using facebook to create value for business

7 Tips to Use FacebookFor a Value-Added Customer Experience

Using Your Connections  

Facebook is not just a tool for connecting with old buddies from high school anymore or seeing your friend’s vacation photos. Many people in business are having great success using Facebook as a way to connect with clients and potential prospects.

Here are some great tips for getting started with creating your professional Facebook profile.

Facebook Profile Tip #1

Make sure you have a professional photo, and that it’s up to date. What’s the point in meeting a new client if they are jarred by how different you look from that 20-year old photo? Have a professional photographer take a photo of you in professional clothes.

Facebook Profile Tip #2

Build up your friends list after you have made one or two initial posts. People aren’t likely to add someone as a friend if the friend’s profile is completely empty.

If you have a website and email address, make sure you’ve uploaded the exact addresses you want customers to use. Don’t use your personal email, for example, if you don’t want to receive business emails there.

Facebook Profile Tip #3

Consider adding a “Tuesday Tip” or similar project that reminds you to post once per week and provides some sort of valuable information to your friends list.

Facebook Profile Tip #4

Before making your profile completely public and inviting new friends, have someone else look it over for typos. Make sure all your contact information is up to date and accurate and that the links work.

Facebook Profile Tip #5

Check regularly on the page for people who might have posted questions, new friend requests, or messages. Your prompt response, especially to new prospects, could make the difference in closing a deal later on down the road.

Facebook Profile Tip #6

Limit your posts to 2-3 per week. If people feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you post, and especially if they don’t feel that information is valuable, they will “defriend” you and not see any of your posts. Before each post, consider the goal of posting this information and what you hope to achieve. In this case, quality is always better than quantity.

Facebook Profile Tip #7

If you partner up with people in the community, make sure to tag those people in relevant posts. For example: “Excited to work with @Eagle Bank for our new fundraiser for the Cancer Society!”. Then your post will not only show up on your Facebook page, but theirs as well, reaching out to a whole new group of people.

Facebook can be a powerful tool to connect with old and new clients and spread the word about your business. Keeping these tips in mind will allow you to use Facebook in a way that creates business for you and value for your clients.