How Facebook Grows My Business and Facebook For Business Tips
November 28, 2007 by Sherman Hu
Filed under Blogging, Social Media
Here’s an article I’ve written for a Vancouver-based tech writer who’s asked me to share my experiences with Facebook, how it has benefited my business, and what tips I can offer other folks in using Facebook to promote their businesses. I’m confident you’ll gain insights that you can use – today.
1. How has Facebook helped me to grow my business?
When I first started out with my Facebook Profile, it was with the intention to connect with current and old friends and colleagues. It wasn’t till I tracked my Q3/Q4 statistics on my blog, did I realize that Facebook accounted for a decent and growing percentage of new visits to my ShermanLive.com blog, where I help business owners simplify and demystify technology so they can profit from it.
That was when I approached Facebook with more intentionality. This involved creating a Facebook Group as a beginner’s guide to help technophobes master the basics of the web. This group, with more than 350 members today, showcases more than 60 videos, teaching the basics like domain registration, hosting, creating web pages and blogs etc. In addition, I created a Facebook Group for members of my WordpressTutorials.com training site.
In being proactive in these groups and my profile, and engaging in dialogue with key contacts in my friend network, I’ve attracted hundreds of new visitors to my blog and my other web properties, attracting them to engage in my product and service offerings.
In addition, the conversations I’ve engaged in with new acquaintances and friends have sparked new business opportunities. These new opportunities have added to my bottom line in new alliances, new projects, new consulting and speaking gigs and new profits.
The networking opportunities are incredible on Facebook, as the platform offers you a sneak peek into the personal and business life of a Facebook ‘Friend’. At a glance, I can get a feel about a Facebook friend’s preferences, likes, dislikes and conversational style. These offer me very effective ice-breakers to engage in conversation with them. These conversations grow into stronger relationships, which may benefit both parties for business or personal interests.
In summary, Facebook has helped to enhance my business and personal life with new, enriching relationships and profits.
2. What recommendations do I have for other businesses in using Facebook to promote their products or services?
Put On Your Party Hat & Join The Party!
Quote from Wikipedia (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook)
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As of late November 2007, the website has the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites, with 55 million active members (including non-collegiate members) worldwide, with membership expected to surpass 60 million users by the end of the year. From September 2006 to September 2007 the site’s traffic ranking increased from 60th to 7th, according to Alexa. It is the number one site for photos in the United States, ahead of public sites such as Flickr, with over 60 million photos uploaded weekly.
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Its a party with close to 60 million users, and 200,000 new users joining everyday – what’s not to like?
Facebook users proactively use Facebook to connect with their current friends and find old friends, share picture and video galleries and communicate openly on their ‘Walls’ and private messages. There are also many business applications that add features to your profile. Facebook also offers Facebook Groups (interest groups that have grown to the thousands) and Facebook Ads, a very powerful demographically-targeted promotional service being offered to Facebook users. You can read more about other services that Facebook offers here.
With 1 million new post-college users joining every week, it should catch the attention of all businesses to dive into and research this phenomenon.
The least a business should do is to research interest groups (Facebook Groups) related to their product or service line or their ideal audience, and feel the pulse of the community. I would strongly suggest that new users put on their party hats, join several interest groups, add value to the ‘party’ with tips, advice, photos, videos and other helpful insights. As you gain trust, respect, influence and subject matter expertise, the users in those Facebook Groups will then seek out your Facebook Profile or your web properties to engage in your offerings.
Don’t Be A Social Dork!
There’s a reason why it’s called Social Media.
Keep it Social. Keep it Relational. Keep it Community-Centric.
Like in blogging, infuse your ’speak’ and ‘conversations’ with your personal voice.
Don’t be a social dork by blatantly pitching your products and services – it’ll get you nowhere fast.
Create Your Own Party!
After you get your feet wet, you may want to consider creating your own Facebook Group or Facebook Page. It doesn’t have to be a topic that’s super-niched to your product or service, as it can be one that’s loosely related to your offerings.
For example, Dove could setup a Facebook Page about ‘Real Beauty’ – showing pictures, videos and posting notes about the power of ‘real beauty’. They don’t have to blatantly pitch their Dove products. Get it?
It’s Not A One Night Stand!
Keep in mind that you’re building a positive brand, a positive reputation, a positive community around your company, your products or your services.
This is relational, social, and about community.
Not a one-night stand. Not bam-bam-thank-you-ma’am.
It’s courtship. It’s dating. And it takes time. But its all worthwhile.
Where else can you find a party with 60 million users, offering you demographics, geographics, pyschographics and their conversations, pictures, videos and their likes/dislikes to begin a conversation, a relationship?
Where else can you setup a group around a relevant topic, attract Facebook users to participate in the conversation, and enjoy the benefits of knowing what your audience likes or dislikes.
In closing, be smart about Facebook. Throw on your party hat and join the party. Don’t be a social dork. Create your own party. And remember, it’s not a one night stand.
Would love your feedback and comments – simply click the ‘Comments’ link below. Thanks!
Related posts:
- New Facebook Group: Beginners Guide to Mastering Web Basics
- Facebook For Business Interview (Ep.13 – SL20071008)
- Sherman Hu Shares Facebook Strategies With Howie Jacobson, Adwords For Dummies
- Blogging, Facebook & Creating Videos – Half Hour Huddle 01 (Ep.09 – SL20070926)
- Lasse Rouhiainen Interviews Sherman Hu On Facebook, Blogging & Video For Business
Thank you Sherman for this great perspective. I would like to send it to all my fair ground managers and public relations people. Unfortunately I deal in a field in which most of people are not technology aware. Although, some are and they are the ones whose fari and or event will survive and continue to grow. Again, thanks for summing up what opportunities Facebook is good for. I will pass it on.
Great Karen! Thanks!
Great article Sherman, Intelligent and very insightful.
That makes a lot of sense, but I really wonder what the demographics of the Facebook audience is. Any way to better tell how the Facebook crowd lines up with a given target market? I’m assuming the Facebook crowd are similar to the MySpace crowd (?) Or maybe I’m getting the wrong impression.
Thanks for the article, Sherman. I signed up at facebook over the summer on a tip that it would be great for business, but honestly didn’t “get” it. To put it bluntly: the overwhelming deluge of invitations, and “throw a fish at…” apps had me seriously wondering why I was there in the first place. Your article has helped to point me in the right direction, so perhaps I will hang in there a bit longer, and put some focused effort into it.
Good article, thanks
Marc
@Mitch – thanks for stopping by Mitch – appreciate you taking the time to read it, and for your props! Cheers!
@George – Best to jump right in, and test it out yourself. Hunt for related groups and audiences in Facebook Groups. Then see for yourself who’s ‘having a party’ in that space. Enjoy.
@Marc – You’re welcome! From the outset, it can seem juvenile with all the ‘interesting’ applications available. But peel the layers back and you’ll find SMEs and influencers who use Facebook for social business with apps that make sense and they use it effectively.
Personally, I don’t use all the apps myself. In fact, I ignore and turn down requests/invitations from friends/associates to add/use apps that I don’t see value in.
For example, my network can add videos and fluff without my control using the ‘Super Wall’ application. I’ve deleted this app a long time ago, as it was taking up space, the content was ‘fluff’ and I had no full control on what kind of content gets pushed onto my profile.
When I get requests to add it again, because a friend wants to send me something using this app, I ignore and mercilessly delete the request
There are alot of other app requests that I delete too. Not needed, just a waste of time. Takes up time, my mental bandwidth and some of them can make me look dorky if I used it – so I cut it.
If you’re connected with my Facebook Profile (see link in “Find Sherman” sidebar column on this blog), you’ll see the apps I currently use and feature in my profile that I enjoy using.
Thanks folks, appreciate your feedback!
Hey Sherman, I’m a Stomper member and been following your stuff for while
The one area where I’ve had some success on facebook is with their social ads
For my local personal training biz the clicks are pretty low, about 2%-5% the cost of some of my other clicks (adwords-yahoo)… definitely not as targeted though because they’re not active searchers
Thanks for the tips Sherman