by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media
Facebook Ads
Facebook will generate about half of the projected $1.68 billion spent on U.S. advertising on social networks this year, and some companies are said to be spending about $20,000 per day advertising on the site. If you have not looked at Facebook ads for your own business, it might be worth investigating. Below are some tips to help you get started:
- Be as specific as possible with your keywords and demographic selections
- Use compelling images, titles and copy in your ads
- Make your ads as interactive and engaging as you can
- Frequently update and refresh the images and copy for better results
- Be vigilant about testing your ads and monitoring the results
- Bid high to get your ads approved faster by Facebook
- Start with CPC (Cost Per Click) ads if you have a very small budget, otherwise CPM (Cost Per Impression) is the better bet
- Use Facebook Ads Manager, which can be downloaded and installed on Firefox
Whether it is through a paid advertising campaign or some basic social media marketing, using Facebook’s incredible platform to help grow your business should by now be a strategy used in some capacity by every business and web professional. |
by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media
Facebook Pages
If your business does not have a presence on Facebook yet, drop everything you’re doing and go set up a Facebook Page. If you already have a Facebook Page for your business, perhaps you could be getting a little more out of it. Some of the basic rules of thumb include the following:
- Set goals for your Facebook page and monitor your progress
- Make your page interesting and informative, and update it as often as you can; remember to post things that are informative to Page Fans - it's not all about you
- Promote your Facebook page on your business website and elsewhere; add a Find us on Facebook button wherever you can
- Reward your Facebook Fans with discounts and special promotions
- Create a Facebook user group that will be of interest/useful to your audience
- Join other Facebook user groups that pertain to your industry or niche
- Take advantage of Facebook’s tools; track your success with Facebook analytics
Facebook Places
Facebook has a new location-based check-in service called Places. Businesses can add a Facebook Place to their Facebook Page, or the two can be combined. The result of either option is getting your company’s address, map, phone number and other data in front of Facebook’s massive user network and giving them a way to share the information with friends.
Facebook Places is also built directly into the advertising platform, and registered businesses can target their ads with very specific information such as location. Ads can be bought on a pay-per-click basis, and more information is below.
Next week we will look at Facebook ads. |
by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media
With the implementation of Google Instant, this revolutionary new feature has many business owners wondering about the future of search engine marketing in particular and Internet advertising as a whole. There was some other news that is even more surprising and that is the shift away from Google and directly on to Facebook.
Data from comScore has revealed that time spent on Facebook in the U.S. during the month of August 2010 surpassed the time spent on Google sites for the first time in history. That includes all of Google's properties – YouTube, Gmail, Google Buzz, and others.
These are significant milestones Facebook, but what do they mean for the future of the industry? Will looking for content on search engines be overtaken by the sharing of content on social networks? Or, according to the statistics, has that happened already?
Because of these survey results and Facebook's growing base of more than 600 million active users (half of which spend at least 30 minutes every day on the platform), it is time to take a serious look at how your business is utilizing the social network. Next week we will look at some of the ways that your company can leverage the popularity of Facebook. |
by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media
One of the best content offerings that any business an provide on a social network is something exclusive. Inside information makes fans a followers feel important - a feeling they will share with their friends. This can be as simple as giving them access to content not yet available on your website, an exclusive discount or promotional code, or some breaking news. This falls under "providing value" and stands out as one of the best ways to get and maintain a loyal following.
If you simply provide the same thing that can be found on your website, you are not adding to the community. There is little motivation for a user to stay connected with your business this way, much less share what you have to offer with their friends.
The reality of social media is that your business is already involved, regardless of whether you have a profile on any social network or not. Consumers are using social media and sharing opinions, success stories, problems, etc., and those posts could be about your business.
Take a proactive approach to social media for your business. Get involved the way you want to and take control of your presence on these networks. |
by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media
The inherit nature of a community is to communicate. To facilitate this behavior among your fans, customers, etc., you need to ask questions about the community, your products or services, developments they would like to see, etc. Social media sites empower even the least tech-savvy users to have their voices heard online and they are eager share. But, be prepared, because you might hear some things you don't like.
When users connect with businesses online they expect you to connect back. Social sites can be a hot bed for customer service, both good and bad. So, if you don't react, you run the risk of losing control and as we all know, bad news spreads just a quickly or quicker than good news.
Your online strategy needs to include one-on-one interaction. Regularly check Twitter for "@YourUserName" messages and direct messages. TweetBeep is a service that will notify you via e-mail whenever your business, brand, name, or any selected keyword is mentioned on Twitter. You should also regularly scan your Facebook wall for messages from consumers. When you find some feedback, pay it close, quick attention. Do keep in mind that some people simply cannot be pleased. Don't be drug into a constant back-and-forth as this can make you look uncaring. You are in business because you believe in your products or your services and your brand along with the value provided to consumers. Be accommodating but stick to your guns.
Nest week we are going to look at giveing fans the inside scoop. |
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