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How to Use Facebook as a Branding Strategy for Your Business
By Lindsay Dicks (c) 2010

If you aren't already connected to the social media
revolution, it is time to get your head out of the sand and
harness the power of the digital network. If you want to
get out ahead of your competition and make consumers
excited about interacting with your brand, social media is
the way to go. It isn't an overnight marketing fix, it
takes time to build a following, but if done correctly you
can use social media to drive people to your website and
ultimately to your front door. Are you ready?

After building your incredible website and blog, it is time
to build a Facebook fan page. Before you run away at the
thought of building your own page, let me assure you that
it is easy to get started, and I am going to walk you
through it. But, of course, if you get stuck or need
additional help with the more complicated aspects, we're
always here to help. (But I promise; set up is easy.)

The first thing you need in order to create a Facebook fan
page is a personal profile. What? You don't have one yet?
Time to get one! I am not going to waste time walking you
through profile set up because the steps are pretty self
explanatory. Just go to Facebook, fill out the information
to get started and let the steps guide you. You can
probably set up a basic profile in about 15 minutes. After
setting up your personal profile, spend some time poking
around Facebook and getting to know the site - have fun.
Check out some of your favorite companies' fan pages and
connect with friends.

Now to set up a fan page.

Once you are logged into Facebook, scroll to the bottom of
the page and click "Advertising," and then click "Pages."
There is some great information here about fan pages, so
take a moment to read through the information and when you
are ready click "Create Page." As you go through the set-up
process, remember that in any branding and marketing it is
important to categorize your company in the right area to
help people find you. So choose carefully.

One of the great things about Facebook is the ease of set
up navigation. From here, setting up a fan page is really
about following the prompts. Rather than point out each
step, let's look at the important ones to get your personal
branding going.

1) Photo – Before you do anything else, make sure you have
the perfect photo for your page. Maybe your logo is the
best photo for your page, but maybe not. Think about other
branding materials you have, maybe something seasonal.
Obviously, you want your fans to see your photo and
recognize your brand - that's the goal. But if you have a
creative image that is also recognizable, it might help
your fan page attract fans with an element of fun.

2) Write something about your company - See the little box
under your picture that says "Write something about your
company". This is very important because this is one of the
items that is visible on every tab of your fan page. This
is your elevator statement in 250 characters or less. Be
sure to include a link to your website here, and in order
to make your link clickable, don't forget the http://
before the www. (Note - this statement can be changed at
any time, so it is a great place to highlight a promotion
or other important happening for your company.)

3) Wall Settings - Another important tool in the set up of
your page are the wall settings. You have to decide if you
want visitors to be able to post messages for everyone to
see or if you only want your own messages shown. Unless you
have a super controversial company, I recommend starting
with allowing everything. It will help you build your wall
faster because people like to post messages. If the posts
become out of control or unflattering, you can always
delete individual posts or change the setting later. (You
will find "Wall settings" under "Edit page.")

Once you fill in all of the basic information, you have
successfully created a fan page. Don't forget, it is easy
to change, so don't sweat it.

Now you are ready to take your page live. It is important
for you to let people know about your page. This is where
having an already active personal profile comes in handy
because if you already have a lot of "friends" who are
interested in your company, you can "suggest" your new page
to them.

Alright you have a page. You have suggested to all of your
friends - now what? Now you start the real work. Marketing
and branding takes time and attentiveness. You can't just
set up this page and hope people find you. If there is
nothing on your page that interests people, no one will
become a fan. Social media is fun - your fan page should be
too. Post interesting things about your company, but don't
be afraid to post something fun too. Try posting open-ended
questions (to entice responses from your fans) such as
"What is your favorite XYZ?" "What do you plan to do for
the XYZ holiday?"

Posting links and/or photos are also a great way to get
people interested, plus they are more visually appealing so
people are more apt to pay attention. Posting links to your
website has the added benefit of pushing people to your
site to find out more. Try posting on your fan page every
time you update your blog - "Check this out" and attach a
link to your blog.

Remember, the most important reason you have a Facebook fan
page is to use it as a branding strategy to promote your
personal brand. So, if your company is very "green"
conscious, share tidbits about being green. If your company
is all about marketing and branding (like us), you might
post pictures of events, links to blog posts and
information about the companies you help brand.

Those are the basic features of a Facebook fan page, but
once you get going you will realize that there are many
more things you can add to your fan page such as
customizable apps, connecting the page to your Twitter
feed, and much more. But you can't do any of the fancy
things until you get started with the basics, so for now
create your page and start building your fans. Oh, and
don't forget to include a new link on your website to let
people know they can become a fan on Facebook.

And that is how you can use Facebook as a branding strategy
for your business.
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Lindsay Dicks helps her clients tell their stories in the
online world using social media powered websites and
multi-channel marketing tools.  Lindsay is a graduate of
the University of Florida with a Bachelors Degree in
Marketing. She is the CEO of CelebritySites™, an online
marketing company specializing in social media and online
personal branding. http://www.CelebritySites.com
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