SM& provides 10 Tips for Facebook
Newbies in this week's social media outlook.
Facebook isn't just for
college kids or consumer brands. Ninety-three percent of US adult
Internet users are on Facebook. It is the preferred way of sharing
content, second only to email. Forty-eight percent of the B2B and
B2C businesses surveyed for Hubspot's "2011 State of Inbound
Marketing Report" had acquired a client through Facebook. Are you
part of that mix?
If not, you probably should be. As Hubspot wrote in its report,
"If you don't like Facebook yet, you will." Here are some SM&
tips for small- and medium-sized businesses looking to join the
most popular social network around.
1) Create a Page. Chances are
a Page will fit your needs best. Groups
are best if you want a forum for like-minded people, whereas a Page
is a place for a local business or place; a company, organization
or institution; a brand or product; an artist, band or public
figure; some form of entertainment (movie, book, etc); or a cause
or community (which is similar to Groups anyways).
2) Make a landing page--and
make it different for fans vs. non-fans. One of the most successful
tactics to attract "Likes" is to make visitors like the page before
they see the content. Brands have also found success in prizes, and
to enter into the raffle or contest or
whatever-it-is-to-earn-that-prize, they must like the Page first.
Here are instructions from Mashable or an updated article from Hubspot.
3) Be vain. When the Page is
created, the url includes a randomly assigned number. Numbers are
not easy or convenient to remember or share. Get a vanity url as
soon as you have 25 "like" by visiting facebook.com/username. Make sure you have a
username, and then follow the steps to give your page have a
"username."
4) All social networks point to
Facebook. Integrate the feeds from your blog and your
Twitter account, set up your YouTube account to automatically post
videos on Facebook too, publish photos that give a sneak peak into
the brand's personality--and the people behind the brand! In that
same vein, use Twitter to promote links to Facebook, and/or write
an interesting blog post and tell readers that they can learn more
on Facebook. Cross-promoting works wonders, especially when you
leverage whatever network/online activity you already have
established.
5) People love visuals. A
study by Eyeviewdigital.com found that videos can increase
visitor-to-fan conversion to up to 80%. Pictures and videos are
required for successful Facebook pages.
6) Engage. Make sure your
settings enable fans to comment and share. If they do comment,
respond. Share fan-generated content. Try to include interactive
content, such as Questions and Polls. Social media is about the
conversation, which means dialogue should be two-way.
7) Reach out. Don't wait for
everyone to come to your Page; be one of the 164 million U.S.
internet users on Facebook. Explore the network and find
like-minded Groups and Pages. Comment, become a fan (as your Page),
Like other comments, and otherwise put yourself out there as an
active member of the network.
8) Be useful. If your
Facebook page develops into a reliable, interesting source of
information--a resource--then fans will follow.
9) Share well. Post smart
articles and useful links that seed conversation. Then, as not
10) Run ads & use Insights. Try organic
growth first, but if you want that extra push for fans, a targeted
Facebook ad campaign can be low cost and highly effective. Ads or
no ads, also carefully review your Facebook Insights to see who you
audience actually is. You may be surprised.
To see some examples of excellent Facebook pages, check out
these listings: