Events

If you are going to create event you should know it is hard to tell everybody in the world about. After you’ve created one, Facebook system allows you just to invite your friends, not even Page Fans! The event may get on the roll just in case it is really interesting, so that friends will invite friends and so on. It is the good method for manifestation to gather.

Landing pages

This is an additional feature of Facebook company pages. See Mozilla Firefox and TripAdvisor landing page for understanding. Landing is a page which you see at your first visit to the page and which tell you the reason you should “like” it. It is not necessarily to create one, but it may increase the level of your fans however.

Advertising

Probably the most intriguing part for biz members. Creating company page is just a beginning, but how to make people know about? How to get thousands active fans? This is what you can do:

• Ask friends, family to like and share information about your newborn Page (this is the secret we’ve mentioned – as many friends you have, as many potential fans you may get). If you have base with your existing clients contacts, e-mail them and ask to like the Page (probably for the reward).
• Use content for self-advertising. Pay attention to what you post so it may trigger emotions in people and they will share. Note, content and sharing are the main terms of web 2.0.
• Send messages in Facebook. Find people that have the same interests as your company and message them personally. Sounds great, but actually it is a hard and very consuming process.
• Mention or post on related group/pages wall. Those actions both cause appearance of your post on group/pages wall, so it will also appear in pages fans news feed and group members will get notifications. Be aware of spamming or just posting “visit our page”. Post MUST be informative! In other way, it could be just deleted by admins.
• Add link to FB on website, e-mail, newsletter
• Pay for FB PPC ads
• Use offline advertising

Analyze

Finally don’t forget to analyze everything you do. Something what is good for other may be not so for you. We suggest you to monitor 4 things:

• Posts which interact fans the best and worst
• Interaction rate – it is indicator of your fans activity. Keep it at least over 25%-30%, the higher is better.
• Insights – you may find this button at the right column on your Page. It will show you statistic of posts popularity, fans activity and more for specified period of time.
• Google Analytics – use this tool to analyze traffic which your site gets from Facebook posts.

In conclusion take a look at some great examples of effective brand presentence in Facebook. We include Pampers and Coca-Cola Facebook Page to the list. But the most striking Facebook campaign ever refers not to a huge brand, but to a small village! Just read and like if you really do).

Sign up as a person

Facebook doesn’t allow brands and companies to create user profiles any more. Companies have two ways – create Brand Page or Group to communicate with customers here. But just a real person may set up those brand profiles. So if you are still not in Facebook – sign up and try to get as many friends as possible (we will open the secret later).

Page or Group

This is the time to decide how your company will look and interact in Facebook, as Page or as Group. Companies usually choose Pages. This is example of Toronto Raptors Facebook Page and MARKETING Professional Group.

Users like Pages and Join Groups. Page fan will see Page updates on their News feed, Group members will get notifications about Group updates. You may suggest Page to your friends and they to their, Group members may add each other to group, although anyone could leave it. Group members are able to communicate in a common chat, Page fans may communicate just through Page wall posts.

Typically Groups are used for small communities, especially closed with a limited number of members. They could discuss hot topics or even share documents. But it is hard to attract thousands members to group. For that purpose you would better create Company page. To do this visit any Company page and click on  ”Create a Page” button at the top right.

Profile

Creating Profile is not a hard task, just follow Facebook instructions – they will lead you by the hand through all stages up to the last. Choose the category, add business name, location and contact information. On the next step you should upload the photo – try to make it impressive which could attract you potential fans and will be relevant to their fields of interests. It is good practice to add phone number or URL address exactly to the image.

Posts

Posts are the main thing in Facebook. People communicate mostly through each other’s status, photo, video or events updates. Someone calls Facebook the emotional network, cause people like, comment and share just interesting content which impress them. People also want companies to post informative and enthusiastic updates. So post photos, videos and links that will involve your customers in interaction. Question is also a good way to speak, but don’t be too formal – people mostly go to Facebook to relax. Avoid long text messages without pictures – they are simply boring.

Your fans or their connections could comment on your Facebook posts or simply like them. Facebook also allow you to mention other people, pages or groups in your post – type @name and choose from the pop-up menu those you would like to mention. These people, pages or groups will get notification about.

In the era of web 2.0, that implies quick sharing through internet, managing with complaints has become much more complicated task. Why? 20 years ago if you have one unsatisfied client, you reputation would fall in his and probably his friends and family eyes. Now if you have one unsatisfied client, he will go online and share his bad experience working with you in social media, on his blog and forums. In point he finds support in online community, the information will circulate in the web until you do something or your reputation will be totally lost.

Last week one our client have confronted with such situation. His customer wrote about unpleasant experience with the company in themed forum. In just two days an active debate has been launched. Today this post appears on 2^nd place in Google search result for his brand name.

So this is point where SERM takes place. SERM or Search Engine Reputation Management is managing with business reputation in search engines.

There are two strategies in SERM:

1 – Transforming bad reviews in good ones. This is the best solution and we will explain why. What will you do if you get unsatisfied customer and don’t want to lose him? You will try to find out what exactly is not suitable for the client and get agreement which will be appropriate for both. The variant works when review was written by real client.

2 – Throwing out negative reviews from TOP10 by creating and optimizing positive. As a result all the negative reviews fall down in ranking and become practically unattainable for the user. Company may use this strategy if they feel reviews are made by competitors or enemies.

Second strategy could be achieved by generating a positive or neutral feedback on authoritative sites which can replace negative reviews.

Here are some kinds of authoritative resources used to displace the negative reviews:

• Major news sources
• Portals
• Industry forums
• Personal blogs and personal websites of users

What if negative feedback is placed on the authoritative resource? In such case you may request the site owner where negative feedback was placed for an exclusion from the search engine index or even for deleting the page from the site.

Sometimes company notice negative reviews too late which make resolution more complicated. How to avoid such situation? Set up Google Alerts with your company name (it will send you e-mail once your company was mentioned somewhere in the web) or use the following symptoms to predict it:

• Unexplained drop in sales
• Reduction of website traffic or, conversely, a sudden and inexplicable increase of it
• Decrease in current customers activity or the loss of some part of them
• You have a large staff. As a rule, you cannot please everyone – some percentage of people is always dissatisfied and could share their feelings in the network
• Your business is connected with the production of certain material goods. Any illiterate user will blame the manufacturer, not his ineptitude
• Your business is a service provider. Here reputation is a key.

Wish you just satisfied customers! For SERM issues you may always contact us.

There are many other advantages of Google+ over Facebook that are related to brand presentence. But we would not stop on them, you may read about them here http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/google-facebook-pages/. We would like to dedicate the post to much more interesting thing – step-by-step guide of how to set up Google+ page for your company.

Here is how we have created Google+ page for Web4you Inc.

1 – Go to your Google+ account (you need to have one) and at the bottom of right column click button.

2 – Pick up one of the proposed categories

Click on each and try to find the most relevant sub-category for your company, brand etc. We have chosen “Company, Institution or Organization”.

3 – Add information about your page

4 – Customize your page’s public profile

Here you should emphasize you company or brand in 10 words maximum. This information will help people find your page.

We thought that presentence of some of our keywords will help us in SEO. So here is what we wrote: “Your personal experts in Web design, Web development, SEO and Internet Marketing Tips”.

On this step you may also upload a profile photo.

Done? Let’s press “continue” button.

5 – Get the word out

Here Google+ will propose you to tell your circles about the page. Note that a message will come from you, not from the page!

Choose people to see your post (your circles, extended circles or public), click finish and it’s done!

Now let’s read ADVICE on how to manage with your Google+page.

Switching from your personal to your brand or brands profiles is very simple. You may do it by clicking on icon below you name.

Now we may add photos, videos, links and circles to just born brand page. Off course, news stream is the main function of your Google+ page. Now it is empty. Let’s add something.

Here it is – our brand new Google+ page!

Welcome you to join Web4you Google+ page.

1.    Set up the goals

Everything you do must start with setting up the goal and social media marketing is not an exception. Would you like to increase your website traffic or make more sales? Would you use SMM like a part of SEO or brand loyalty strategy? You should also understand your customer profile before jumping in social media ocean.

Set up goals and keep them in memory every time you are going to post something. Your social media followers must understand the purpose of each action they are involved by you.

2.    Decide on Social Media

There are thousands social media in the word, but don’t try to use them all. Picking up just some or even one is better strategy. To make the choice consider 2 things:

1.  What social networks are the most popular in your country.

Go to Google and type “most popular social networks ‘country’” and you will see results. Point your attention to the data which shows what kind of people prefers each SN.

2. Who is your potential customers.

If your business is located in US or Canada or some other English-spoken countries, the most widespread social media networks here are Facebook and LinkedIn. How to choose which one is for you? If you are B2B company – target LinkedIn, B2C – Facebook.

3.    Don’t sell – Build relationships

Even if your goal is making more sales with SMM don’t try to sell immediately! Traditional advertising rules in not working here. People in social networks will value to get information they are interested in or which could impress them.

Only after you get in touch with customers you could sell or ask what you want unobtrusively. Social media is almost unique channel you may ask your customers and they will tell you the answer! But note, people don’t care you and your brand – they care themselves and their own needs.

4.    Be a person, not a brand

People want to interact with people. They do not like to listen robot when calling to your office, similarly they will be not delighted to talk with robot in SN.

Speak on the language your consumers speak. If you are extreme gear store, besides posting your item’s photos download some crazy videos or pictures from your last extreme trip. If you are consulting company, provide your fans with up-to-date changes in legislation. Make them sure they may read just one source and be always aware of recent events.

5.    Expenses of time and money

We are often asked a question – “How much SMM costs?” Firstly, there are 2 types of costs you must spend – money and time.

• Money

If you are small businesses which know who your clients are you may dispense with money. I mean you don’t have to order paid ads. In such case you should spend much more time and efforts, because the result will not come so fast.

• Time

How much time to spend? It depends on your goals again. If you are just trying this modern CRM tool, spend one hour per day to communicate with customers. Feel you have to spend more – do that, can’t manage itself – hire someone. SMM is very individual, analyse and time will show what works for you the best. Just don’t throw it on halfway – you will disappoint the customers.

Hope you like the post. In the next we will continue the theme and try to cover main actions which work for Social Media Marketing in Facebook and LinkedIn.