Facebook, with 500 million active users, is a powerful social media network that provides tremendous opportunities for businesses that use it well. To take your Facebook marketing to the next level, follow these tips from these highly respected industry professionals.
#1: Add Facebook to Your Website
According to Jesse Stay, author of FBML Essentials and other Facebook books, one of the best things you can do is bring Facebook to your website, with a few simple lines of code. The easiest way to do this is by adding the Facebook Like Box to your website. It shows your Facebook page feed, pictures of people who are fans and the number of fans.
#2: Try Out Inexpensive Facebook Ads
According to Chris Treadaway, co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day, Facebook advertising is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising in Internet Marketing today. The ads are targeted, and reasonably priced for all sizes of businesses.
It's easy to set up an ad on Facebook; just go to the ads section on Facebook and click on the "Create an Ad" button.
#3 Leverage the Friends of Your Connections
Once you have your Facebook ad ready to go, Dave Kerpen, author of Likeable Social Media: Marketing to Win in a Facebook World recommends that you set up the "Facebook's 'Friends of Connections'" option, ad targeting that allows your fans to be featured in your Facebook ads. You can do this under "Targeting" where you'll see a place to display more details. In order to see this option, you have to be the admin of the Facebook Page.
#4: Provide Fun Opportunities for Your Fans to Connect
People are social and love opportunities to get together, so why not have a "happy hour" on your Facebook wall? Instead of serving drinks, give your fans an opportunity to post their links on your Facebook wall. Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, also suggest luring people in by arranging to have an expert present who can answer their questions right on your Facebook wall.
#5: Use Video to Gain New Fans
People love videos, and the great thing about it is that anytime a non-fan watches your video, a button pops up suggesting that the person like your Facebook Page. According to Ekaterina Walter, Intel's social media strategist, in order to take advantage of this feature you have to upload the video using the video tab inside of Facebook instead of embedding a YouTube video.
Anytime someone who is not a fan views your video on Facebook, they'll see the Like button for your Facebook Page on the video screen in the upper left corner. This is a great way to get more exposure and gain new fans.
#6 Use Your Facebook Page as a Lead Generator
Facebook expert Mari Smith recommends using Facebook as source for capturing leads. To do so, she recommends adding the Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language) app to your fan page. This app enables you to add custom content, including an opt-in box, to your Facebook page.
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger promotes his podcasts on his Facebook Page through the use of an opt-in page. He has a separate page for the opt-in, which does a great job of bringing attention to the opt-in opportunity.
#7 Turn your Page into a Vibrant Community
Your Facebook Page can be a great place for like-minded people to meet and mingle. Involve your customers on your page as much as you can by asking questions and suggesting ways for them to share things on your wall. The director of digital strategy at SmartBrief, Rob Birgfeld, recommends asking what your fans would like to share with you and others rather than focusing on what you want to share with them.
#1: Add Facebook to Your Website
According to Jesse Stay, author of FBML Essentials and other Facebook books, one of the best things you can do is bring Facebook to your website, with a few simple lines of code. The easiest way to do this is by adding the Facebook Like Box to your website. It shows your Facebook page feed, pictures of people who are fans and the number of fans.
#2: Try Out Inexpensive Facebook Ads
According to Chris Treadaway, co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day, Facebook advertising is one of the most cost effective forms of advertising in Internet Marketing today. The ads are targeted, and reasonably priced for all sizes of businesses.
It's easy to set up an ad on Facebook; just go to the ads section on Facebook and click on the "Create an Ad" button.
#3 Leverage the Friends of Your Connections
Once you have your Facebook ad ready to go, Dave Kerpen, author of Likeable Social Media: Marketing to Win in a Facebook World recommends that you set up the "Facebook's 'Friends of Connections'" option, ad targeting that allows your fans to be featured in your Facebook ads. You can do this under "Targeting" where you'll see a place to display more details. In order to see this option, you have to be the admin of the Facebook Page.
#4: Provide Fun Opportunities for Your Fans to Connect
People are social and love opportunities to get together, so why not have a "happy hour" on your Facebook wall? Instead of serving drinks, give your fans an opportunity to post their links on your Facebook wall. Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, also suggest luring people in by arranging to have an expert present who can answer their questions right on your Facebook wall.
#5: Use Video to Gain New Fans
People love videos, and the great thing about it is that anytime a non-fan watches your video, a button pops up suggesting that the person like your Facebook Page. According to Ekaterina Walter, Intel's social media strategist, in order to take advantage of this feature you have to upload the video using the video tab inside of Facebook instead of embedding a YouTube video.
Anytime someone who is not a fan views your video on Facebook, they'll see the Like button for your Facebook Page on the video screen in the upper left corner. This is a great way to get more exposure and gain new fans.
#6 Use Your Facebook Page as a Lead Generator
Facebook expert Mari Smith recommends using Facebook as source for capturing leads. To do so, she recommends adding the Static FBML (Facebook Markup Language) app to your fan page. This app enables you to add custom content, including an opt-in box, to your Facebook page.
Darren Rowse of ProBlogger promotes his podcasts on his Facebook Page through the use of an opt-in page. He has a separate page for the opt-in, which does a great job of bringing attention to the opt-in opportunity.
#7 Turn your Page into a Vibrant Community
Your Facebook Page can be a great place for like-minded people to meet and mingle. Involve your customers on your page as much as you can by asking questions and suggesting ways for them to share things on your wall. The director of digital strategy at SmartBrief, Rob Birgfeld, recommends asking what your fans would like to share with you and others rather than focusing on what you want to share with them.
Bonus Tip: If you feel overwhelmed by social media and if your social media efforts are taking too much time, click on the link below right now to gain access to a free 3-part video series where you'll learn:
*Why what you're doing now may be costing you profits and valuable relationships in your biz. *The 3 reasons for your lackluster social media results *How to identify the big-fat social media time wasters
Brought to you by Amy Porterfield http://simplesocialmediaformula.com
Brought to you by Amy Porterfield http://simplesocialmediaformula.com
