One of the most popular social networking sites in the world today, Facebook, provides companies a line of powerful tools that can be utilized to brand their products and services.  Presently, Facebook has around 500 million users all over the world. Now that is a huge amount of untapped market.

However, using these tools properly may not be enough to promote your brand. Indeed, as what the mighty Optimus Prime of the heroic Autobots used to say, “There’s more to Facebook than meets the eye!”

Are You Spamming or Are You Just Generous?
Do you know that most people are not aware that they are actually spamming? Businesses who first use Facebook naturally would want to use its awesome capabilities to draw as many people to avail of their products as quickly as possible. Instinctively, they would publish too many entries that would advertise with the ubiquitous “try our amazing product A” or “avail of fantastic discounts when you buy product B” statements. Some of your fans may “like” your post or place a comment on it.

Now, note that each activity in your page alerts all the fans in your network. And too many activities over your page will definitely annoy people who do not want to receive too many alerts in their page.

Thus, it is best if you do not overdo your posts. Just share one entry—a shoutout, a link, a photo, or a video—at a time in a day.

Persistence is Taking Care
In recent psychological studies, it has been found out that humans generally want fast, immediate results. If they do not get those results within a certain period, they get tired and abandon the endeavor.  The same principle goes in promoting through Facebook. Businesses forget about their Facebook Fan Page if they do not get quick results.

You need to understand that social media marketing does not guarantee fast, positive outcomes. You have to look at Facebook as a tool, not an insurance policy, to get what you want. Persistence with your Facebook page promotion is the key to success. Update your page regularly with interesting posts, and invite or alert people when you post something informative or interesting.

Treat People as People, not Prospects
When people ask a question, post a comment, or appreciate what you posted, it is recommended that you reply to them (be sure though that your reply is short, concise, informative, and relevant). In many cases, interacting with people as a human being rather than an advertisement is, ironically, the best way to market your product. Thus go ahead and lend a hand by supplying them useful information. Go ahead and tell them about personal experiences that would relate to their queries. Go ahead and ask for their help. People will actually love you for . . . well . . . being you. They will feel more comfortable and confident, knowing that they have a real person by their side.

The Right Direction
Many business owners become disappointed when they do not see satisfactory results within a few days after their Facebook Fan Page launch. Some even get frustrated after waiting for results after a few weeks or a few months with no avail.

If you are experiencing these downfalls, consider asking yourself these questions. The answers may be the remedy to your Facebook problem.

* How much time do you spend in updating your fan page?
An hour or two spent every day to publish updates ranging from new posts to answers to fan inquiries is sufficient. This should provide you with enough updates to keep fans and search engine spiders interested and happy.

* Are you hard selling your product or service?
Hard selling means that you are bluntly and directly advertising your product, which also include deliberately making too many posts. Although this is a traditional means of marketing, it can sometimes be annoying. Have you ever received “buy now” spam in your e-mail? Have you ever wished that they would stop because they waste your e-mail space? Well, that is what happens if you hard sell too much.

* Did you interact with your audience?
As mentioned before, fans need to be assured that there is a real person behind the company and the Fan page. Thus, you need to talk—note that I didn’t say “advertise”—to them. Reply to their inquiries promptly, provide helpful information, and ask questions.

Just Care!