Why use Facebook for business?
A Facebook Page is a public profile that enables you to share your business and products with Facebook users. People can click on a button to 'Like' your page and when your fans interact with your Facebook Page, Facebook tells their friends, driving word-of-mouth to a wider circle of friends, increasing your visibility. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eE-5nE_BQ4 (video) Even if you're not on Facebook, your potential customers may be, so it’s a good idea to be familiar with it.
Discussion started by Rosie Slosek , on Tuesday, 27 April 2010 22:02
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Helen,
If you follow the instructions in this link you will see how to do ti.
http://crueltobekind.org/how-to-set-up-the-vanity-url-for-your-facebook-fan-page-627
Any more problems then you skype me @ tribalcafe
Gary
If you follow the instructions in this link you will see how to do ti.
http://crueltobekind.org/how-to-set-up-the-vanity-url-for-your-facebook-fan-page-627
Any more problems then you skype me @ tribalcafe
Gary
Help, I have a Facebook business page with over 25 people liking it .... I think I have the www.facebook.com/myname URL, BUT how do make it work? My business page links from my personal page with a www.facebook.dj/myname.
if anyone can help that would be great. Helen
if anyone can help that would be great. Helen
I have always seen Facebook as my Social place and haven't yet adapted my profile to use it for business but this blog opened my eyes: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-reasons-facebook-trumps-twitter-for-business/ which looks at being smart with privacy and list settings so that facebook can work for you if this is where your customers are - much more B2C than B2B I'd say. Hope this helps. Claire
A facebook fan page is free and you can customize your url with facebook e.g. www.facebook.com/mybusinessname - this allows you then to promote it and use it as a landing page (you need a minimum of 25 fans on your fan page) for this. The basic tabs provided are fine but where you really see a difference is when companies customise fan pages using a code called FBML (similar to HTML for web pages). You can then do some amazing things e.g. promote and sell products on facebook fan pages, run competitions, pretty much anything that you can do with a website. This then becomes your platform for seeling to people on facebook.
Why be on facebook - uk has over 28M (worldwide 500M) people on faceook, average time spent is 27min, fastest growing group is 35+. Only 5M are under 19. Advertising on Facebook is amazingly targeted and you can do Pay Per Click - very cost effective way of promoting your business.
You can't just paste things around the place and expect to get business - you might get some but social media when worked well is about demonstrating expertise, building trust and having conversations - much as you would do at network meetings. According to AC Nielsen 78% of people no longer respond to advertising where there is no recommendations from others.
The further of facebook comes in when you link it with other social networks so you build up an ecosystem of contacts and people. This tehn has the ability to become a community of customers, your customers, with more data than you have in most CRM systems and the people themselves upddate it not you - how remarkable is that.
Social media is so much more than a set of tools - it is about understanding how people behave first and then listening to your customers in a way that you can't do anywhere else. Yes there it is proven to work for both business to business and business to consumer. Plenty of case studies.
Hope this people some help.
Gary
Why be on facebook - uk has over 28M (worldwide 500M) people on faceook, average time spent is 27min, fastest growing group is 35+. Only 5M are under 19. Advertising on Facebook is amazingly targeted and you can do Pay Per Click - very cost effective way of promoting your business.
You can't just paste things around the place and expect to get business - you might get some but social media when worked well is about demonstrating expertise, building trust and having conversations - much as you would do at network meetings. According to AC Nielsen 78% of people no longer respond to advertising where there is no recommendations from others.
The further of facebook comes in when you link it with other social networks so you build up an ecosystem of contacts and people. This tehn has the ability to become a community of customers, your customers, with more data than you have in most CRM systems and the people themselves upddate it not you - how remarkable is that.
Social media is so much more than a set of tools - it is about understanding how people behave first and then listening to your customers in a way that you can't do anywhere else. Yes there it is proven to work for both business to business and business to consumer. Plenty of case studies.
Hope this people some help.
Gary
Facebook is free despite the numerous scare campaigns. It may cost if you are a big company/brand - I need to find that out - but for the average user it is completely free.
I use Facebook every day and most of my contacts use Facebook for business most days as well and I haven't heard of anyone being charged.
I use Facebook every day and most of my contacts use Facebook for business most days as well and I haven't heard of anyone being charged.
I thought Facebook for Business was NOT free. Does any of you use it and knows? Adi Stephen said it was free...
Facebook can be professional and unprofessional. Some people get drunk at work events, some people act professionally and only have a drink or two. It's the same with Facebook. Decide what is appropriate for the business you are in and adapt your strategy. Decide if you want a professional page only or a business and personal profile or just a personal one. If you're self-employed, having a professional looking profile photograph is always a good idea (that's one that doesn't show you stoned or drunk). Many people use Facebook like a search engine, so it's good to have a presence.
I have always been anti-Facebook because of it's reputation etc. Recently I was forced to join because of a small group of people with whom I wanted to stay in touch. They all are on Facebook and I felt like an outsider not being in touch with them. I don't use it just have a good picture there and only basic info. Now the important bit: Last week I got a an email message from a headhunter via Facebook who for some reason couldn't get in touch with me via Linkedin so he searched for me on Facebook! Good job I was there - shame I no longer look for a high flying job in the IT industry. Just goes to show that business people do use all these sites now - Twitter and Facebook for more serious stuff than before...I'd better put my profile on Facebook now - thanks Rosemary!
I've recently added a page on facebook for my jewellery business Just Because!
We've managed to get over 70 fans .... some existing clients, others friends of friends.
We put on fashion information, events we will be at, and other fun things ... Like a link to the M&S ad by Caroline Quentin saying "Just Because" - thanks for the free publicity M&S!
And best of all, its free :)
We've managed to get over 70 fans .... some existing clients, others friends of friends.
We put on fashion information, events we will be at, and other fun things ... Like a link to the M&S ad by Caroline Quentin saying "Just Because" - thanks for the free publicity M&S!
And best of all, its free :)
I worry that Facebook isn't "professional" enough and may give the wrong impression - what do you think?
I totally agree. Start it and push it like mad until you have 100 fans and then it will take on a momentum of its own. My fan page really generates sales for me.