So your business is on facebook, now what?

I've recently come to realize that some companies think simply putting their information on facebook, twitter, and myspace is enough, and their pages will sell themselves. That's simply just not true. It takes a lot of time and dedication to properly use social media tools and properly sell your business on them. That is why I've come up with 3 rules to follow after creating your social media page.

1. Log on EVERY day (or at least every other day) - Social media is all about networking. If you went to a function as a representative of your business, you wouldn't just introduce yourself to one person, then spend the rest of the night waiting for people to come up to you. It is imperative you continuously make connections throughout the night and just like at the event, it is important to log on to your account often and continuously introduce yourself to new friends and connections. Also, by logging on every day, you can keep up with customer comments, questions, or concerns, and respond to them in a timely manner. A customer will not be happy if they sent you a question about their product and had to wait 6 months for a response.

2. Post a new feed AT LEAST every week - This rule is in conjunction with rule number 1. You should be making a new post every time you log into your social media account, and if you are logging on to it at least every other day, you should be making an average of 3 postings a week. This might be a bit too demanding for your schedule, but try to at least post once a week. By continuously posting new feeds on your page, you are sending reminders to your fans that your business is still an interactive part of their page. New postings can include event reminders, tips, breaking news, new product reminders, or daily/weekly in-store specials.

3. Thank new members of your page by sending a short email, thank you note, or comment posting - The fact is your fans do not have an obligation to be your fans, but because they are, they're supporting your business and they should be thanked for that. A thank you can be as simple as posting in their comment box "thank you for the add" or as lengthy as an email introducing them to the specifics of your business. It really doesn't matter. The point is you're taking time out of your schedule to thank them for their support because without customers and clients, your business would not exist.

These 3 simple rules are not hard to follow, and can leave a positive lasting impression of your business. Social media is not as simple as creating your page, then expecting the masses to come flooding in. It takes dedication and a large time commitment if your want social media to properly work for you.