Jennifer Abernethy, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Media Marketing, says:
Think of Facebook as the world’s largest trade show (with more than 350 million active attendees!), and they have just offered you a F.R.E.E booth.
How can you pass this up? You now have a f.r.e.e booth at the world’s largest trade show. So how are you going to promote your business? Here are 5 tips to make your marketing more effective:
- Use Facebook for BUSINESS
Keep most of your shared information business-oriented. This is a business, not a social party. However, you don’t want to come across as stiff, so use the general rule of 80% business and 20% personal – just as you would in a professional environment. - Get a professional headshot
A snapshot taken on a friend’s iPhone (with your other friends cut out from the background) is NOT a professional headshot. Take a great picture that shows off your personality and professionalism. This photo should be used consistently – in ALL your marketing materials, and on all the social networks that you join, so that prospects begin to recognize you. - Network openly
It always amazes me when a business owner rejects a requested “friendship” on Facebook because they don’t know the person. If a stranger came up to you at your trade show booth and asked for your business card, would you say, “No, I won’t give you my card because I don’t know you”? When you use Facebook for business, you WANT to connect with new people. You never know where your next profitable connection lies. - Automate status updates
You don’t want to have all of your social media automated, because that defeats the purpose of “social networking” – participating in conversations and building relationships. But to save time, you can schedule a week or two of daily tips to go out in your status update. This will give your followers great value and make it look like you are spending more time on Facebook, while you are really out working with clients! Check out SocialOomph.com - Share your expertise with “Facebook Notes”
The “Notes” application is a great way to share your expertise, cultivate your following, and virally get your information out to the masses. Write about a new service you are providing or share your thoughts on an industry trend. Write as if your ideal clients are reading it. What would interest them? Use the Notes application on a regular basis. Provide value, information, and entertainment, and your followers will love it.
The number one activity you can do on Facebook to build momentum and keep your fans engaged is to update your status every day. If you do nothing else, spend 2 minutes doing this.
Remember to set realistic expectations for the amount of time you spend on the social networks, and always look for timesaving shortcuts and tools to help you.
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