According to Nielsen’s Most Visited Sites of 2011, Facebook nabbed the second spot on their list last year. Facebook was second to Google by only a slim margin. This annual list ranks sites by the number of unique world-wide visitors they receive throughout the year. With that much traffic hitting up the pages of Facebook, it is imperative that your business has a Facebook presence. Your current and prospective customers are on Facebook – and so should you. If you want to make yourself even more visible on the Web and reach an even greater demographic, then Facebook is where you should go. The ratings don’t lie; everyone is on Facebook.
The sheer ability for a business to be on Facebook is a relatively new phenomenon. About this time last year, Facebook launched Fan Pages. These Pages allow businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists everywhere to jump on the Facebook bandwagon. Fan Pages allow Facebook users to spread the word of your service, product, or talent. A Fan Page promotes a more active and engaged fan base. Your business has fans: they are your happy customers. And a Facebook Fan Page allows fans and owners to communicate in a public, mutually profitable way.
Prospective customers may “Like” your business Fan Page to receive a special deal you set up as an incentive for becoming a fan on Facebook. Your past or current customers may “Like” your Fan Page to show their support or appreciation for the services you’ve provided them with. You’ll build a relationship with your clientele and the positive interactions will serve as advertising on your Fan Page.
When Facebook users “Like” your Page, they become a fan and their status as a fan is displayed on their Facebook pages to all of their Facebook friends. An announcement of this new “Like” is posted both on their walls and in their friends’ news feeds, thus, creating the domino effect.
It’s possible for a single “Like” to generate more “Likes” and more fans. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s very possible. It definitely helps to spread the word about your business Fan Page on your personal profile and campaign for “Likes” from all your family and friends on Facebook. Post status updates encouraging your friends to visit and “Like” your business Fan Page. Even if it takes time to build your fan list, you’re still getting your company name out there and letting the world know about your services.
The great thing about Fan Pages is that you don’t need to be logged into Facebook or even have an account to view the Page. Whether someone simply views your Fan Page or actually “Likes” it, there is strong possibility of this converting into hits for your main website. Even if your business only operates locally, you can profit from a fan that has a lot of friends who also live locally. More often than not, a business fan is located nearby, along with a good portion of their friends who may also benefit from your business.
And now, with the new Facebook Timeline layout, Fan Pages have the ability to show a company’s story. You don’t have to be a small business to benefit from the Facebook Timelime. Depict the story of your company in chronological order through pictures, videos, status updates, news articles, customer reviews, and more. You control the way your Page looks completely. You even have control over what is published on your Fan Page. If a Facebook user posts something negative on your Page, you can delete it with the click of a button. The best part? It’s free! Like all other Facebook accounts, a Fan Page is 100 percent free and easy to setup.
Not only does a Facebook business Fan Page generate interest, it makes your company appear likeable, literally. Your business Fan Page should serve as a hub of information with updates about your company and services. Your Facebook business Fan Page will serve almost as a second home for your main website and could come up in Google searches that may have otherwise not included you.
The only catch is you have to know how to optimize your Facebook business Fan Page in order for it to run efficiently. When your Fan Page is operating efficiently, you’ll generate more organic hits and views of your main website. You will need to mention a link to your main website under the “Info” section of your Fan Page and link to your site periodically in status updates in order for this to happen. It’s important to keep your Fan Page up-to-date, but you’ll also want to optimize your content for technical stuff like SEO, search engine optimization.
For example, what you write in the “About” box does matter. The “About” box has a 250 character limit, but it is the most readable section of your Fan Page by Google and other search engines. You want every word to count and increase your chances of coming up in someone’s Google search. You’ll need to use special phrases that are specific to your field of business. If done correctly, a Fan Page is a powerful way to generate traffic to your company’s main website, which could likely result in more profit. There’s a lot more that goes into the technical stuff of Facebook business Fan Pages and The Web Guys can help.
Contact The Web Guys for more details on Facebook business Fan Pages and how to make both your Fan Page and main website more readable by Google and other search engines. In addition to search marketing, we can also take on your website design and management needs. We take the time to consult with our customers and choose online marketing strategies that will benefit their businesses the most. Call The Web Guys at 317-805-4933 or send us an email at sales@the-web-guys.com and start the conversation today!
