If you're not using your Facebook Personal Profile as part of your Facebook Triangle, then you're missing a trick!
According to Search Engine Journal, there are over 2.9 billion active Facebook users globally! And two thirds of those users visiting local business pages on Facebook! That's a whole lot of eyes potentially on your business!
I'll talk about Pages and Groups another time. Today I want to focus on your Profile.
First, we need to remember one golden rule. Facebook does NOT allow you to sell on your profile. It want's you to use a business page to do that, where you can pay for adverts.
"But I don't want/can't afford to pay for ads!" Don't worry! I never pay for ads.
There are so many other ways to direct people to your offers that you won't even need to think about ads!
Let's dive into profiles.
Think of your profile like a coffee shop. Where you hang out with friends, tell stories, catch up on what's been going on in each other's lives. Remember, you're not that annoying friend who always tries to hog the conversation and sell to anyone who will listen. People will soon get bored of that and stop coming out for coffee with you!
Instead, share value! Share what you're excited about! Made something new that turned out great? Share a picture! Got a really great tip that might help someone? Post it! Had some great feedback from a customer? Tell everyone how happy that makes you!
Use posts like this to share your excitement for your business, without pitching to your audience. That's what your page is for!
Another great way to use your profile is to make it clear to anyone who looks at it what you do. Use your cover image and your About section to really direct people to your page and group. As much as I'm sure you love your kids or your pets or your garden, that's not going to make you any sales or get people into your group.
Make sure your cover image is always up to date! I recommend updating your cover image & profile picture monthly. Incorporate that change with a 'Welcome to new followers & friends' style post where you share some facts about you or your story, and pin it to the top of your profile! If you have a special offer or new product you want to promote, get it in your cover image! And if you want to share pictures with your friends and family, use Whatsapp. Or any other messaging service.
Why? When you're networking and connecting with others, you need to make it easy for them to find your business, so they can like your page, join your group and interact with your content!
Most networking pages & groups on Facebook prefer you to network as your profile rather than your page. This is because the Facebook algorithm recognises interaction from profiles more. (It's a social media platform after all). My own group has the same rules. Only profiles are allowed to join because this benefits everyone more in the long run!
I don't know about you, but I find it really frustrating if someone tells me about their business, and I want to go and have a look but there's no information about it on their profile, which is all I've got to go on!
So make it clear on your profile what your business is, who you help and where people can find it!
This is also super helpful if you don't have a website, as Google will pick up your profile in its search results.
In short, your profile is a great place to build connections and relationships. The people you connect with may not all buy from you, but when you build those relationships and stay in their minds, they will recommend you to others. It's not about how many people you know, but about how many people they know!
Do you use your Facebook profile as part of your marketing strategy? I'd love to know! Let me know in the comments, or jump into my Facebook group where we also have regular networking threads and events!
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