business networking on facebook

How to Use Facebook for Business Networking

Familiarizing Yourself with Facebook

Creating a Profile for Networking

Check your Learning of Business Networking on Facebook

Facebook has become an important part of a business Internet marketing strategy. Although the initial profiles are free, many people are paid to update business social networks and Facebook ads are available for purchase. If you are a business that wants to network with customers, or if you are a professional who wants to develop business contacts, Facebook can help. The largest growing demographic is young professionals who are over 35. You must decide what you want to get from Facebook and then find out how to become part of a networking community through educational, personal and professional posting. Read on to find out how to use Facebook for business networking.

Part

Familiarizing Yourself with Facebook

Learn about Facebook. We all know that LinkedIn is the social network for professionals. It’s the place to be if you want to connect with like-minded professionals looking to get ahead in their careers.
Yet increasingly, business related groups are appearing on Facebook – and people are putting them to good use. These days, lot of business networking happens on Facebook. Facebook is used to connect with peers around the world, and to discover potential clients.
LinkedIn is still recommended as the top business networking tool (and Twitter is especially powerful if you need to make connections fast). But Facebook has a lot going for it, and it’s certainly something you should consider.

Assuming you don't know much about Facebook for business the first thing you have to do is begin to get used to Facebook to understanding it's concept. You will create a professional account and first step should be to define your goals and ways to achieve them. Start by checking the Facebook pages of leading companies in the use of Facebook (Eduroof, Coca Cola, Starbucks, etc.), or companies in your industry, and see their strategies. This will help you to familiarize how it is used and how you can apply techniques. Lets Begin our Learning of Facebook for networking.

Part

Creating a Profile for Networking

Invest time in creating and customizing your business profile, so that your "fans" get to the page that you want, and get the information that is important to them. Customize your page (logo, tags, URL, etc.) This will help you to achieve your goals.
Set your vanity URL:This is the first thing you will want to do to brand yourself, a vanity URL is basically your customized domain on Facebook. Instead of facebook.com/e2434h394oij you can get facebook.com/eduroof. Note that this new vanity URL will double as your Facebook email address, it will become eduroof (at) facebook.com. Go to the Customized URL page on Facebook and set yours now
Decide what your business networking goals are. Many small businesses use Facebook as a way to network with their community, customers, charities and business partners. Contractors or professionals use a profile as a way to develop important business contacts.
Start a Facebook page, or rework an existing page. Think of your Facebook page as an online resume or a business card. Make sure the following elements are considered as part of your professional page:
- Only elect to use a personal page if you do not have a business, and you want to network with other professionals. Create the personal page as if it is a resume. Remove excessive pictures, such as those with drinking, partying or vacations. Add education, work experience, your website, professional organizations and important hobbies, Testimonials, Products that you sell, videos of the products and uses.
- Go to the "General Settings" and "Privacy Settings" in order to control what people can see on your personal profile. This is essential for anyone using a personal profile. You can also make lists, using the "Friends" section of your homepage, and choose if you want certain lists, such as friends or co-workers, to be unable to see your status update.
- Facebook created "Fan Pages" to help businesses, charities and organizations to develop a following for their business on the Internet. Choose the type of company, upload logos and pictures associated with your company. Assign someone to consistently post to your site.
- Complete your info sections of your profile. On either personal or business pages, this is the place where people are likely to look first. Incomplete or cryptic information sections are often thought to be Facebook spam accounts. Consider your "About Me" section to be an elevator pitch, telling people in just a few short lines what you do, why you do it and why you are a good professional contact to have. If you are a company, put your company defined pitch or brand in this section.
- Link other social media applications, eBay and more by downloading Facebook applications. In a professional setting, you should use the event application and research other applications that can help you cross-promote with your current marketing initiatives.
- Post photos of yourself or your employees to give your business a stronger brand image. Make sure all photos are in a professional setting, and they can do a lot to give the feeling of community and credibility to your page. They can also promote corporate culture and a happy workplace.
Post a mixture of business and industry information to establish credibility. Before you start asking for friends or fans, you should have 20, or so, posts that tell your potential contacts about your interests. Consider posting industry information, educational links, links to current projects or products.
Adjust your fan page's URL so that it is easy to find. Each fan page is allowed to change their page name only once, so make sure you use the name of your company, website or blog. For example, instead of Facebook.com/5525412814559, you can make your site Facebook.com/eduroof
- Click "Edit Page" and then choose "Basic Information." You can change your URL under the "Username" option.

Part

Business Networking on Facebook

Search for current professional contacts and colleagues. Send friend requests or share a fan page with them, to start getting an initial base for business networking. These people are more likely than a new friend to share your page or help you promote your business.
- Use Facebook's "Invite Email Contacts" link to help you connect with colleagues. You can choose to link your account with your email provider for a set period of time. They will help you find colleagues or contacts that are also on Facebook.1. Sign in to your Facebook account.2. Click friends Icon .3. Click "Find Friends".4. on the right hand side you will find "Add Personal Contacts"
  - .5. Enter the username and password for your email account. Click "Import." Your email contact list is imported into Facebook.
Use Facebook's "People You May Know" and "Your Fans Also Like" sections to help expand your contacts. Although you want to be selective, these sections are developed based on networking principles that "friends of friends" may also be good friends to have.
Search for partner or important businesses in your area. When you see their Facebook pages, click the "Like" button. They will get a notification that you are a fan, and they will have a chance to "like" you, in turn.
- Becoming fans of other businesses will allow you to be associated with them. You will often be listed as a fan on their page, which can be a great way to convert their fans into your fans.
Post a subscription link to your blog or newsletter occasionally. As you make new contacts, you should cross-promote your non-Facebook services. Blog, or informal, writing is a great way to promote your business, because it is usually not a hard sell and it can be used as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your website.
Cross-promote your Facebook page with your website, newsletters, blogs, business cards and other advertising materials. With an easy to find URL, it is likely that people will see that you have a Facebook page. A number of those people may look at your Facebook page for promotions and business updates, and/or become your fans.
- Connect with influential people in your industry (other companies or professionals in your field, "bloggers", journalists, etc.). Build relationships in sourcing interesting information and share your network with them, and they will return the favor.
- Put a link to your website from your Facebook Page (Fan Page) for your potential customers to visit your website. Sometimes even a Facebook page has more visitors than a website. Also, take advantage of your Facebook page to insert links to the latest articles in your blog, promotions on your website to promote your site visit. In fact you don't actually have to set it up if you don't want and instead you can outsource the task of paying an affordable fee to have one done professionally, such as through Elance.com. or Fiverr.com.
Create a Facebook group through your personal page. Facebook groups are communities that promote discussions. You can use a group to develop a professional community, a regional business network, a product, a professional advice group, a market research group or a club.
Join other Facebook groups that relate to your business. With most Facebook groups, you must ask to join and the administrator will either accept or deny your request for admission. Get into discussions with people in your groups, in order to develop valuable business contacts.
Turn your Facebook contacts into business contacts by inviting them to meet with you, when it is appropriate. Announce on your page if you will be traveling to a conference or expo. You can arrange for in-person networking through Facebook on your wall or through direct messaging.
Use the Facebook events application to invite your contacts to important business or professional events that you or your company has planned. Encourage people who've never seen your business in person to meet in a social setting. Also, ask that your friends or fans pass on the invitation to their friends.
Buy a Facebook ad to promote your page to your target demographic. If you are finding that Facebook networking is working well for you, then their low-cost advertising may create an even bigger following. Facebook ads for fan pages, group pages or events add new followers in your target audience or create a buzz around them.
Find groups or communities where you can find potential clients or key players in your industry. After participating with comments. Do not worry, not everyone gives interesting information, and you can begin to lead sharing information of value to the group (links to news, blogs, photos, videos, etc..) Take advantage of course to inform them of your value blog, your company, your services.
- For example, if you have a blog on "Animal Care" and you're in a group like "I love animals", you are able to give interesting information about the care of dogs, pet stories, news about welfare groups animals, etc. The people in this group or community, begin to identify yourself as a professional in the field, and when they or their friends need of advice about the "animal care", or will recommend you seek.
Stay in touch. Companies with more fans on Facebook are those who respond to their customers. Through continuous interaction, as a company can show "Next" to your customers and concerned about their problems. This in effect increase your business reputation with increased brand perception.
- If you think it would be interesting for your company, create a group around a shared interest potential customers of your business. This will allow you to meet a potential market, which can send interesting information about your products and / or services. Plus you'll build a reputation as a leader, sharing important information for its members, information that you already have because the group has been created for you, for your sector. Thus members recommend you and your audience will grow.
1. More Tips:
Facebook business groups are often private. This also helps to create an environment of trust, because you need an invite to join a group.
Facebook business groups are often private. We previously listed this as an advantage, which it is. But it’s also a disadvantage, because it means good business groups can be hard to find.
Now you know the pros and cons of Facebook networking, how can you get started?
How to Network with Business Professionals on Facebook
When it comes to networking on Facebook, you’ve got a couple of options:
1. Networking using your Facebook page. This is ideal for getting the attention of influencers.
2. Networking using Facebook groups. I’ve found this is the best way to connect with other professionals and uncover opportunities. This is what we’ll look at in this article.
Where can you find these groups to network in?
Facebook search. Using Facebook’s search tool, you can find public and open groups. It’s the perfect way to dip your toes in the water of Facebook networking.
How can you find groups? Search for “business networking”, and Facebook will direct you straight to the top business networking group. That’s good for getting started, but what if you want to find more?
Type this into the search bar:
Find all groups named “business networking”
Then, you’ll get a list of hundreds of business networking groups – some general, some specific to a country or city, and some industry-specific. You’ll even see groups where your friends are already members.
When you’re looking for groups to join, check them out before you sign up. Look for active groups where members share useful information and advice.
Subscribe to email lists of business professionals you like. I’ve found this to be the most fruitful way of discovering hidden gems. Increasingly, small business owners and bloggers are offering access to a mastermind Facebook group if you join their email list. Some are great, some less so. It’s worth checking out as many as you can to find the gems.
Ask your friends and business contacts. The people you already know in business can help you find great Facebook groups. Ask around to see if any of your business contacts are part of a private Facebook group. Knowing someone in a group can be a way of getting yourself invited to the group.