Facebook is not just for keeping tabs on your friends and family - it is also very useful for marketing your business by launching products, announcing events and maintaining a dialogue with customers and other people around your industry.

Whilst Facebook was originally setup as a "social" and personal website it has grown to also become a highly effective business tool. Before jumping in to set up your business page - it is advisable to read the "Facebook Rules" pertaining to business pages. These rules are in place to prevent Facebook becoming a big "spam" factory for business promotion. Use Facebook wisely and it can be a very cost effective marketing and customer relations tool - used ineffectively it can be annoying to your "fans" (who will likely not be high in number!) and a waste of your time (see our article on Using Social Media to Promote my Website).

Our Top 20 Tips for Using Facebook in Your Business

1. Read and adhere to the Facebook rules regarding business accounts.



2. Setup your business account if you don’t already have one.



3. Fill out your profile as completely as possible - this helps to establish trust.



4. Adjust your Settings to keep your personal information private.



5. Create friends lists such as “Work,” “Family” and “Limited Profile” for finer-grained control over your profile privacy.



6. Post a professional or "business casual" photo of yourself to reinforce your brand.



7. Post your newsletter subscription information and archives somewhere in your profile.



8. Obtain a Facebook vanity URL so that people can find you easily - this requires that you have at least 25 fans before you can claim your vanity URL..



9. Add your Facebook URL to your email signature and any marketing collateral (business cards, etc.) so prospects can learn more about you.



10. Regularly post business updates on your wall. Focus on business activities, such as “Working with ABC Company on new project.” When starting your account spread out your posts (not 25 on the first day!)



11. Share useful articles and links to presentation and valuable resources that interest customers and prospects on your wall, to establish credibility.



12. Market your products by posting discounts and package deals.



13. Combine Facebook with other social media tools like Twitter. For example, when someone asks question on Twitter, you can respond in detail in a Facebook post.



14. Upload your contacts from your email client to find more connections.



15. Use Find Friends for suggestions of other people you may know to expand your network even further.



16. Look for mutual contacts on your contacts’ friends lists.



17. Use Facebook Connect to add social networking features to your web site.



18. Suggest Friends to clients and colleagues — by helping them, you establish trust.



19. Join network, industry and alumni groups related to your business.



20. Use search to find groups and fan pages related to your business by industry, location and career.

Integrating Social Networking sites to your Business Website

You can easily integrate your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other Social Networking profiles to your web site using Chilli Websites. When logged in to the Administration System for your website go to "Content Manager" and then to "Add Ons/Widgets" - there are videos and more information there to assist you as required.

Click on each of the icons below to view a short video showing how to integrate the social networking sites into your website:

Social Media Packages

Chilli Websites is in the process of organising social media marketing packages to assist your business in getting your Facebook and/or Twitter profiles started.

Would you be interested in this service for your business?
Please register your interest here.

Links To Popular Social Websites Also Used For Business Networking

Facebook - www.facebook.com                                                                Chilli Websites on Facebook

Twitter - www.twitter.com                                                                                 Chilli Websites on Twitter

Linked In - www.linkedin.com

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