"Begin with the end in mind" is an enduring principle to live by. But when it comes to Facebook marketing, our results will be greatly diminished if we begin by focusing on the end result -- increasing our bottom-line.
But isn't that why we are in business? Yes it is, but to succeed in boosting our brand in any social media community we must begin with serving and giving first and the desired end result will follow.
Here are five suggestions for business professionals to successfully leverage Facebook in their marketing efforts:
- Begin with transparency Complete your profile including the work section in its entirety. A Facebook profile portrays different facets of who you are. Make sure you include a photograph.
- Begin by building relationships using all of Facebook's capabilities. Join groups that align with your interests. Create a group for your business and hold discussions on your topic. While you can only create a profile in your name, Facebook allows you to create a page in your company's name to interact with even more "friends."
- Begin with consistently offering helpful information that your audience needs. You can easily have your blog feed automatically into your Facebook profile. Offer your business page fans a way to regularly receive information from your e-zine by using the html feature.
- Begin with sharing and interacting. Share your event, presentation slides, photos, and videos to stimulate conversation and spread your message in the end. Comment on other "friends" shared postings.
- Begin with enhancing your business profile page with Facebook applications. Subscribe to "Introductions," "Testimonials," "Business Cards," "Twitter," and "Slideshare" among other business-oriented applications. These applications allow you to connect and interact while spreading your message in the process.
Once you begin to implement these principles, focus on connecting and building relationships first. Sooner rather than later, you will realize the end results -- higher visibility for your brand and ultimately increasing your bottom line.
About the Author
Lena Claxton is a new media expert for Forbes.com and the co-author of “How to Say It: Marketing with New Media ” (Penguin, 2008.) You can contact her at lena@newmediamavens.com or at 704-492-7326.