- Website complete with SEO? – Check!
- Successful targeted Email marketing campaign? – You betcha!
- Effective, strategic and fun marketing utilizing a resource that has over 250 million users? – Say What?
So, maybe you missed the boat on that last one. Don’t worry, because it’s not too late to ramp up your marketing efforts using the largest social networking site in the world – Facebook. Although it may not be the right choice for all businesses, there is a smorgasbord of tools available to business owners and marketing strategists using this customizable platform.
Creating a Facebook fan page could be the best decision of your business career… or, at the very least, it just could be another touch point for your customers to get in contact with you and learn more about your products and services. Having a facebook fan page can be rewarding. If you prepare and have a strategy in place, you’ll be much better off when using this popular social network to market your business.
First, let’s tackle the “should I be using Facebook” question.
Just because you own a business or run the marketing for a company does not mean ALL marketing tools will be beneficial. Some could be a waste of valuable time for you and your company. With that in mind, here are a few things to consider while deciding whether to use FB or not:
- You have share-able content to put online – photos, videos, blog posts etc.
Facebook users and your potential customers love visual representation. If you don’t have any photos, videos or even a blog to display what you do, Facebook may not be right for you. Your page will look empty and bring little value to your Facebook fans if you have no content to share with them. - Determine what your target market is using for social networks
This can be done in a variety of different ways. You can search for your target demo online, you can ask other people in you industry OR you can ask your customers. Although there are many different age groups and demographics on Facebook, not everyone believes it is the most effective resource. That is ultimately up to you to decide. An example of an alternative is LinkedIn, which harbors an excellent amount of wealthy and educated users. If these sound more like your clients, you might want to reconsider using Facebook or consolidate your efforts to the appropriate social networking site. - Are you comfortable with the transparency of Facebook?
Being professional in your online presence is important. Always represent your brand as you would in person. If you cannot act in a professional manner, or have an employee base who does not exercise proper online etiquette, then Facebook may not be for you! - Do you have the time and resources available to participate in this large and fast moving social networking site
Not only is Facebook the largest social networking site, but it is very fast moving. With a fan page your fans can comment, post pictures and interact with your content. Do you have the resources and time available to you to monitor and participate in these conversations?
Those are just a few things to consider before creating your company Facebook page or before moving forward with your Facebook initiative.