Is Facebook Right For Your Business?
I just read a helpful and interesting article about this—is Facebook right for your business and how do you know?
Well, we all know that one thing is for sure—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and really all forms of social media is here to stay, so the best thing to do is accept it and learn how to use social media to your benefit. So how to you know if a social media site like Facebook is right for you and your business? How do you know if it will help benefit your company?
According to this article I read on SitePro News, it all comes down to three things essentially.
First, do you think there are enough people on Facebook that have an interest in your area of business for it to be worth your while? You should try to think about not only clients but also other business connections. Is your profile set up the right way? Are people visiting your site when they see your profile? How long does it take to get a new client this way—what is the value of it? Things to think about…
You can experiment with Facebook. Check to see if there are enough people who need your services. Search for group and check local networks on the Marketplace page.
Check to see if there are people in your area that would “be your friend” who would need and use your services.
Try to not get too aggressive with your promoting—just let them know who you are, what you do, etc and after having a few conversations with them, send them information about your services-maybe a discounted coupon in case they would ever need those services. If you turn your initial conversation into a sales pitch, some people may be turned off.
Next, does your company have an RSS-capable site that is updated frequently?
If so, having a Facebook profile just gives you another place to share your RSS link.
You can import your blog posts and there are also applications like NetworkedBlogs that will help your blog posts get exposure from interested readers.
And finally, do you already have friends, clients, business associates, etc. who are already using Facebook? Try connecting with these people! That is the great thing about Facebook-how you can build and cement relationships with people that you didn’t think you had much in common with. Facebook helps as it functions as an “ice-breaker,” acting as the initial contact between you and someone you want to interact with.
So it’s really a matter of whether you are willing to get something out Facebook and whether the available traffic is targeted to your business. This may not work for everyone since everyone doesn’t want to use Facebook in this way or do the work necessary to have it work for them in this way.
But with a little research, you can determine whether or not Facebook could work for you and your business and what kind of role it could play.
Good Stuff!
