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While enjoying a cup of coffee or catching up with a business associate, you probably have heard about business marketing on Facebook. With over 350 million users, Facebook is a behemoth social networking tool where your business can market your products, but that said, marketing on Facebook is not like other marketing techniques and getting it wrong will potentially have less than zero results, but actually get you a reputation as a pest. 

So if you were wondering how to get your business on facebook and are looking for the basic principles behind Facebook marketing, read on. Here are some principles for marketing a business on Facebook.

Keep in mind what Facebook is and don’t stray from its purpose. When considering Facebook marketing keep in mind that it is a social networking site where online relationships are developed, and not a poster board for displaying your most recent advertisement. Facebook is about relationships, and the key difference between marketing on Facebook and regular business marketing is that your business should be trying to setup relationships with potential customers. Simply splashing your logo and products, or making regular announcements is not how its done. You want to start dialogues about your products, not just blindly post product summaries.

Because Facebook is social, you have to come across to your customer base as helpful,informative and a useful resource; and do it in a genuine way. People have to believe you are the genuine article and truly interested in being the “go-to company” for the need your business fulfills. To be successful on Facebook, you have to engage in helping customers, be willing to answer questions they have, and provide real-world usable answers. This can be a challenge for businesses used to strong arm sales. Just remember you want to start conversations and be helpful, not necessarily jump straight to “close the deal”.

3. Develop 

First thing you want to do is, of course setup a Facebook page and open it to the public. If you have all the content already written, it shouldn’t take you too much time to get on Facebook, create an account for your business and adjust the security settings to make your business profile public. Don’t skip this step and make sure the information you provide on the business profile is complete. Half-hearted or incomplete profiles are viewed as a waste of time by social users. So take the time to post as much content as you can, upload images, videos, etc. and complete a basic summary of who you are and what your business does.

Once you have setup your public profile on Facebook, you have to start trying to link up with friends and fans. If you have existing customers that you know have Facebook accounts, ask to be freinded or ask them to become a fan of your new Facebook page. Once you get a base of fans and friends, remain diligent in expanding the connections. Search Facebook for complimentary products or services, manufacturers, etc. and offer to link up with them.

After you have started a friend and fan base, start publishing helpful information about your products. Share ‘How To’ articles or talk about tips and tricks related to your products. Write up customer testimonies and ask questions of your fans and friends to get an idea of what they are looking for. You might be surprised to know that people have little or no knowledge about the bare essential facts about your products, so go back to the bare bones basics and start conversations about features, ask if there is anything your organization can do to assist with the correct use of your products, talk about how to get help or maintenance. The point is to publicize generic but informative content about your products that will grab the attention of fans and get them to notice and read your posts.

The longer your history on Facebook and the more insightful your content, the better your viral marketing will bloom. It may take some time to generate a significant history of helpful information, but keeping at it and continually adding new and interesting information will increase the information “real estate” your business has on Facebook. 

In the end, business accounts on Facebook is about starting and maintaining relationships with customers . To be recognized by Facebookers and a relevant source of useful information and an expert in your industry is the goal. Following the principles detailed here will help your organization build social media relationships and expand relationships with customers.