Having a Facebook Business Page is much like being at a party.  Some people are naturals and just know how to socialize, others only speak when spoken to.  Having a Page for your business is much like that social gathering, it just needs to be kick-started.

Facebook has recently released an updated version of  Questions.  Facebook Questions is a great way to jump start the conversation on your page.  By asking a question of your fans, you are giving them a reason to interact with your company page.   If you ask a question which is thought provoking and gets responses, your fans answers and this poll will appear in their friends feeds.

Now people who you never had an initial relationship may see and respond to your question.  People who are intrigued may visit your page and become fans.  That’s the power of Facebook Fan Pages and how a smart social media manager starts a conversation with fans.

Adding Facebook Questions to your page is free and easy if you follow these steps:

1. Switch from your personal profile & use Facebook as a page.
   

   1. Switch from person to page

2. Select your page you want to add the poll to.
   

   2. Select Your Page

3. Confirm you are using the page which you want to add the question to.
   

   3. Confirm that you are using Facebook as a Page

4. Navigate to Facebook Questions and click question.
   

   4. Navigate to Questions

5. Click on the Question link  as shown
   

   5. Click Question

6. Create your question.
   

   6. Create Your Question

7. Your question will appear in your Page’s feed.
   

   7. Question on Fan Page

8. Your question will appear in your fans’ feeds.
   

   8. Question on Individual News Feed

Facebook Fan Pages are a great way for businesses to interact with their fans.  If you have an existing Fan Page that needs a makeover or you want to create a new Facebook fan page, click here.  Packages start at $199, but we offer a coupon for our fans that will save you a lot of money.

Images and Ideas, from Tinidad and Tobago (FanPages.net is worldwide!) approached us to give them a Facebook fan page with some gusto. We added some splashy graphics and great functionality: A Facebook fan-only set of coupons, links to their massive catalog, and an easy way for fans to share this great company with all their friends. Sweet! Be sure to check ‘em out.

The CEO, Sashi, had this to say about their new fan page: “Thanks Jeff. I’m really happy with your work. Getting lots of compliments already.”

Let’s Get Social

If you are looking for new ways to make a living in the “New Economy”, may we suggest you consider being a Social Media Manager for businesses who need help managing their online social marketing efforts.

Let’s Get Social is an online, how to guide that will teach newbies how they can potentially earn $5,000 or more per month providing this service to local businesses.

Do businesses need Social Media Managers?

Inc Magazine recently reported that there are over 30,000,000 businesses in the USA alone, and that traditional advertising such as print, tv & radio has lost it’s effectiveness.  Where a company used to spend money on promotional products and advertising specialties to help market their brands, there has been a sharp decline on these types of expenses.

PPAI, the Association of Promotional Product Professional, reports that small sized distributors (Sales of less than $2.5 Million) was down over 22.5% in 2009.  These distributors sell promotional items such as pens & key chains to local businesses.

Business owners who want to market their business are looking for new ways to market their companies which provide a more measurable Return on Investment (ROI).  Social Media provides an answer to that need.

“There is no better advertising than word of mouth advertising” comments Bruce Pinsler, President of Galaxie Home Remodeling in Chicago.  ”As a company we have allocated a nice portion of our marketing budget to the social arena.  If you see one of my ads on TV, or the radio you may know my brand, but if a friend of yours likes my business or says nice things about me on Facebook, that’s always best.   Managing my reputation and engaging new and existing customers will be essential for our business for years to come.”

Outsource vs. In-House

Larger mainstream brands most certainly have it in their budget to hire full time social media managers who do nothing more than “socialize” with their fans.  For the small business, this may not necessarily be in their budgets.  Full-time Social Media Managers can earn from $35,000 -$60,000 dollars per year (Source: PayScale.com).

When you factor in health insurance, social security and other job-related costs, this position can cost a business from $50,000 – $80,000 per year, which is well beyond the budget of most small businesses.

How to become a Social Media Manager

Let’s Get Social is an online education website that teaches the ins & outs of Social Media Management.  Founded by internet marketing guru Ryan Deiss & social media maven, Kate Buck.  It is a an easy-to-follow online education program that is split up into 6 modules:

1. Getting Started (Introduction)
2. Branding You
3. Service Offerings
4. How to do the Work
5. Finding Clients
6. Nuts and Bolts

Each module includes video tutorials, a printed lesson as well as an audio lesson.  Individual module should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.  You can review the materials as fast as you like or consume it at your own pace.

Even if you don’t plan on offering social media management as a service, the lessons taught are invaluable and can be used in your own social media campaign.  There is an introductory video which is approximately 17 minutes in length.  The cost of this program is split-up into two payments of $97.

For those of you who have never heard of author,  Shed Simove, neither did I until until my wife shared his viral success story with me.  Shed is currently the owner of an Amazon Best Selling Book titled “What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex.”     What makes his story so intriguing, is how viral marketing did more in two weeks, than he had been previously accomplished in years as an author.

His book, which he recently self-published is filled with 200 pages that are blank!  With a little social know-how and a shoe string budget, Shed chronicles how he got his book to the top of Amazon’s charts.  Go read the full story on his blog here.

In order for you to have another party make changes to your Facebook Page, you must add them as an Admin to your page.  The procedure is very simple if you follow these steps:

[dropcap2]1[/dropcap2]You will need to know the email address of the person whom you are giving admin privileges to.  This email address must be linked to their individual Facebook profile.  In the case of Fan Pages, we ask that our clients use the email address fb [at] fanpages.net.

[dropcap2]2[/dropcap2]You will first need to navigate to your page.  From the Admin view of your Facebook Page, click “see all” in the upper right hand corner.  This will redirect you to your Manage Admins screen.

Step 2 - Click on "See All"

[dropcap2]3[/dropcap2]From the Manage Admins screen, input the email address referenced in step1 above.  This will give the Facebook user who has that email address listed in their account the ability to make changes to the fan page.

Step 3 - insert the email address of the person whom you are giving admin privileges to.

The owner of the email address in step 1 will receive an automated email from Facebook announcing that you have provided them with admin access to your page.  In the case of Fan Pages, we will now be able to add our applications to your page and upload the graphics we have created on your behalf.