A client recently asked me, “Why isn’t my Facebook activity working?”  After digging deeper into how she defined “working” – building a following and getting bookings, neither of which were happening for her - I realized that the mistakes she was making are very common, especially amongst the travel advisor community.

Many people jump into Facebook because they hear that it’s the place to be, or that they HAVE to in order to survive.  They feel their way around, posting at random, without an effective strategy.  In this article, I hope to clarify the confusion and help you discover WHY you should be on Facebook and HOW to strategically build a loyal following that will eventually lead to new business.

THE WHY
First, I would like to address the “Why” of being on Facebook.  Yes, it’s a fantastic source of new leads for most types of travel, and it’s FREE.  But it will NEVER lead to new business if you don’t establish a relationship with those you are trying to connect. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see people making is getting on Facebook to get more business.  If you are on Facebook because you want to get new business, then it’s a complete waste of time and I suggest you stop immediately.  This motive is coming from a place of fear.

Instead, your motive for being on Facebook should be:  TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.   That’s it.  We ALL need to build relationships.  It’s the one thing in business you should never stop doing.  And eventually, your relationships will lead to business…but not always…they may lead to referrals or great resources.

Personal Page or Business Page?
The decision to use one’s personal page or fan page is a HUGE source of confusion.  My advice (which might ruffle some feathers) is to start with your personal page first.  Reason being is that building a following on a Fan Page is a 2-step process.  You can only ask “Friends” from your personal page to “Like” your Fan Page.  Thus, if you only have 100 Friends, in all likelihood, you will only get 25 Fans on your Fanpage.  Marketing to 25 Fans will not get you anywhere.  So I suggest you build a loyal following on your personal page and once you get to at least 2,000 Friends, then start a Fan page and get people to like it. 

And YES, that means mixing business with personal stuff.  Your real friends will not get offended that you are promoting your business on Facebook IF you follow the 4 Leg Strategy below.  You are your business and your business is you.  Don’t try to separate it.

The 4-Legs to Your Facebook Strategy
Just like a chair needs four legs to stand properly and support a person sitting on it, your Facebook strategy needs 4 legs to properly build relationships and eventually grow your business.  Once you have made the decision to be on Facebook, these 4 legs will guide you in your Facebook activity.  Incorporate all 4 legs and I guarantee, you will build very successful relationships, a loyal following and grow your business.

Leg #1:  Connect
The most effective way to connect with other people is by triggering emotion in them.  How do you trigger emotion?  By opening up and sharing a vulnerable side of yourself.  When you do this, other people will respond in kind and a connection will be made.

There are a few ways that you should be strategically connecting on Facebook:


Leg #2:  Inform
You want to be known as an expert and the best way to do that is to share good, helpful information.  If you haven’t narrowed your specialty down, you will find this more difficult.  Get known on Facebook for something and watch your following grow.  Don’t be afraid to share your best secrets.  If you give them the best, they will pay for the rest.  So if you discover a fabulous restaurant in Miami, tell them about it.

Leg #3:  Inspire
What’s the big promise you offer in your services?  For example a client of mine specializes in Disney, and specifically, Disney for the first timer.  The big promise she offers is that it’s possible to have your dream Disney experience, even if you haven’t been there before.  So to inspire her clients on Facebook, she could post about success cases of clients who just came home.  Or, she could talk about the smile on her clients’ face when she got off Space Mountain for the first time.  Or she could post about the connection her honeymooners made on their trip.  Or she could simply post a famous quote that inspires her.  One final way to inspire is to plant the seed for future travel.  Using this client one last time, she could post about birthday celebrations at Disney.

Leg #4:  Promote with Calls to Action
Yes, you can promote your business in a subtle way by using calls to action.  For example, if you are holding a free webinar about an itinerary you will be escorting, invite people on Facebook.  If you have an “Irresistible Free Offer” on your website, tell people about it on Facebook and share a link for how they can sign up for it. 

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Plan out your own 4-leg Facebook strategy.  Maintain an equal balance of all 4 legs and I bet you will finally see that your Facebook activity is “working.”  

©2009-2011 Meredith Hill, www.Safari2Success.com
Want to use this article in your E-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete statement:

Travel business entrepreneur Meredith Hill publishes the "Binoculars" weekly e-zine. Visit her website at www.Safari2Success.com

Tweet this!

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Get Shareaholic