facebook marketing - Local Splash

Facebook has been making subtle changes for a while now, but after the recent F8 conference in San Francisco, Mark Zuckerburg announced that the whole look of Facebook will soon be changing with the release of “Timeline.” But how will this affect online marketers? Here are some things online marketers should be aware of before the arrival of the new Facebook.

1. “Likes” will be a thing of the past. With the new Facebook, anyone can “[verb] a [noun].” In other words, they’ll be able to do a lot more than “like” a company. Companies will be able to get creative and make up their own verbs then encourage their fans to use them. This will help brands stand out from the crowd and it will also make interacting with the page more interesting. Example: For a clothing store’s page, instead of fans “liking” something they want to buy, why not choose the terms “want” or “need” so fans can express their desire for the newest trends that the store carries.

2. Your page “likes” will no longer show up in the news feed. Prior to Facebook Timeline, when our friends “liked” a business page, the activity was posted in our news feed. This was a valuable way to spread the word about your business page on Facebook. However with the arrival of Timeline, stories like this will show up in the “Ticker” which is a small, fast-moving newsfeed that scrolls on the top right of the page above the Facebook Chat. While people may still see their friends’ “likes” in the Ticker, it’s not as prominent as the activity appearing in the news feed. Solution: Make your page engaging. When you have a truly engaging, fun Facebook page, people will want to “like,” it and interact with it and it won’t matter as much whether their friends are doing it too.

3. Facebook will be putting more of an emphasis on engagement. In the past, Facebook has been more concerned with the numbers, i.e. how many members the social network has. Now that the network is up to 800 million members and still climbing it has decided it’s time to concentrate more on engaging those members. Timeline is meant to be more than just status updates to tell your friends what you’re doing. It takes it a step further and actually creates an online scrapbook of your entire life; things you like, do, place you’ve been, people you know, etc. Timeline will make Facebook more engaging and encourage people to spend even more quality time on it. For companies, users spending more time on the network means more opportunities for them to interact and spend time with the brand.

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It’s no secret that consumers are spending more time on Facebook now than ever before. The website that started out as a way for college kids to socialize online has turned into a giant social network where many people spend copious amounts of time. Business owners have taken notice of this and have started to use the network to advertise their products and services via the Facebook Page. Facebook is especially appealing to businesses because it makes it easy for people to spread information to friends through the network.

If you haven’t started your Facebook marketing campaign yet, there’s no better time than the present. When done correctly, a Facebook Page can help your business increase brand awareness, attract new customers and improve customer service and satisfaction. Follow these steps to get started on your Facebook online marketing campaign today.

1. Create your Page. Creating a Facebook Page for your business is simple but it takes time. First you need to make sure you have a personal Profile Page before you can make a Page for your business. Once you have that taken care of, you need to choose which category best suits your company. The Pages Local Splash creates for its clients are called Local Business or Place pages. However you can also choose between Company/Organization/Instituion, Brand/Product, Artist/Band/Public Figure, Entertainment or Cause/Community. You must make sure to select a category then fill out your information completely. This information includes a description, contact information, a URL to your website (if you have one) and more. Make sure to use keywords sporadically throughout your text to help make your Page more search-engine friendly. Add your company logo as your profile photo. Update your status with a welcome message to your new fans.

2. Customize your Page with applications. Customizing your Page is important because it makes users actually want to visit and “like” your Page. There are many applications on Facebook that help your Page stand out. Depending on what your business is you may want to install apps that let you create polls, offer coupons, display your YouTube videos and more.

3. Invite friends. Once you’re happy with the Page you’ve created it’s time to invite your friends to “like” it. You do this simply by clicking “Suggest to friends,” then click on your friends’ pictures to invite. Another way to attract new fans is by using Facebook ads. Facebook ads allow you to specify your target audience based on their location, interests, age, gender, etc. which helps guarantee that your ads are seen by people who are interested in your product or service. Reach out to your already existing customers and urge them to “like” your Page. Use things like your mailing list, e-mail newsletter and signature, business cards, website and store window to help get the word out. One great way to get their attention is to offer a discount or giveaway as an incentive to “like” the Page.

4. Engage your fans. Once your Page is set up and you have a solid number of fans, it’s extremely important to keep those fans interested. This means posting relevant content that will keep them engaged and coming back for more. When fans comment or interact with your content, it will show up in their friends’ news feeds. This helps spread the word about your business and attract more fans and people to business. If you own a restaurant post photos of the specials to entice fans into your establishment. If you’re a retail store owner, update your status announcing when you’ll be receiving more merchandise. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and post things that you would find entertaining if you were them. Don’t forget to update your Page on a regular basis so people have a reason to check back.

Keep in mind that Facebook is always changing. You need to pay attention to the social network in order to keep up with these changes to make the biggest impact with Facebook for you business. Local Splash can create a Facebook Local Business Page for your company. Check out our website to see what other local SEO services we offer to help your business get found in the search engines.

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