How to use Facebook to promote your business

You built your Facebook business page, now what do you do with it?

Lets first say you’ve made the right decision by joining the social network and creating a page. Facbook business pages are indexed and searchable inside and outside of Facebook’s 100 million users, improving the opportunity that more people will find your business and invest in your product or service.

Now that you have a business page on Facebook, here are some tips for using the network to promote your business:

Create a page that is useful for viewers. Instead of focusing your page on your product or services, give customers the information they need to solve their problems. Whether it’s in the form of white papers, blog posts or interesting discussions, provide customers with engaging content that keeps them coming back.

Make friends and start conversations. Every Facebook page has a News Feed section where actions of each user are chronicled. Whenever someone interacts with your page, that action is listed in their News Feed and on their friends’ feeds. More actions on your part equal more chances to expand your fan base.

Start Facebook groups on the topic of your business. Create groups to allow Facebook friends and customers to discuss topics regarding your business, brand and website. Group moderators can send messages and updates to group members, spreading information quickly across your network.

Promote your Facebook business page. Let everyone in your network know that your Facebook page exists. Write a blog post, alert everyone on your email lists and mention it in your newsletter. The more people in your network who find out about your page, the more friends you can make, and the larger your network becomes.

Decide whether to use paid advertising or not. Facebook offers a few paid advertising options that are targeted and wide reaching. Depending on the size of your advertising budget, businesses can invest in basic or advanced advertising and even create partnerships with Facebook Beacon.

Remember that Facebook is not an email platform. Do not use Facebook messages, invites or notifications to spam people in your network. You can be de-friended just as easily as you were added. Treat people in your Facebook network the same as you would treat any of your other customers.

For detailed information on how to use Facebook as a part of your overall social networking program, check out Facebook expert Mari Smith’s post on How to Create and Promote Your Facebook Fan Page.

Here’s a pat on the back for getting your Facebook business page up and running … now get to work on promoting it.