12 Facebook Networking Tips for Professionals, Brands + More

Use a Page instead of a personal profile.

Interact on Facebook using your professional Page. When you create a Page for yourself, your brand, or your business, Facebook users can "Like" your Page to see your posts on their feeds. Use your Page instead of your personal account to interact with your followers and network with other brands on the platform, which will ultimately drive traffic to your Page.

Join groups in your niche.

Get involved with others who have the same interests. Joining Facebook groups is a great way to network with like-minded users. If you use Facebook for your brand or business presence, join niche groups populated by communities you cater to. For example, if your business sells pet supplies, consider joining groups with keywords like "animal rescue" and "pet advice." If you're logged in and replying to threads with your Facebook Page, you might attract some Likes. To find Facebook groups, go to https://facebook.com/groups and click Discover in the left panel. You can also use the "Search groups" bar to search for groups that match your interests. More members in a group doesn't directly mean more opportunities. You instead want to focus on groups with strict rules and responsible moderators. If you aren't finding specific groups to match your interests or services, create a group instead.

Help others in your community.

Offer support in Facebook Groups and to your Page's followers. Being a silent member won't help you network with other people in the same group, so speak up! Answer questions that followers and group members ask, or help them find what they are looking for. Doing this helps your profile grow in authority and people might start looking to you for solutions to their problems.

Build deeper relationships.

Make every relationship count. Don't fall into the trap that many others do and try to make everyone a customer immediately. Instead, focus on making that person a friend and forming a relationship with them. When appropriate, offer congratulations, encouragement, or ask a question instead of promoting sales and products.

Participate in professional conversations.

Unless your brand is comedy, it's best to keep things professional. Skip the funny meme back-and-forth posts, as they might make potential connections think you're not very serious. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be friendly! Spread your expertise and meet new people while making your business seem approachable.

Reach out to old contacts.

Connect with colleagues and friends you haven't spoken to in a while. Remember that all your existing friends on Facebook have the potential to generate leads for you, so if there's someone with whom you haven't caught up in a while, you might want to refresh their memory of you. You can send a quick message on Messenger, leave a post on their timeline, or even tag them in a new post on your Page. When approaching people with whom you haven't talked in a while, simply reestablish that connection with a "Hello! How are you?" as a Facebook message. Consider promoting or recommending your friends' brands through your own Page as a way to keep connections strong.

Choose a memorable Facebook username.

Make sure your connections recognize your Facebook URL. By default, your Facebook username is a jumbled collection of letters and numbers. Replacing those letters and numbers with the name of your business or brand makes your Facebook URL memorable to both new connections and old. but you can make this more memorable by changing it. To change your username for a personal account, click your profile photo, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings, click See more in Accounts Center on the left, and then click your Facebook profile. Click Username to see your current username and select a new one. For a Page, click your profile photo at the top-right and select See All Profiles. Choose your Page, and then go to Settings & Privacy > Settings. To edit your username, click Edit next to "Username."

Use an Action button to generate leads.

Add a Call to Action button to your Facebook Page. These Action buttons can help your visitors find their way to your website, booking experience, online shop, or even start a phone call. For example, if you offer appointments, you can add a "Book Now" button to your Page that takes visitors right to your scheduling feature. E To add a Call to Action button, click the three horizontal dots at the top of your Page and select Add Page Button. You can then select a button like Sign Up, View Shop, Get Tickets, Send message, or Call Now and follow the on-screen prompts to configure it.

Create virtual and in-person events.

Create a Facebook event and invite people to attend. Make sure you use events to your advantage, as they're a great way to network with others. Whether you're hosting an in-person networking event or an online Q&A, invite people to your event and encourage them to share the invitation with others. To create an event, click your profile photo at the top-right, select See all profiles, and choose the profile (such as your business Page) you want to use to create the event. Click Events in the left panel. If you don't see it, click + See more first. Click Create new event. Enter an event name and choose whether it will be in-person or virtual. Fill out the details of the event, click Create Event, and then start inviting people. Other Facebook users can browse these events, so your listing will have the potential to garner interest in your business! If you host enough events, people will start viewing you as a leader and someone with authority in that community.

Avoid sharing spam.

Nobody wants a spammer in their network. Stick to quality content over unsolicited marketing. You don't want to spam groups or your News Feed with non-quality content—people might ignore your posts. Instead, post reliably and make sure the content is high-quality, which engages the audience, includes relevant tags, is original, and uses visual enhancements.

Post engaging content.

Create engaging content with images and video. Photos and videos are more visual, thus, more likely to be shared by your connections. The more people who see your content, the wider your network becomes. Facebook Pages have access to tools and analytics that can help users see which content is performing better than others. You can ditch what doesn't work and make more content that works using those tools.

Push traffic to your website.

Encourage your visitors to check out your website. You can change your Page's Action button to direct people to your website or add your website URL to your profile. For a better chance that someone will click your URL, add an RSS feed to your profile (you can do that in Creator Studio under "Links").