How to build and maintain a thriving Facebook Page

While Facebook and Twitter are battling it out for the top spot in the social networking world, one thing is clear: Facebook far outpaces all other social networking sites, including MySpace and LinkedIn. Twitter is undeniably popular, but the 140-character limitation is, well, limiting. MySpace has clearly focused on becoming super-appealing to teenagers. LinkedIn is a great business tool, but it still keeps a corporate environment hovering over your virtual conference room, and without the water-cooler conversation on Facebook, it just doesn’t measure up to FB traffic, yet.

Facebook works because it crosses borders. When used correctly, business owners, managers, and supervisors can take advantage of business and personal connections. And for those who use FB on a personal level, connections and “friends” can lead to fantastic business opportunities, if you create and use the Facebook page to maximize the potential of the site.

And that’s the key. Many VARs just jump into social media by simply creating a username and password, writing a bit of a bio and brand message and then, well, that’s it. They don’t post thought-provoking ideas or questions for discussion, or share links to great ideas on other sites. They are not using Facebook to its full potential.

So how many friends do you have on Facebook anyway? While it’s not an end, it depends on whether or not your Facebook page is helping position you and your brand, the more friends you have, the better chance you have of reaching out to your customers, and your customers.

Here are just a few of the ways you can use your Facebook Page as a mini-branding website in itself:

– Highlight company news.

– Invite customers and suppliers to participate in events.

– Post links to articles, ebooks, and online webinars you offer.

– Connect and communicate with your customers.

– Continue positioning your brand.

– Offer an honest insight into who you are and what your core values ​​are.

Whether it’s for friends or fans, your page needs to communicate and continue to develop and tell your story and your brand. When you first start creating your page, try these easy steps:

– Determine who you want to see your page and set your account settings accordingly. Do you want everyone on Facebook to be able to see your information or just your customers? Maybe they are your customers and their customers (on Facebook they would be your “Friends” and their “Friends”). Once you decide who you want to communicate with, make sure your messages and posts meet the needs of that target audience. Your customers may not want to know that their cat sleeps on his desk while he works, or maybe they do. The key is to provide a balance with informative information about your product and brand, but making it a bit human and personalized.

– Categorize your tabs on your profile page to match those of your audience. Will your target audience want more information than is provided in the information section of the Facebook page? What kind of photos or videos can you add? Facebook can also conduct surveys and polls for you to drive conversation and position you as a thought leader in the industry. Think how your customers would think. What would they want to learn from you? So provide that for them.

– Have a party. Or in the world of Facebook, an “Event”. An event also does not necessarily have to be a physical occurrence at a physical location. It could be an invitation to a webinar or a blog post you’ve created where you want to encourage people to engage with you on a particular topic. Facebook allows you to invite people to events. It’s a great way to make your customers feel part of your community and world. And you help position your brand at the same time.

– Continue to offer the goods. Customers, vendors, your friends, will keep coming back to your FB page and interacting with you if you provide them with a constant stream of resources, information, and insights that will help them do their jobs better to be more profitable. Are there new trends on the horizon that you are aware of? Have you partnered with two vendors to offer a complete end-to-end solution for your customers? What are the tools you have in your treasure chest that will help motivate those you interact with? Add them to your page too.

Just because you have a Facebook page doesn’t mean it’s working for you. To make your Facebook page dance, you need to show a little bit of vulnerability, a lot of energy, and offer plenty of reasons for your friends and fans to stay connected. The most important thing is to create a Facebook plan that keeps you on track and focused on your goals, and helps you build more and more friendships.