The knee-jerk reaction to Facebook of most businesses is to throw it out the door. But many companies also need to realize the value of using a massive social networking platform like Facebook to help the business grow and put itself out in the market more.
When it comes to Facebook, the usual default attitude of businesses is to shun it completely. And while there is merit to the argument that social networks, Facebook especially, can hamper and derail productivity in an organization, there is also a lot Facebook can do to help your business grow.
Reports cite that as many as 800 million people around the world are on Facebook – that’s a larger-than-life audience that makes marketing experts giddy with excitement. When you think about it, Facebook presents a huge marketing opportunity for you and your business to connect with a lot of people who may become potential clients in the future. Think of having a Facebook page as a mini-website of sorts, one that supplements and complements your main website.
Since it’s a medium to establish rapport with potential clients, experts suggest that a business Facebook page must contain more interesting content – related to your business, of course – designed to attract readers and visitors, rather than hard-sell information about your products and services. Your Facebook page serves as a complement to your website, not a duplicate of it. If you consistently serve up interesting and useful information, people will then go to your website to see what you’re all about.
Also, don’t hesitate to establish more personal relationships with people who visit your Facebook page – the ‘likers’ and the people who comment and ask questions. Answer queries promptly and make yourself visible. One of the points of having a Facebook page is so people won’t feel intimidated by a stiff corporate front – a Facebook page tells them that you’re a company that’s willing to hear them out and listen to what they want.
