So you've decided to create a FaceBook page for your business but aren't sure how to do this.  Well, you could contact your webmaster or hire Web Primacy to put this together for you, and that is definitely a valid choice if you are extremely busy.  But if you want to do it on your own, it doesn't require much computer skills to do so.  Here are the basic steps to setting up your FaceBook fan page in less than 10 minutes.

First, before you begin you must have a personal FaceBook account.   This is simple to setup. Go to www.facebook.com and complete the form.  That's all you need to do at the moment.  You can add your life details later if you want.

Now, to create your Business FaceBook Page follow these steps.

1. Login to FB under your personal account.
2. Go here to create your Business Page.
3. Select "Local Business or Place" or one of the other selections if more appropriate.
4. After you have created the page you can begin to provide details on your business and upload photos.  Be sure to complete the Description and About information.
5. Don’t forget to publish the page. See down below on how to do this.

If you have a partner or others that you want to contribute to your FaceBook page then you will need to give them the rights to manage the page.  Here are the instructions to do that.

1. Go to your Business page
2. Select the "Edit Page" option in the left column
3. Select "Manage Admins" from the left hand sidebar.
4. Type the name or email of the person you wish to add as an admin.

The friends you select will be able to help you manage your Page. Every admin can manage the Page from their own Facebook account using the Page Manager application.  Note that these individuals will need to have a personal FB account as well.

To give your page that professional touch you’ll want to create a personalized url.  This makes it easier for your to remember and share.  It also gives users an idea of what the site is before they click on the link.  To set up your business username follow these instructions.

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com/username
2. Select a username for your page (e.g. YourBusinessName)
3. Hit enter.  Note that you cannot change your username once it is set, so make it a good one.

Now that everything is setup you need to PUBLISH your page.  While it is unpublished only your adminstrators and you can see the site.  Publishing is easy and requires you only to go to your page and click on the link 'publsh your page' at the top.  This will instantly set your Facebook Page to "published" and allow any users to view the page.  You could also set it to "published" from the Edit Page while you are editing your business page.  If you ever want to unpublish your site you can do this.  Doing so will hide it from all users, including existing fans.   This can be done in the Settings section of the Edit Page.

One last thing to do, get fans!!  Inviting fans begins with your existing friends, family, and business workers.  You can invite them directly from FaceBook or integrate widgets into your existing website.  Adding the widgets is a bit more complicated so you'll probably want to consult your webmaster to handle this piece.

That's it.  You're Business FaceBook page should now be live and you can begin sharing what's new, promote upcoming events, advertise specials, and interact with your fanbase.  So get going and have fun with it!

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Of the major social media sites, it seems Twitter raises the most questions.  Like, what the heck is for? What can I do with it?   Isn’t just a bunch of chatter-heads commenting on the minutia of the day.  In response to these questions I say: creating buzz, promote your brand and learn from others, and the chatter-heads are only a small portion of the users. Of these the most important elements for you might be creating buzz and promoting your brand. How can you do this? Here are some quick tips on how to effectively use Twitter for these purposes.

• First you need to establish yourself as knowledgeable in your area of interest. Be real and engaging. Post relevant original content in addition to commenting on other’s material.
• Search for and follow people in your target market as well as people in your industry. It’s just as important to know what you customers are tweeting about as your competition (or peers). I don’t recommend following everyone. I tend to focus on those that will help you grow your business.
• Retweet and give credit when you see something worth passing along. Thanking others for retweeting your tweets is also good protocol.
• Direct your followers to your website or other social networks with engaging content, pictures, and videos. If you are Blogging, twitter is a great way to announce a new blog post.
• Comment on relevant news in your industry that may have wide-ranging effects on others.
• Use it to promote events and keep your fans up to date in real-time with live tweets during special events. This is great way to provide instantaneous updates and announcements.
• And remember to always be professional and stick to it (but don’t overdo it). Quality is still more important than quantity.

If you have other questions about how to use twitter or social media to promote your business then drop me an This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or comment below. Also, I’d love to hear about your successes using social media. Good luck!

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It seems some people, who will not be named here, think that social media encompasses only Facebook and Twitter. Ok, I do agree that these are the big two and garner a great deal of attention due mainly because they carry so much social content. However, for those that aren’t dealing with social media everyday there are literally hundreds of sites that fit within the social sphere. Some, like YouTube and Flikr, are well known but not all realize that they are considered social sites because they enable connections and sharing. And there are many, many more.  From Crocheting to Vampires, there is a social network for what interests you.  So if you want to learn about other social networking sites check out wikipedia for a fairly comprehensive list.  Here are a few lesser known but interesting sites that you may want to add to your favorites or blocked site lists.  What uncommon or odd social sites do you visit?

Stumbleupon – presents subscribers with sites that like-minded stumblers have recommended. Great for those with AD&D.

Last.fm – If you love listening to music and love talking about, telling others about, and getting deep into it, then this site may be for you. Yelp! – Looking for a place to go eat, drink and be merry?

Yelp! Helps you find it and then you can provide your feedback and share with the world and your friends.

Buzznet – For the trendsetters out there that want to keep up to date on what’s happening in music and pop culture.

Goodreads – Are you a bookworm? Want to meet others or create your own online book club? This site provides the forum for doing just this. Get reading recommendations and share your thoughts.

WAYN is a travel and lifestyle network that helps you to keep track of all your contacts from around the world and make new friends based on where you are now, where you have been and where you are going!

Vampirefreaks.com – The name of this site pretty much sums it up but to be more specific they are catering to the gothic and industrial subculture. The brand name of their clothing line pretty much sums up what they are about.

Raverly is a free site for lovers of knitting and crochet and, perhaps, the most opposite of Vampirefreaks possible. Would be fun to see what happens if these two were switched for a day.

Italki.com provides forum for people interested in learning a new language and for those who already know one to show how smart they are.

Daily Strength – Find the 12-step program of your choice here or build your own, create a support network with others, share your problems and coping strategies with people in the same boat.

Science Stage - ScienceStage.com is a virtual conference room, lecture hall, laboratory, library, and meeting venue all in one. It offers new methods of scientific presentation, scientific discourse, and academic knowledge transfer by using video streaming, audio streaming, and text features

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I've met with many people recently with great ideas and great stories.  Several of these I'm certain would make for profitable web businesses.   The reason I think this is that they are talking about the same stuff that hits home with millions of people the world around.  And what they have to offer is true experience, in the trenches style.  They know what they are talking about and the content, the stories so to speak, come from their everyday lives.   They have no need to fabricate topics of discussions that would probably come across fake anyhow.  In addition, much of what they have to share is funny.  Funny stories grab people's attention and it brings them back for more.  What this translates into is a loyal following that you can monetize even if you only have a small following.

If you want to try to make some extra cash or even fund your lifestyle completely, then think about what your interest or knowledge base is in.  What's your passion?  Perhaps you are an expert in yoga, tango, model car construction, adventure travel, parenting, or even people watching.  Consider what stories you have to tell?  This can be the foundation of your blog and this is what your fans what to hear and learn about.  Take advantage of other social media platforms and set up a Facebook page and Twitter account to keep your fans updated daily with what is happening relevant to your topic.  Build your personal brand and spread your experience.  Soon you will have a strong core group of followers that will contribute to your site with their own comments and experiences, thus creating your own interactive community.

While you are establishing yourself as a guru of your passion, start incorporating revenue producing mechanisms into your site.  These include selling your own e-book, banner advertising, affiliate sales, and donations.  Some methods may work better than others and some may be more acceptable by your audience.  There are hundreds of options to choose from as well.  For more ways to monetize your blog check out 101 Ways to Monetize Your Blog without Irritating Your Readers.  I'm certain you can find several options to fund your passion and even if you don't make a killing, at least you are enjoying what you do.

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In a recent Nielson ratings study, it was found that 3 of the top 5 Social Networking sites had reductions in unique users.  This is essentially the number of new users.  While Facebook and Twitter posted gains over last year of 69% and 45%, respectively, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Classmates Online fell.    In my opinion, this trend will continue as Facebook adds to its arsenal of applications and increases partnerships with other relevant social networking tools. Perhaps this is a sign of thinning in the Social Network arena. 

 

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