Best Practices For Building Valuable Businesses Relationships Through Facebook

Facebook is an amazingly popular social networking tool that can offer businesses exposure to a huge audience. Today, there are more than 300 million active users, and it is the 4th most visited site in the world according to Alexa.com.

Businesses can take advantage of Facebook’s popularity by creating a Facebook “Fan” page. A Fan page is different from a personal profile. Individuals create personal profiles to connect with friends and family. Fan pages are specifically designated to represent and promote companies and brands. However, like personal profiles, Fan pages encourage relationship-building, and people become fans of pages because they want to connect with the people behind the business name. Incredibly, more than 10 million Facebook users become fans of pages every day!

A Facebook Fan page provides significant value to businesses for several reasons. A Fan page is indexed by search engines, so when customers search for you, they are more likely to find you. By having a Fan page, you boost your search engine ranking because you are constantly updating your page with new, fresh information, and search engines love that! Anyone can view your Fan page, so even non-Facebook members can easily find you. While a personal profile is limited to 5,000 friends, businesses can have as many fans as they want! And don’t forget – it’s all free! You can create an effective, attention-grabbing Fan page without paying a membership fee or bidding on pay-per-click keywords.

If you’re skeptical about the authenticity of Facebook users, you should know that the site administrators do their best to ensure that the people and businesses represented are real and legitimate. The rigorous terms of use dictate that Fan pages must be created by a person at your company who has the authority to do so. Facebook won’t hesitate to ban users if they find abuse or misuse. Facebook also protects your personal privacy because fans don’t have access to your personal profile, and you have complete control over who sees the information on your page.

A well-defined Facebook strategy can lead to new networking opportunities and business clients. It’s quite easy to figure out how to post a message, but communicating through Facebook does require some thought and planning to attract fans and build useful relationships. To that end, I’m offering my favorite tips and best practices that will help you get the most from your Facebook Fan page!

Facebook Tips and Best Practices

1. Think relationships first, business second – this is social media! When direct marketing and overt advertising move in, fans move out! Chat, converse, and be sincere.
2. With every post, consider how others will interpret what you say. You could be followed by the media (or Oprah – you never know!).
3. Create a social marketing strategy and integrate it into your overall marketing plan. Decide your target market and identify your core message – one that will establish you and your business as a thoughtful leader. Plan your posts to make sure the information is relevant and beneficial to your audience.
4. Brand your Fan page! Fans should be able to instantly identify your company when they see your page. Include your logo and tag line. With the cool Facebook applications, you can even add HTML programming code, allowing you to identify your business with additional graphics, such as a Web banner.
5. Always be strategic, consistent, and focused with your messages. If you say you will do something, follow through! Make sure each post fits your marketing strategy.
6. Create interest by adding content-rich media, such as audio and video. Also add your newsletter opt in box so visitors can easily join your e-mailing list.
7. Give your business a personality! Let your passion for your business come through by being genuine, excited, optimistic, and energetic!
8. Consistently engage in activities that create viral visibility. Post status updates, photos, videos, messages to your fans’ walls, notes, and comments. Anyone who visits your fans’ walls will see your posts, too, increasing your exposure to potential customers.
9. Engage others in conversation. When fans write on your wall, respond. They are making an effort to reach out to you, so you should make an effort, too! Like the old saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
10. Encourage frequent visits to your page. Hold contests, offer exclusive discounts and specials for your fans, and let your fans be the “first to know” about exciting offers and announcements.
11. Monitor your own page at least once a day. Even if you don’t post your own new content, you should review your fans’ posts. Answer their questions and express your appreciation for their input.
12. Share personal and professional information, but guard your private life. You don’t have to be an open book!
13. Learn from your fans. They are your best source for feedback about current products and services. Be ready to adapt to meet their needs.
14. Be aware of all online conversations about your company and industry. With tools like Google Alerts and keyword searches, you can easily find out what others are saying about you, your competition, and the latest trends in your industry.
15. Promote your Facebook page everywhere! Consider purchasing a personalized domain name (GoDaddy.com offers them for $9.95 a year) so your Fan page URL is easy to remember. Add a Facebook icon to your Web site and blog, and link it to your Fan page. Include your Fan page link in your email signature.

Happy Facebooking!

Michelle Tjelmeland owns a Web and print firm in Springfield and is a certified social media and marketing specialist by the International Association of Social Media Specialists (IASMS).