Everyone seems to be talking about Facebook: its ability to generate business leads, build online relationships and engage potential clients. But how?

It’s all about starting where you are, doing what you normally do in the course of your business day, and learning to incorporate Facebook and other social media platforms into your daily sales/marketing activities.

True, Facebook is just another sales channel, but its emphasis on building a base of ‘friends’ requires a subtly different approach from the usual sales ‘push’. Facebook lends itself to a slower, more deliberate sequence of actions that convey your business persona and present a clear picture of the human side of your business.

After establishing your personal profile and business page on Facebook, try this sequence of actions to strengthen your business presence in this popular and growing networking space:

  • Find and join Facebook groups that may have potential clients as members
  • Monitor group activity over a few weeks to get a feel for the topics being discussed and the general tenor of the discourse
  • Add some comments to the discussion threads started by others, first contributing some insights or opinions, later sharing links/photos/videos pertinent to the discussion
  • Post your own questions, announcements and/or special deals that your company is offering, that might interest the group’s members; remember – don’t start selling right away!

Here’s a good resource on Facebook marketing:
Facebook Marketing Strategies to build Super Fans ,from Social Media Examiner.