Hopefully, you have completed Day 1 and Day 2 of the 30 Day Platform Challenge. We are taking baby steps towards a better platform and I am trying to start where even a very beginner will not be lost. Today’s challenge might be one you have already completed.
DAY 3 CHALLENGE
Image via CrunchBase
Create a profile on Facebook:
If you don’t have a profile on Facebook, it only takes minutes to create one. If you have a personal profile on Facebook, is this the one that you want to use for networking with professional associates? You might take it a step further by creating a page for just your blog or any books you have in print.
Basic Tips for Getting the Most Out of Facebook
- Use your real name. The name you should use is the name as it is to appear on your byline. I used Sean O. Murphy for my byline because there are a multitude of “Sean Murphy” . In fact, there is a Sean Murphy who lives in my town, who is around my age, and is a journalist for the Associated Press. I have considered trading lives with him before but he won’t have it. I include the “O” to avoid confusion. Think about your brand and the name you will want the world to know you by and that is the name you should use on Facebook. Profiles for blogs or books should go by their title.
- Flesh out your profiles. A person comes to your profile to learn about you so take advantage of the opportunity. Put every relevant fact you can out there. Tell about your work experience. Do you have books in print? Are there websites or blogs to link back to. This is your space to talk about you so do it.
- Make Regular and Relevant Posts. This should be obvious but if you make the page to promote your writing then that is what you should be doing. If you don’t feel comfortable with this on a personal profile then be sure to have an author’s page and fan pages for blogs and books. if you have multiple blogs or books then each should have its own page to make it easier for potential readers to find you. Utilize your site daily. By adding visuals, quotes, posts, and insight into the blog, it is an additional way to connect with your readers.
Please Link Your Facebook Profiles in the Comments
Now that you have a Facebook profile/page, start making it distinctly represent your personal brand. You may promote it here with a link in the comments. Thanks!
Related articles
- Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 2) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
- How to Tell Your Brand Story through the New Facebook Timeline (contentmarketinginstitute.com)
- Facebook challenges marketers to create content-rich experiences (thecontentlab.icrossing.com)
- 18 Creative Examples of Facebook Timeline Covers for Brands (amsterdamprinting.com)
Hmm. Wanted to put ‘Liked, I think’ up there.
I can’t make up my mind about Facebook. There is much I do not like there. I have a page, which is full of personal stuff and family stuff, where people have been known to post horrible things. So I restricted it to friends only and cut the friends to (mostly) real friends. Started a Writer page and hoped that would work. WordPress feeds it, so does Twitter (and I had complaints about Tweets all over my own Facebook page, so that no longer happens!), but I find the Writer page very limited in use.
I haven’t worked out how to ‘like’ other pages from it and there doesn’t seem to be a way to communicate directly to people who like my page. For me, it only works as a sort of ‘ad’ if people come across it and so far not many have. So far, I’m finding it not very useful at all.
Maybe you’re right. Maybe it will come into its own eventually.
Pat, give me the link to your author’s page and I will take a look at it and see if there are any suggestions that I might make. Just want to help you out.
That is very kind http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pat-Wood-Writer/308945995868056?ref=hl
Enjoying your pages
my facebook page is facebook.com/emergencyroomproductions I throw out some interesting stats about Facebook useage on my blog on this subject, if you’re interested check those out.
Pat, to like other pages from your writer page, in the upper right hand corner of your facebook page you’ll see your name (in my case Everett Robert) followed by “Home” then a drop down arrow. Click on that arrow and you’ll see an option that says “use Facebook as…” in my case Emergency Room Productions. From there, like away. Sometimes I have to copy and paste a writer’s facebook page from my personal page to like it as my Emergency Room Productions but that’s just a little thing. Also look for pages that you like, what they like, or pages that you’ve liked on your personal page that apply to your writer page and like those as your “Writer” page. Just some thoughts.
Like it, love it, or loathe it, Facebook cannot be ignored. One of the stats I throw out on my blog entry is that 1 in every 9 adults on the planet is on Facebook and 91% of all adults use some sort of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc) and that it is important that we invest time in these areas if we want to invest in ourselves.
“Emergency” is right. I have also found Facebook to be a boon for me so far. You can find my Facebook Author’s Page at
http://www.facebook.com/SeanMurphy07
I mainly have this blog feed over to the page but have bigger plans for the interaction there. If you choose not to use your personal page for networking then be sure to have an active and dynamic Facebook page. Promote it on your blog, email signature and everywhere else that you promote yourself. The page will only serve you well if you use it and let others know it exists.
Thank, “Emergency”.