This week I’ve been having a lot of fun on Facebook connecting with new and familiar people and groups as I am spreading the word about the virtual conference I am hosting. I also was particularly inspired by conversations I had with Bryn Johnson and Christine Gallagher, both social media mavens in very different ways, about how they are using Facebook to connect, build relationships and expand their businesses. So I thought I would share an article about how to use Facebook that I wrote last year—with some updates since the terrain keeps changing.
Here are five of my favorite ways to make the best of Facebook for business.
* Build your local business. If you have a locally-based business, like a hands-on healer, connect with other local businesses. Explore their pages if they resonate with you at all. Look to see who “likes” their business page, and consider sending them a friend invitation. I am amazed how many people from my small town and surrounding areas are on Facebook. When I did a local event last summer, I looked around at local businesses, and also other people who I knew who live nearby. I reached out and friended about 100 people over a week or so. I made some lovely new connections, and I also had new people show up at my event through my efforts. I could expand this quite a bit with more time and more focused effort.
* Reach out to those you are interested in. You would be amazed at who is on Facebook and who you can connect with by reaching out to them. Go to their profile page and write something on their “wall.” Ask a question. Send a resource. Make an affirmation or an appreciation. People who could not otherwise reach directly are often accessible through Facebook. They read what people on write on their wall. They comment back. You can “speak” with experts in your field, or people you want to create partnerships with. Send them a friend request. Write them a message when they accept it. Then after you connect, take your conversation off-line into email or a phone call. I’ve add relationships move very quickly this way—try it!
* Build your wider community with notes. You can write an article and post it to your “notes” section. You can repurpose the articles you write for your ezine (or that you’ve been thinking about writing for your ezine) in your notes section. You can then post various ideas from your article in your stream and inviting people to read your note. Have a call to action at the end of your note inviting people to get your free offer on your website so you can build your email list. Go to your friend’s profile pages and tell them about the note you just posted–choosing those for whom your topic would be particularly relevant and informative. Ask them to help you pass the word on to their friends if they feel inspired to do so.
* Promote your virtual event or class. If you have an event, class or virtual retreat you are planning, you can create an event page. You can do this either through your profile page or your business page. I don’t find event invitations very effective, although you can certainly do that. More effective is posting your event in your own stream, and inviting other people to share it with their communities. I have directly asked key people to do that for me at times, and I have also casually asked in my stream for support spreading the word. You can also send people messages with an invitation to your event–these are usually more effective than event invitations, but also take more time to create.
* Post a video with a call to action. I have also found posting a video that invites people specifically to the event or class to be quite effective. You can also use a video to invite people to get your free gift on your website. Many Facebook people are more interested in video and will check out at least the first minute or two to see what you are doing. Keep your video short and to the point, and make sure you are directing people to do something specific at the end.
I also like to have fun in a casual, friendly way, commenting on people’s status, making jokes in my own status, posting photos from events and my home. Facebook is a SOCIAL network–so it’s fun, and it pays, to be social.
And if we’re not friends yet on Facebook, please send me a request, write on my wall, say hello. I’ll write you back!
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