Should I use Facebook for my business?

Hi all,

I was just discussing the usefulness of Facebook with my friend Jane from onsitecomputercleaning.ca, in terms of connecting on a business level and a few thoughts to ponder came out of it that I thought I’d share here .

She has two businesses – one service based, and the other a business opportunity that provides the system, training and more. Being new to Facebook she wondered if she should be using it for her business. To which I gave a resounding yes, of course! Are you kidding? It’s a free online marketing tool, and it has a user base of how many people…crazy big numbers!

Initially her argument was that because the clients of her service company are often large corporations they wouldn’t be tuning into her on FB…but I said, with the other business in mind, the people who are looking for a business opportunity are definitely online and likely on FB. Of course, as it often does when we start the conversation got a little out of hand and I made her miss a mastermind meeting very unintentionally – but we were masterminding on our own and having such a good time that she can hardly be blamed.

So anyhow, I also suggested that as a specialist in the disinfection of office equipment she knows about super bugs and the latest information on the spread of germs. She could very easily educate people in bite sizes through Facebook…educated people ask for what they know about, and feel like they need. Most everybody on Facebook works somewhere – likely where there is electronic equipment, and I’m pretty sure their equipment isn’t germ repellent. If it is, I gotta know where they’re buying it! There are so many ways Jane could use Facebook for her businesses! To rattle off a few in general terms, she could:

Educate
Drive traffic to specific pages of her site through posting links in her status updates (and measure the resulting traffic)
Connect with new people and companies
Announce news items
Launch her newest business offering

The bottom line is, people connect on Facebook – and what do businesses need to do with their target market? Connect! It’s a free way to connect with a lot of people, both directly and indirectly. And best, if you have statistical tracking tools for your site you can measure the results.

A print mailout campaign for a large area can cost you a fortune and be difficult to measure, whereas an ongoing campaign through Facebook is one that’s affordable to set up, easy to keep current, and measurable with the right tools in place. It may not produce the same dramatic numbers you are looking for with the mailout, but let me ask you this – what if the mailout doesn’t produce the results you’re looking for? That’s right, you’re out the money and it will cost you big bucks to do it again.

Online marketing has the power of being more fluid once it’s in place. You can easily change your message, offer, call to action, etc. without worrying about having to use up those 10,000 brochures with the wrong message first. Some of the social networking pieces you set up you may want the direction of a professional, to get off the ground, but then many of them are straight forward to keep up with on your own, and are free or are really affordable to use on an ongoing basis.

The power of social connection has never been easier to tap into! The fact is that so many people are using online social networking options that you can’t afford to ignore that as a great way of connecting. Email newsletters, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, simple email are all great ways to connect and run. I’m just picking on FB specifically because it was the one Jane asked about…one the one I’ve found to be most effective according to measurable site stats. And the fact is, more and more people that I meet while doing business look me up on Facebook – to me that’s a sound indicator that I need to be there.

I’m sure there are those of you wondering about the whole business/personal thing so this is how I do it. I have two Facebook accounts – one for personal and the other for business. I don’t think my business contacts need to be observing my personal life…and the fact is that my friends and I do a fair amount of social convening and keeping in touch through Facebook. And as much as I adore my clients, boundaries are a healthy thing in business. So if you were to look me up on Facebook, you’ll see me twice…and if you search Catch This! Design you’ll also see that we use a “group” as another way we connect. There are so many options, that it’s important to consider how you plan to use it, and then set it up accordingly.

How you use online marketing and social networking for your business will vary, depending on what you do, and who you need to connect with. If you’re using social networking for business I’d love to hear about it – please send me your comments!

Or even cooler, visit our group on Facebook and tell us there!!!

Have a super day & if you’re not taking advantage of the huge social networking movement for your business, get on it!

Shayne
Catch This! Design Inc.