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Posts Tagged ‘facebook’
Friday, May 3rd, 2013
Tweetdeck is dropping Facebook like a hot potato. A beautiful relationship has come to an end.
But that’s not all that Tweetdeck recently announced on its blog. They’re also dropping some of their own apps, including Tweetdeck AIR, Tweetdeck for Android, and Tweetdeck for iPhone. That means they are going fully web-based.
Of course, Tweetdeck’s web-based platform has been increasing in popularity. Here’s what tweetdeck says about it:
In many ways, doubling down on the TweetDeck web experience and discontinuing our app support is a reflection of where our TweetDeck power-users are going. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steady trend towards people using TweetDeck on their computers and Twitter on their mobile devices. This trend coincides with an increased investment in Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android –– adding photo filters and other editing capabilities, revamping user profiles and enhancing search. That said, we know this applies to most of our users –– not all of them. And for those of you who are inconvenienced by this shift, our sincere apologies.
The good news is that Tweetdeck is developing a Chrome app. This will be good news for Chrome users. Included in the features will be notifications. I say, go Tweetdeck!
Tags: facebook, Tweetdeck
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
Are you looking to take your online relationships a little deeper? That’s quite possible. In fact, these 3 very powerful online-offline networking combinations make it easy to begin relationships through social networking online and make them stronger by taking them deeper offline.
- Tweetups – Tweetups are Meetups for Twitter users. If you are active on Twitter and have a loyal local following, why not invite them to a Tweetup? You can be the host and the star of your own self-organized event while forging strong local relationships with people you met on Twitter, one of the world’s largest social networks.
- Facebook-Foursquare – Everyone’s on Facebook, right? Hopefully, you’ve organized your Facebook friends into lists and one of those lists is your local friends. Why not use Foursquare to connect with your local friends too? Then, when you are sitting down for a cup of coffee or entering your favorite bookstore, you can let your friends know where you are. Invite them to join you.
- Google+ Hangouts – Google+ Hangouts are video meetups online. They’re like Skype on Google. You have to have a Google+ account. Make this a powerful networking tool by inviting people to a seminar you hold at a local venue and broadcast it live on Google+ through the Hangouts feature. You can even incorporate this into your Tweetup event.
Take your social networking to the next level with these 3 very powerful online-offline combinations.
Tags: facebook, Foursquare, google, networking, online networking, social networking, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013
While small businesses aren’t quite in the same category as Inc 500 companies, there are a few things the small- and medium-sized businesses can learn from their larger counterparts. I’d suggest where to put your online marketing energies might be one of them.
In 2011, according to this study, companies were excited about LinkedIn and YouTube. In 2012, loyalties switched to LinkedIn, Pinterest, and blogging. What happened?
I think three things happened:
- The early romantic notions of social media being the marketing wave of the future died and Inc 500 companies started getting more realistic about their social media goals in particular and their online marketing goals in general.
- As an outgrowth of No. 1, many companies realized that they could benefit from the business focus of LinkedIn more and the consumer focus of Facebook less.
- Blogging was seen in light of the SEO and content marketing benefit and is not replaceable by social media.
None of this is to imply that social media is any less important. What, I think, is the bigger picture is the idea that blogging and social media go hand in hand, not as interchangeable parts but as compliments to a holistic approach to marketing. Also, it is more important to devise a social media strategy geared toward reaching your target audience than to strive for a vague and general social media presence.
LinkedIn is great for business-to-business connections. Facebook is better for business-to-consumer connections. Blogging is simply a platform, and a necessary one at that.
This is a telling study. I’d pay attention to it and see what you can take away from it.
Tags: blogging, facebook, LinkedIn
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
How often have you said to yourself, “I’d really like to expand my page’s reach to a demographic exactly like the one I’m targeting now with little or no effort?” If you’ve ever said that, or thought that, then Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences promises to be the tool you need.
Thinking about what this tool actually does, it seems intuitive. Who better to know what demographic you are targeting (or reaching) with your Facebook page than Facebook? They have all eyes on. But the “lookalike” audience is based on your custom advertiser settings, so the “eyes on” is easy.
But note that by using Lookalike Audiences you are not reaching an exact duplicate of your current audience. You are reaching a “similar” audience. Consider:
Facebook is now offering advertisers a new feature called Lookalike Audiences, which enables direct marketers to target audience segments with similar customer profiles to those they have uploaded themselves with Facebook’s Custom Audience feature.
Emphasis is mine.
So if you tell Facebook that you are targeting women between the ages of 20 and 25 with an earned income between $50,000 and $100,000, then people who fall into that same demographic who are not already fans of your Facebook page can be targeted with your advertising.
Or, suppose you are a local business catering to anyone living in Minnesota. Facebook users living in Minnesota not already fans of your page can be targeted by your ads.
This is a powerful feature, but like all new features, it remains to be seen how Facebook advertisers will apply it to their situation. Go, experiment.
Tags: advertising, facebook, ppc advertising
Posted in PPC for Small Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
A few days ago, Facebook introduced Graph Search. You can sign up here.
With Graph Search, Facebook users will be able to search and find business recommendations from their friends. This is good. And there are certain types of businesses that will benefit from this in a big way. These include:
- Local businesses
- Restaurants
- Artists, musicians, and authors
- Travel destinations
- Any business where a recommendation might be expected
Picture a young lady planning a wedding. She needs a wedding photographer. Who will she ask? Where will she go for a recommendation? Her friends? And where are her friends? On Facebook.
I can see Facebook Graph Search being used this way and it could very well put a small dent into Google Search. If anything, Bing will likely get a boost as search results not found on Facebook will automatically default to Bing, the search engine that has had a relationship with Facebook for a couple of years now.
The Facebook-Bing relationship has already benefited Bing by a couple of percentage points in market share. It’s possible that Graph Search can add one or two more.
That doesn’t mean that Google will lose its dominant position in search. That’s not likely. But it does mean that searchers could alter their current search habits slightly to make room for Facebook Graph Search. That will most definitely help certain types of businesses that often rely on recommendations for acquiring new customers.
Tags: bing, facebook, google, Graph Search, search
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Friday, January 18th, 2013
I’ve recommended using social media for customer service before, but that doesn’t mean it’s a cure-all. Cynthia Boris brings up some good points.
Let’s tackle some of these:
- It’s time consuming – No doubt. Having someone monitor your Facebook page or Twitter account continuously can be time consuming. But what if you posted customer service hours for your social media accounts? For instance, you publish on your website and your social media bios that you will take customer service queries only between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It’s just a thought.
- The time lag – If it takes several hours or a day or two for a company to get back to you when you post a customer service complaint on social media, then it’s likely because they aren’t monitoring the account that closely. Or it could be that the problem is bigger than can be handled through social media. In the case of a widespread problem, it would be good customer service to simply tweet, “Yes, we know there’s a problem; we’re working on it.” Then, invite your customers to handle their individual complaints through private channels.
- “We’ll look into it” – So do it. If that’s the only way to respond to a problem, then say that – and then look into it. But don’t keep the customer waiting too long. Customers generally just want you to communicate with them.
- Communication between marketing and customer support - If you only use social media for marketing and not customer support, then you should state that on your website somewhere. Maybe even in your social media bios. Set up customer expectations early. Let them know every step of the way how they can reach you if they need support. If it isn’t social media, make sure they know that.
Using social media for customer service won’t work for every company, but you owe it to your customers to see if it will work for you. If it won’t, communicate that to them in as many ways as possible.
Tags: customer service, facebook, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
More and more, e-commerce is moving off the traditional onsite store front and moving into social media. Facebook already has several storefront apps, but Constant Contact is recommending another one.
Many SEOs and Internet marketers have for years cautioned online merchants about setting up a sales channel apart from their own websites. To be sure, there are dangers in doing so, but there are big pluses as well.
I’m not suggesting that you should replace your website. Actually, I’d recommend that you add an outpost. Keep your main e-commerce channel, but add another one. This is the equivalent of the off line franchise, or second location. Your customers will appreciate your expansion, and if you have a strong following on Facebook, then you’ll likely get orders from your Facebook page.
I know one lady who makes dolls and children’s clothes. She does quiet well selling her merchandise through her Facebook page. The trick is to offer something people want to buy, make it available and easy to pay, and engage with your audience so that they want to buy from you.
Facebook is no longer just a water cooler for your friendly neighborhood chats. It’s a business tool. And you can turn it into a social e-commerce tool in just a few steps.
Tags: e-commerce, facebook, Social Media
Posted in Social Media | No Comments »
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
If you still haven’t gone to the lengths of getting a Facebook page for your business, allow me to give you one more reason to go for it – Facebook Nearby.
Facebook Nearby is a feature designed for Android and iOS devices, which makes it a mobile marketing opportunity extraordinaire. The idea is to take Yelp and Foursquare on straight up with Facebook’s own local marketing service. And what a service!
Here’s what TechCrunch says:
Similar to how it ranks stories in the news feed, Nearby looks at a ton of signals to determine what to show you first, including friends who’ve Liked a business, checked in, left a short text recommendation, or given the Place a star rating.
Along with an omni-list of locations, you can search for specific spots or browse by categories, including Coffee, Hotels, Outdoors, and Nightlife.
If you really want to drill it down, then you can search by sub-categories. For instance, looking for an Italian restaurant? Then you can search for Italian restaurants in your local area.
I like that you don’t have to sign up for the service as if it is a directory. If you have a Facebook page, that should be enough to put you in the directory of searchable businesses for your local area, provided that someone has Liked your page, recommended you, or starred you.
Facebook’s Nearby has the potential to become a major competitor in the local mobile marketing space. This what is local businesses need.
Tags: facebook, Facebook Nearby, local marketing, mobile marketing
Posted in Mobile Marketing for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
I’ve discussed Facebook brand pages often enough that I think you know how important it is to have one, but did you know you can optimize it for search? It’s true. And there is no better time than now for learning how to do it.
Here are 5 ways you can optimize your Facebook brand page for search.
- Brand page name and title – What do you call your page? Give it a name, preferably one that coincides with your brand and/or that uses your primary keyword. That branded page name will also serve as your keyword title.
- Get a brand page URL – After you’ve acquired 25 likes you can get a branded page URL. Again, choose an URL with your brand name or keyword in it.
- Localize your SEO efforts – For local businesses, you can increase your local search visibility by including your phone number and address on your brand page. Most businesses don’t do this, but it can increase your search visibility locally.
- Create social media backlinks – Create backlinks to your branded Facebook page from your blog, your LinkedIn account, and other community profile pages. Even from your Google+ profile.
- Optimize your status updates – Did you know your first 18 characters serve as a meta description? That’s a good reason to include keywords at the front of your status updates. This will increase the search visibility of each status update and your brand page overall.
Don’t just set up a Facebook brand page. Spend a little extra time optimizing it for search.
Tags: brand pages, facebook, search vsibility, SEO
Posted in SEO for Small Business | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
One way Facebook has managed to take on Google in a powerful way is to create strategic partnerships that are mutually beneficial and that take Google head on in a market where Google clearly has a dominance or is trying to establish one. An example is the relationship the social network has with Google competitor Bing in the search market. Now, Facebook is moving in on the browser market.
Actually, it’s Firefox that is helping Facebook compete with Google Chrome, and it effectively makes Firefox a round-the-clock social network.
This is a big move.
By allowing Firefox users to chat with their Facebook friends any time they want and from any page on the Web, Firefox and Facebook are essentially poking holes in the Google+ and Google Chrome balloon. It’s going to be interesting to see how Google responds. It will be even more interesting to see how Facebook Messenger for Firefox improves in the next couple of years.
The implications for this new Firefox feature are tremendous. If you have a Facebook presence, you can take customer questions any time you are logged onto the Internet – even if you’re not on Facebook. You can also send out quick announcements to your fans and customers. Running a special? Send a quick heads up using Facebook chat – your customers will get it in real time whether they are using Facebook at that moment or not.
See the power?
I hope so because this looks like a good deal all around – for small business owners and for Facebook users everywhere.
Tags: facebook, Facebook Messenger, Firefox, google, Social Media
Posted in Social Media | 3 Comments »
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