A Facebook Success Story: 'Social Media Got Me the Gig'

Michael Angelo Caruso is a self-employed corporate speaker, personal-development consultant, marketing guru, and book author.

He's also an active Facebook user who routinely posts marketing tips and how-to videos on his page. Recently, one of Caruso's Facebook friends asked for some tips on how her company could use social media to improve its online presence.

Can you guess where this is going? The online chat turned into a phone call, and the call lead to Caruso getting hired for a training job at the friend's company. "Another gig from Facebook!" Caruso says, adding that "this kind of thing happens for me all the time."

To what does he attribute this social-media success? Four (actually just three) simple rules:

1. Have fun collecting friends on Facebook
2. Post no-cost tips based in your field of expertise
3. Engage your online friends when they show interest
4. Celebrate your new revenue stream

Of course, if you operate a different kind of business (service or retail, for example), you can always modify #2 as follows: "Post exclusive deals, discounts, and/or promotions." Check out how one local business is doing exactly that.

Got any Facebook success stories of your own to share? Let's hear 'em in the comments!

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