By Ann Brown
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I have to admit, when I first joined Facebook I was hooked quickly. Within days, I had made contact with friends and past business associates I'd never thought I'd find, let alone talk to again. I got busy scanning photos, updating my status and looking for more friends. It was fun.
However, I soon found out that Facebook (FB) was more than just a good time. By using it correctly, it can make a huge difference in the building of your business. In fact, I'm at the point where FB is one of the main sources of new clientele in my virtual assistant business. Understanding some of the basics (with a few tricks thrown in) should get you well on your way.
Creating Your Profile
Think of your FB profile as your online business card. Add the pertinent information that potential clients would need: e-mail, phone number and Web site.
When you're logged in and click on the profile button, you'll see how you are viewed by others. Each section has an "Edit" icon next to it. This is only visible to you, and when you click on it, you can add or change your information.
The photo you choose to show the entire FB community is important. I would suggest a recent headshot so people can identify with you, and keep it professional, interesting and not too casual.
Right below your photo, there is a small box with enough room to write a short bio, a quote you live by or a special message in which you'd like to draw attention.
You may also want to add some of your personal hobbies and activities to your profile, because this can draw in others who have similar interests to build connections.
Custom Welcome Page
Web sites are built with HTML code and CSS stylesheets, while Facebook uses its own language: Facebook Markup Language (FBML). This is a free application that you can use on FB to create your own custom tab in the top row of buttons on your profile.
With a custom page, you can insert video, a sign-up form to add people to your database, your logo and so on. Here are a few samples of custom welcome pages:
If you're not familiar with FBML – and it can be tricky – hire a virtual assistant to do this for you. It is worth the money spent to have a high-end, professional look than to scrap something together.
From Your Blog to Facebook, Automatically
If you have a blog and regularly post to it, you should have those entries automatically uploaded to your FB profile. To set this up, click on the Notes tab in your profile. On the right side, you'll see a box called "Notes Settings" and within that box, there is a link to "Import a Blog."
After clicking that link, you'll be able to add the URL of your blog in the space provided. Click "Start Importing" and you're set up. Now, each time you add a blog entry, it will post directly to your FB wall.
Pre-scheduling Your Wall Posts
So, you want to dive into Facebook, but you don't have the time, right? Many REALTORS® use a virtual assistant to handle their social media marketing.
If you'd rather manage your own posts but are finding it hard to do throughout the day, you can use a service like Sendible.com to pre-schedule them for you. Sendible allows you to manage multiple social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter. By spending a short amount of time once a week, you can write and schedule your messages for the entire week, and they will post automatically when you want them to go live.
Sendible offers a free account (with ads and not as many perks), but a paid account (for as little as $15 a month) would be well worth it for those in a time crunch.
Tagging People in Your Status Updates
Facebook is all about interaction with your network. If you'd like to include a live link to another person in a post, you can tag them so that their name becomes a clickable link to their own FB profile. To do this, simply type @ in the status box. An auto-generated list will pop up with people who are in your circle of contacts, and you can choose the correct person. This also works with companies, pages and events.
Adding Symbols to Your Posts
With the flood of voices on FB, you must do something different to stand out in the crowd, and something as simple as using symbols in your posts can accomplish that. Visit http://facebook-symbols.com/characters/ to see a list of different symbols you can use in your posts. Simply highlight the one you want to use, and copy and paste it into your status box, along with the rest of your text.
These work both on Facebook and Twitter, and yes, they do get attention. In fact, Lisa Whelchel ("Blair" from The Facts of Life) contacted me directly after seeing one of my posts and asked "How did you do that?!" By publishing a social media profile, you never know whose attention you will attract and how it will impact your business, but you should be thinking always of creative ways to stand out.
Creating Your Own Fan Page
Having a separate page for your business is essential to brand yourself and to project your message to a large audience. Use this page to market yourself, your product and your services by sharing your links, videos and photos.
You can also start discussions, post articles and create surveys. To start your own fan page, click here.
Most fan pages are not hidden behind the FB login, so search engines can index your page – another huge benefit. Your page should include a link to your Web site, and because fan pages are public, you'll get a nice link from Facebook back to your Web site.
Your fan page will allow you to get in front of prospects and clients on a regular basis in a non-obtrusive way. Keep them up to date on what's new with your business, post links to useful information on your Web site and provide other links and interesting tips that they would find helpful.
You don't have to be an expert in Web design or social media marketing to take your Facebook experience to the next level. With a little know-how and some creativity, you can take your page from ordinary to exciting and innovative in no time.
Ann Brown is a professional virtual assistant and president of virtualadminsplus.com. She specializes in real estate support and social networking and can be reached at 800-320-5159 or via e-mail at ann@virtualadminsplus.com. Check out Ann's new book, Secrets Revealed: How to Find, Hire, Utilize, and Build Your Business Using a Virtual Assistant. Get $10 off the regular price by visiting www.hiringavirtualassistantiseasy.com/wcr.