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Facebook Marketing

Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, are becoming more popular and are one of the first places people go when they get on the Internet. These sites offer a plethora of “social” features, including e-mail, photo sharing, and chat.

Facebook is the number one social networking site. There are more than 350 million active users with about half a million people joining every day. Facebook has almost 60% market share from the United States.

Why Does Facebook Matter to Marketers?

Microsoft and Google recently partnered with Facebook to integrate Facebook and Twitter updates into search results, which opens the door for more real-time search results. So having an understanding of Facebook (and Twitter) can create new ways for search marketers to reach their audiences and brand themselves.

Facebook also presents a unique marketing opportunity for businesses with Facebook Business Pages. As more people participate with social media sites, marketers are learning that these sites are where people are learning more about products, services, business, etc. Like most social media sites, marketing on Facebook has a viral effect.

Here are some benefits of using Facebook:

• Customer interaction: Provides a place for a conversation between a business/brand and customers to happen. Through this interaction companies can build better relationships with customers.
• Reputation management: Companies can learn more about how the brand is perceived online. This is done through comments and direct feedback and with monitoring conversations both positive and negative.
• Customer acquisition: As people become fans of a Facebook page, they get a notice posted as news item for their friends to see. This viral approach will then lead to new viewers.
• Drive traffic: With increased activity of a Facebook fan page, traffic will likely increase to the company’s Web site. Facebook pages also appear in universal search results.
• Branding: Can generate brand awareness to new audiences in addition to a company’s corporate Web site.
• Advertisement: Directly target geographic and demographic criteria for the products/services you wish to promote.

Businesses and brands can’t have a profile, but they can have a Facebook page. This page is designed to house the information about your company or brand.

Think of it as a mini-Web site. You can post company and contact information, post videos, blogs, Twitter updates, and other relevant content. One impactful feature is the ability to interact and have conversations with your customers.

Just like personal profiles, Facebook pages can have friends (or fans), the ability to upload pictures, walls that fans can write on, and other applications. If you plan to send out any form of communication, you do that by sending “updates” which will then appear on the update tab or on people’s walls if they’re fans.

Those planning events can create events with fan pages (and also with group pages). These events will show up under the users’ request of their profile. If they have signed up or RSVP’d to the event they will also show up in their upcoming events dashboard.

How to Promote your Facebook Page

A promotion is a good way to reach out to your customers and make them aware of your new Facebook page. Offer a discount or prize drawing for customers who become fans.

Let your fans know that you would like them to share their feedback on your products or services. Be prepared to receive this feedback, good or bad. This should be a given with any type of social media marketing strategy.

When your customers (or fans) interact with you on Facebook, their friends will see those comments on their news feed. This is one way to leverage the power of Facebook as a viral marketing tool. This should attract more fans and prospective customers.

How can we help?

webSURGE help you manage your Facebook account and drive your Facebook viral marketing initiatives. We can also develop and manage an effective Facebook Pay Per Click advertising campaign which will drive targeted customers to your business.

For more information, contact Joe Crestuk at webSURGE, LLC (315) 579-4065 www.websurgenow.com