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5 Ways to Connect Facebook with Your Business Life

I'm a big fan of Facebook and as a matter of fact, I spend more time on Facebook than LinkedIn, Twitter or even GMail. One reason is that fundamentally, Facebook Apps make the social network the dashboard for my life on the web. And with Open Graph, Facebook will follow me everywhere I go, especially in the business world.

For example, I love utilizing more business oriented social networks like LinkedIn, it seems to be much more efficient to bring LinkedIn to me on FB, or bring the business into my dashboard (ie. Profile) as I'm connected with many more individuals on Facebook than LinkedIn. If anything, integrating my business tools as apps in Facebook also help me get better acquainted with my business colleagues.

Last week I was on a business trip and had dinner with clients. We talked about our families, sports and more general topics than just business primarily because we are all connected on Facebook. They know I'm a stand up guy with a baby, an NFL fan and enjoy running my great business. Likewise, I know more about them, so the end result was a new level of trust than can be built by pure business connections alone.

So, if you consider Facebook not just a social networking site but something that can help you promote your business, network with customers, communicate with business contacts and collaborate with coworkers, well then you are right. As proof, here are six business networking tools and apps that I suggest you utilize to integrate business into Facebook, and vice versa.

1. Professional Profile - This app lets you leverage your Facebook friends into business connections by consolidating professional information into one place. It allows you to create a tab on your profile for all of your professional contacts, information, and activities. This app is useful for separating your business and personal contacts.

2. Networked Blogs app - This business app allows you to promote your blog on Facebook as well as to discover new blogs. It shows up on your profile or in your boxes tab displaying your blog and any of the blogs that you like to read, including business-related blogs. The app also lets you import your blog feed to your profile or fan page, read news and vote articles you like.

3. My LinkedIn Profile - Although not officially affiliated with LinkedIn, this app connects your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, allowing you to display your LinkedIn User profile or company profile on Facebook.

4. Tag Biz Business Network - This is useful for business networking purposes in the sense that it does the networking for you, hence saving you time while expanding your business network. Tag Biz automates the relationship networking and referral process by putting a custom business keyword tag cloud on your Facebook profile and on the Facebook profiles of your friends in your business network. TagBiz also adds your business to the Tag Biz business directory which has over 7000 listed businesses. You'd also get a Tag Biz customizable business card and signature line for all your Facebook messages and wall  postings when you install this app.

5. Working It - At first you might think that this Facebook app is good only for thanking friends or for giving props to people in your business network. But it can also be useful app for job search by letting you share your education, work experience and skills, and search over 5 million jobs and internships. The app also lets you build relationships with coworkers and network with professional contacts.

Do you use Facebook as a business connector? And if so, please recommend apps in the comments below.

Reader Comments (8)

Mckinley Media Group, June 25, 2010

Good points, things to consisder

Victoria, July 15, 2010

These are some great tips. I honestly didn't realize the many ways one can optimize Facebook. If not for anything else the ability to link ones blog as well consolidate professional contacts should be enough reason to consider Facebook in business efforts. More people should consider Facebook as a business connector instead of simply a social application.

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Andy, July 16, 2010

Facebook is a really usefull stuff for the own blogs or websites, you get much visiters with it.

Alex, July 27, 2010

I have account in facebook but I also want to develop my business through the facebook when I come across this post then really I have find that I am following best rules from this post for business life.

Best Seo Software, August 7, 2010

Social medias like Facebook help a lot in promoting business.

Best Seo Software, August 7, 2010

Social medias like Facebook help a lot in promoting business.

Best Seo Software, August 7, 2010

Social medias like Facebook help a lot in promoting business.

Joshua Rich, 4 days, 13 hours ago

Going beyond personal integration, we are seeing businesses further expand their facebook presence by adding applications and functionality from traditional websites.

If you have a business that sells through local retailers, you can now integrate Bullseye's turn-key dealer/store locator and provide visitors a way to find where to buy your product without leaving your facebook fan page.