So I’m sure you’ve heard about that “little social networking website” called Facebook. And I’ll bet you my next memory upgrade that you have been dogged with a nagging sense of “Facebook guilt.”

That’s right-  you know you should have your carpet cleaning company on Facebook but since you are totally confused you do nothing!  So how exactly do you get started with Facebook?

You have two options.  You can either 1) create a fake profile where instead of using a real name you put up a fake profile and use your company’s name or 2) you can create a fan page.

One of the main reasons I’m against creating a fake profile is that by doing it you are violating Facebook’s Terms of Service which states “you will not provide any false information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission.”

So even though you might get away with it, there’s always the possibility of your whole profile being wiped out by the Facebook gods. That’s just too big of a risk for me.  It would almost be like losing your whole customer database after a hard drive crash!  Ouch!

Another reason is the SEO factor. Facebook does not index profiles but they do index fan pages so if structured properly there’s a high chance that your Facebook fan page could show up as one of the main results on Google for your chosen keywords.

Remember too that Facebook profiles are limited to 5000 friends whereas fan pages have no limits. Now I know you may be thinking that 5000 is more than enough but personally I like to keep my options open. You never know, you could become a local “celebrity” and 5000 just won’t be enough!

Finally, even before we start creating your fan page, let me give you some homework.  I want you to think about what the main purpose of your page is going to be.  Is it to generate new clients, engage current customers, create a following for your company, hold contests, etc….

Fan pages can be geared toward any of those things but it’s important to identify your priorities.  These goals will influence how you structure your page.  Hard choices will have to be made!

So reflect on these points.  Meanwhile, I’m going to do up a video showing you exactly how to do your Facebook fan page.  I’ll post it here in the SFS Instructor’s Blog when I’m done.

Happy surfing,

Andres

Related posts:

1. Facebook Fan Pages- yes or no?
2. Social Media for over 35 (and counting) carpet cleaners!
3. How Carpet Cleaners Can Improve Their Natural Search Engine Rankings
4. “Introduce” your carpet cleaning technicians to the home owner BEFORE they ring the door bell
5. FREE advice from people who aren’t carpet cleaners?