything and everyone in between. They have mapped the continually
evolving DNA of modern society.


900 million monthly users, 526 million daily users, 3.2bn likes and comments a day in
the first quarter of this year (2012).


http://www.facebook-successstories.com/


Is Facebook Really a Good Tool for Business?

Paul says, unequivocally: Yes. The author of The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven
Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media in how businesses can leverage a
presence on Facebook.


Facebook - As a successful 'Business Tool'

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