16 Steps to Facebook Marketing Success

Have a small business? Facebook marketing is a cheap and easy way to get your message out to the masses. You don’t have to be a marketing whiz or a social media guru to successfully promote your small business on Facebook, either. While navigating the ins and outs of the site may seem difficult at first, reading and following these 16 steps (a chapter from the new, free eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!”) will make you an expert in no-time.

1. Identify your target audience

Who exactly are you trying to market to? What’s their age, location, and hobbies? Knowing the demographic(s) you want to court focuses your attention and makes you more productive from the get-go.

2. Define your marketing goals

Do you want to generate a new customer base, or make sure you keep the old ones? Will you use your page to provide customer service, or just tell your Fans about new products? Figure out what you want to achieve with your Page before you create it.

3. Create a Page for your business

If you haven’t already done so, make sure to create a personal profile before building your business’ Page – you’ll need it to become the Page’s “admin.” The page creation process itself is an easy, three-step process – all you need to do is add a photo, get fans, and enter your business’ basic info.

4. Manage permissions

Edit the “Manage Permissions” tab in the “Edit Info” section of your page to define who can see your Page and what they can post on it.

5. Edit your basic information

Add important details about your business (products or services sold, address, contact info, etc.) to your Page via the “Basic Information” tab. Make sure to include plenty of details for visitors and search engines. You can also create your Page’s vanity URL (example: Facebook.com/WebMaxed) here.

6. Add a profile picture

Make sure your photo is at least 180 pixels wide, high-res and brands your business. If your business doesn’t have a logo yet, this is a great time to commission someone to create it!

Small Business Tip

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7. Add new Page administrators

To give other employees access to your Page, add them as administrators via the “Resources” tab under “Manage Admins.” Doling out duties is a great way to ensure no one gets too swamped. (Again, in order to be an admin you need to have a personal FB account.)

8. Create a Places Page

If your business has a physical location, use the “Check-In” feature to claim its “Places Page.” Once you do that, customers can use their mobile devices to “check-in” at your establishment, letting all their friends know that they’re patronizing your business (and, best of all, providing free advertising!).

9. Create a custom landing page

Creating a custom “Welcome Page” for your business is a simple, effective way to explain what type of content your Page offers, describe your business, and prompt your visitors to “Like” it. You don’t have to have a lot of technical knowledge to do it, either – a handful of free, popular apps can generate good looking custom pages for you.

10. Round up some “Fans”

Invite your email contacts to “Like” your Page via the “Tell your Fans” link in the Facebook Resources tab. You can also share your Page via your personal profile – post a link to it on your own Wall or a friend’s Wall.

11. Promote your page outside of Facebook

Add a link to your Page in your email signature, newsletters, and print material (ads, menus, signage in your store…the sky’s the limit!). The more exposure you give your Page, the more customers will come calling.

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12. Add “Like” boxes and buttons

Adding a “Like Box” to your website allows current and potential Fans to see how many people (their FB friends included) already “like” your page – it also lets them “like” your page without actually having to visit it. Adding a “Like Button” to your site lets users share specific content (i.e. blog entries) with their friends.

13. Create an update schedule for your Page

Creating consistently quality content on a regular basis should be your goal – you don’t want to flood your Fans with posts, but you also don’t want to let your Page stagnate. A good rule of thumb is to start with around five updates per day – once you get the hang of things, you can decide how many updates work best for your particular business.

14. Get mobile

Use Facebook Mobile to constantly keep your audience in the loop! Set up your mobile phone and you’ll be able to update your Page no matter where you are.

15. Explore Insights

FB’s Insights Dashboard lets you know who’s viewing your Page and what they’re accessing on it – it’s an invaluable wealth of demographic information that will help you fine-tune your marketing strategy. Use it!

16. Promote your Page with Ads

Once you’ve completed the above steps, use Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories to further promote your brand on the site. Facebook Ads are traditional advertisements that appear on the side of the site; Sponsored Stories, however, are more dynamic, socially driven marketing opportunities.

Knowing’s not half the battle… it’s the whole battle! Follow these steps and you’ll create a kick-butt FB Page your customers (and future customers) will “Like.” For more detailed info on how exactly to follow these tips, download the free eBook “Facebook Marketing for Your Small Business… Simplified!”

Think we left any steps out? Do you have any of your own to suggest? Let us know in the comments below!