Over the weekend I was talking with a friend of mine that has her own business and she asked me a question about using Facebook to help market and promote her business.
As we talked and shared ideas I began to think that there are probably a lot of different ideas on how to best use Facebook, or any social media site for that matter, to help promote a local business.
I decided to take a couple of my ideas and put them into a short article here this morning.
How To Optimize Your Facebook Page
“Optimizing” a Facebook fan page can mean different things to different people. Do you want to optimize for search? Are you wanting to create brand awareness? Are you maybe interested in optimizing for lead generation?
The first step in fan page optimization is identifying the objective of your fan page.
Once you’ve made that decision you should integrate design elements using the Static FBML(Facebook Markup Language) app. Create a tabbed landing page that has the same look and feel of your associated website. Consider integrating FBML elements such as suggesting the fan page to friends (WooMe example http://www.facebook.com/WooMe) or marketing elements such as a newsletter (Animation Mentor example http://www.facebook.com/AnimationMentor?v=app_10531514314).
Add conversion points such as a “Get More Information” form or a “Rewards Program” sign up (again, consider your objectives).
Remember your objective is about finding your target audience. Hold contests (Wildfire App good for this http://wildfireapp.com) or offer Facebook-only deals or coupons. Run polls. Ask questions. Share insider info about your company.
If you are an e-commerce company, consider selling products online using the Alvenda app or Payvment apps. Basically, treat your fan page as your homepage for the Facebook community.
What can you offer your target audience? How do you want to engage with them? What action are you looking for them to take?
Then measure and test. Look at Facebook Insights and your web analytics platform. Test a strategy and see what works. Set goals and attribute it to revenue. Measure your ROI. Rinse and repeat.
