11 Ways to Create an Effective Facebook Page for Business

Building relationships at the social networking site instead of just redirecting people to a Rosetta Stone page makes it easier to connect with customers and potential customers, because hardcore Facebook users are more likely to converse on a Facebook page than they are to follow a link to an external website. In the process, says Jay Topper, senior vice president of customer success at the language-instruction software company, Facebook has become a new channel for sales. Rosetta Stone is among the first enterprises to address the challenges of Facebook in a systematic way. Is your company ready to do the same?

1. HAVE A PURPOSE
Presence isn¹t enough. Align social media strategy to business goals andtrack them; use analytics to measure your progress.
2. BE TRANSPARENT
Any customer contact from any source can end up on your wall, and everythingyou post on Facebook is public and can be disseminated to live on elsewhere.
3. BEND TO THE MEDIUM
Respect the new culture. Don¹t annoy users by making your own rules, meetthem on their turf.
4. BE INVITING.
Good news and interesting topics are desirable, but keep bad news up front,too. Allow people to post on your wall‹many companies don¹t allow thissimple function.
5. CREATE A COMMUNITY, NOT A SALES PAGE.
Facebook is not about one-way marketing; sales-speak turns fans off. RosettaStone wants conversations about language learning, with support andcompany-specific tools built in.
6. BE A THOUGHT LEADER AND GUIDE THE CONVERSATION
Don't try to control everything. Post links to articles or thought-provokingconversation starters, and let the community have an open, organic dialogue.
7. LET PEOPE SPEAK THEIR MINDS
Rarely turn away a comment, including criticism of the product, unless itviolates pre-determined principles.
8. RESPOND QUICKLY
This demographic expects it, They also expect the responder to be savvy andfollow unwritten social media guidelines.
9. ASK FOR FEEDBACK
Then show Facebook fans how you use it.
10. PROMOTE YOUR PRESENCE
Let people know about your page across all your online assets.
11. KEEP IT FUN
Recognize the special culture of Facebook instead of just imposing your owncorporate culture upon it.