Facebook can be used for more than connecting with people you went to high school with.
With over 500 million active users, there are a lot of potential customers to be had.
Of course, the only way that you and your customers will find each other are with the right marketing strategies.
Here are some of the best free Facebook marketing strategies that have been proven to be effective.
#1- Your Facebook Profile Your profile is the first thing that people see when they find you.
Even before they go to your profile, customers are trying to decide if they want to visit you.
The most important thing to have is a good picture.
Don't just put up a logo, or worse, leave the photo blank! When looking for new people to connect with, having a happy, smiling face showing will be a much better asset.
You don't have to have Hollywood star looks either.
People just want to know that a real person is behind the screen, and not simply a spambot who only want to sell them something.
It's fine to use Facebook to sell, but you have to earn that right.
Spend time, not just on your picture, but in all the other profile areas to flesh out your page and show that you are a living, breathing person who is worth getting to know.
#2- Groups There are tons and tons of Facebook groups that are perfect for viral marketing.
You can find groups that coincide with your market to join, or you can start your own group.
The point here is targeting your market.
Joining 50 petition groups to prove chunky peanut butter is better than creamy will not get you anywhere, unless you're marketing peanut butter.
Become active in the groups and add other people in the group to your friends list.
If you offer good content and position yourself as a leader in your group, more people will seek you out and be willing to listen to you.
#3- Fan Pages Similar to groups is a personal fan page.
A fan page is basically like a second personal page.
The difference is that you want to use your personal page mostly to connect on a personal level, one-to-one with your friends, and a fan page is better suited to your business opportunities.
Another difference is that Facebook limits you to 5000 friends on your personal page.
Your fan page can have as many people like it as you can get.
This is the place to put out your links to your videos, articles, whatever other marketing methods you may be using.
You can also put up a lead capture page on your fan page so your fans never have to leave Facebook to opt in to your list.
#4- Events Whenever you have an upcoming event like a product launch, webinar, or conference, you can set up an event.
It creates a new page that handles just like a group or fan page with wall posts, discussions, and photo pages, but with the added benefit that you can invite all of your friends to the event.
They can RSVP and indicate whether they will be there or not, and you can get an idea of the excitement being generated.
#5- Messages Messages are great for starting a direct conversation with anyone.
They can be sent to anyone on Facebook, regardless of whether they are on your friends list or not.
It does require some restraint though, as Facebook may decide that you are a spammer and refuse to accept your messages if you send to too many people who are not on your list.
The best way to use it is to start a conversation with the people already on your list.
Odds are you don't personally know everyone you are friends with.
Use the message feature to learn about them! Send a message asking about the other person and get them talking about themselves.
People love to talk about themselves, and if you give them a chance they will open up to you and be more receptive to your offer.
These are some of the most popular free Facebook marketing strategies available.
You can do paid advertising on Facebook, but why would you bother when there are so many methods that don't cost anything? Using the free methods also makes you more involved in your community, which is the whole point of social media.
So take these strategies and get out there!
With over 500 million active users, there are a lot of potential customers to be had.
Of course, the only way that you and your customers will find each other are with the right marketing strategies.
Here are some of the best free Facebook marketing strategies that have been proven to be effective.
#1- Your Facebook Profile Your profile is the first thing that people see when they find you.
Even before they go to your profile, customers are trying to decide if they want to visit you.
The most important thing to have is a good picture.
Don't just put up a logo, or worse, leave the photo blank! When looking for new people to connect with, having a happy, smiling face showing will be a much better asset.
You don't have to have Hollywood star looks either.
People just want to know that a real person is behind the screen, and not simply a spambot who only want to sell them something.
It's fine to use Facebook to sell, but you have to earn that right.
Spend time, not just on your picture, but in all the other profile areas to flesh out your page and show that you are a living, breathing person who is worth getting to know.
#2- Groups There are tons and tons of Facebook groups that are perfect for viral marketing.
You can find groups that coincide with your market to join, or you can start your own group.
The point here is targeting your market.
Joining 50 petition groups to prove chunky peanut butter is better than creamy will not get you anywhere, unless you're marketing peanut butter.
Become active in the groups and add other people in the group to your friends list.
If you offer good content and position yourself as a leader in your group, more people will seek you out and be willing to listen to you.
#3- Fan Pages Similar to groups is a personal fan page.
A fan page is basically like a second personal page.
The difference is that you want to use your personal page mostly to connect on a personal level, one-to-one with your friends, and a fan page is better suited to your business opportunities.
Another difference is that Facebook limits you to 5000 friends on your personal page.
Your fan page can have as many people like it as you can get.
This is the place to put out your links to your videos, articles, whatever other marketing methods you may be using.
You can also put up a lead capture page on your fan page so your fans never have to leave Facebook to opt in to your list.
#4- Events Whenever you have an upcoming event like a product launch, webinar, or conference, you can set up an event.
It creates a new page that handles just like a group or fan page with wall posts, discussions, and photo pages, but with the added benefit that you can invite all of your friends to the event.
They can RSVP and indicate whether they will be there or not, and you can get an idea of the excitement being generated.
#5- Messages Messages are great for starting a direct conversation with anyone.
They can be sent to anyone on Facebook, regardless of whether they are on your friends list or not.
It does require some restraint though, as Facebook may decide that you are a spammer and refuse to accept your messages if you send to too many people who are not on your list.
The best way to use it is to start a conversation with the people already on your list.
Odds are you don't personally know everyone you are friends with.
Use the message feature to learn about them! Send a message asking about the other person and get them talking about themselves.
People love to talk about themselves, and if you give them a chance they will open up to you and be more receptive to your offer.
These are some of the most popular free Facebook marketing strategies available.
You can do paid advertising on Facebook, but why would you bother when there are so many methods that don't cost anything? Using the free methods also makes you more involved in your community, which is the whole point of social media.
So take these strategies and get out there!