With 250 million+ active users, it’s safe to say that at least a portion of your customer base is on Facebook. It’s no longer the domain of college students, but the online hangout for moms, dads, grandparents, and more importantly – people of all ages and interests from your locale. Real people and organizations are on Facebook – that’s their USP and that’s why YOU need to be found there. Being on Facebook shows that you’re real – and makes great strategic sense at the same time.
Maybe you’re already using Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family. That’s a great place to start, but I encourage you to take it one step further and set up a business page. A Facebook business (or fan) page offers the same easy-to-use, easy-to-look-at functionality, but it’s all business.
Your business page can sport up-to-the-minute status updates that any “fan” will see on their own news wall. You business page is public and you’ll find that it’s quickly indexed by Google.
Think of your status message updates as tiny blog posts because not only will your Facebook fans see them, but they’ll show up in the search results on Google and Bing. Be sure to link back to your main company web site from within both your personal and business page profiles.
Today’s Assignment: If you’re not already on Facebook, sign up at www.facebook.com. Begin with setting up a profile. Take a few minutes to fill out your basic information. Add only the personal information that you’re comfortable sharing with everyone in the universe. Upload a photo. Update your status with anything you like, then search for a few friends. I’ve found friends on Facebook that I haven’t seen since I was a teenager. That’s the fun part!
Next, create a page for your business. That’s easiest to do if you start from another business page. You’ll find ours here: www.facebook.com/ZeroToSixtyMarketing. Go ahead and click the “Become a Fan” button at the top of the page if you’re so inclined, then scroll down the left side of the page to the link “create a page for my business.” From there, follow the on screen directions for the basic setup.
Want to learn more about marketing your business with Facebook? Check out these resources:
- Small Business Guide – Marketing Your Business with Facebook from New York Times
- Facebook Business Pages – How YOU Doin’?
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I never thought facebook status could be that important thanks for that simple yet very helpful tip.
Small Business owners are largely forgotten. Thats why I only focus on them. I have experience several members of my family file bankruptcy due to small business failures. I also I suffered through 2 destroyed businesses due to failure however, in my failings I have learned some of the secrets to success. (Who can say they know it all?
What I like about small business owners is that they are not afraid to take huge risks and lay it all on the line. But, I agree they do need a lot of help with their marketing. I think having them go the social media and email route is not only the least expensive but its also the most effective. Thanks for the stats!………
Thank you for the helpful information. I am however in the process of trying to set-up Facebook fanpages for my website.
I get that Facebook is a fantastic marketing tool, but I sure don’t understand how people spend so much time on it.
Thanks for your comment. Facebook continues to grow in popularity and can be a very useful tool for the business owner, but like you, I don’t have a lot of time to spend there. You’ll find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/ZeroToSixtyMarketing.