Using Facebook to Market Your Business

Presented by the EKU Small Business

Development Center

• What is Social Media?• The Magnitude of Social Media• Facebook Overview

• Creating a Facebook Page• Promoting a Facebook Page• Tips and Tricks

• The Timeline for Pages• Advertising on Facebook• Resources

Agenda

Ways to spread the word about your brand or product on the Web using tools and websites that allow a conversation to take place between you and your target market.

What is Social Media?

Is Social Media Important?

• Social Media is an increasingly important asset for businesses to get found by potential clients.

• Thing about ways you find information about products and services. Radio? TV? Junk Mail?

• Or are you searching on the internet?

Ways Social Media Works Well for Small Businesses

It’s Authentic

Frequent, Informal Updates

Wor(l)d of MouthLow Expense

Humanizing

Popular Social Media PlatformsGoogle +: Google’s effort to implement a facebook-like platform; hasn’t really caught on as the next new thing.

Foursquare: Location-based social media allowing you to check-in and connect with your friends; has similarity to the facebook check-in feature.

Linkedin: Business-related social media most often focused on professional people and professional job seekers.

Facebook: The most widely-used social media that provides many functionalities including chat, location-based activities, news and information updates, among others.

Twitter: Very popular format that allows text-based messaging among friends/followers.

Facebook’s History

• Founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates while as students at Harvard University in 2004.

• Membership was initially limited to Harvard students, then to other Ivy League area schools.

Facebook Numbers

• Recent statistics– 901 million users as of March 2012– 50% of users login daily– User averages 55 minutes per day– Average user has 130 friends

• It is now the most trafficked website in the world.• The fastest user demographic is 55 years and older.• Over 10 million users become fans of pages each day.

Facebook Mobile

• More than 350 million active users of Facebook mobile.

• Mobile users are twice more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.

Getting Started

• Personal Accounts vs. Business Accounts– Individual PROFILES are for people.– PAGES are for businesses.

• Do NOT create a personal profile for a business!

Profiles vs. Pages

• Pages allow you to designate multiple administrators, as several can manage the account.

• Pages are public and will start ranking in Facebook and public search results.

• Pages are split into different categories (local businesses, brands, musicians) that help you get listed in more relevant search results.

• Personal profiles have friends, which require mutual acceptance, whereas anyone can become a fan of your page without first going through administrator approval.

Understanding Pages

• Updates will display in the news feed of those who become a fan of your page.

• Any interaction fans have with your page will be displayed in their Facebook friends’ news feeds as well. This way, your Facebook fans expose your brand .

• Define a reason for your page. You need to ensure your page can compete with other business pages.

• Analyze your stats.

Creating a Page

• How to set up a Page.– To get started, go to

www.facebook.com/pages/create.php– Then walk through the wizard to create your

page.– Choose a category.– Choose a name for your page.– Create page.

Establishing a Unique Username for your Page

• You can personalize your Facebook URL (web address) by selecting a unique username. It will appear in the location bar of your browser after "http://www.facebook.com/" when you view your profile or Page.

• Add your Facebook URL to your email signature and any marketing materials (business cards, brochures, etc.) so people can more easily learn more about you.

How to Promote a Page

• Create an engaging page.• Leverage the viral nature of Facebook—the

news feed.• Draw on your existing networks.• Make sure the Page is publicly searchable. Go

to Edit Page, then Settings, then click on “Published” (publicly visible).

Timeline Tips• Cover Photo (851 x 315 area).

– Capture the essence of your brand’s identity.– Make it unique to your brand and/or services.– You cannot use the Cover Photo for:

• Price or Purchase Information (40% off).• Contact Information.• Like or Share or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these.• Call to action like “Get It Now” or “Tell Your Friends.”

• Profile Pic (32 x 32 Thumbnail).• Organize your views and apps.• Focus more on sharing content and your brand story and

less on conversations and heavy selling techniques.

More Timeline Tips• Promote best stories or posts by selecting

the star icon to “highlight” them.– It becomes a full width post.

• “Pin” a post to the top of your Timeline by selecting the pencil icon.–Pinned posts will stay at the top for up to

seven (7) days.• Enable Messages.

–You can now have private conversations with your fans/followers.

Tips and Tricks

• Spelling counts.• Post frequent updates on relevant happenings.• Post updates consistently.• Upload photos—people LOVE photos!• Follow local people—customers, vendors,

community groups.• Establish on open line of communication with the

press and other influencers in your community.

More Tips and Tricks

• Record candid “interview” conversations with your staff.

• Video your company at work.• Share your successes, no matter how small.• Don’t underestimate the power of weak links.

Friends of friends are much more likely to help you out than strangers.

Facebook Advertising

• To get started, go to www.facebook.com/advertising and click “Create an Ad”.

• Choose your target options. Based on target options, you will be able to estimate the reach of your ad.

• Finally, select a payment type and budget for your ad campaign.

• You can choose Pay per Click or Pay for Impressions.

Resources

• Mari Smith on Facebook• www.mashable.com• www.socialmediaexaminer.com• www.allfacebook.com

Any Questions?

• Thanks for your time and attention.