10 Facebook Tips On How To Grow Your Business

The powers of Facebook for businesses are endless! All commercial businesses should incorporate a plan to promote its services using the mega social network platform. Everywhere you turn whether it's on television, Internet, or even in church there is one thing they all have in common- Facebook. It's free, easy to manage and gives businesses a tremendous opportunity.

First things first, before creating your page for your business, invest some time in looking at your competition Facebook pages. Take notes on what "wows" you and what you dislike about their pages. The following 10 tips should give you some great ideas on how to create a demand for your products and services within social media networks.

Steps on How to Create and Use a Facebook Business Page

1. Create a page. It's important to use a business account and not a personal Facebook account. Login as a page by clicking on the "Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business" link on the home page of Facebook.

2. Create an easy URL. Once you are on your page, select "edit page" in the top right corner. Then, click "basic information," and you will be allowed to create your page's username and URL. The shorter the URL the sweeter since it makes it very easy for people to remember your company name. If you do have a long company name, it would be wise to make a catching abbreviation.

3. Place a badge on your website. You've probably noticed that just about every website has a Facebook badge or logo of some sort. You should follow suit as well. Having the Facebook badge allows visitors to leave "likes" without the need to be on Facebook. On your page you will click on "settings" for your Facebook page. Under "marketing" you will find the badge command.

4. Linking your pages. After you've launched your page, during the first couple of months, create a link between your personal and business page. You will be able to see an increase in activity amongst your friends and associates that will want to see examples of your work or pictures within your galleries.

5. Establish a share link. On your business page you can increase visibility to your company by clicking on the "share" link at the left side of the page.

6. Communicate as a business. People like fresh content so you want to communicate the latest news about your business: special offers, recent projects, client testimonials, or even awards your company has won. At the bear minimum post something once every 2 weeks. People will remember you for your consistency as well as will remembering your company for being annoying. It doesn't hurt to speak on positive topics within your company; people still good news! Twitter and Facebook are two completely different entities so please do not post three to ten times a day on your page; you can get away with this on Twitter but on Facebook you'll look like a spammer, in which will tarnish your online reputation.

7. Ask for Business. You are on Facebook to generate clients and customers so why not ask for their business? Being passive isn't going to benefit your company. On your Facebook page be creative when asking for business.

8. Tag people in your images/photos. Place images on your business page and tag people/companies in your photos. If you are not able tag them directly, then consider having a friend that you want to photo tag. Also, brand your images with your website URL to generate traffic and interest in your services.

9. Create client galleries. This is a perfect reason to provide your clients with web images for proofs or any other use. You will need a signed release, and then you will be able to create a gallery for clients and tag them. This gives your company a professional look and samples of what your company can produce. You only get one chance at a first impression.

10. Thank-You note. You have probably told them "Thank-you" already, but why not say it publicly on Facebook. This will make your clients feel warm and fuzzy, not to mention a "win-win" situation for your business. This basic gesture helps with customer retention and is also a great Facebook strategy since the thank-you note will appear in the friend's feeds. However, your clients must be in your personal friends' list or have unlocked profiles.
The social platform that Facebook provides is perfect for some old fashion advertising. If you're a business I am sure that you are aware of how expensive advertising can be. Facebook should be every small business owners dream.