All the negative hype about Facebook has been totally blown out of proportion by the news media. I recommend that people go in and lock down their privacy settings (so do it now, right after you join our page!), but that’s just common sense.
Facebook has been extremely useful for me in my personal, volunteer and business lives. I am getting results for clients — both in the free and paid advertising aspects of Facebook.
Facebook is not for all businesses. It’s best for those who have repeat customers who share a common passion (example, sewing, antiques, organics). And it doesn’t work if you just set it and forget it. Finally, since these customers have opted in, it’s important, as with e-mail, to respect their time.
In a nutshell, a Facebook “Page” or “Business Profile” allows people to “Like” your page (it used to be called “become a fan”) and therefore receive updates from you in their news feeds.
The business owner does not see their customers’ personal info, and vice versa. It’s not like when you become “friends” with someone on Facebook using personal “Profiles.” (“Pages” are for Businesses, “Profiles” are for People. So, don’t create a Profile for your business).
When these customers interact with your page, these interactions are visible to your customers’ friends, creating what is called a “viral” effect. In other words, if my friend Kathy “likes” or comments on a given Page, I might go check it out. When I “like” the page (again, by clicking the “Like” button), my friends will see this and might check it out. Viral marketing happens because friends tend to share common interests and look to each other for inputs about things like shopping and entertainment.
It costs nothing, but you can also use pay-per-click ads to drive traffic to your Facebook page, if you choose.
So check out our page to see what it’s about, and hopefully interact with us there. If I can answer any questions about using Facebook for business, please let me know.