Using Facebook to Promote Your Studio - Part 2

Last week I discussed the basics of using Facebook to promote your studio. If you haven't checked that post out, you may want to make sure you've read it before you continue with this one. Today I'm going to show you how to make a Facebook page to promote your studio, but first, let's discuss exactly what this page is and what it's for.

A Facebook page is essentially a "fan page" that any registered user can set up. I'm sure you've seen updates on timelines that say "Mr. So-and-so became a fan of *insert doodad here*" All that means is that someone, somewhere created a fan page, and Mr. So-and-so found it and decided it was cool. The good part about these pages is that you can use them solely for promotion, because you've already found an interested audience (who voluntarily signed up to listen!). Additionally, unlike your personal page, your fan page can be viewed and "liked" by any member of Facebook. It's a great way to reach lots of people you wouldn't otherwise have contact with, because the "liking" often starts off a chain reaction! (If you've never seen a Facebook page, click here and you can see the one I created while writing this tutorial!)

So, if you're ready to create one of these awesome pages, log in to your Facebook account and follow along!

1. Click this link. (It will help to right click and open it in a new tab/window) You should see this:


2. Under category, choose "Brand, Product, or Organization" and then "Online Store"


3. Enter the name of your studio in this box:


4. Check the box that asks for authorization, and then type your full name in the signature box. ("Full name" means the exact name your Facebook account is under.)


5. Hit "Create Page". You should now see this:


6. Add information to your page like your avatar, product pictures, sales information, and website address. Once you start adding things, you will see this notice show up at the top of the page:

Be sure you click the "Publish this page" link so it's viewable to the world!

7. You've now created your Facebook page! Be sure (once you're done editing everything) that you invite all your friends to your page. To do this, hit the "Suggest to Friends" link under the main picture and follow along.(Remember to add yourself as a fan, too!)

♥

*As always, please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future topics here! And please leave a link to your new page in the comments so I can become a fan!*

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Using Facebook to Promote Your Studio - Part 1

Many of us already use Facebook as a way to keep up with friends and family, but are you using your Facebook account to its fullest potential? There are quite a few ways to use Facebook to promote, and today I'm just going to show you a quick easy tip to get you started.

The way Facebook works, it keeps a "timeline" of all your recent activity and broadcasts it to everyone in your friend list/network. For instance, if you set your status to "Having a good day", everyone that logs on can see that little blurb about your life. Using this status is one way you can promote (by saying something like "Great sale going on today in my studio!"), but sometimes that just isn't enough. First of all, you've only given a bit of vague information, and second, there's not really much there to make your update stand out from all the other updates.

Instead, how about creating an update that has everything you need all rolled into one? By using the "Add a Link" feature, you are able to promote your studio/sale/blog, show a picture, and provide a clickable link to your studio! To do this, log into your Facebook account (or create one if you don't already have one!) and follow these steps:

1. On the top of the window that shows your facebook account, click on "Profile".

2. Find the box that looks like this:

and click inside the typing area.

3. You should notice that the box changes, and now looks like this:

Click "Link"

4. The box will expand like this:

Type (or copy/paste) your studio URL (or item/blog URL) in the second box and hit "Attach".

5. As long as the page you are linking to has any graphic on it, the box will expand again and you will now see a graphic showing. (If you're linking to your Artfire studio, chances are the first thing you will see will be your verified artisan icon).

Click the arrows beside the picture till you find one that suits you.

6. In the box above the picture, type in text pertaining to the link (if you wish).

7. Hit "Share". You should see it show up in your timeline like this:


Your "all in one" update is done! Now every person on your friends list will see it the next time they log in!

* I know this may seem like very basic information to a lot of you, but I just wanted to cover all the bases before I moved onto things like creating pages and paid advertising. Please forgive me if it is too simplistic. *

♥

p.s. If you aren't already one of my Facebook friends, I'd love for you to add me so I don't miss any of your fancy new updates!

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