I’m posing the question here because of late, my face book personal page has slowly grown into a powerful space for business networking and lead gen. I believe that facebook is certainly a site to watch and utilise!My prediction for 2010 - Facebook will be the premier social networking site for small business owners. Linkedin, plaxo, xing will start to fade into the back ground.
Why???…because those busy little beavers at facebook are innovative, extremely savvy and driven. Just take a look into the past at the tricks they have been pulling!
Facebook has a history of attacking their competitors at their strongest points says Josh Catone .
MySpace had a strong widget system, so Facebook dived in and launched their application platform which forced MySpace to hurry up and do the same. MySpace focuses predominantly on music and film, so Facebook has recently got on the case too. LinkedIn has a strong stake in business networking. Facebook has now been laying the groundwork to go after LinkedIn’s audience the way they’ve gone after MySpace’s!!!!!There’s nothing stopping this driven and savvy team!
Simply check out their latest new business3.0 application. Now if that’s not business forward thinking then I don’t know what is?
I also believe fan pages and profile pages are just as powerful if used in the correct Facebook etiquette manner – check the next post for this!
You ask any small business owner (who is successfully growing their presence via the web), which sites they use to connect, build relationships, create lead gen and drive traffic to their website/blog…you’ve guessed it! Facebook and Twitter!
So, what are other business owners saying about Facebook? Is all this hype really true?
Small business owner Stan Dubin says “I’m not on Facebook to rush into people’s faces with my products and services.
I’m making new connections, both of a personal nature and a business nature. I enjoy meeting new people in both arenas and I’m fine if I make a connection and the person isn’t compelled to buy something today or ever. It’s nice to make connections”.
Nigel Legg adds “I have accounts with LinkedIN, Plaxo, Xing, Hi5, and Facebook, as well as a couple of specialist forums and bulletin boards, but the only one I use regularly is Facebook. I have recently done business with someone I am in contact with on three platforms, which came out of a Facebook personal message conversation. At some stage, almost all business will go to email, telephone, and face to face, wherever it is initiated, so the move to facebook is not a hard one”
Mari Smith is a huge digger of facebook! Mari comments “ Absolutely, serious business can be done – and IS being done – on Facebook by solo-professionals, entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, internet marketers, info-product creators etc. etc.
No way is Facebook just for kids anymore! Businesses who ban Facebook in the office have their head in the sand. 
I can attest that significant business profits are being generated as a direct result of being active on Facebook. The trick is not to be a ‘marketer’ – but to connect, to care, to be a thought leader, to add value… to come from win:win, and to think relationships first, business second”
So you can read and hear what all the buzz is about! Yet is it true? My advice….if you are serious about building up your online business then start a facebook fan page and profile page then get back to me! What do you think?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the interaction I get when I’m on Facebook. As a Virtual Assistant, I spend many hours working on my computer and it can get a bit dull at time. Knowing that conversation is only a few keystrokes away has been so helpful to me.
As well as seeking friendship and conversation, I often use Facebook as my HELP resource! If I’m stuck on a project or my computer begins to behave badly I send out an SOS of sorts! In no time at all someone comes to my aid!
You just never know when business will happen. Every opportunity you are given to make connections should be taken. Facebook is one opportunity which no one should turn down!
I especially love the fact that I’ve met Sam Mutimer! She has brightened my world with her videos and informative posts. Sam has a wonderful attitude with a great sense of humor!
High Fives Sam!
Eydie
Hi!
I totally agree with you Sam…First of all, I think the keynote Facebook guys gave (http://is.gd/nb08) explains pretty well their goals.
As for the position of Facebook among its competitors, I truely think that applications which allows people to interact with their social medias straight from their facebook profile will be the key.
Thanks to the tabs which are now customisable and the new shape of Facebook home and profile pages, so many applications can be integrated more easily.
From the large public point of view, I have in mind the possibility to use Facebook to post my CV as it is already proposed by the French platform DoYouBuzz.com (http://www.doyoubuzz.com/do/content/demo/?o=2).
Sfeed, Twitter, Flickr are some other examples of applications that could perfectly feet into tabs of everyone’s profile page and make Facebook an even more powerful central platform.
As for small businesses, I think the keynote I mentioned before as well as your post, Sam, highlight very well the various ways of communicate the new Facebook and the prospective versions offer.
Tabs + Applications is, in my opinion, again is a gold mine in terms of way to promote someone’s own business. The facebook page is good example : http://www.facebook.com/facebook?
Online store (Marketplace??), Careers are for example tabs that could make a company’s Facebook profile page a very powerful overview to offer to its potential customers.
+1 for the high fives Sam, very good job (again) for the post.
Remi
First of all, thanks for stopping by my site Sam. Appreciate your feedback on my latest post. And secondly, so wonderful to connect with you. Another Melbournian helping to change people’s lives and teach them to use the internet and powerful strategies to create a financial freedom. I look forward to getting to know you better! Talk soon, and keep up the great work on this blog, Facebook, I agree is a fantastic tool. I actually get around 20 facebook friend requests per day now and its amazing how many people are on there looking for leadership, guidance and help with their businesses. Fantastic. Its amazing chatting to people on the chat function as well into the early hours of the morning just about life, friendship and business. Great times.
Cheers,
Matt
Thanks for this post Sam. I have always shyed away from facebook, but you really put forward some interesting and informative points here, so much so, that I think I will take it off my ‘to look into’ list and put it on my agenda for next week. I have just started on Twitter and have so far found that to be a great place for networking and information. Thanks to Twitter I found your blog and now have it in my favourites!.