Facebook As A Branding Strategy

Thought I would share a great blog I read today.

If you aren't already connected to the social media revolution, it is timeto get your head out of the sand and harness the power of the digitalnetwork. If you want to get out ahead of your competition and makeconsumers excited about interacting with your brand, social media isthe way to go. It isn't an overnight marketing fix, it takes time tobuild a following, but if done correctly you can use social media todrive people to your website and ultimately to your front door. Are youready?After building your incredible website and blog, it istime to build a Facebook fan page. Before you run away at the thoughtof building your page, let me assure you that it is easy to getstarted, and I am going to walk you through it. But, of course, if youget stuck or need additional help with the more complicated aspects,we're always here to help. (But I promise; set up is easy.)

The first thing you need in order to create a Facebook fan page is apersonal profile. What? You don't have one yet? Time to get one! I amnot going to waste time walking you through profile set up because thesteps are pretty self explanatory. Just go to Facebook, fill out theinformation to get started and let the steps guide you. You canprobably set up a basic profile in about 15 minutes. After setting upyour personal profile, spend some time poking around Facebook andgetting to know the site - have fun. Check out some of your favoritecompanies' fan pages and connect with friends. Now to set up a fan page. Once you are logged into Facebook, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Advertising," and then click "Pages."There is some great information here about fan pages, so take a momentto read through the information and when you are ready click "Create Page."As you go through the set-up process, remember that in any branding and marketing it is important to categorize your company in the right area to help people find you. So choose carefully.One of the greatthings about Facebook is the ease of set up navigation. From here,setting up a fan page is really about following the prompts. Ratherthan point out each step, let's look at the important ones to get yourpersonal branding going.

1) Photo -Before you do anything else, make sure you have the perfect photo for your page. Maybe your logo is the best photo for your page, but maybenot. Think about other branding materials you have, maybe somethingseasonal. Obviously, you want your fans to see your photo and recognizeyour brand - that's the goal. But if you have a creative image that isalso recognizable, it might help your fan page attract fans with anelement of fun.

2) Write something about your company- See the little box under your picture that says "Write somethingabout your company". This is very important because this is one of theitems that is visible on every tab of your fan page. This is yourelevator statement in 250 characters or less. Be sure to include a linkto your website here, and in order to make your link clickable, don'tforget the http:// before the www. (Note: this statement can bechanged at any time, so it is a great place to highlight a promotíon orother important happening for your company.)

3) Wall Settings- Another important tool in the set up of your page are the wallsettings. You have to decide if you want visitors to be able to postmessages for everybody to see or if you only want your messages shown.Unless you have a super controversial company, I recommend startingwith allowing everything. It will help you build your wall fasterbecause people like to post messages. If the posts become out ofcontrol or unflattering, you can always delete individual posts orchange the setting later. (You will find "Wall settings" under "Editpage.") Once you fill in all of the basic information, youhave successfully created a fan page. Don't forget, it is easy tochange, so don't sweat it. Now you are ready to take yourpage live. It is important for you to let people know about your page.This is where having an already active personal profile comes in handybecause if you already have a lot of "friends" who are interested inyour company, you can "suggest" your new page to them.

Alright you have a page. You have suggested to all of your friends -now what? Now you start the real work. Marketing and branding takestime and attentiveness. You can't just set up this page and hope peoplefind you. If there is nothing on your page that interests people, noone will become a fan. Social media is fun - your fan page should betoo. Post interesting things about your company, but don't be afraid topost something fun too. Try posting open-ended questions (to enticeresponses from your fans) such as "What is your favorite XYZ?" "What do you plan to do for the XYZ holiday?" Posting links and/or photos are also a great way to get peopleinterested, plus they are more visually appealing so people are moreapt to pay attention. Posting links to your website has the addedbenefit of pushing people to your site to find out more. Try posting onyour fan page every time you update your blog - "Check this out" and attach a link to your blog. Remember, the most important reason you have a Facebook fan page is touse it as a branding strategy to promote your personal brand. So, ifyour company is very "green" conscious, share tidbits about beinggreen. If your company is all about marketing and branding (like us), you might post pictures of events, links to blog posts and informationabout the companies you help brand. Those are the basicfeatures of a Facebook fan page, but once you get going you willrealize that there are many more things you can add to your fan pagesuch as customizable apps, connecting the page to your Twitter feed,and much more. But you can't do any of the fancy things until you getstarted with the basics, so for now create your page and start buildingyour fans. Oh, and don't forget to include a new link on your websiteto let people know they can become a fan on Facebook. And that is how you can use Facebook as a branding strategy for your business.

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