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Social networking on Facebook for business is a really hot topic.

There seems to be a near limitless myriad of ways on Facebook to build brand exposure and sales for home business and small business entrepreneurs. From creating games & applications, to developing groups and fan pages. That doesn’t even cover being able to advertise on Facebook too based on targeted demographics.

So many people struggle with understanding why and HOW being on Facebook can be beneficial to building business whether they’re a brick & mortar business, network marketer, a restaurant or bar, affiliate marketer, eBay’er…and what is possible through this whole “social networking thing on Facebook”.

I went through my old bookmarks and wanted to be able to share with you some cool Facebook stuff I found when I was first looking for Facebook how-to’s, articles and blog posts that I benefitted from checking out when I first started using Facebook for business.

Inside Facebook – a great blog that is all about Facebook.

Facebook’s Ads Page where all the reasons are given by Facebook as to why advertising your business on Facebook will benefit your small business branding.

Five Ways Small Business Can Benefit from Social Media/Networking Sites

Networking: Use Facebook as a Marketing Tool This is a fantastic article on Lifehacker on utilizing self-promotion to take social networking to a professional networking level.

How to Create a Successful Facebook Group

Top Five Viral Facebook Techniques Some great tips on using giveaways, referrals and a couple of other apps. Allfacebook.com is a great site BTW.

Entrepreneurs Need Both Facebook and LinkedIn

How to Use Facebook Status for Marketing Purposes Eye opening piece for people to understand the value of status updates on Facebook.

Social Networks Find Ways to Monetize User Data

Top Ten Ways to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business for Free

Facebook, a Marketer’s Friend A great piece in the Wall Street Journal that follows a small business owner and using Facebook for business.

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Social networking for business is incredibly hot right now and I don’t think social media network marketing will slow down ANYTIME soon. One of the best places to social network right now is on Facebook and we recently featured, The Ten Social Media Marketing Laws of Facebook. Anyways…

This is an excerpt from a great article, 9 Rules of Facebook Promotion Every Small Business Should Know by Nick O’Neill at allfacebook.com that will give you some fantastic tips to implement into your business building activities starting today:

“You’re the owner of a local small business and you are trying to figure out the best steps to get on to Facebook to drive new customers. It can be a daunting task and with little extra time in the day, how can you be expected to spend time promoting your business on Facebook? I completely understand the challenges of running a small business and after speaking with lawyers, florists, dentists, and many other small businesses, I’ve compiled the following list of strategies that should help ease the process.

1. Go Slow And Steady, Don’t Overdo It

Any form of promotion is like compound interest. It takes time to build up the residual returns but if you stick with it, the pay off can be substantial. Many people hear that Facebook is a great way to promote their business but after trying it out for a few days or even a couple weeks, they don’t see significant effects so they give up and decide to keep paying for Yellow page advertisements. Who knows how well Yellow Page ads pay off but that monthly check must be going towards something, right?

The difference between Facebook and more traditional promotional channels is that the small business owner needs to invest a little bit of their time. The extra effort can go a long way and can even provide a rewarding experience as customers begin to provide feedback and communicate directly with you. So how much time do you need to be spending? Not hours a day! While promoting via Facebook can become an addictive process, you can allocate little more than an hour a week to your promotional activities.

While it’s never bad to start off enthusiastically, you don’t want to waste all of your efforts in the first few days. Build up your fan base steadily and you’ll begin to see the benefits. ” Read the 8 other rules here: The 9 Rules of Facebook Promotion Every Small Business Should Know.

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Where have YOU been?

Unless you have lived in a cave the last 4 years, you have probably heard of this. It is a rocking hot social networking site that seems to be almost everywhere today. On the news. On the radio. On the minds of millions of folks a day.

And there are many different types of people on Facebook. I am going to do a post on that soon. But these great folks all participate in what I call the “10 Social Media Laws of Facebook.”

Mari Smith would be proud.

Ok- I know that you may be asking,” A LAW about Facebook?” Yes, 10 of them for marketing and business success in what you so. I am a marketer and have been for 20 years. Built a training and consulting business that does business in over 20 countries, because of social media and the internet. And there are marketing laws that all marketers and business professionals must follow if they are going to have Success in the marketplace.

It is the same for Facebook. If you are an Entrepreneur, or a business professional, you may want to consider these as they will make a difference in what you do on Facebook.

1) The Law of Visibility on Facebook.

You MUST be visible on Facebook of you are going to get your message out. You must spend time on Facebook and get to know people. You must put yourself together a “facebook blueprint” and work it. How many hours a week are you going to be seen on FB? How many times are you going to befriend someone this week? How many times are you going to upload photos this week? All of these things put you in the ‘Visibility Zone” on facebook, and on the radar as far as people on Facebook. Be SEEN and be THERE on a daily basis. Chris Brogan and Robert Scoble are.

2) The Law of the Powerful Facebook Profile.

Why would people want to get to know you? One of the first things they check out is your facebook profile. What does it say- but better yet- what does it DO? Does it make people curious and want to get to know you? Does it make them think? Does it make them smile? Does it make them see that you have Value for their life and can help change it?

Powerful facebook profiles are NOT based on what is said in your profile- but what it DOES.

Does it direct them to DO something? Does it tell them you are person they MUST know? Or someone that has a nice picture and a nice profile- with no magnetism?  Put yourself OUT THERE and tell the world WHY they need you as a friend, and get them to take action towards YOU. Nancy Perez and Carrie Wilkerson do.

3) The Law of the Facebook WALL.

You MUST use your Wall to market or message. many folks regard their Wall as a communication utility like email. It is not that. You already have a facebook email. The Wall is for you to BUILD- BRICK BY BRICK- MESSAGE BY MESSAGE- NOTE BY NOTE- VIDEO BY VIDEO- your Brand on Facebook. Every time something happens with you- it goes on your Wall. Don’t stare at the wall- CLIMB THE SUCKER and make your message the PEAK of the page- and keep yourself out there with the Wall. And answer the messages on your Wall. Thank people for sharing with you their visit or message. This will show up on THEIR wall. This will set you apart from most on Facebook. The Wall is simply a BILLBOARD of what you are doing and your friends are doing on Facebook. Use it often and wisely. Matt Bacak and Adam Urbanski do.

4) The Law of Your Facebook Network.

You are part of a local Facebook network and you have access to that network to befriend them. I live in
Birmingham Michigan, and the network i am a part of is the Detroit network. There are 640,926 people in my network that I could potentially MEET LIVE in a local place and get to know them and connect with them. You have local folks as well. Where do you find your network?

Click on “settings” and then click on “network.” You will find it there. This is a GOLD MINE of people in your local area to CONNECT and Construct new trust bridges that may lead to business down the road. Timothy Carter and Valerie Maltoni do.

5) The Law of the Facebook Notifications.

This is an overlooked and rarely talked about utility. Notifications are part of your “facebook email system.” Go to “email” at the top of your Facebook profile page, and then click on “notifications.” This is list of who is thinking about you, talking about you, including you in tags, and generally is pointing to you. This is a GOLD MINE of people that have PROVEN they are behind you and willing to make you a part of their Facebook experience. Pay attention to the Facebook notifications. Thank them for their thoughts of you on their Wall and let them know you appreciate it. Include them as well on your tags and other activity on Facebook. The notifications are GOLD and is a prospecting Vault of Leads. make sure you stay CONNECTED to them. Coach Deb Micek and Scott Monty do.

6) The Law of Facebook Link Love.

The Link application on Facebook is a HOT commodity. It allows you to post a link that you like and then sends it out on the news feed that is on your home page. It picks up the image that you want on the link page, and allows it to be a LIVE link. Send out other people’s LINK and givem some LOVE. Do NOT just send out your own links. Let others do that. Find interesting links of others and send them out.

WHY? EXPOSURE for you. You will be given credit for the link. People LOVE link love. If you send out a LOT of other people’s links on Facebook, they will start sending out YOUR links. Been there done that. Joel Comm and Yanik Silver do.

7) The Law of Facebook Groups.

Join groups. Join a LOT of Groups. Start your OWN groups. The join MORE groups. Why? EXPOSURE. CONNECTION to other Group members. AUTHORITY. Start your own and be a Leader. REACH. Groups extend your reach into Facebook. MULTIPLIED PROSPECTS. There are more people in a group — then on a profile page.

Duh. Build a list in your own group and then you can become an admin and email messages to them. Make them messages of VALUE and interest. Kevin Nations does.

8 ) The Law of Facebook Events.

Attend events. Attend Events. and then attend MORE events. Why? It allows you to leave a message on the events page wall, and create exposure. I attend at least 2 Facebook events every week- to learn- and to network. Events can be found on the new Facebook page in the upper right under “Upcoming“-these are the events that are upcoming. One unique twist. You have birthdays under the “upcoming” tag- and you can send presents to folks. THIS will get their attention as it shows up on their wall and the news feed as well. Attend as many events as you can. make them worth your while- learn and grow from them. BUT– always leave a RSVP message about attending or not- with an encouraging message. This will show your professionalism, and caring.

Event UP! This will do you will on Facebook. Put the term “events” in the search box, and it will find every event that is going on in your network of friends- a GOLD MINE of new possibilities of business. Become a master of events!

9) The Law of Facebook Multimedia- Videos and Photos.

People LOVE photos and videos. They are the most looked at and watched pages on Facebook. Make some videos and upload them. Upload some photographs. Not only will the be seen on your wall and the Facebook news feed, but also will allow you to “tag” others on these. This means that you can pick out people you have befriended and let them know you are thinking of them. And when you tag someone- it shows up on THEIR wall. Not isn’t THAT cool? It is called EXPOSURE! Larry Hochman and Diane Hochman rule with Facebook Videos.

10) The Law of the Facebook NEWS FEED.

This is the big kahuna of Exposure on facebook. This gets you out to ALL of your friends and creates a massive exposure vehicle that can keep your brand in front and recognized. You also will be many times on the “featured” part of the new news feed on the right. This gives you HUGE exposure. Whatever you do, like change your status, upload a video, write and publish a note, or just comment on another person’s message on the Facebook news feed- it SHOWS UP in the news Feed. Be seen- and be seen often if you are trying to brand yourself on Facebook.

Yes, you need to establish relationships, and build community. But if you are going to MARKET on Facebook-then you need to at least get a guideline of what and how to do it. The 10 Social Media Laws of Facebook hopefully gave you some idea in your social media marketing.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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Social networking in its purest form is about relationships. Some social networks are built around music, like MySpace, others around business like LinkedIn, even other still are into fitness like Team Beachbody. They’re all connected around a specific interest. But then you have micro social networks which are the people in your circle of influence…your “friends or followers”.

When you are using tools like Twitter and Skype, places like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn or wherever you are socializing online…YOU MUST remember it’s about connecting with people…not collecting people.

So many internet marketers and social media newbies are spending far too much time on buying software and buying into the hype of finding thousands of people to add them to their social network in order to establish themselves as “experts or gurus” as well as to mass market their products. Of course, the numbers of eyes seeing what you’re sharing about IS important and the more of them the better your odds of making sales…BUT…it is the QUALITY of people that are following you that truly results in long term success using social media networking for business!

Go for quality of relationships…not quantity of relationships.

Spend time getting to know people, not spending hours trying to find hundreds of people to add.

Your best friend didn’t become your best friend overnight? Your closest co-worker didn’t become that way magically.

You asked questions. You got to know them.

What have you learned about the people in your social network? About their family? Their job? Their hopes and dreams? Don’t be afraid to ask questions! That’s how we all learned to get to know our friends and co-workers. As situations arose, we were able to ask questions to get to know the person better. It’s no different online…you just have to use different tools. Typing tweets, sending instant messages back and forth on Facebook, even emails. In order to connect with someone, you’ve got to be proactive!

Something to think about…and remember!

Remember, social networking is a relationship business…not a collecting people business!

Thanks for reading the latest post! Please make sure to vote on the poll below and any bookmarking or tweeting is greatly appreciated! Comments with links to your blog rock too! Have a fantastic day!

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For the past 2 years, I’ve been all about Firefox as my Internet browser of choice. But for the last 6 months, I’ve been using Flock, the Social Media browser.

As described by Wikipedia:

Flock 2.5 integrates social networking and media services including MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc. Notably, when logging into any of the supported social services, Flock can track updates from friends: profiles, uploaded photos, and more.

Other features include:

• native sharing of text, links, photos and videos;
• a “Media Bar” showing preview of online videos and photos as well as subscription to photo and video feeds;
• a feed reader supporting Atom, RSS and Media RSS feeds;
• a blog editor and reader, allowing direct posting into any designated blog;
• a Webkit-mail component allowing users to check supported web-based email off site, compose new messages, and drag-and-drop pictures and videos from the “Media Bar” or webclipboard into a new email message;
• support for third-party add-ons, including a number of Firefox extensions.

Over on Mashable, they bring up some of the great new features added to Flock 2.5:Flock 2.5 Brings Beefed Up Facebook Chat and Twitter Search

For me, the biggest reason to use Flock is how interactive it helps you to be with your social networking crowd especially on the two BIGGEST social networking sites out there today…Twitter and Facebook. It’s big tool that helps me to maximize my social media networking efforts. From status updates, to dropping media to share immediately across platforms and even write blog posts straight out of the browser. Also being able to check my emaill & rss feeds in a near seamless fashion. Flock puts all of my social media networking pieces into one basket…including Facebook chat when I’m not on Facebook.

I can’t live without Flock…what about you? Is there a reason why you haven’t switched or tried Flock? Are you a Chrome fan? A Firefox fan? I’d love to hear some other feedback. Pro/con?

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