In many of the social media blogs I have read over the years there is a very strong focus on quality posting, making sure you provide value to your audience and keep them interested. By now, that should go without saying! Even outside social media, you have to be interesting if you want to keep your audience. By the way your audience will grow even faster if you are interested in them, which is often an easier thing to do than find something of high value to say, day in day out.
But from a business perspective you would be forgiven for being frustrated at the limitations of just posting on your wall, simply because it is in no way guaranteed that your fans will see it. Sure you have a good chance, but only if your fans go to their newsfeed regularly.
For a more direct, perceived as "one on one" communication tools on Facebook, you can however use some readily available features, which will allow you to communicate in the "notifications" box, automatically increasing your chances of being seen. Here are 2 options that will land in the notifications, and one option that will land directly in clients' email boxes.
1) Write a "note" to your friends or your fans
That can be written in a personalized style. You can even attach a picture and select who you send from your friends lists. If you are sending a note to your fans from your fan page then all you have to do is push "publish" at the bottom and all your fans will see it in their notifications box, the first place you go to even before your news-feed.
2) Organise an event
Events can be for anything, a sale, a VIP invitation, telling people about a new item, product or course that you have. Even inviting people to "Like" your page could be an event. The great thing is that it goes into all your invited fans' and friends' "notifications" box. Remember with an event you can have several bites at the marketing cherry by simply posting some updates to the event, which will show like an advert on the top right hand side of your fans' Facebook.
3) Use the "Tell your fans" feature in the "Resources" of your Fan Page
This great but little known technique allows you to create a CSV file from your excel or outlook database and send them a "Facebook" message inviting them to join your fan page. Just go to Apps and choose "Tell your fans". Facebook will even tell you step by step how to create a CSV file from your own database. When you know that facebook messages get at least a 20% higher open rate you know this is a great way to grow your following, and once more by DIRECT, one on one communication through Facebook
So Just go ahead and experiment, make sure that your events and posts are of high perceived value...but that goes without saying doesn't it?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Why 97% of Facebook FanPages Don't Work
Every day a larger number of small to medium size businesses embrace social media as a viable marketing strategy...Or is it?
Unfortunately I see many page owners who obviously got very enthusiastic in the beginning and then lost momentum: often they have not added any posts for over a month and their page carries 120 odd likes. As a result you have guessed it, they lost interest and went back to their expensive traditional advertising like the phone book and newspapers, with no indication of their return on investment. In the worst cases they deem social media an utter waste of time and swear it was just a useless fad.
Even if you have 300+ likes, Facebook may not turn out to be a viable means of advertising, so what's the secret? How can you make your Facebook page become much more than just a PR exercise with no positive ROI? How can you make sure that your Facebook page is not sitting there like a brochure that nobody is picking up?
When initiating your social media strategy you must keep in sight this crucial fact: it's a number's game! As you engage with your clients and provide them free value, your ultimate goal is to get repeat sales from them, as well as referrals to grow your fan base. If you keep giving great value to a couple hundred people you will go nowhere fast!
So here are the 7 ways for you to make sure that your daily attendance to Facebook produces more sales AND more viral marketing to grow your account.
1. Create a customized, branded fan page with an incentive for people to click "like". This must include a compelling call to action, not even 2% of page owners have figured this out. This strategy alone increases conversion into fans by 27%, and give you an instant point of difference
2. Switch into "Use Facebook As A Fan Page" and start "liking" other Facebook fan pages in your area, or where you think your target market also hang out.
3. Regularly post on those pages, at least once a week, with free information, tips, or anything that will make you known as a business owner or a good business to deal with. You have to write several non promotional posts before promoting outright
4. Contact other page owners for a joint venture and offer their fans a free voucher, exclusive to them. Then ask your joint venture partner to do the same for you. Having establishes that relationship you will always be allowed to market on that page!
5. Offer your fans a reward for posting about your business on their wall: all their friends will see that on their newsfeed, again it can be a free voucher
6. Use "Notes" for direct marketing offers to your fans. This will be shown on their "Notifications"
7. Join Facebook Groups in your industry or locally, and get more friends that way. Then invite them to "Like" your page
Remember Facebook is meant to be a marketing strategy, not a closed shop conversation with your existing fans that only generates disappointing fanbase growth. Please keep in mind that a Facebook page that has little interaction and only 300 likes is bad PR for your business
Unfortunately I see many page owners who obviously got very enthusiastic in the beginning and then lost momentum: often they have not added any posts for over a month and their page carries 120 odd likes. As a result you have guessed it, they lost interest and went back to their expensive traditional advertising like the phone book and newspapers, with no indication of their return on investment. In the worst cases they deem social media an utter waste of time and swear it was just a useless fad.
Even if you have 300+ likes, Facebook may not turn out to be a viable means of advertising, so what's the secret? How can you make your Facebook page become much more than just a PR exercise with no positive ROI? How can you make sure that your Facebook page is not sitting there like a brochure that nobody is picking up?
When initiating your social media strategy you must keep in sight this crucial fact: it's a number's game! As you engage with your clients and provide them free value, your ultimate goal is to get repeat sales from them, as well as referrals to grow your fan base. If you keep giving great value to a couple hundred people you will go nowhere fast!
So here are the 7 ways for you to make sure that your daily attendance to Facebook produces more sales AND more viral marketing to grow your account.
1. Create a customized, branded fan page with an incentive for people to click "like". This must include a compelling call to action, not even 2% of page owners have figured this out. This strategy alone increases conversion into fans by 27%, and give you an instant point of difference
2. Switch into "Use Facebook As A Fan Page" and start "liking" other Facebook fan pages in your area, or where you think your target market also hang out.
3. Regularly post on those pages, at least once a week, with free information, tips, or anything that will make you known as a business owner or a good business to deal with. You have to write several non promotional posts before promoting outright
4. Contact other page owners for a joint venture and offer their fans a free voucher, exclusive to them. Then ask your joint venture partner to do the same for you. Having establishes that relationship you will always be allowed to market on that page!
5. Offer your fans a reward for posting about your business on their wall: all their friends will see that on their newsfeed, again it can be a free voucher
6. Use "Notes" for direct marketing offers to your fans. This will be shown on their "Notifications"
7. Join Facebook Groups in your industry or locally, and get more friends that way. Then invite them to "Like" your page
Remember Facebook is meant to be a marketing strategy, not a closed shop conversation with your existing fans that only generates disappointing fanbase growth. Please keep in mind that a Facebook page that has little interaction and only 300 likes is bad PR for your business
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