I’m using facebook.com more and more these days. One of my facebook friends, Lee Oden, owner of the Online Marketing Blog, has been doing research on how online marketers use facebook. Here’s what I think:
I use facebook alot to connect cloggers together. Clogging is a form of dance similar to tap dance. I’ve set up a group called the ClogOn Community. Not only do I invite all cloggers I find in Facebook because of the “interest” search option, but I also invite all my current clients from my clogging shoes website to join Facebook so we can all keep in touch and get to know one another. What I’ve found is that clients that can put a name with a face are often times much more prone to develop loyalty to a particular business.
Sales increase because, as I get to know my clients and put names with faces, trust is built. I’ve recently set up a deal with another client for a highlight video of their team.
I use facebook for the following websites:
- http://www.ClogOn.com
- http://www.HighlightSports.com
- http://www.DoorCountyReviews.com
- http://mollermarketing.com
In summary, the Groups have worked the best for me – tying all my target audiences in to groups or finding already existing groups to become a part of.
How do you all use Facebook?
Hi nate,
What are your thoughts about using other sites, such as MySpace, or Windows Live Spaces, as well? Is there any particular reason you chose facebook?
Gisela,
There are many other Social Media sites that can be used too: MySpace, Twitter, MyBlogLog and Squidoo, to name a few.
I like Facebook as one of them mainly because I don’t get spam messages. With my MySpace account, I tend to get messages from people I don’t even know and that have nothing to do with what I’m trying to market.
The more we can get our name and website out there to our target audience, the better.
I have contacted a few people and had success with FACEBOOK. I recommend using direct email instead of the form as FACEBOOK may flag you for spamming.
Once you set up all of your “profiles” you can use web tracking tools to see which social networks work the best (and convert) and which ones are just wasting your time.
Have set up my account, my budiness account and a one group (so far) . I’m interested to see what happens next
Since our last conversation, I followed your tips Nate, and started using Facebook to market my website and it has been a great tool so far. I haven’t received any feedback yet from the posts I made on other groups targeting the same audience though. I am eager to see something happening there too.
Yeah Nate,
I can see the advantages and uses for Facebook to bring together folks with like interests. There is so much garbage (Spam) out there that any means of effective socializing is great. I look forward to become proficient with Facebook. Thanks for the help.
Great article Nate. Facebook can bring your customers together and help make them build a relationship with you.
I am a professional portrait artist, who paints commissioned portraits of adults, children and pets. Finding a target audience for pet portraits is easy, but when it comes to find people who might be interested to have portraits of their children or themselves it becomes trickier. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Enzie
Enzie,
I’ve checked out your sites and work and would be interested in talking with you about your marketing strategies both on and offline. Contact me at info at mollermarketing dot com.
Nate…I am planning on signing up for Facebook and will search groups that are interested in candles so that I can promote my site. Social networking is a whole new ballgame, but it will be interesting to see if I can generate interest in my products.
Hello again Nate,
I currently have accounts with Digg.com, Delicious.com, Facebook, Twitter and StumbleUpon – these last 2, are my absolute favourites where I have made friends – then slowly building up repor with people to send them to my my FaceBook FanPage.
Final stage to finishing off my homework assignment as per class earlier today. I have read the articles and watched the video on Twitter thank you again.
Urzay
Hi Nate ~ I listened to your recorded elective class on the Prosper site & I had a couple of questions about FB:
Do you utilize FB’s paid advertising at all to generate traffic? Or are you getting all of your connections by joining groups & pages and selectively “friending” people?
Also, which do you think is more effective for marketing purposes: starting a group or a fan Page?
Thanks! My husband & I love your classes on Prosper ~ you’re energetic, professional & interactive!
Linda