The 5 Golden Rules of Facebook Branding

Similarly to corporate web pages fifteen years ago, social networking is that business device that everyone knows they need to use, but not sure how to use.  Unfortunately, there is a very low barrier to entry with social networking, so most companies find the one person in-house that knows just a little more than everyone else, and counts on that person to launch a proper social networking campaign.  We see it over and over, so we have put together a short list of the Golden Rules that we feel are essential for effective Facebook Branding:

1. Learn from the best brands and before you start, get all aspects of your Facebook page ready to roll. Generally, a business will fill out the info, add some photos, post up a square logo and off they go.  But take a look at how great brands do it, and give yourself a full checklist by comparing your Facebook Page to theirs--  Why don't we have a long, beautiful profile image? How did they get their 5 images at the top of the page to merge so well with the overall layout and brand image? They have their other related businesses as their Featured Likes, should we do that? What sections should we have under our logo... Reviews? YouTube? Questions? Polls? Custom sections? How do we do that?  In short, know all the parts of a Facebook page and get yours maximized and ready for business before you start.
2. Engage, be Transparent, and Interact.  Your fans are your gateway to more fans, so treat them well.  With social networking sales/marketing/customer service are all bundled into one area, and you can master them well by interacting often with fans.  It won't cost you anything but time-- use polls, ask questions, run contests, and reply to when a fan has an issue.  Transparency is one of the new buzzwords in the business world and companies that are succeeding are the ones staying on top of and in front of issues.  And remember that you grow your Facebook fan base by keeping your fans engaged, and thus hopefully getting more fans through them... let them be a part of the page to keep them interested in your brand, and your Facebook page will grow.
3. Give back to fans.  Reward them, and this can be in many different ways.  Musicians can give early releases, Fan only printable coupons, updates to exclusive events, whatever it is, give your fans something in return for the loyalty they have shown for becoming a part of your site.  This can cost you nothing, or you can have a grand promotion, or something in between.  Whatever your approach, it is important to give back to your fans... it is through them that you will grow your Facebook page, so it is good to keep them happy.
4. Let 'em see behind the curtain!  To be honest, most Facebook brand pages are just extensions of already existing business websites, but that just creates a redundant marketing tool that causes confusion.  The difference between your Facebook page and your business website is your network of fans, and they are an active feature of your page.  A website has value as an unbound source of company info, but your Facebook page is special in that your audience is built right into your content.  Let them be a part of your brand.  Here is an example... let's say you are a fashion company, and you have a very slick website with some professionally made promotional videos.  Yes, it is fine to also bring those over, probably in the format of a YouTube app that just gets all of your videos automatically.  However, your fans will be far more engaged if you make them feel more a part of the business... do some "behind the scenes" videos recorded off of staff mobile devices, and perhaps let them see some of the ins and outs of the business.  Again, no cost, and you fully engage the fans and are providing real value in being a part of your Facebook page.
5. Sell and/or Advertise on Facebook.  If you have worked hard to build up a loyal and ever-expanding fan base, you would be missing a huge opportunity not to sell you products and/or advertise on Facebook.  Building a store on Facebook has huge advantages--- word of mouth can be instant among your fans that buy products on your Facebook page and they in turn will become like a mini-sales team utilizing the greatest tool of social networking-- transitive trust.  Facebook ads are "hyper-targeted" so you can hit exactly the type of potential customers that you deem worthy, and are beyond compare to traditional spray and pray sales and marketing campaigns.

Facebook is where the customers are at, and utilizing the power of the network of fans and friends is what will separate business over the next decade.  Businesses that understand how to use their Facebook page and other social networking tools will be the ones standing in all of the tremendously saturated markets that exist in each business environment, and using these 5 rules will go a long way in building an efficient social networking plan.