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Budget & Resources
Before you get started you will want to come up with a realistic idea of what kind of budget and resources you can allocate to Facebook marketing. While many of the activities you can engage in have no monetary cost, they certainly have a cost when it comes to resourcing. This can escalate quickly, so it is best to set some expectations before getting underway. Making managing your Facebook Page (or community management in general) a formal part of someone’s role helps ensure that your presence is actively and effectively managed. It is unlikely to require a dedicated person immediately, but adding these tasks to someone’s existing role is a great way to start. If you are able to, you should consider setting a budget to accompany your efforts also. This budget can be used for a variety of things, from useful applications, to Facebook advertising. Even a relatively modest budget (less than $500 a month) can make a big difference to the effectiveness of your Facebook marketing efforts. As you progress through this guide, you will see how setting clear measurable objectives is an important way to ensure that you are getting real value from this investment. These objectives should relate directly to how you measure your business sucess.See What Your Competition is Up To
Before you dive right in, it is a good idea to take a look at what your competition is up to. You can often learn a lot from them by looking at what they do that gets people interacting with their brand. This can help you avoid mistakes, as well as set some realistic goals for your Facebook presence. It is also a chance to look at ways in which you can differentiate yourself. Look for these things- How active are they? Do they update their page regularly?
- Are they treating Facebook as a purely one-way communication channel, or are they actually listening, responding, and interacting with their fans?
- Are they using any special applications to run competitions, give their fans special offers, or anything else?
- How many fans do they have?
- How many people are ‘talking about them’?
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