How to Use Facebook to Improve Your Online Business

Many people wonder how exactly to utilize Facebook to improve their online business.

As it turns out, Facebook is not quite a plug and play solution for marketing; however it’s a very powerful tool if used properly.

Before you can use it effectively, you must first understand that Facebook is not meant to be a marketing tool.

It never was. Heck, even big brands that pour thousands of dollars into Facebook are often disappointed in their results. So, what then is the point?

Social Integration.

Facebook is an incredibly powerful tool for creating relationships with people in your business. Customers, prospects, JV partners, and other thought leaders in your niche.

All of them are on Facebook and all of them are receptive to messages that bring value to their “socialsphere”.

Your job then is not to market yourself or your business, but to create relationships with people that can in turn provide value to you or your business.

How do you do that? Here are some examples of how to drive value-relationship based connections on Facebook:

• Solicit Submissions – Ask people to submit their content, questions, videos and more. When someone does submit a post to your wall, respond to it immediately to show you are engaged.
• Answer and Ask Questions – Encourage interaction by going out and finding questions you can answer and asking your own to draw people into conversations on your wall.
• Create an Exclusive Group – Facebook Groups may seem archaic but they are the ultimate form of exclusive social interaction. Use them wisely and you can build a following rapidly.
• Message People Directly – Use the new direct messaging feature in the Timeline to contact your fans and discuss with them specific questions or concerns they might have. Great for customer service as well.

These are only four of dozens of potentially brand-building actions you can take as a marketer on Facebook. It’s a powerful platform, but only if you think of it as the social tool that it is, not just another marketing soap box.

Facebook Marketing Done Right.

You can market yourself on Facebook, but it’s going to look very different than what you’re used to. The investments are of time and credibility not money and the dividends are of respect and authority.

So, when done properly, a Facebook marketing campaign will increase brand visibility, bolster your online presence and connect you with other marketers in your niche – all things that can lead to more sales and a stronger business.

To do this you need to first create a powerful Facebook Page and second provide targeted value to the people who become your fans. There are three things that help you achieve this goal.

1. Mobile Marketing – Create content that can be accessed and consumed on a mobile device. Facebook is used more on mobile devices like phones and tablets than on desktop computers.
2. Multimedia and Viral Marketing – Create videos, info-graphics, and other multimedia content and seed it into your Facebook Page to generate Likes and spread your name.
3. Social Proof and Scarcity in Action – People respond to things their friends like. Use the advertising features in Facebook to tap into this power and make certain components of your Page only visible to those who like you, drawing more people in based on scarcity.

Do these three things, combined with the four value-adding actions above and I guarantee your Facebook Page will light up your niche, drawing in huge volumes of fans and creating a powerful voice other people look to for guidance. What more can a business ask for right?

Please share your opinion or experience with Facebook marketing by leaving a comment below.

Thanks.

And if you’d like to connect with me on Facebook, you can do so here:  www.facebook.com/alex.safie