by Helen Crozier, The Small Business Technology Coach http://www.helencrozier.com/
Facebook started off as purely a social network but due to the extraordinary number of members business networking opportunities now clearly exist. Compared to other social networking tools, Facebook clearly has the most potential with more than the population of USA as members.
• Twitter projected 18 million users by 2010
• Linkedin 50 million users
• Facebook over 300 million active users
This article covers the differences between Facebook Profiles, Pages and Groups and why/how you might consider using these as components of your professional networking strategy.
1. Profiles
• 'people' have 'profiles' and 'friends'
• friends can be separated into 'lists' eg social, professional, family, school, miscellaneous
• lists can then be filtered under privacy settings
• decide whether or not you want each list to be able to do certain things eg write on your wall, view your photos, etc
• the number of friends is increased by you making requests to become a friend or vice versa
• increase your connections by interacting with friends of friends in conversation threads or joining 'groups'
2. Fan Pages
• businesses or organisations use Fan Pages to provide information, interaction, competitions and special offers
• you may have more than one 'page' if it has different audiences
• pages cannot 'add fans' like profiles add friends - but fan pages may be 'suggested' to friends or other Facebook users
• once you have 25 fans you may claim your own business url for page eg www.facebook.com/helenthetechnoqueen
• add company overview, contact information including website, opening hours if applicable
• press releases, photo albums and relevant videos may be posted
• blog and twitter feeds may be automatically fed into the fan page
• a discussion board is available - start topics and encourage participation
• events may be published and invitations sent to fans
• statistics regarding number of fans, their demographics and number of interactions are provided by Facebook
• communicate to fans with 'updates' which appear on fans' walls if they have allowed it
• updates may be sent to all fans or they may be targeted by location, age and sex
• set up a 'landing page' to convert new Facebook visitors into fans (use the static fbml application to add the necessary html code) - learn more here
3. Groups
• are formed by Facebook users to connect, discuss and network with each other about common topics.
• are set up for more personal interaction between facebook users
• have a limit of 5000 members who are able to receive email blasts
• the admin or control of a group is a person/profile so less suited to promoting a business as a separate entity
• groups are however a great place to expand your professional network
• search for groups that are relevant to your business in the 'search' box by using keywords
• join groups that friends belong to by checking their profiles
• become involved by posting an introduction, adding helpful links, adding to or starting discussions
• add friends as you interact but include a personal note in the request reminding them of how you have connected
• return to groups regularly to maintain contact and participate with your network and make new connections
Who gets their Facebook Page right?
• dell social media
• the skinny cow
• coca cola
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Become a fan on my facebook page www.facebook.com/helenthetechnoqueen to kick start your experience on Facebook. You can also visit me www.helencrozier.com and catch up at www.twitter.com/helencrozier
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