Here is Your Great Free Traffic Resource

Many wonder how people get Facebook to work for their online business. Melissa Ingold gives you an idea:

As social media continues to explode and online communities grow exponentially each and every day, it is becoming more and more important for internet marketers to take advantage of this growing outlet.

Facebook is arguably the most popular social media site available today. Started as a way for college students to keep in touch, Facebook now has millions of users who are using it for new and innovative purposes with every single friend request. So what does this have to do with your internet marketing business? Everything. (note: don’t include “Everything” in the summary please.)

A Facebook page for your online business is a great way to gain exposure, build relationships and ultimately, grow your business. In fact, you may want to consider a personal Facebook page as an additional way to promote your online business as well, maximizing your ability to appeal to a larger group of people and increase connections for both personal and professional purposes.

You can get the ball rolling by becoming a fan of your internet marketing business page and sharing it with others as well. This is a great way to inadvertently advertise your business without coming across sales-y or pushy. The last thing you want to do is alienate your Facebook friends or any members of the social media community for that matter. You will find that it is absolutely critical to gain the trust of those you make connections with because if one friend feels you are trying to “sell” to them, you will immediately gain an irreparable reputation on Facebook that will spread like wildfire. However, handle yourself correctly and you will quickly reap the benefits of Facebook’s network of millions, allowing you to promote your internet marketing business without offending or assaulting people with unwanted advertisements, offers or spam.

So how do you handle yourself correctly? It’s easy really. You will want to send and accept as many new friend requests as you can in order to grow your circle. For your Facebook business page, these friends should also become “fans”. In addition, make sure that you update your status consistently, and that doesn’t mean once a week. It means once, possibly even twice or more a day, depending on how much time and effort you are both willing and can realistically put in. And finally, perpetuate conversation. If someone writes on your wall or sends you a message, be sure to write them back in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, timely in the Facebook world is real-time, so you will want to respond as close to immediately as possible. It will be expected. Wait too long (no more than 5 hours) and you may end up with one less friend.

If it sounds demanding, it is. But remember, it is a free service that when managed correctly can prove to be extremely lucrative for your business and ultimately help to establish you as a qualified, trustworthy online business owner who is on the path to even greater success.

Remember, strangers are only friends you haven’t met yet and Facebook is full of friends who are destined to become customers!

Melissa Ingold is a full-time online business owner who thrives on helping others say good-bye to their J-O-Bs forever. For more action-oriented, quick & easy-to-follow Internet marketing guidance to help you create a low-maintenance, high-profit venture go to Internet Marketing Sweetie