How to Use Facebook to Build Your Business

With over 400 Million users in the world, 111+ Million in the U.S., Facebook is a business tool that cannot afford to be overlooked. What are some keys to using this tool and how can it build your business? The key is to build relationships with individuals. Facebook clearly shows us that being social is a basic human need. Even when practiced through non-physical means, people like people. We enjoy the interaction with others and yearn to be part of something that is bigger than ourselves. Facebook offers this to everyone with an internet connection.

You Cannot Rush Friendships – Even On-Line

Some feel that a real friendship can blossom and become full grown overnight. We live in an age where we have come to expect “instant gratification”—everything from instant foods, drive thru-windows and now with social media… instant friendship. Building a real connection with people takes time and comes about by the sharing of experiences, events and messages over time.

Developing certain skills can help in getting the process of building friendships. Learning these skills can make the road to building a revenue stream with social media smoother. Time needs to be taken to build more than a surface connection.

Establish, Build and Maintain an Active Interest for your “Friends”

Don’t post nonsense. If you are new to using social media, remember not to insult your friends by making them waste time having to delete you due to messaging that is not related to why they befriended you. For example, a local restaurant can post information about contests, musical groups, and new menu items and has an audience that is more casual in nature. This is different than a local A/C repair company, whose posts need to be more closely related to his industry. Let’s face it, the local restaurant is more desirable visit than the company who you are only going to call when there is trouble. Nonetheless, both companies benefit from social media.
Many who are successful at making friends online and growing business say, “It’s having a real love for people and taking an active interest in others.”

This does not mean you have to always be a cheerleader or fist pumping hype man. For most, this is not part of their make-up. Sincere interest is what will draw people to you. Put your audience first. I recommend more information on why a person will use your business than a click here for a coupon methodology.
Remember to put people first.

The Emotional Road

“Pay attention to how you listen,” is an old proverb. If you are a business owner, you should know the value of listening. Being a good listener is vital to building a friendship and building your business revenue.

Yes, it is just as Voltaire wrote: “The road to the heart is the ear.”
If you become genuinely interested in what others are saying, you will find more people will be drawn to you. The use of direct mail, a web site or social media to build business has the goal of building awareness. The hope is this awareness turns into revenue. Do not be myopic, however, and only focus on your goals – keep a growing interest in your “friends.”

Be Loyal

Today, it seems that everyone is logged in to something; be it email, Facebook, Plaxo and we know the list seems never ending. Some do not mind, it seems, being plugged into everything. Knowing this, our messages can be easily ignored.
Here is a point in being loyal – post information on your social network that is relevant. If you have a message stream that is disjointed or not connected to why an individual is your friend, you run the high risk of losing a ‘friend’ and perhaps a potential client. Once an online connection is lost it will most likely never be re-established.

Stay true to the reason the individual decided to “Like” you.
I always recommend staying far away from post which speaks negatively of clients. I have seen posts on Facebook using such terms as “dumb client”, “idiotic customers” and in some cases the language is best expressed “&$)!**!” These type of posts scream if you do business with me and it goes wrong, I don’t mind exposing this to the “world.”

John is an expert in designing landing pages and online conversion techniques. Contact John ASAP. Go to landing page design atlanta