Getting started with Facebook marketing

Many people have been on Facebook for a long time, or have had a business page on Facebook.  The difference of being on Facebook and utilizing Facebook is where people get caught up.

Social Media Marketing, Getting Started on Facebook

Are you ready to get started marketing on Facebook? You might think that Facebook is simply a social network people use to meet and chat about their personal life. While that is certainly true, it is also true that Facebook is where people share their positive and negative thoughts about companies, products and services. Marketing on Facebook is one of the most cost-effective ways for you to attract and engage millions of prospective customers.

Perhaps you’ve heard that if Facebook were a country, it would the 3rd largest. With half of its 750 million fans logged in at any given moment, a world of opportunity awaits you and your brand. All you need to do to capitalize on this phenomenon is to get started.  Sounds easy, right?

It is easy if you grew up with PCs, iPods and smart phones. For those of who didn’t, you may be wondering: where do I even start? To get going, here are four easy steps to getting started.

Sign up!
Remember the old saying “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step?” First things first, stop talking about your Facebook page and just do it. The first thing you need to decide is what kind of Facebook page you want to create. You can create Facebook pages for a Local Business or Place, Company, Organization or Institution, Brand or Product, Artist, Band or Public Figure, Entertainment, Cause or Community. To sign up, start here.

Be Thorough
You may be tempted to just jump in and signup. However, if you intend to use Facebook to market your business, it is important to fully complete your profile. Make sure you take every opportunity to tell the Facebook world what you and your business are all about. Make sure you have a profile picture and fully complete your information tab. Some business owners use a photo of themselves. Others use a photo of their business logo, their business address or some other image that represents their brand.

Plan
Take some time to plan what you want to accomplish with your Facebook page. Make sure that your plan involves integrating social media into your broader marketing plan. With regard to generating leads with Facebook, getting a large number of fans is very important.

Your plan can be as simple as writing down challenging, yet attainable goals on the number of fans you want to secure or the number of leads you want to generate. Plan to implement some potential tactics, services like Leadsmarket, and commit them to schedule. For example, on Monday post information, on Wednesday ask a question and Friday offer a deal.

Execute
Most importantly, give your plan enough time to succeed. Social media marketing takes a little time to get moving. Don’t just update your status twice and give up. Once your base starts growing you’ll be able to see your true reach.

Developing and implementing a plan to market your business on Facebook is one of the most cost effective ways to build brand awareness and generate new leads for your business – same effective as using affiliate method like auto insurance affiliate programs, for example. Remember, if it were a country, it would the 3rd largest. With half of its 750 million fans logged in at any given moment, you could have a world of opportunity!

This post was originally contributed to the MainStreet Chamber blog as Director of Marketing at Four51.