Using Facebook for Business

The secret's out that social media can be used to the advantage of businesses and organizations of just about all walks. And even though for some owners the details are still sparse and the benefits are unclear, there's a growing willingness to open up shop in an unfamiliar land. As long as it will pay off.

So does social media pay off for businesses?

Take Facebook as an example. More than a convenient way to keep up on friends, this medium has grown leaps and bounds into a platform that does everything. It's not just updates and profile photos anymore.

The entrepreneurial mindset has taken residence at Facebook, and now there are a whole array of methods to market your brand.

For instance, here are a few ideas for using Facebook for business:

• Show examples of customers using your product in creative ways
• Promote an upcoming event and invite people to it
• Hold a contest
• Open the floor to customer suggestions (this is as much a listening tool as it is anything else)
• Start a whisper campaign about a new product or service
• Highlight a star employee, or honor a customer
• Link to groups that your fans will appreciate and benefit from

As you outline your plan, remember that people are online looking for your brand. Someone wants to find you. And, like your company's email newsletter, Facebook offers another avenue for getting new people to your website, where they can call your phone number, fill out your contact form, or buy from your e-commerce store.

As you contemplate what to do next, consider these 3 basics of using Facebook for business:

Complete your page/profile. Filling out your company's name and phone number is only the beginning. This is your chance to talk about why you do what you do; make use of it.

Keep it fresh. Creating a social media account just to let it fall into abandon later is as bad as not setting it up in the first place. For the same reason you wouldn't send your resume from 10 years ago to your current potential employer, your fans don't want to read what was "current" about you last year; they want to know what you're doing right now.

Always remember what it's really about. Facebook's purpose, in part, is to connect people. Consider what fans are looking for at Facebook. They're probably looking for a face to put with your company's name. You can assist by updating your photos, videos, events, discussions, and notes.

Put these basics into regular practice, and you're over halfway there.

About the Author

The Internet Marketing Strategy team at August Ash likes to talk about these kinds of things. In fact, they really, really like to talk about these things. They aren't bad listeners, either. If you're looking to bring your business or non-profit into the social media age, give the internet marketing Minneapolis team at AAI a call.