With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the largest social media platform worldwide. And it’s on its way to catching up with its small rival, LinkedIn, with 740 million users for work and business opportunities.

As you know, recruiters have been finding fresh talent on this social media platform for years. So why not take advantage of it and use Facebook to build a solid professional network?

Let’s understand how you can do it.

The Preparations to Build a Professional Network on Facebook

Before you get to the work of networking with essential people, improve the page they’ll land on first.

1. Customize Your URL

When you start using your Facebook account for professional networking, you may want to customize your URL. It makes it easier to find your page.

Just like LinkedIn, when you create a Facebook account, it assigns you a big URL including numbers and characters, making it unnecessarily lengthy and ugly.

Fortunately, you can change it. Just go to General Account Setting and personalize your link.

2. Set a Professional Profile Picture

When people land on your profile, the first thing that catches their eye is your display picture. Needless to say, if you're using Facebook to build your professional network, it must be professional.

Here are a few tips to take a professional photo of yourself:

• Make sure your face takes up more than 50% space in the picture.
• Wear smart and casual attire.
• Smile a bit
• Look confident
• Avoid wearing too much jewelry or make-up.

3. Fix the Privacy Settings

Until now, you must have been using your Facebook account for personal usage, sharing posts with your friends and family. That may also include your embarrassing photos, videos, random thoughts, or opinions touching sensitive topics.

Apparently, these things might be unhealthy for your professional relationships and network.

Consider customizing your privacy settings to hide these posts from everyone. You can put people in different groups to share different types of posts.

4. Update the Professional Details With Right Links

Finally, update your Facebook page to include professional information. Do you see the space where you have to enter, what do you do for a living?

Fill it in. However, instead of just stating your profession in one word, also consider elaborating on what exactly you do.

For instance, if you’re a digital marketer, you can write “Generating leads using various digital channels for XYZ Limited since 2004”. It helps recruiters or other people in your industry know why you’re a valuable connection.

Besides that, if you’re an entrepreneur, a small business owner, or if you work on a contract basis with multiple clients, you can use your bio space to write your tagline.

5 Ways to Build a Professional Network Using Facebook

1. Find Groups in Your Niche

The first step towards building a professional network on Facebook is to find relevant Facebook groups in your niche. They help you build the necessary presence and introduce you to multiple people in your industry.

To find the right groups for yourself, Google “The best Facebook groups in [your industry].” Then, join the ones that best resonate with what you’re up to. However, before you join, check when the group was last active. If the latest post on it is from back in 2018, you’ll probably want to pass on this one.

Besides that, figure out the type of content the group members post. Is it informational content? Do people discuss their field-related problems here? It helps you determine how you can contribute to the group.

2. Contribute, Engage, and Learn From Facebook Groups

Spend 10-15 minutes a day going through the groups you joined. You can find out about the new trends in your industry, help someone solve a problem they posted, get answers to your queries, or simply read how someone else addressed an issue that can be helpful for you too.

These things come with multiple rewards. You stay updated about any industry news. So, next time there’s a networking event, guess who has the best topics to initiate a conversation? Similarly, you can also help people at the office solve the problems you come across in the group. With continuous effort, you can become the go-to person when any such thing happens.

This way, you can earn the trust of your colleagues and manager, get promoted, become a team leader, or simply gain more confidence.

Besides that, if you’re a service provider or a small business owner, giving essential insights to your prospects’ queries in the group can help you build a good reputation. And who knows, the next person you help ends up hiring you for your services.

Moreover, Facebook allows you to post anonymously in groups. You can use this feature if you need people's opinions on a project you are working on for your company.

3. Understand the Fine Line Between Helping and Spamming

While sharing informational content is helpful to group members, promoting your company’s product or your services directly in discussion is spamming. Similarly, sending a friend request or direct messages to people in the group is also forbidden, unless you have their permission to do so.

If you want to introduce yourself and promote your services, do it indirectly when you join the group.

You can simply say:

Hi, I joined this group today. My name is [Your Name], and I’m a [Your Profession] in [Your industry]. Feel free to connect if you’re in the same industry.

4. Build Meaningful Relationships With Your Network

Now, as we discussed, you cannot spam anyone by adding them as friends out of nowhere. However, if you’ve already exchanged a few words in the comment section once or twice, you’re good to go.

If they happen to accept your friend request, you, then, get their permission to send a small introductory message. This is the start of building a relationship with people in your industry. To ensure it lasts, read on.

5. Nurture Your Professional Network

After getting introduced, you have to keep nurturing the new relationships you have begun. You cannot just add people to your network, forget about them altogether, then message them years later when you need something. That’s not how it works.

Related: How to Ask for Recommendation on LinkedIn

Instead, keep in touch with them by sending industry news, exchanging opinions, introducing one person to another, or simply engaging with their content. If you have nothing to say, just send them an article that matches their interest, saying you were reading it and thought they might find it useful.

This way, the next time that person, or someone in their network, needs your service, guess who they’ll contact first or recommend?

Use Facebook to Network

Networking is one of the best ways to speed up your career growth. So don’t wait for traditional networking events to happen. Instead, use all the ways that can help you fast-track the process.

Who knows, your next project or hiring offer might come from someone you helped solve a problem on Facebook?