Monday 9 December 2013

How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing To Stay Ahead Of Your Competitors

So, how does one use Facebook for business? Facebook is continuing to pick up steam with nearly 700 million active users in 2011. For businesses, promoting yourself on Facebook has become the norm, but are you promoting yourself appropriately so that fans can find your business and participate on your Facebook page? You can use Facebook to expand your business; however you need to put in the effort to master all the features and marketing possibilities that Facebook allows.
To begin, you'll want to create a Facebook fan page that will ultimately allow people to informally gather in one spot to communicate about your business. Fan pages are free and simple to put up, and can be constructed in a few hours. Have a goal of making a page that is attractive to your customers, but also very simple and effective in getting your message across. Options include interactive applications such as polls and videos pulled from YouTube to customizations that offer specific product discounts or links to your company's website. Continue to familiarize yourself with Facebook as new features are constantly added.
Once you start to use Facebook for business and your Fan Page is up, and you've tweaked all the settings to personalize the page to your liking, make time to promote your page and make some new friends. If you have an existing customer list that includes the customer's email address, you can send a simple mass email letting them know you are on Facebook. This is known as Lifecycle Marketing and centers on communicating with your customers by pushing important messages to them that can help your business. Letting them know your Facebook page is up and ready to be shown off is a perfect message to be sent so they can find you. Explain that if they become a fan, they can receive a discount off the next purchase or entered into a contest to win a prize. When fans begin interacting on your page, all of the friends of this fan will see a message on their Facebook News Feed stating their connection to this new business. This helps your Facebook page work for you, promoting yourself. This convenient ability to use Facebook for business is a sure win, as any post or messages you add to your Facebook page will be noticed by other friends.
Make sure the goal is to not only accumulate fans but to give the fans a reason to be there. Engage them in conversation to give them an up-close and personal experience. Use links, videos, photos and wall messages to engage fans in a combination of ways. The variety will help customers come back again in the future. Respect the fans' concerns and encourage honest feedback about products or services they may have received. Work to resolve an issue that may not have gotten the attention it previously deserved. Fans will appreciate the willingness and others will take notice of the personal touch provided.
To use Facebook for business, it is key to allow customers to easily find you on Facebook and become part of your business circle. Facebook shows no signs of slowing down and if your business is not on Facebook, there's a strong possibility that your competition is working to take away the market share and customers you currently possess. In today's society, there is a massive opportunity for you to promote your business to the millions of people that make up Facebook today. This is how you use Facebook for business.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6622216

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