Guide to Facebook Basics for Your Business

Join Facebook

Facebook is available only to registered users. Originally, Facebook was available only to college students, but was opened to the general public in late 2006.

I recommend: Visit the Facebook sign-up page and create an account.

Facebook is free to join.

Find Friends

The whole point of Facebook is to interact with a network of friends. A "friend" on Facebook can be an actual friend you grew up with, went to school with, etc., or it can be someone you meet online, like through a Facebook group, for example. Anyone who has a Facebook account could potentially become a friend if both parties agree to it.

I recommend: Use Facebook's email tools to invite people who have email addresses from your email program. Facebook has the power to scrape your email program (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo!, AOL, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) and give you list of all the emails in your contacts. Then just pick and choose the ones you want to invite to Facebook. Some people you email may already be members, so they will just add you as a friend.

Next, browse Facebook's groups. Groups are made of Facebook members that have a common interest. When you find a group you like, join that group. This will give you the chance to market to the group and invite group members as "friends." Examples include: Facebook for Business, GTD (Getting Things Done), or even "I Live for Wiffle Ball." The variety of groups is virtually endless.

Visit the Friends Invite page and How do I join a group? pages.

Market to Your Friends

Use Facebook's technology to keep your friends up-to-date on sales, product launches, or PR-related activities.

I recommend: This is where Facebook gets tricky for companies. People like being friends with people, not companies, so any "news" about your company should come across as something exciting happening in your personal life. You must never hard-sell the people on your friends list because they can easily block any content you may want them to see through your marketing efforts.

Luckily, Facebook makes soft-selling easy. All you have to do is post a link to a sales page on your website (with the "Posted Items" application) and Facebook lets everyone in your friends list know you have posted the link by displaying it on their home page. Friends will also know when you've uploaded photos, or videos, or changed your profile.

To learn more, visit the Facebook help page called Home Page, News Feed and Status.

Create a Group

Creating a group gives you more control over the group's area of interest and over the content within that group.

I recommend: Create groups targeting the exact niche markets your company is attempting to reach. Moderate the group closely to keep out SPAM and to keep the members of your group on task towards the purpose of your group.

People join groups that add value to their lives, while leave groups that are commercialized. This means any communication inside the group should add value to its members and should not be blatant advertising.

Your company will benefit by having its brand attached to a well-run, organized, and informative group. Some groups have thousands of members.

Read more Tips for Starting Your Own Facebook Group.

Create an application

An "application" in Facebook is any add-on to your profile. Examples include showing your local weather, photos, videos, or what movies you are renting from Netflix.

I recommend: Applications require programmers, so this is an advanced technique. Applications that highlight your market work best.

For example, showing Netflix movies in a user's profile is a great application for the Netflix company. A weather application from Weather.com is another good fit. The Fantasy Stock Exchange application, one of the most used apps on Facebook, is run by HedgeStop.com, a virtual stock trading site. Zu.com communications created applications for photo and video sharing simply to get their name in front of a huge market.

Read more about How to Develop a Hit Facebook App: 29 Essential Tools and Tutorials.