Facebook is an ideal place to start a business. Think about it. There
are literally millions of users on the site. They belong to groups and
networks. They use the different site applications. Basically, they are
sharing their lives and interests with you so that you can help enhance
it.
If you look back at the Social Networking chapter, you'll notice that
we talked about the ethic of social networking. These absolutely apply
when using the site to promote your business. You first need to make
sure that your actions aren't violating the terms of use. If they are,
you need to change your approach.
Also, make sure that no matter what you're trying to accomplish, that
you don't use the site to SPAM people. You will not be successful on
the site this way. You'll just annoy people.
If you use the site ethically and follow the terms of use, you won't have any problems.
THE BASIC PHILOSOPHY
The basic philosophy behind using the site for business is to do what
you can to build a community around your profile, service, and/or
product. If you just post a bunch of links and a sales pitch, people
won't respond to that. They want to get to know the company or brand
and have a good time there.
For example, if you run a fantasy football site, your profile will
focus on your love for the game. You may also start a group with
fantasy football as the theme. You can post your ad and the link for
your fantasy football service in the group and those who are interested
will click on it.
If people learn to trust your voice and understand that you're on the
site to get to know them, they'll respond to that and buy your product
or decide to use their service.
To further enhance your group and encourage participation you can
create and/or add applications, post a poll, and hold meetings where
your group members can discuss things.
GAIN EXPOSURE FOR YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE
Your basic goal is to use Facebook to get exposure for your product or
service. You can use the site to get people familiar with your product.
An important aspect of this is to use the site to help build a brand.
Even if your product is a little uninteresting (for example, a topic
related to finances) you need to do your best to make sure that you
somehow make it interesting to your potential customers.
The way Facebook works is that you need to find a way to keep people
engaged and interested in what you have to offer. You can do this
through applications, groups, and by attracting potential customers
based on what's on your profile.
BUILD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
In order for your online business to succeed on Facebook, you need to
build a sense of community. People crave this sense of belonging - it's
a basic fact of human nature. In order for your business to succeed,
you can't sell to them. You need to make people understand that you
want to belong to them, that you want to create a placed for people to
go and participate in what you're offering.
People want to be introduced to new ideas. They want to find people
with the same interests. They want to connect with others and form
friendships on the site. If you are going to use the site for business
purposes, this is something that should always be in the forefront of
your mind.
HOW CAN YOU USE IT FOR BUSINESS?
So, how exactly can you use Facebook for business? There are several
different things you can do with your account, and all of them will
lead to your eventual success. When you decide to run a business from
your Facebook account, you can choose the activities that make sense
for your goals.
Here's a list of what you can do with your account:
- Create a user base and a customer base.
- Test a niche to make sure you can sell a product on the internet.
- Promote a business or a service.
- Use the profile to get clients. (For example, if you're a personal trainer.)
- Use the groups, networks, applications, and general site trends to generate ideas.
- Beta test a product to see if it can sell. Use feedback from your friends to tweak the product and make changes to it.
- Use the site to do some affiliate marketing. Just make sure you read the terms of use on the site.
These are just a few examples of how you can use the site to build or start a business.
If you take a look at companies that are currently using Facebook to
promote their products, there are a few basic things that they are
doing. Each of these ideas must be applied while still keeping the idea
of building a community at the forefront of your mind.
A NOTE ABOUT LINKS
Yes, you can use Facebook to do affiliate marketing. If you don't know
what affiliate marketing is, it's a way for you to prevent products
that other people have written and get a certain percentage in
commissions.
It is important to note, however, that if you want to use the site for
affiliate marketing, the terms and conditions prevent you from posting
an affiliate link directly in your profile. You can get around this by
putting affiliate links in a blog and putting the link to your blog in
your profile section.
Find
out ways to make money using these ideas
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