So what’s wrong with these people? Are they in denial? Have they simply not yet experienced the sweet nectar of Facebook?

A common answer is privacy concerns with Facebook. Despite a very simple and clear interface, and literally millions of resources on how to keep Facebook private, and the ability to simply not put any personal or private information out there,  there are those who are still concerned about their privacy and abstain from Facebook.

Fair enough.

But a less common – and more understandable – reason to not use Facebook is that it’s an enormous waste of time. For the average user, it adds very little value to their lives, and certainly not more value than could be gained through not using Facebook. And while it’s fine to be mindlessly entertained or to use the Internet as an escape, people are spending inordinate amounts of time on social networking site.

Now, to be clear, Facebook is not a waste of time for businesses; but that’s only because individual users refuse to acknowledge it’s a waste of time. If Facebook’s 500 million users realized they were wasting their lives away, using the social networking site as a surrogate for actual interaction, there would be no need for businesses to utilize that network to build their brand and promote their products.

But the fact of the matter is that there are 500 million active Facebook users. Each of them may use the site a little differently, but that doesn’t mean you can’t utilize Facebook (and other social networks) to connect with current and potential customers, build your brand, and grow your business.

So unless and until people stop using Facebook, don’t let on that they’re wasting their lives away.

Image by Tom Anderson

When I was first told about Facebook in August of 2005, the network had about 5 million users, the domain was still TheFacebook.com, and you still had to have a valid .edu address to sign up. A friend walked me through the signup process. After we finished I asked, “Now what?”

He didn’t have an answer. And quite frankly, I’m still asking that question.

Since then I’ve added a few friends, shared a few photos, been poked a few too many times, and shared all sorts of personal information which will undoubtedly come back to bite me. But when attempting to quantify the value I’ve either received from or added to the universe – through Facebook or other technologies – or decide what progress has been made because of them, I’m just as unsure as my friend and I were five years ago.

And new technologies, apps, software, and hardware are being unveiled every day. All promise greatness; some deliver; and even fewer are actually correct in calling themselves “great.” I know there’s an app for that, but does there really need to be?

Your personal life is one thing; if you’re determined to have the latest new thing, new service, or new gadget, go for it. But being new and cutting edge does not automatically make it good for your business. You have to ask yourself whether this service or that technology is really going to help grow your business. There are plenty of promising technologies which have, after a short period, fallen flat and proved useless.

So what do you do? First of all, it’s fine to tinker and to test. If there’s a new something being offered, try the 30-day free trial, download the demo, or give the gadget a whirl. But don’t allow the “coolness” of the new toy blind you to its actual effectiveness. (I too think it’s awesome you can turn your iPhone into a mouse, but when would you ever need to use that?)

Secondly, don’t abandon what’s worked in the past. While you’ll be trying out new things, don’t forget about the tried and true methods that have worked for you in the past. They may adapt and evolve, but don’t be mislead by the siren’s call.

Instead, focus on those programs and ideas that are actually doing some good, and not just catching people’s eyes.

Imagine a search engine where you don’t have to be bogged down by what “strangers” or “experts” have to say, but can quickly see what all your BFFs and Bros think. Bing searches with “Liked Results” will, through connecting with Facebook, take the social information from your Facebook friends and adjust their search results accordingly.

The first questions that arise from this – as is almost always the case when dealing with Facebook – are those of privacy. Bing states that the only information they will be using is the information that is already public. The reality that nothing on the Internet is really private aside, there has to be some amount of information-trudging for Bing to even know who my Facebook friends are in the first place.

While there are some external solutions to blocking Facebook from connecting with other websites, the best thing – if you’re worried about privacy – is go through all of your Facebook settings, one by one, and make sure all the information you want private is marked accordingly.

But perhaps the biggest overall issue is that a lot of people may actually think this is a really good idea. Not only does this encourage a me-centric perspective, but now I can know what my friends have to say about a restaurant or a recent event or any other topic without actually interacting in any way, shape, or form with that individual.

Gone are the days of having phone or e-mail conversations about the best places to go boating on the weekend or what movies are worth seeing. Now Bing can sneak through the Internet tubes, snag that information from your friends, and return it to you without you ever having to have even the slightest human interaction with anyone else.

Is it possible that less is more? In the case of traffic for your site, the answer is yes! Rather than focusing on getting massive amounts of traffic, PMI Coaching recommends that you shift gears and focus instead on attracting qualified traffic. Here’s the difference: general traffic includes all kinds of people, most of which have no interest in your products or services. Qualified traffic, on the other hand, is comprised solely of those who are potential customers and familiar with your niche. By seeking qualified traffic, you’ll make more sales and enjoy overall customer satisfaction. Your visitors will appreciate the relevancy of your site to their search or need, and leave happy.

The good news is that contextualized advertising has made it easier to attract qualified traffic than ever before. In its simplest form, contextualized advertising is advertising that is specifically geared toward individual users based on their preferences and online history. For example, if you search for the phrase “bass fishing” on Google, the ads you see displayed on the page will be based on that term in order to provide you with ads that stand a good chance of appealing to you. In this case, the ads on the page might be for a new Abu Garcia bass reel, a Rapala crankbait or even a new bass boat. For more information on how contextualized advertising works, refer to this article.

Social media services like Facebook also play a strong role in attracting qualified traffic by providing incredibly accurate targeting tools. For example, if you were selling jazz music collectibles, you could type in the names of artists like Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane into the keyword box provided. Facebook would then target their users who have these words appearing in their profiles or group lists. Facebook would also suggest related keywords for you to use. In the case of this jazz music example, Facebook might suggest other famous jazz musicians whose names appear on users’ pages, such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. In addition to providing you with keywords, Facebook also has ten elements which allow you to target your marketing: location, age, birthday, sex, education, workplace, relationship, interested in, languages and connections. A successfully targeted ad uses a combination of five or six of these elements to find the most likely potential customers.

Remember, getting thousands of random people to visit your site is not going to result in the conversions you want. Success comes by bringing the right people to the right part of your site. By utilizing contextualized advertising and the advantages of social media, you can operate within your niche and find people who are happy to buy from you.

Facebook is a social media giant with over 400 million active users around the world, providing entrepreneurs with an unparalleled marketing platform. One of the most remarkable Facebook statistics is that more than 200 million users log on to the site on any given day. And each user clicks about ten pieces of content each month, meaning Facebook is generating millions of ad clicks every week. With this in mind, the internet gurus at Professional Marketing International have compiled these suggestions for tapping into the Facebook phenomenon.

 Accessing the Facebook Community

One of the quickest ways to access the Facebook community is to create a group or fan page for your business. Whether you offer products or services, you can customize your own page and begin gathering fans. This is an excellent way to spread the word about promotions, announce major events and maintain a relationship with your network. Because Facebook doesn’t allow entrepreneurs to market to groups and fan pages they didn’t create, this is by far the most effective way to get a direct link to a loyal community of fans. Creating a group or fan page is easy and Facebook provides instructions every step of the way.

Facebook group and fan pages provide entrepreneurs with amazing marketing opportunities that aren’t just limited to fans in a regional area. Consider this – each day more than 20 million Facebook users become fans of various pages. All told, Facebook pages have created more than 5 billion fans. This is an incredible opportunity to grow your network and introduce new contacts to your business!

Targeting Your Ads

In addition to your group and fan pages, you should consider Facebook’s PPC ad options. Despite its immense collection of users, Facebook offers incredibly accurate targeting tools to help you maximize your marketing success. A keyword box is provided where you can enter the words you’d like to target. Facebook will also suggest related keywords for you to use. These keyword suggestions often provide ideas you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

 The most important part of ad targeting comes with the ten elements Facebook provides you with to help you target your marketing: location, age, birthday, sex, education, workplace, relationship, interested in, languages and connections. A successfully targeted ad uses a combination of these elements, which is called “layering,” and utilizes maybe five or six of the targeting elements to narrow your ad to an accurate profile of who your customer is. Facebook’s easy-to-use interface allows you to experiment with these components until you find the most effective combination. For example, you could target your ad to men in California, between the ages of 18-24, who speak German, have a college degree and are interested in surfing. This flexibility helps you maximize your success and get the most out of Facebook’s marketing platform.

 As you go through the targeting process, Facebook provides you with an estimate of how many users would be reached. As your category selection narrows, the number of users goes down. A good number to shoot for with your first campaign is 65,000. In subsequent campaigns you can always expand or tighten that number. Facebook also provides you with data on those who clicked your advertisement, including what other kinds of advertisement they also clicked on. This information is extremely helpful as you optimize your ad in the future.

Landing Pages

Facebook allows your ads to direct users to any legitimate landing page you choose. Many entrepreneurs use a squeeze page that enables them to collect the user’s name and email address from the get-go. Just make sure that any promise made in your ad is delivered on your landing page. Facebook will check this and cancel any ad that they deem misleading.

 Another strategy that PMI Education consultants suggest is to link to a Facebook group or fan page for your business. This can be beneficial because some users are leery of leaving the Facebook site when they click on an ad. The disadvantage to this is that your group or fan page will still be a Facebook page with a lot of other ads and distractions. The user may even be intrigued by a competitor’s ad that they see on your own page. In this regard, using a landing page outside of Facebook may make some users a little uneasy, but it gives you more control and removes these distractions.

Conclusion

Facebook is a powerful marketing tool with incredible staying power. The current lack of advertiser competition provides entrepreneurs with amazing opportunities. By applying these strategies, you can effectively reach your target audience and drive major traffic to your website.

• Plan each day. Use a planner or online calendar to help you see what appointments you have each day so that you don’t over book yourself. Also consider having a daily to-do list included in your daily planner or calendar. Seeing what needs to be done each day can help focus your energy and keep you on track.
• Prioritize. Many people unknowingly spend a lot of time on things that are not very important. For example, you may spend a large amount of time checking emails or updating your social network profiles (Myspace, Facebook, Linkedin etc.) and checking on friends there when you have much more important tasks to complete. Having a prioritized list can help you stay focused on the things that will help you build your business.
• Say “No”. When non-essential things come up that will take a lot of your time and make it so that you can’t accomplish many of your tasks, simply say no to them. Sure some of those non-essentials will be more fun than your important tasks, but you need to ask yourself if they will help build your business; if they don’t gracefully decline.
• Delegate. This is one of the secrets to some of the most successful people in the world. See, no matter how organized and focused you are, there are still only 24 hours in a day. Sometimes you just can’t do everything on your own; when that is the case, let others who are capable help you out. You’ll find that you can reduce a great amount of stress by delegating to trusted helpers.
• Practice the 10-minute rule. As you build your business, there will be important tasks that need to be done, that you simply despise. However, rather than avoiding them, work on them for 10 minutes every day until you either finish the task, or learn not to hate it so bad.
• Get plenty of sleep, have a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Maintaining good health not only increases your ability to focus, but also reduces “sick days” and “lazy days”; those where you really can’t get much done even if you try.