How to Do Business Networking on Facebook

Creating a business plan often involves strategies that are adjusted and updated as different opportunities to attract new customers and leads are discovered. One such opportunity that is becoming part of many business marketing strategies is Facebook networking. Your business can reach unlimited amounts of business professionals looking to develop relationships with the help of your Facebook account. Unlike posting on a personal Facebook account, there are some very specific ways your Facebook business account can reach new leads and new customers through professional posting. Here are some of the best business strategies for networking on Facebook.

Your Facebook Business Profile
Creating a business profile on Facebook is much different that creating a personal account. If you want your leads and potential customers to take your business serious, you must create your Facebook business profile a certain way. Your first step should be to identify what your goals are. Decide if your profile is going to be a way to network with your local community, local customers, global customers, charities or other business partners. Your Facebook business profile is going to be an online version of your business card, so keep that in mind as you are designing your page. Upload your business logo, pictures of your store or business, images of the products you sell, or a list of the services that you provide. Complete all the areas within the profile, including the about me section, and all your contact information. People will be looking carefully at all the areas within your profile, so make sure to promote yourself and your business accordingly. The most important thing you can do to your profile to project a professional image is to change your pages URL. It most likely looks like Facebook.com/774656356376. You can change this one time, so choose wisely so your URL looks like Facebook.com/MarketingExpert.

Building Your Fan Base on Facebook
Once you have a professional looking profile, begin to search for customers and business colleagues you already do business with and request them to be a fan, or to share your new business fan page. These people already understand who you are, so you will be utilizing that relationship to grow your base. From there utilize the Facebook, "people you may know" feature to expand your fan base a little further. Search your local area for businesses you would like to get a lead or attract as a new customer, and like their fan pages. This will send them a message you are a new fan, and can many times open the door to setting up a meeting. If they like you in return, you can contact them offline to discuss working together. You will also be listed on their fan page where their fans also have the opportunity to become a fan of yours, further expanding your fan base.

Marketing Your Business on Facebook on the Internet
Now that you have a nice fan base, begin to interact with your fans on your wall. This is not going to be a billboard for all your product and services or you will lose all your fans. You have to interact with your fans, providing them with information that can help them as well as giving them tips and techniques to help grow their own business. You can sprinkle in your services occasionally. Posting a link to join your blog or subscribe to your email list is fine if you are conversing with them daily. Join groups on Facebook that are related to your niche, and again interact and offer assistance to people in that group. You want to project yourself as an authority in that niche before you begin promoting yourself. If you give enough encouragement and offer enough help, they will find you and your services. Promote your new Facebook page on your business cards, flyers, emails and all advertising campaigns. The goal is to turn all your new fans into business contacts by setting up meetings when the time is appropriate. You must first develop yourself as an authority in your field before you begin soliciting business. If you take your time, and grow your Facebook business presence, you will build an incredible list of new leads who will in turn become your new customers.

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