5 Essential Tips for Listbuilding on Facebook

Facebook is one of the most popular social media sites today. With more than 321 million subscribers worldwide, Facebook seems like an affiliate marketer’s paradise. Before you create your account and start dreaming of piles of cash, consider a few things as you create your listbuilding strategy.

1.    Create a fan page.
Once you’ve established your Facebook account, create a fan page and invite others to it. This way you can separate your personal Facebook account from your listbuilding Facebook fan page. The last thing you want to do is saturate your friends and family with your product details. By creating a fan page, you’ll ensure that the people who become fans are interested in your affiliate offerings.

2.    Don’t confuse social networking with spamming.
If you use your Facebook fan page as an avenue to sell your products to all your fans, then you’ll be shut down very quickly. Do not send sales messages to your fans, or your page will be shut down very quickly. The rule of thumb is to inform not sell.

3.    Entertain your friends and fans.
The great thing about listbuilding via Facebook is that you can be very creative. Post videos and have fun. If just one video goes viral like wildfire, you can get a lot of great leads on your list.

Keep in mind that you’ll want to put a link on your fan page that directs your fans to an opt-in page. Don’t use your videos to sell products; use them to get people to sign up for your list. Give out great tips or engage viewers in something fun. Switch it up, so you don’t become too predictable.

4.    Don’t sell yourself too hard.
You may be very tempted to promote your products but hold back. Remember that people want to buy, but they don’t want to be sold to. Since Facebook is a social media site, most people don’t want to be slammed with sales messages. Instead, provide useful information. You may encourage fans to sign up for your list, and then–and only then–should you make special offers to them.

5.    Build relationships with your prospects.
You don’t want to make a sale; you want to attract long-term customers. On social networking sites like Facebook, it’s imperative that you let your prospective customers see a different side of you. Make it fun. Give away information–lots of it.

The most important thing to remember is that there should be no strings attached to it. The idea is that your generosity will make people want to know more about what you have to offer; therefore, they’ll click on the external link to your website and continue the relationship from there.

Listbuilding on Facebook is a subtle dance between offering helpful advice, being creative, and guiding people toward your opt-in page so they can become your customers. If you use Facebook as a selling platform, you may have your account deleted. If you provide information that is so compelling that your fans will want more of it, you’ll soon find that Facebook is a great way to build your lists for your affiliate marketing business.