Social Networking 101 Part 2: Facebook

Welcome back to our second segment on Social Networking 101. Last week, I highlighted few 'essential' features for you to consider incorporating into your own Facebook business page. These features will help add some depth to your page by providing multiple outlets for you to expand your business and brand beyond the walls of Facebook.

So, you have a business page up and running. Now it's time for you to find people, business and organizations to 'like' you. You'll also want to find influential people, businesses and organizations to 'like' and 'friend'. It's equally as important for you to follow these key players in order to keep an eye on emerging trends and business/networking opportunities.


How do I get people to “Like” my business?

It’s important to remember that building viewership doesn’t happen overnight. It will require some time and a continual effort to build an audience. Here are some helpful suggestions on where to begin your search:

1) Use your email list to search for current customers by their email address

2) Find industry groups by preforming a simple search and ‘friend’ people within these groups

3) Perform searches by using general industry terms such as “signs”, “vehicle wraps”, “print”, etc.

4) Search for your local Chambers of Commerce and key members

5) Search for local businesses (retail, restaurants, bars, construction, etc.) in your area and owners

6) Search for local retail associations, construction associations, etc.

7) Search for industry associations (ISA, SGIA, etc.)

8) Search for local city planning groups

9) Search for industry publications (construction, retail, etc.)

What business pages and groups should I join?

Keep a pulse on the industry, emerging trends, and bidding opportunities by following key business pages and groups in the industry. Here are some ideas on where to start searching (and yes, some of these were mentioned above):

Shopping Center Groups
Local Business Networks
Industry Associations
Chambers of Commerce
Community Development Groups
Local Retail Associations
Restaurant Associations
Local city/county government
Local construction companies
City planning groups
International Sign Association
National Retail Federation
International Franchise Association

How will people find my business page?

You can use different tactics to increase your exposure and market your social networking sites to current and prospective customers. Consider sending an email to all current and potential customers with a special offer and inserting a blurb about joining/following you on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

Tip #1 - Make sure you website supports your social networking efforts. Place your Facebook, Twitter, blog, and YouTube icons in a visible spot on your Home Page. Ultimately, your website is the most important marketing tool you can invest in. Before you start connecting your website to your social networking applications take a moment and review your site from an end user-buyer perspective.

Is your website easy to navigate? Is it easy to find your contact information? Is it easy to find your services and products? Do you provide valuable and timely information? Is your website easy to read? Is your website interactive? Well organized?

Ultimately, when customers navigate to your website from Facebook or Twitter will they be able to easily find the information needed to make a business decision?

Next week:
Let's move beyond Facebook and migrate over to the world of Twitter. Twitter can be an intimidating force, but my goal to help you get more acclimated, familiar, and comfortable with using this tool. Until next week...

Remember:
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