Ferguson SEO Consulting

The allure of Facebook is undeniable, especially for people with insights or content to share.

With more than 750 million active users, the social networking site is quickly becoming an attractive option for article writers hoping to build business relationships and generate additional website traffic.

But, launching a social networking account for your brand without having a plan or strategy to implement, as well as a way to evaluate your progress, is a big mistake.

Don’t let a lack of planning or a misunderstanding of what Facebook is all about slap you around or you’ll end up like Delores – confused and misunderstanding the power of the technology. Instead, follow these tips for creating a social networking account to extend the reach of your article writing:

• Proper Branding – One of the first things you have to decide is how you are going to brand your Facebook page – i.e. are you going to use your name, the name of your company or the name of a specific product? Also, are you only going to use the profile to share professional items or are you going to mix in a combination of personal and professional? You’re better off separating your personal profile, if you have one, and a profile you’re using for promotional purposes.
• Do Your Research – Devote set amounts of time to listen to what other people are doing with Facebook. The set amount of time will help keep you focused until you figure out the most memorable strategies for building your brand as an expert. Then, scale back and focus on those powerful strategies.
• Making Connections – Make real connections with real people, not bots or spammers. Build your fan base on real people. The bots and spammers don’t add any real value, so focus solely on the real ones.
• Manage the Proportion of “Salesy” Messages – Treat social media sites as you would a table full of friends. Listen and contribute when you have something valuable to say. Build the relationship first and then ease into your sales message. That is (and always will be) the best way to acquire long-term customers no matter what form of marketing you’re using.
• Engage Others – Join conversations on social media sites and share the same level of great content you do in your articles. If people have questions and you already have an article written on the topic, connect them to that article. If you don’t have an existing article answering the question, consider writing one and sharing it.
• Evaluate – Take note of your average article stats before you start using Facebook to promote your articles. Then, as you start implementing your strategy, take another look at those same statistical categories to see what has worked and what needs to be changed.
• Share New Articles – You can also use Facebook to share your newly published articles when they come out. It’s a great way to promote the new article and showcase your expertise.

Use these tips to develop a strategy to help you get a higher return on your article writing efforts.