Nobody Will Like or +1 Your Stale Content
Facebook has basically become a staple of business in today's marketplace, you need to be there and it's hard to argue why you would ever consider passing on the platform.
Similarly to Facebook, Google+ has made a strong case for itself within the market and has shown some signs of being a REAL player in 2012.
But don't be confused, once you are there the work doesn't stop.
On the contrary, it has only just begun.
If you find your business page on Facebook or Goggle+ getting stale, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get engaged.
As you start to become more involved, so to will those who have already engaged with your brand and the visitors will keep on growing.
Here are a few tips to make a time investment in Facebook work for your business: Regular Updates: Depending on the nature of your business this can mean daily updates or even monthly updates.
That being said, the more you update the more engaged your audience will become and the faster it will grow.
Determine what makes the most sense for your business and increase that frequency.
Simple rule of thumb is that you will always need to be more active than you think you will be.
If weekly updates seem sufficient, make it bi-weekly.
Looking at what you should post, think of the types of content that will bring value to the user.
Added to that, any topic that will spark a debate can be a goldmine for your brand, as long as the topic is moderately safe from a brand perspective.
Don't derail your own train.
If your industry is the type that would benefit from a deal or offer, feature something exclusively to your Facebook or Goggle+ page, this will help bring some added traffic.
Once you engage them with your regular content (as noted above) the drop in repeat visitors will be much less than expected.
Ex.
If you are a jeweler you may think that simply posting photos of new items featured in your store may be the ticket.
I would strongly argue that posting tips on how to care for your items, the differences between qualities in items could bring value to users and even inciting a debate on what brand of watch is the best.
Key in on what people are passionate about.
Represent Your Brand Visually: Facebook and Goggle+ are very aware that visual elements bring tremendous user value, please leverage this.
Adding items such as professional photography or advertising collateral will bring some valuable content to the profile.
Ensure whatever you upload is professional and in-line with your brand.
If the content represents the brand accurately you could be well on your way to attracting new customers to your business.
Understandably like any investment in marketing your business, it is important to understand the return the investment will bring to you.
When considering a photo shoot for your business could put you back a few hundred you may wonder if it is actually worth it? Hard to definitively say but as viewing photos is the most popular activity on Facebook, it is hard to argue the potential visibility.
If there are concerns the only suggestion I could give would be to allow your user base to grow to a comfortable point, and then make the investment.
This will allow for a greater potential reach of your investment.
Ex.
Have a high end clothing retail location? If so you have it made.
Consider how the photo below might attract uber cool hipsters to your store to scoop up your latest wears...
Interact with Your Audience: Many experts note that once your brand goes viral that the brand is now controlled by the users, hard to argue the concept but by interacting with your audience you can help guide the direction as much as possible.
Putting forth the effort to interact with your audience will also give you an opportunity to identify the leaders online, essentially who are the real influencers of your brand.
Interacting directly with those individuals can exponentially grow your revenue.
This also allows you to manage negative situations in a proactive manner.
I've always believed that ever company or brand will fall at some point in time but more critical than the fact that something has gone wrong is how you pick yourself up.
If a customer has a negative experience this is your opportunity to make the situation better.
This opportunity is very new to business as in the past these types of conversations would have happened in a more closed social environment.
Twitter, Facebook, Goggle+, Blogs are for the most part out in the open and a perfect medium for you to address your shortcomings.
So there is a taste of what to look for.
Follow these guidelines and you could just find your online connections growing and your revenue figures following suit.
Similarly to Facebook, Google+ has made a strong case for itself within the market and has shown some signs of being a REAL player in 2012.
But don't be confused, once you are there the work doesn't stop.
On the contrary, it has only just begun.
If you find your business page on Facebook or Goggle+ getting stale, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get engaged.
As you start to become more involved, so to will those who have already engaged with your brand and the visitors will keep on growing.
Here are a few tips to make a time investment in Facebook work for your business: Regular Updates: Depending on the nature of your business this can mean daily updates or even monthly updates.
That being said, the more you update the more engaged your audience will become and the faster it will grow.
Determine what makes the most sense for your business and increase that frequency.
Simple rule of thumb is that you will always need to be more active than you think you will be.
If weekly updates seem sufficient, make it bi-weekly.
Looking at what you should post, think of the types of content that will bring value to the user.
Added to that, any topic that will spark a debate can be a goldmine for your brand, as long as the topic is moderately safe from a brand perspective.
Don't derail your own train.
If your industry is the type that would benefit from a deal or offer, feature something exclusively to your Facebook or Goggle+ page, this will help bring some added traffic.
Once you engage them with your regular content (as noted above) the drop in repeat visitors will be much less than expected.
Ex.
If you are a jeweler you may think that simply posting photos of new items featured in your store may be the ticket.
I would strongly argue that posting tips on how to care for your items, the differences between qualities in items could bring value to users and even inciting a debate on what brand of watch is the best.
Key in on what people are passionate about.
Represent Your Brand Visually: Facebook and Goggle+ are very aware that visual elements bring tremendous user value, please leverage this.
Adding items such as professional photography or advertising collateral will bring some valuable content to the profile.
Ensure whatever you upload is professional and in-line with your brand.
If the content represents the brand accurately you could be well on your way to attracting new customers to your business.
Understandably like any investment in marketing your business, it is important to understand the return the investment will bring to you.
When considering a photo shoot for your business could put you back a few hundred you may wonder if it is actually worth it? Hard to definitively say but as viewing photos is the most popular activity on Facebook, it is hard to argue the potential visibility.
If there are concerns the only suggestion I could give would be to allow your user base to grow to a comfortable point, and then make the investment.
This will allow for a greater potential reach of your investment.
Ex.
Have a high end clothing retail location? If so you have it made.
Consider how the photo below might attract uber cool hipsters to your store to scoop up your latest wears...
Interact with Your Audience: Many experts note that once your brand goes viral that the brand is now controlled by the users, hard to argue the concept but by interacting with your audience you can help guide the direction as much as possible.
Putting forth the effort to interact with your audience will also give you an opportunity to identify the leaders online, essentially who are the real influencers of your brand.
Interacting directly with those individuals can exponentially grow your revenue.
This also allows you to manage negative situations in a proactive manner.
I've always believed that ever company or brand will fall at some point in time but more critical than the fact that something has gone wrong is how you pick yourself up.
If a customer has a negative experience this is your opportunity to make the situation better.
This opportunity is very new to business as in the past these types of conversations would have happened in a more closed social environment.
Twitter, Facebook, Goggle+, Blogs are for the most part out in the open and a perfect medium for you to address your shortcomings.
So there is a taste of what to look for.
Follow these guidelines and you could just find your online connections growing and your revenue figures following suit.
