Online Assistant

Whether you like it or not technology is the way of the future. Everything you do and say will be online. If you decide it is all too hard, sorry to tell you but you are going to be left behind.

Social media provides a way to communicate to the masses, it means that you can expose your business to people that you wouldn't ever have had the ability to communicate and market to. It means that marketing your business all of a sudden becomes so much easier.

Facebook, being just one of the many social media communities, is an internet phenomenon which is currently sweeping the globe. Like instant messaging and sites such as YouTube, Facebook is a website which allows you to find and communicate with friends, share photographs, and compare your likes and dislikes.

Facebook has become so popular because it is uniquely viral in that you need to find 'friends' before you can communicate with anyone. People either have a love or hate relationship with Facebook since it gets to know an inordinate amount of information about you very quickly. However, you are in control of how much information you provide to the entire Facebook community or to your friends.

There is much debate as to whether Facebook is the place to be if you are in business. Is it worth your time and effort if the main users are consumers not businesses?

The answer to that is Yes. Marketing your business on any social media platform is not an arduous task, as much as many people think it is, it is about having a presence, building credibility, and educating your potential customers.

Remember, Facebook provides opportunities that you wouldn't ever have been exposed to, so make the most of it.

To be most effective when marketing your business via social media, you really need to be talking to your target market. How you get them to "Like" your page is all about building your following and providing education about what you do and how you can help them.

You should also have a strategy in place on how you will market your business through social media. It's like all your other marketing activities; it needs to be strategic not ad hoc for the best results.

Here are 10 key steps to help you get the most out of Facebook marketing:

1. Create a neat page. You don't have to fill out everything, but fill out at least the most important information in the profile section. Also, include a picture. People like seeing that they're dealing with an actual person or business and not just some faceless company.

2. Keep your business profile separate from your personal one. Don't go following your favorite bands or befriend your real life friends on Facebook with your business account. It's okay to have a bit of fun with your business profile, but don't forget its main purpose of marketing.

3. Make plans about what you're going to say. What are you trying to accomplish? How can you make your page unique? How can you get the right audience interested in your page? How will you respond to criticism? To praise? Be strategic!

4. Brand your identity. You can now brand and theme your Facebook page similar to that of your website. Use the same logos and graphics, although you shouldn't go overboard with them. Too many graphics will make your page difficult to load.

Create an Opt-in on your Facebook page to get followers contact details and all of a sudden you have another lead generation strategy for your business.

5. Interact with others. Participate in discussion and always give friendly, knowledgeable replies. Join clubs relating to your niche and provide suggestions and tips. Whenever somebody asks a question, provide a thoughtful answer.

If somebody says something you disagree with, let them know in a friendly manner, and provide a well-thought out reply as to why you do.

6. You'll probably have to deal with some negativity. People can question your intentions at any time. Always be patient with your critics and deal with them in a professional and friendly manner. Don't expect to always satisfy everybody. What you can do is maintain a positive image for your brand.

7. Try encouraging your fans to talk. Provide polls and surveys, asking your fans what they do and do not like about your niche. Try starting new topics such as 'top 10 reasons why' or 'learn how to' and then ask others to share their tips and ideas.

8. Keep everybody up-to-date with offers. Online communities need to be active, and one of the best ways to stay active on Facebook is to provide coupons and special deals on a regular basis. Also, having updates about discounts on your page will entice new visitors to follow you!

9. Hire a professional to create an app and provide it on your page. People really love apps, and your fans will even share them with their friends! Fun applications are a great way to attract attention on Facebook. You should be able to find a developer who charges fair rates.

10. Be consistent with your efforts. Log on every single day and post something! Even if you don't have any updates, log on and participate in discussion. If you don't get on Facebook every day and share tips, ideas, etc., people will forget about you. Also, don't forget to use important keywords in your posts!

Follow these 10 steps to get the best out of your Facebook marketing campaign!

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