eCommerce Blog

If there were a 10-step program for breaking a Facebook addiction, I’d be an ideal candidate. As a confessed social networking junkie, I do take some comfort in knowing I’m far from alone. With more than 175 million active members and the numbers mushrooming year after year, Facebook has catapulted itself into the #1 spot among today’s top networking sites, even bypassing the monolith MySpace.

For many, Facebook is a forum to connect with long-lost friends, post vacation pictures, and kill time playing mindless online games. But for owners of eCommerce stores, it represents a priceless opportunity to increase visibility, build branding, and boost revenue. Best of all, establishing a presence on Facebook won’t cost you a dime.

Creating a Business Page & Account

The first step is to set up a business page for your company. You’ll be prompted to choose a category for your business and give it a name. If you already have a personal Facebook account, you’ll have the option to tie your business page to it, or you can opt to create a new account. To project a more professional image, it’s best to use a general business address, such as info@yourbusiness.com, rather than your personal address.

Enter or upload as much of the following information as possible:

• A summary of your business, including your mission statement
• The key benefits of the product or service you’re selling
• Notices of upcoming events or promotions
• Links to other social networking profiles on LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, and other sites
• Any supporting media, such as a company logo or introductory video

IKEA does a great job of connecting with customers through their business page by posting product and design photo albums, informative newsletters, and videos.

Building a Fan Base

Once your business page is created, you can start accumulating “fans”, just as you would collect “friends” for a regular profile. Fans will then receive updates as you add new information to your page, such as new product announcements, partnerships and alliances, and upcoming promotions, as well as photos and bios of your staff. This is a great way to draw attention to your business without coming across as too “salesy”. Your Facebook page can be thought of as a mini website for your eCommerce business, tying a personality to the product or service you’re offering.

Make it a Group Effort

To supplement your business page, you might also consider setting up a group to allow you to interact directly with your fans and send relevant marketing messages to all of the members at once.

Apply Yourself

While creating a page for your business helps to boost its online visibility, the real power of Facebook marketing lies in the bells and whistles. There are thousands of available Facebook applications that can help you reach more potential customers, boost your search engine rankings, and make your page a more engaging, compelling place to visit.

When using applications, less is more—the key is to carefully select the ones that make the most sense for your business, rather than randomly adding as many as possible. Below are some of the most effective Facebook applications for eCommerce businesses:

• Testimonials: This app allows you to collect and display all of the rave reviews about your product or service. With today’s online buyers relying more and more on customer feedback, a page of positive testimonials can be the nudge a browser needs to get off the fence and into checkout.
• What I Do: Summarize the products or services you offer, broadcast your skills and expertise, and get listed in an online business directory. You can also include links to affiliate sites (and request that they do the same for you).
• Facebook Video: Maximize multimedia marketing with this intuitive video platform. Facebook Video makes it easy to upload instructional videos, product demonstrations, live testimonials, and more.
• Business Cards: Attach a virtual business card to your Facebook messages to reinforce a sense of professionalism.
• Profile HTML: This application allows you to enhance your business page with HTML graphics, images, and links. Another benefit is that all of the HTML links will be spidered by search engines, boosting your eCommerce site’s search engine rankings. Best Buy makes a big visual impact with banner ads on their Facebook page.
• RSS Connect: Already got a blog? This app lets you stream entries into your Facebook page from your own site. Check out how Whole Foods is using RSS Connect.

The key to making your business page a dynamic, effective marketing tool is never letting it get stale. You’ll need to devote ongoing effort to responding to fans’ comments, posting exciting and noteworthy items, and calling attention to the benefits your product or service provides. By continually adding fresh content, you’ll help ensure that your business’ profile doesn’t get lost in the search engine shuffle.

Advertising on Facebook

To take your social marketing campaign one step further, you might consider budgeting for some paid Facebook placements. The site allows businesses to tailor their messaging to a targeted demographic, greatly increasing the chances of garnering clicks and conversions. Ad rates will vary based on the area of the site where your banner will appear and the level of customization. Facebook even allows you to track the progress of your ad and tweak it throughout the campaign. Click the Advertising link at the bottom of any Facebook page to learn more.

Just Face It

The numbers say it all: Facebook isn’t just a playground for high-school kids and college students anymore. With a growth of 276% among users between 35 and 54 years of age within a 10-month range, the site is swimming with potential buyers who have money to spend. As the owner of an eCommerce store, boarding the Facebook bandwagon can be a cost-efficient and effective marketing strategy.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 8:39 am and is filed under Online Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.