Advertising Myths of Facebook

Many people think that advertising on Facebook is easy -- all you have to do to be big on the Internet is to set up a fan page and everything else will come together. The sad thing is, Facebook marketing involves a lot of work. In the same way that you would build a reader base for your blog, you need to do a lot of "legwork" when you're marketing on Facebook. 

Now we're going to share three advertising myths about Facebook that many companies believe to be true, but which actually aren't: 

MYTH: If you build a fan page, they will come.

One of the biggest myths that companies new to Facebook marketing believe is that once they get their fan page up and running, people will naturally flock to it. On the contrary. The real-and hard-work in Facebook marketing happens after you build a fan page. 

It's easy to put up a fan page. You only have to fill in important details such as your company website address and contact info and upload a photo or a corporate logo. But for a fan page to gain fans, you need people-Facebook users-to "like" your page. How do you do that if you don't let people know about the existence of this Facebook page? You can gain more fans and followers by advertising your Facebook page. Link your website to your fan page and vice versa. Encourage business employees to add a link to your Facebook page to their e-mail signatures. Linking your Facebook page on Twitter and in your blog helps to build awareness, too. You can also gain more fans by posting a targeted ad or by suggesting that your Facebook contacts "like" your fan page. 

MYTH: If fans like my brand, they will start a discussion.

Fans won't start talking until there's something to talk about. How can you get your fans talking? First you have to initiate the conversation. You can do this by posting status updates, photos, videos, or anything related to your brand. You can also ask your fans a question to get them to answer, or you can hold a contest and offer a gift to encourage Facebook fans to be more active in your fan page. Don't forget that the advertising of your Facebook contest will help to bring in more participants. 

MYTH: What people say about my brand on Facebook doesn't matter. 

Many brick-and-mortar companies, not understanding the power of social media, shrug off the complaints that they come across on social network sites such as Facebook, dismissing these as just chatter. What these companies fail to realize is that on Facebook, everyone has a voice and that anything posted by a Facebook user will be seen by hundreds of friends. These complainers may not be celebrities and they may not matter to your brand, but their opinion of you will be seen by hundreds of their friends. What they say will influence their friends' idea about a brand, person, or entity. That in itself is a form of company advertising on Facebook -- only negative. The lesson? Listen to what your fans have to say, and do something about it. 

In the same way that you need to take care of your offline relationships, it's also important that as a brand, you take care of your online relationships with your fans and followers. Listen to them. Engage them. Get to know them better. Pick their minds. You will find that marketing your brand on Facebook will not only expand it online, but you will also pick up ideas that can help you improve your business