Services like Facebook and Twitter can seem complicated if you’re not familiar with them. And even if you use them in your personal life, this doesn’t necessarily prepare you to use them for marketing purposes. Facebook Pages-which most social-savvy businesses use-are different from personal profiles and have a whole different set of tools. So even though having some experience with Facebook is good, every small-business owner faces a learning curve when getting into Facebook marketing.
Instead of being intimidated, think of it this way: Facebook is free. Sure, you have to put some time into it if you want to use it well, but it’s definitely cheaper than many other types of marketing. Ready to get started? Here’s what to do.
Step 1: Set up your Page
Setting up your Facebook Page is easy. Just search “Facebook Page” on Google and click the official result from Facebook. This will take you through the step-by-step process. The initial setup only takes a few minutes, but you might want to take some more time to build your page before beginning to promote it. Upload photos, fill out all the information, and optimize the settings for your needs.
Step 2: Invite people to follow you
When it comes to Facebook Pages, people follow you by clicking either “like” on the left side of your Page or an off-site Like button (which we’ll get to in a moment). Once your Page is set up, invite people in your social and business circles to like you. You can also visit others’ Facebook pages and profiles and like or friend them, and leave it to them to decide whether they will like you back. If you have a blog on your website, send out a quick blog post inviting people to follow you on Facebook.
Step 3: Use like buttons
Place a Facebook Like button on all the pages of your website. But keep in mind that there are two types of Like buttons. First, there are Like buttons that cause people to like your Facebook Page and follow you. And second, there are Like buttons placed on individual content pages of your website. People use these to share interesting blog posts and articles with their Facebook friends. Both types of Likes can be set up through the official Facebook Like button setup page.
Step 4: Cross-link
Set up your site so that it posts a note to your Facebook page every time you upload a new blog post, and make sure it is clear to all your website users that they can find you on Facebook. And of course, your Facebook page should link back to your site, since that’s where your business actually happens.
Step 5: Promote and maintain your Page
Use Facebook to update your followers on new developments in your business, to inform them of new blog posts, to share coupons and special deals, or to fill people in on interesting news or anecdotes relating to your business. Be as creative as you want, and try different things. There’s no rush. Allow time for the Likes to build. And if they don’t come, consider Facebook advertising.
Step 6: Respond and Interact
You wouldn’t go to a networking event or a cocktail party and ignore the person standing next to you when they speak to you. Don’t do it online either. Be sure to respond to every post and comment on your Facebook wall (and on your blog too).
