Lesson 5: Facebook
Intro:
Happy Lesson 5! Here we are, onto a new topic, and onto a new medium. Hopefully you understand a bit of blogging and social media because we’re getting specific, our new topic: Facebook.
Lesson:
We’ve got a video from our archives about Facebook. This was recorded prior to Facebook’s most recent changes – though many of the concepts remain the same. So watch it if you need to become more familiar with some of the functions, but keep in mind some things have changed. Read more about the changes here.
http://vimeo.com/7334178
Next:
Read these two short articles below. We’ve written them to give you some basic to-dos for facebook.
FACEBOOK INTRO PART 1
There has been much written about how to use Facebook properly and effectively, and still many people miss the very fundamental items that make being on Facebook worth the time and effort. So here are the basics:
- You must have a photo. If you don’t, you might as well not have a profile in the first place. If you don’t have a photo, you’re not even in the game.
- Your main profile photo should be of you – not your significant other, your kids, your dog, your motorcycle, or your favorite sunset. There are other places in your profile to put photos of your favorite things.
- Your photo should be of your face, not some long-distance shot where no one can even see your face. And no sunglasses, hats, other people or other objects in the photo.
- If you can, having a professional photographer take a professional headshot is a fantastic idea, and very much worth the money.
- There’s a text box in the left-hand column right below your profile photo – use it for a quickie synopsis of who you are, what you do, the name of your business if you have one, and your website or blog address. While your personal profile is not the place to actively promote your business, it’s OK (and a good idea) to mention your business in this space.
- Put a lot of information in the Info section of your profile. Information about people is interesting to people. You want people to get to know you, and limiting this section to your basic contact info does not further that cause. They want to know your interests, hobbies, favorite things, affiliations, and so forth.
- Be active. Posting once a week will not garner much attention. It doesn’t take long to make a short post. Do it at least once a day, maybe more.
FACEBOOK INTRO PART 2
The name on your Facebook personal profile must be your name, not your business name. This is perhaps the most egregious mistake that anyone makes on Facebook. If you are John Smith who owns ABC Company, then your personal profile must be named John Smith, not ABC Company, and the photo must be of you, not your company logo. Personal profiles are just that – personal. They are not to be used for your business. If you have already made this mistake, undoing it might be painful and awkward, but necessary.
Do not use your personal profile to actively promote your business. You can mention your business activities frequently, but not in a “sales” tone. Saying “I met with a client today and signed a deal for ____.” is different than saying “Call me for a quote on your _____!” The first is simply telling about your life and activities. The second is an attempt to sell. Facebook is not a place to sell anything.
Action Items:
- Do you have a facebook profile or fanpage? If not, make one and send us your first friend request. Be sure to add to your business page us by inviting your friends below the photo on your new business page.
- Make sure to pay attention to the following: A professional, consistent, easily identifiable picture.
- Do you have information about yourself? If someone were to look at your page do they get a feeling of knowing you? Pretend you’re someone else looking at your page, what do you see?
- If you have made the mistake of mixing your personal profile with too much business, see about fixing it.
Feedback:
If you have questions on these videos or any other social media topic email us at info@insights-group.com.com or you can search for answers on our website, InSights-Group.com or InSightsForDentists.com.
