1. Facebook for your Business Eight SIMPLE Steps to jump in today! Amber Spain-Mosher SUNY Oswego
2. But before we jump in, let’s consider some statistics. Social Media ROI: SocialnomicsVideo
3. Task 1 Create friends lists such as customers, neighbors, business contacts, competitors, family, friends, limited profile, etc. Do this by going to “Account” in the top right and clicking on “edit friends” This will let you make sure your customers don’t see things you don’t want them to.
4. Task 2 Customize your privacy settings This is good for you as a person and for your business. Just as you wouldn’t have your life on display in your office/shop, you shouldn’t have it on display here. Go to Account>Privacy Settings
5. Task 3 Create a fan page Why a fan page and not a group? Fan pages are visible to unregistered people so are indexed on the Internet and therefore help with SEO and reputation management (If for no other reason, this is one to have a Facebook page) You can add applications to a page but not a group You can post updates that appear in people’s feeds instead of inboxes (which happens with a group) You can get a vanity URL for your page You get “page insights” which are statistics with a page but not a group Weekly Insights include info such as how many new fans you have, how many wall posts, comments and likes you receive in a week as well as how many people have visited your page in the past week.
6. Task 4 Obtain a vanity URL so people can find you easily Go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ Probably cannot do this if you’ve just set up your page (will have to wait for a period of time) Add your Facebook URL to your marketing materials such as email signatures
7. Task 5 Find some fans Suggest your page to your current friends and family Upload your email contacts from your email client to find more connections (this will find vendors, customers, etc based on searching their email addresses) Use Find Friends for suggestions of other people you may know to expand your network
8. Task 6 Promote your business Post business updates Share useful articles and links to resources that interest customers and prospects on your wall which will help you establish credibility and make your page resourceful rather than just a sales pitch Post discounts or specials Share survey or research data Post events where you or your employees will be Post links to articles, information about you or your company Great example is Bijou, a salon in Skaneateles
9. Task 7 Ask for reviews There’s momentum in this Start out by asking a few friends to write a review for you Consider sending an email to customers asking them to give you a review. Have a raffle for those who do for your product or service or consider offering a discount to people if they post a review. Just be sure to do this via email and not as a post on your page.
10. Last but not least: Task 8 Update Treat your page like you would your office or shop…go there on a regular basis.
