Today I bring you a simple, but often overlooked, social media Facebook tip: fill out your profile!  If you are a small business owner who would like to grow a base of clients and partners, this tip is for you!  When people are looking to network on Facebook, one of the first places they will look is your profile page.  Perhaps you wrote an insightful comment on a mutual friend’s wall or you shared your expertise in a group, and now a new person wants to know more about you.  Because most of us have privacy settings in place, potential friends will be greeted by your Info page.  This is where you’re able to list your employment and educational history, your bio and even your interests and favorite quotes.  It should give potential friends a glimpse into who you are and why you’d be a great person to add to their professional network.  Unfortunately, most small business owners do not to fill out their profiles.  When a new person visits you online, they are greeted with your name, profile pic and a blank page.  This is not the impression you want to leave.

For those of you who are not as familiar with social media, think of your blank Info page as silence during a networking event.  Here’s an example.  You’ve just arrived at a networking event and are eager to make new connections.  Someone sees you from across the room and walks up, business card in hand, to strike up a conversation.  He greets you with, “Hello, my name is John Smith, and I’m from XYZ Company.  How are you?”  You reply, “I’m good.  My name is Michelle Miller.”  He says, “Nice to meet you.  What do you do?”  You stare at him and smile.  He gives you a confused look and continues, “Okay, well tell me about your background.”  Again, you stare.  Eventually he walks away without exchanging his contact information with you.  I know that scenario may seem far fetched, but this is the exact impression you give to people who visit your blank profile page.

Here are a couple pictures of my Facebook profile page for reference.  You do not have to include as much information as I have here, but at least fill out the employment history with your small business venture and include a brief bio.  It would also help to include contact information, such as your company’s web site and email address.  Encourage people to contact you by appearing open and friendly rather than seeming extremely private and not open to networking. If you’d like to connect with me on Facebook, click the picture below, and it’ll take you straight to my Facebook profile.

CONFIDENCE CHALLENGE: Take 15 minutes today and update your Facebook profile.  Fill out your Info page with business information, a brief bio and a way for visitors to contact you.  Make yourself accessible, and be prepared for new connections.