By Sue Papadoulis
Can you really make money from Facebook? Yes, you can! It's a two-sided process though. On one hand you need the technical information to set up professional pages and give people the opportunity to access you and your products. But most importantly, you need to be willing to create an emotional connection with potential customers.
Here's how I created a presence on Facebook that has led to thousands of dollars in product sales, valuable joint venture opportunities, invitations to speak on teleseminars, invitations to co-author two books, and the creation of a supportive and overwhelmingly positive community of like-minded people who love what I do:
1. Un-friend your high school mates or anyone who won't relate to the 'new you' in business. Like most people when I first joined Facebook it was all about connecting with long lost school friends. In fact it was the ONLY reason I joined, because I was about to attend my high school reunion and the organisers set up a special page for the event. Once I decided to use Facebook for business, I was shocked by the reaction of some friends who actually poked fun at my posts and left inappropriate comments, simply because I wasn't being the person they knew in high school. So, I deliberately un-friended high school mates and anyone else that wasn't a business contact. In fact, I don't have too many social friends on Facebook now because we connect in person, via email or the phone.
2. Post about your business life: In order to encourage people to engage you need to give them a reason to return to your pages, which means there's plenty of activity by posting at least a few times a day. Rather than posting about your personal life, write about what's happening in your business - successes and challenges.
3. Don't be fearful of revealing yourself: Everyone faces challenges and difficult times - opening yourself up to reveal your own fears, doubts and issues can help you create closer relationships (of course this is true in any social setting). Let your personality shine through - warts and all.
4. Answer questions and leave comments: The more active you are on group pages relating to your industry the more likely you are to be seen as an expert in your field. Answer questions from others if you can help, and leave positive comments.
5. Connect with key influencers: Each industry has a handful of people who are 'key influencers' - those who are the stars and who many others look up to. Associate yourself with these people. Friend them, like their group pages, comment on their posts and answer the questions of others in their circle.
6. Don't write anything you wouldn't want to be seen on the front page of a newspaper, or have your mother read: You can create great working relationships with people all over the world, but never forget that everything you post is public and could easily get into the hands of people it wasn't intended for. You must always maintain your professionalism.
Follow these steps and you'll be well on your way to having an effective Facebook presence that makes you money.
And the technical side? I recently bought the re-sale rights for a fantastic video training course on how to make money from Facebook fan (or 'like') pages. It gives you all the technical information you need to set up a professional Facebook fan page, drive traffic to your page and sell products. Find out more here.
© 2010 Home Biz Chicks
WANT TO USE THIS REPORT IN YOUR E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Online entrepreneur Sue Papadoulis empowers and inspires others, to live the life of their dreams by starting and growing successful home businesses. She is the founder of Home Biz Chicks, which provides step-by-step advice on getting started, marketing, PR, finances, best mindset, and juggling work vs. home. Access Sue's special video (valued at $279) How to Generate Free Publicity for Your Business free at http://www.diyprkit.com. Get Sue's $79 audio CD Secrets to Home Biz Success free at http://www.homebizchickscd.com.
