The following article is based on an excerpt from The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using social media (www.thedigitalhandshake.com).
Like a power company that connects homes and businesses with electricity, Facebook is a social utility designed to facilitate the connections between companies and people.
It can also be a handy tool for business. This article discusses various ways companies can use Facebook to market.
Facebook Public profile
Facebook Public Profiles (aka Facebook Pages) are an excellent way for businesses to get a foothold in the social network. This is also one of the most neglected.
I’ve seen that many companies create their presence using other platform features, such as Groups and Personal Profiles, but never bother with a Public Profile.
Facebook may list Public Profiles in the Advertising category, leading people to think it’s a premium service. It’s not. It’s not.
Facebook Public Profiles are similar to user profiles, but they allow users to show their support for your business. They can do this by adding themselves as fans. Fans can upload photos and videos and write on your Wall. They can also join in discussions and express their opinions.
A Public Profile allows you to send updates regularly to your fans. Unlike personal profiles, with a limit of 5,000 members, a Public Profile has no such limitation. You can also create a business profile without providing a personal account.
Search engines can index your Facebook Public Profile. This is a significant consideration because Facebook is the most popular site on the Internet.
Facebook Public Profile is a great way to get noticed by Google and other search engines. Make your Facebook Public Profile your central hub for all your other activities on the network.
Facebook Events
Facebook Events is another helpful feature you can access directly from your Facebook Public Profile. You can use it to let your fans and other people know about events and activities you will host.
A restaurant can use Facebook Events to promote musical performances. B2B companies can use Facebook Events to announce upcoming workshops or webinars. Nonprofits and civic organizations can do fundraising.
Facebook users’ activities are displayed in their news feeds, which can quickly spread the word.
Facebook groups
You can create up to 200 groups based on geography or affinity. Each group can act as a channel to extend your Facebook presence and be used as a “fishing pool” to find new prospects and build relationships.
Participate in at least two groups before creating your own to get a feel for their work. Facebook Groups are a great way to complement your business page.
Facebook Ads
Like Google AdSense, Facebook Ads are predominantly text-based. However, they allow for a small image.
You can choose to include Social Actions. These stories relate to your advertisement and are displayed next to it. When a user performs an action related to the ad, the user’s screen name and avatar will be displayed along with the advertisement on the friend’s profile pages; this implies endorsement, so make sure you use it wisely.
Ads on Facebook Ads and other social networks are not very effective because members seldom click on them. Facebook Ads have a click-through rate of 0.008%. This means that for every 10,000 ads, only 80 are connected.
Social networking sites are not visited by people to see advertising but to socialize. Facebook Ads are a great way to increase your visibility on the site.
Facebook apps
You’ll be surprised at the number of “applications” (or “apps” as Facebook calls them) available on Facebook.
Apps created by third-party developers number in the thousands. They cover all categories, from music to games, travel, and fun.
It’s easy for you to get caught up with the hype. But sooner or later, “app fatigue” will set in. My son, a seasoned “Facebooker,” advised me to ignore all the extras and focus on the basics, such as the Wall, photo albums, and status updates. That’s good advice if you ask me.
Facebook offers a variety of applications that can help promote your business. Appvertisements, also known as branded applications or “appvertisements,” are a way to connect your business with the people you want to reach.
An application developer, Buddy Media has created dozens of campaigns with leading brands. Data shows that the company has a measurable success in engaging users.
Mike Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, said that users spend an average of 2 minutes 35 seconds per visit interacting with our brand applications. This is 75 times more than they do with banner ads and five times longer than a typical television commercial.
It is not necessary to create your applications. Instead, you can use the many business-oriented apps in the directory to promote your business. These include business cards, blogs, and networked blogs.
It would be best to look through the Business category to find applications that may be useful to your business.
Facebook Lexicon
Lexicon, Facebook’s version of Google’s Zeitgeist, is the Facebook answer. You can use it to compare and spot trends within the network.
Lexicon lets you search and analyze Facebook Wall Posts by comparing up to five-word strings per query.
Results are displayed in a variety of graphs and charts. The results can be a valuable tool for marketing professionals to understand what Facebook users think regularly.
Lexicon only collects aggregate data, and its members’ privacy is never compromised.
Facebook Share
Facebook Share is an easy-to-add button or link that allows visitors to share your site with friends via Facebook. It’s a tool to increase traffic. Facebook Share requires a basic understanding but is very easy to use.