How to use Facebook for your business

By Deshawn Peterson

SummaryO This guide was created with the consideration that you

have to spend time on the business as well as working on the business. Below are some steps you can take to increase your reach on Facebook.

O This guide will cover the following:O 1. What it isO 2. Why it’s importantO 3. Best practicesO 4. Calls to action, what you should do next

Why?OFacebook is the largest social network

in the world with over a billion users and even though it’s blocked in China, it has a huge pool of users from inland and foreign users.

Why it’s importantO Vast pool of potential customers

O Foreigners and expats will have a Facebook and use it as a place of research before traveling or participating in any activity.

O Customers will research your Facebook page, reviews, #hashtag, and degrees of separation

O Huge source of daily communication, information, and research for social selling

O Facebook is more of curation of daily social content i.e news, events, videos, friends status updates, and more.

Facebook Company PageWhat to share, things to do- Best Methods/ Practices: O When sharing content on your business page,

don’t just share pictures with no goal. O Yes, you should share pictures to keep the

account active but also you want to compete for users time. Millions of pictures are shared daily, share something more to intrigue their interest.

What to share on your company’s page?

O Behind the scenes of operation, what goes on that we usually don’t see

O Share pictures of the staff, this will help humanize the brand, show we are people and not just robots behind a screen

O Videos are becoming more important when it comes to content marketing. You have an iPhone or Android, USE IT.

O Share information that you come across yourself, share other brand’s information or content. It’s not just about you and your business, but you want to a creditable resource that has your audience’s best interest.

Questions to ask yourself and team

O What are we doing now with the company’s business page?

O How can we improve? What do you think we should do? What should we post? What would you post?

Facebook GroupsGroups are important because it’s a central hub for your community. The goal is to have a core group of 500 members (minimum) community that encourages interaction amongst each other. Here, you’ll post exclusive content, promote specials & discounts, answer questions and recommend other resources.

Things to do with your groupO Make sure to screen members and add an

exclusive element to eliminate the fat. O Don’t neglect the description, this should be

clear and outline the purpose of the groupO Ask questions to the community, get the ball

rolling so the group is active without the administrations

Things to do with your groupO Participate in discussions and always answer

questions. Even something as small as liking other’s comments will let the group know you’re there. Give calls to action regularly but not too much that you look like a promoter yourself i.e. Don’t forget to join our email list for more exclusive content, share this custom code with friends to get 10% on your next purchase.

Things to do with your groupEstablish rules to prevent the group from becoming to diluted with spammers and promoters:O Give warnings and announce when members are

removed (sometimes). Let members know you’re serious about the rules and their interests.

O Share exclusive content related to your business: discounts, promotions, pre-sales, and etc.

O Be sure to tag members when they share good content or answer other member’s questions

Questions to askO How many Facebook groups do we have

under our company? O How many members do we have? O Are they active? O What are some common topics of discussion?O Are we engaging in the community readily?

Personal PageO This is your personal brand and connections

with the least amount degrees of separation. These folks will have some link to you and will be able to refer more potential clients and share your posts.

O Proceed with caution, don’t turn off your network with too much promotion or spam posts.

Things to do with your personal profile

O Join relative groupsO Like related pages O Compare and contrast the competitionO Compare and contrast the competition

O What are some other brands doing to encourage engagement on their feed, page, or groups.

More things to doO Utilize the Search Bar

O Search trending topics in your targeted countries

O The same trends in Turkey will not be the same in the US

O As with your business page, use hashtag to join the community

More questions to answerO How often do you promote your business or

career? O What kind of information do you share on

your timeline? O Will you network be interested? O If no, why not? O What can you share in the future?

Facebook AdsO Facebook advertising network is on the verge

of rivalling Google’s Adwords. With its mass user base and data, Facebook Ads are another way to attract new business. This is an option when you are willing to start paying.

O But for now just review and use the tactics for free methods.

Additional NotesO Be sure to be as specific as possible. Male and females in

Brazil isn’t enough, you want to be a fine as a ballpoint. O Facebook Ads will ask for gender, country, city, interests,

age demographic, and zip code.O Research those have already shown interest. Review

their profiles and view their attributesO Ads costs a minimum of $5USD each day O Use Ads to acquire customers: Email subscription list,

like your page, RSVP for an event, promotions or specials, etc.