subject: How to: Integrate Facebook into Your Business [print this page] How to: Integrate Facebook into Your Business
Why Facebook?
Most people today have a personal Facebook account and spend loads of time on it, be it on games or merely page / profile hopping, engaging with other users online.Millions of users access Facebook on a daily basis and this also means that Facebook hasa potential ready market of millions to be accessed by your brand and you just need to be a part of thishuge global network. What you need to do is to merelyfind ways to tap into it.
The good news? Facebook is nowhere near in pulling their brakes. They are here to stay, continually innovating their services and recently seenwanting to integrate deeper into the mobile devices, tying in with Android operating systems. Just so you know, Facebook's actual value is reported to be a whooping $23 billion (Forbes) and $33 billion byThe Financial Times!
The bad news? Having a Facebook page alone isn't going to get you anywhere it is only the beginning.
1. You'll need a plan.
Yes,social media IS business thus requiring a strategy to truly succeed. Start by setting goals for your Facebook page followed by specific tasks on how to achieve them. You may want to look at:
1. How many likes' to gain by end of the year?
2. How often will you be able to contribute to the page? (e.g. at least 3 days a week / videos / images)
3. How would you want your followers to interact with you? (e.g. share your contents / provide feedback)
4. What is the final outcome for your page? (e.g. to drive traffic to your site / to receive suggestions)
5. Do you need a team to manage the page or an individual?
6. What do you need to do to achieve your goals?
2. Command attention.
Like it or not, in most situations, even the most valuable content you can ever provide will be ignored yes, despite the traffic. How so?Simple: they areNOT paying attention to you. There are so many things happening on the screen: instantmessaging, emails, Skype, daily news and if that's nothing, do not forget the various happeningsinside Facebook itself (e.g. wall posts, photos, videos, games and etc)!
Already sounding impossible?Not quite.
You'll need aPULL, something that draws their attention to you. No, definitelynot advertising becauseconsumers today are immune to advertising. They know when to turn away when an ad starts playing and even the most annoying popups can deliberately be ignored without being seen! It has to be something that RELATES to them. This PULL can beexclusive contents,benefits,giveaways,outrageous offers andmore!
Think of ways that will excite them. Some marketeers cleverly pack information intovideo presentations andaestheticallypleasingimages -why? They knowwhat relates and excites their followers: Videos and images definitely captures attention better than text. When it excites them, consumers are likely toshare it across the social media. Once again, this isCo-Promotion through WORLD-of-mouth.
"Know what your customers are looking for.In social media, your followers comes first! Forget about getting new prospects you'll getstronger conversions with your followers on your side"
3. Stick to it!
Consistency is the key and this is perhaps thedifficult part and determines the initial make or break. Most brand pages fail because they are unable to stick with what they have in mind. Either the management team is too bogged up with other work or they've given up after weeks of trying to no avail.
"Pages fail due to lack of commitment. Lack of commitment to the page is simply telling your customers We don't care"
Social media takes time, just like traditional businesses. You may hear stories of people making big money with social media over night but the truth is, most businesses can't. This is where you may want to utilize your contacts, publicize your page on your official site, name cards,pamphlets, brochures, ads and etc to make use of your Facebook presence.You can hold discussions, get feedback, throw special promotions, contests and more to drive interest, traffic and participation to your page.
