One of the most common questions we get asked by people looking to update their marketing is “where do I start with Social Media?” There is no simple answer, as there is no single platform that does everything well (yet).
At the time of writing this blog there are over 500 active social media channels all connecting people with varying purpose. While this can be an intimidating thought, it also shows you that Social Media isn’t just some fad that has sprung up over the past decade. This is the new way your customers communicate with each other and with you – if you don’t embrace it, then there is a good chance your business will grow at a much slower rate.
Now we’re not going to go into all of the available channels here, but for those of you completely new to Social Media we’ll give you a quick overview of the “usual suspects” and how you can apply them to your business. These posts are designed to introduce complete novices to Social Media networks and are by no means a complete guide.
The Basics
• Users build a personal profile page about themselves and their interests.
• They are able to share photos and status updates, which appear on their profile’s “wall”.
• They are then able to find others’ profile pages and “friend” them.
• Once “friended”, users can see others’ status updates and pictures via their Timeline.
• If users wish to set up a page to promote their Company/Hobby Group/Market/Side Project etc. they must first create a basic “personal profile” page. You cannot set up a business page without having a personal page to link it to first. However, it has been suggested that users sign up to Facebook with as few personal details as possible, then convert that page to a business page.
• Event Pages can also be created, and Event Administrators have the option of whom to invite, adjusting dates, times, and other details, as well as marking the event as public or private.
How Can I Get the Most Out of Facebook?
Facebook is great for receiving and responding to real-time feedback on your products and services. You can also take paid advertisements, which means your message will take precedence along with other paid items in users’ Timeline feeds.
Here are 5 quick tips to get you started:
1. Be aware that no matter what your business does, it’s likely someone will post a complaint or negative feedback on your products/services. Respond in the same way as you would to a customer complaint on the phone or in person. Show that you are interested in what they have to say and of course, make sure you follow through if the issue can’t be resolved on Facebook. Also be aware that some people love to troll company sites, and are simply trying to provoke you into anger to make you look stupid and/or unprofessional. Don’t engage! If it is not a legitimate complaint, you can always simply delete the comment.
2. Of course you want to look professional, but it doesn’t hurt to inject a little humour or personality into your page.
3. To drive SEO, make sure you are creating shareable content for your page. For example, if you are a print business and plan on attending printing event, why not share the link? Or if you were doing a screenprinting workshop, grab someone who is good with a camera to take some photos of the results.
Then use a hashtag like #screenprinting or #workshops. 4. Make use of paid advertising to “Boost” your posts or promote your page.
5. As with a company website or other CMS, you can track analytics through your Facebook Company page, such as new “Likes”, and customer engagement.
Image from allfacebook.com