Use Facebook for Business Networking

Facebook has become an important part of a business Internet marketing strategy. Although the initial profiles are free, many people are paid to update business social networks and Facebook ads are available for purchase. If you are a business that wants to network with customers, or if you are a professional who wants to develop business contacts, Facebook can help. The largest growing demographic is young professionals who are over 35. You must decide what you want to get from Facebook and then find out how to become part of a networking community through educational, personal and professional posting. Read on to find out how to use Facebook for business networking.

Steps

Familiarizing Yourself with Facebook

  1. Learn about Facebook. Assuming you don't know much about Facebook for business the first thing you have to do is begin to get used to Facebook to understanding it's concept. You will create a professional account. Take time to define your goals and ways to achieve them. If you have no idea where to start, check the Facebook pages of leading companies in the use of Facebook (Coca Cola, Starbucks, etc.), or companies in your industry, and see their strategies. This will help you to familiarize how it is used and how you can apply techniques.

Creating a Profile for Networking

  1. Invest time in creating and customizing your business profile, so that your "fans" get to the page that you want, and get the information that is important to them. Customize your page (logo, tags, URL, etc.) This will help you to achieve your goals.
  2. Decide what your business networking goals are. Many small businesses use Facebook as a way to network with their community, customers, charities and business partners. Contractors or professionals use a profile as a way to develop important business contacts.
  3. Start a Facebook page, or rework an existing page. Think of your Facebook page as an online resume or a business card. Make sure the following elements are considered as part of your professional page:
    • Only elect to use a personal page if you do not have a business, and you want to network with other professionals. Create the personal page as if it is a resume. Remove excessive pictures, such as those with drinking, partying or vacations. Add education, work experience, your website, professional organizations and important hobbies.
    • Go to the "General Settings" and "Privacy Settings" in order to control what people can see on your personal profile. This is essential for anyone using a personal profile. You can also make lists, using the "Friends" section of your homepage, and choose if you want certain lists, such as friends or co-workers, to be unable to see your status update.
    • Facebook created "Fan Pages" to help businesses, charities and organizations to develop a following for their business on the Internet. Choose the type of company, upload logos and pictures associated with your company. Assign someone to consistently post to your site.
    • Complete your info sections of your profile. On either personal or business pages, this is the place where people are likely to look first. Incomplete or cryptic information sections are often thought to be Facebook spam accounts. Consider your "About Me" section to be an elevator pitch, telling people in just a few short lines what you do, why you do it and why you are a good professional contact to have. If you are a company, put your company defined pitch or brand in this section.
    • Link other social media applications, eBay and more by downloading Facebook applications. In a professional setting, you should use the event application and research other applications that can help you cross-promote with your current marketing initiatives.
    • Post photos of yourself or your employees to give your business a stronger brand image. Make sure all photos are in a professional setting, and they can do a lot to give the feeling of community and credibility to your page. They can also promote corporate culture and a happy workplace.
  4. Post a mixture of business and industry information to establish credibility. Before you start asking for friends or fans, you should have 20, or so, posts that tell your potential contacts about your interests. Consider posting industry information, educational links, links to current projects or products.
  5. Adjust your fan page's URL so that it is easy to find. Each fan page is allowed to change their page name only once, so make sure you use the name of your company, website or blog. For example, instead of Facebook.com/5525412814559, you can make your site Facebook.com/MarketingMaven.
    • Click "Edit Page" and then choose "Basic Information." You can change your URL under the "Username" option.

Business Networking on Facebook

  1. Search for current professional contacts and colleagues. Send friend requests or share a fan page with them, to start getting an initial base for business networking. These people are more likely than a new friend to share your page or help you promote your business.
    • Use Facebook's "Invite Email Contacts" link to help you connect with colleagues. You can choose to link your account with your email provider for a set period of time. They will help you find colleagues or contacts that are also on Facebook.
  2. Use Facebook's "People You May Know" and "Your Fans Also Like" sections to help expand your contacts. Although you want to be selective, these sections are developed based on networking principles that "friends of friends" may also be good friends to have.
  3. Search for partner or important businesses in your area. When you see their Facebook pages, click the "Like" button. They will get a notification that you are a fan, and they will have a chance to "like" you, in turn.
    • Becoming fans of other businesses will allow you to be associated with them. You will often be listed as a fan on their page, which can be a great way to convert their fans into your fans.
  4. Post a subscription link to your blog or newsletter occasionally. As you make new contacts, you should cross-promote your non-Facebook services. Blog, or informal, writing is a great way to promote your business, because it is usually not a hard sell and it can be used as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your website.
  5. Cross-promote your Facebook page with your website, newsletters, blogs, business cards and other advertising materials. With an easy to find URL, it is likely that people will see that you have a Facebook page. A number of those people may look at your Facebook page for promotions and business updates, and/or become your fans.
    • Connect with influential people in your industry (other companies or professionals in your field, "bloggers", journalists, etc.). Build relationships in sourcing interesting information and share your network with them, and they will return the favor.
    • Put a link to your website from your Facebook Page (Fan Page) for your potential customers to visit your website. Sometimes even a Facebook page has more visitors than a website. Also, take advantage of your Facebook page to insert links to the latest articles in your blog, promotions on your website to promote your site visit. In fact you don't actually have to set it up if you don't want and instead you can outsource the task of paying an affordable fee to have one done professionally, such as through Elance.com. or Fiverr.com.
  6. Create a Facebook group through your personal page. Facebook groups are communities that promote discussions. You can use a group to develop a professional community, a regional business network, a product, a professional advice group, a market research group or a club.
  7. Join other Facebook groups that relate to your business. With most Facebook groups, you must ask to join and the administrator will either accept or deny your request for admission. Get into discussions with people in your groups, in order to develop valuable business contacts.
  8. Turn your Facebook contacts into business contacts by inviting them to meet with you, when it is appropriate. Announce on your page if you will be traveling to a conference or expo. You can arrange for in-person networking through Facebook on your wall or through direct messaging.
  9. Use the Facebook events application to invite your contacts to important business or professional events that you or your company has planned. Encourage people who've never seen your business in person to meet in a social setting. Also, ask that your friends or fans pass on the invitation to their friends.
  10. Buy a Facebook ad to promote your page to your target demographic. If you are finding that Facebook networking is working well for you, then their low-cost advertising may create an even bigger following. Facebook ads for fan pages, group pages or events add new followers in your target audience or create a buzz around them.
  11. Find groups or communities where you can find potential clients or key players in your industry. After participating with comments. Do not worry, not everyone gives interesting information, and you can begin to lead sharing information of value to the group (links to news, blogs, photos, videos, etc..) Take advantage of course to inform them of your value blog, your company, your services.
    • For example, if you have a blog on "Animal Care" and you're in a group like "I love animals", you are able to give interesting information about the care of dogs, pet stories, news about welfare groups animals, etc. The people in this group or community, begin to identify yourself as a professional in the field, and when they or their friends need of advice about the "animal care", or will recommend you seek.
  12. Stay in touch. Companies with more fans on Facebook are those who respond to their customers. Through continuous interaction, as a company can show "Next" to your customers and concerned about their problems. This in effect increase your business reputation with increased brand perception.
    • If you think it would be interesting for your company, create a group around a shared interest potential customers of your business. This will allow you to meet a potential market, which can send interesting information about your products and / or services. Plus you'll build a reputation as a leader, sharing important information for its members, information that you already have because the group has been created for you, for your sector. Thus members recommend you and your audience will grow.

Tips

  • Read Facebook's rules regarding business accounts. They are often updated, and occasionally they outlaw certain promotional practices. For instance, in 2011, Facebook declared that contests could not be announced or held on Facebook. Anyone caught breaking their guidelines was removed from the site.
  • Check if your company has a social media policy before you post about the company you currently work at. Many companies restrict their employees from using their names or making slanderous comments on the Internet.
  • See the comments and recommendations from your customers about your products, but act proactively and ask yourself. In most cases, they will feel important and happy to work with you. Facebook is a wealth of information. Search for information about leading companies in your industry or / and direct competitors in their official websites, groups or communities where you can find information about them, participate in key discussions in your industry, and stay informed about your competition.
  • Always post good content that will interest your market, your status updates with comments and participate in groups or "Official Sites". Mind you, this is what you should do regularly. One hour a day is enough for many companies. But if you spend this time, you end up saying, as many do: "Facebook does not work", because they are given the time needed for their maintenance. Conversely, if you follow these tips to start on Facebook, you can achieve good results and expand your market.

Warnings

  • Be aware of what is happening on your site, you can quickly respond to the negative comments, which are always a risk in an open social network like Facebook. However, by being proactive, you can explain your side of the story.
  • Facebook is not necessarily for all businesses. Facebook is an online marketing tool, among many. For you may be more interesting to have a blog and / or participate in forums. Remember it is important to plan your use of social media, in order to choose the right strategy for your market.
  • Never speak poorly about a company or an employer. Although you can delete posts, all the information that is posted is stored by Facebook's servers and it may be gathered by people keeping track of a company's name on the Internet. Make sure your posts are positive, and save complaints for non-Internet communication.

Things You'll Need

  • Personal Facebook page
  • Facebook fan page
  • Facebook group
  • Facebook ad
  • Administrators

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References

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