Facebook for business

This is the copy from a recent video from the In a Nutshell series….

Thanks to numerous facebook changes recently, many businesses are thinking about scaling back on Facebook marketing – you shouldn’t.

Facebook is still the best social network for getting traffic to your website, and is great for conducting two way discussions between a business, and its customers. The appropriate interaction on your facebook page will make people feel valued, as it means that their needs and desires have been acknowledged, and that your business is actively working to fulfill them.

Getting this engagement-ball-rolling, however, can be a challenge, so these are my top tips for increasing engagement, on a new Facebook business page:

Welcome visitors – If you have business premises, you’d welcome new customers when they walked in, so why not do this on facebook?
Ask a question about your products or services – Facebook is great for crowd sourcing, so why not ask your audience what they think about your products and services.
Answer a question from a customer – People love to ask things, so answer honestly, and answer so your whole audience can see. Even a simple thank you will often do, showing your appreciation that someone has wanted to engage with your business, will go a long way to building that special relationship.
Respond quickly to comments from visitors and fans – Where someone asks a question on your facebook page, ensure you reply as quickly as possible, ideally the same day.
Create a connection from facebook to the outside world – Facebook has numerous widgets and tools, that can connect your business facebook page, to your website – so use them, also ensure that you have a business focussed URL, so you can be easily found.

Remember that your business page likers, return to where they feel welcome, and where they are rewarded for being there.