Tag Archive for facebook pages

30 Dec 2011
blogging • business growth • digital marketing • facebook • facebook pages • small business • social media • twitter

Ready for 2012?

New Year Initiatives For Your Business

 

New Year 2012 I have spent the last few days going over my successes and failures of the last year, and deciding what direction I will take with my business in 2012.

My achievements so far are modest, but I’m confident that I am heading in the right direction. I’m not foolish enough to expect instant results – to establish a well respected and trusted business takes years.

What I’ve achieved in 2011:

  1.  I made the decision in April to set up a business as a social media consultant.
  2.  I launched this website having had little experience of WordPress, and have learnt so much more about the software during the year.
  3.  I took advantage of free resources – Business Link, ebusiness club, Angle, and HMRC workshops, thus educating myself on many aspects of business and marketing
  4.  I attended a number of paid seminars and workshops
  5.  I have realised that social media is just one marketing technique and it must combined with a range of tools for an integrated approach - hence I have educated myself on various other marketing techniques.
  6.  I set up a Twitter account and a Facebook Page and worked very hard to build up an engaged community of followers.  This has begun to generate interest and enquiries.
  7.  I have added training/coaching to my range of social media services
  8. I have joined a business mentoring group which I feel sure will add value to my future development.
  9. I’ve taken on the role of Operations Assistant at my local 4Networking group. This will consolidate my networking activities and help me to become better known in the area.
  10.  I’ve established closer relations with a few business colleagues and have scheduled collaborative projects for next year.

My Plans for 2012:

  1.  Consolidate my networking activities and concentrate on building trust with a range of local businesses.
  2.  Continue and develop an initiative (in collaboration with others) to help business mums with young children who want to network but are hindered by lack of childcare / inconvenient timing of meetings.
  3.  Deliver social/digital media training workshops at venues in the local area.
  4.  Gain experience in public speaking (hopefully no. 3 will help with this)
  5.  Target specific business niches to market my social/digital media services.
  6.  Establish a client base for social media management programmes.
  7.  Get involved with live-tweeting/blogging events
  8.  Further develop my WordPress skills so that I can offer website/blog setup as an additional service.
  9.  Establish additional collaborative partners in order to broaden my range of services.
  10.  Last but not least – I will not allow those who have set themselves up as my enemies (in my personal life) to get in the way of my business aspirations!
I’d love to hear your plans for 2012 and what you’ve learned from this year – please share in the comments :) And a VERY Happy New Year to my readers!

Need digital media marketing advice? Take action now – contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | No comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
23 Dec 2011
facebook • facebook pages • social media • social networking • twitter

We Wish You a Social Christmas!

Vervain Cats

If you’ve read my About page, you will know that I breed pedigree cats as a hobby – and every year since 2003, I have designed a digital greeting featuring one or more of my Vervain cats and kittens. Here’s my 2011 offering!

These are two of my current litter of Burmese kittens. In order to find suitable homes for my kittens, I post lots of photos on my Facebook page , and this then links to my Twitter account. Using social networks has made it a lot easier to reach  potential owners.  I actually have a lot more “Likes” on my Vervain Cats Facebook page than on my business page – but that merely confirms that Facebook is more effective for B2C rather than B2B.   I hasten to add that cat breeding is definitely not a business!

Do you have a hobby that you promote via social media?  Let me know!

Finally I would just like to wish you all a peaceful festive season –  and remember to take time out to plan your social media strategies for 2012!!

Need help with monitoring your online reputation? Take the first step! Contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | No comments | Tags: , , ,
19 Oct 2011
facebook • facebook pages • google • linkedin • marketing • social media • twitter • youtube

How To Do Social Media in 10 Easy Steps

social media bandwagon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liako/

How To Do Social Media??

I go to quite a few local networking meetings, where I naturally get involved in conversations about social media.  I can’t recall a meeting where someone hasn’t said to me “I’ve set up a Facebook and Twitter account, but I don’t really know what to do now”……..
Yesterday I attended a “Blogging for Business” seminar. The speaker recommended blogging about questions that people have asked, and the topic of this post – How To Do Social Media –  immediately came to me

So, how to “do” social media??

  1. Sit down with a coffee and decide what you want to achieve with social media.  More website visitors?  More sales?  Building a community?  Being seen as the local expert in your field? The answer will probably be a combination of all these things.
  2. Also think about how you will track the results from your social media campaigns.  Google analytics is free and very powerful.  There are also various tools for tracking particular social media channels. Facebook has its own Page Insights and this has just been upgraded to give even more information.
  3. Consider your branding.  It’s important to be consistent across all the social networks so that your business is instantly recognisable.  Your social media pages should have the same branding as your website and blog.  Ideally your username should be consistent across all platforms, too.
  4. Set up your accounts.  It might be wise to start with just one or two so that you can get a feel for how they work.  If you dive into multiple networks straight away,  you’re more likely to give up.  We’re back to the original complaint of “I don’t know what do do”….
  5. I’d recommend starting with Twitter.  Many people find it difficult to believe that it can be useful for business. But if you persevere and take time to understand this platform you will soon appreciate its power. The key is consistency.  You can’t afford to miss tweeting for more than a day or two. This can seem impossible at first!
  6. If you follow my advice and start with Twitter,  ”listen” first. Begin by following a few people in your niche (find them via a google search),  watch what they’re tweeting about.  Look at who they’re following and who their followers are.  You might also want to follow some of these.  Then start to engage –  comment on what’s been posted, mention that you found it useful etc.
  7. Look for people in your local area and follow them.  Many will be local businesses who might need your services in the future.  Perhaps you’ve already met them at networking meetings? It’s always good to meet “tweeps” in the flesh after a few weeks of virtual chat!
  8. Remember, be consistent!  And don’t be tempted to use software that automatically adds followers – this is a waste of time as followers added this way are unlikely to be interested in what you have to offer. You need quality, not quantity.  It’s far better to grow your followers organically, and after a while this will start to happen without any action from you. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t continue looking for followers.
  9. When you feel that you’re familiar with Twitter and are starting to see results,  get set up on one of the other networks – LinkedIn is a good choice as it is very powerful for B2B connections and there are many possibilities for “networking” within the platform.  LinkedIn is known as the professionals’ social  network.
  10. Rinse and repeat the above with Facebook and YouTube if you wish!  A Facebook page is a must-have for most B2C businesses and can also be very useful for B2B.  YouTube is great if you have a lot of visual content,  but basically any business can produce powerful marketing videos without too much effort.  Hmmm…….about time I started with video :)

Has this helped to answer your question “How to do social media”?
If you’re still struggling and need advice on setting up and using social media accounts, start by contacting me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

 

Naomi | 6 comments | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
11 Oct 2011
facebook • facebook pages • google • linkedin • marketing • network marketing • social media • social networking • twitter • youtube

Social Media in Network Marketing

The Role of Social Media in Network Marketing

network marketing

image courtesy of duchessa: www.i-pix.it

 

I think it’s likely that most people nowadays know what’s meant by “social media” –  if you don’t, all you need do is browse around this website!   But do you know what network marketing is? A common misconception seems to be that it’s “pyramid selling”. Well, sorry, but pyramid selling is actually illegal – and who’d try to sell pyramids anyway??  :)  So, how about social media in network marketing?

Kleeneze, Avon, Herbalife, Forever Living, Utility Warehouse….

…. do any of these sound familiar?  Yes?  Well, they are all network marketing companies.  Network marketing (also known as MLM, multi-level marketing) is a simple business model. Individuals are recruited, but are not employed by the company. They are self-employed (usually as sole traders) and form part of a group or team.  Each team has various levels.  It’s up to the individual to sell products (which they buy at a discount)  to earn commission. It’s also beneficial to the individual if they can recruit others into their team.   The exact details vary between companies but there are incentives and bonuses for performance in both sales and recruiting. The larger the team, the greater the potential to earn more.

However,  this post isn’t intended to be an in depth study of network marketing as a business model.  Rather,  I would like to explore the role of social media in network marketing and why it’s a valuable asset. As it happens,  in addition to my social media business,  I am involved with two network marketing companies – Wikaniko and Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic.  More information is available on my Eco-Friendly Living website.

I’ve found social media invaluable in promoting my activities with these companies.  Of course, as with any business, social media in network marketing is not the answer to all your problems, but it does add value to the mix.  I’d go so far as to say it’s essential for network marketers.

Social Media Your Strategy For Success

With most network marketing schemes,  you’re aiming to sell products and recruit new team members.  Chances are that a high percentage of potential buyers, and potential recruits, are already on the social networks.  It’s your job to find them!   At the least I’d suggest setting up a Facebook Page (preferably with a custom landing tab as these have been shown to generate more “Likes” – and a Twitter account.  You might also consider getting yourself established on LinkedIn, to gain professional credibility.  There are a number of discussion groups on LinkedIn for network marketers.  YouTube would also be an excellent channel for promoting your products and sharing the benefits of joining your team!

Once you’re set up on the social networks,  you need to find potential customers and team members.  Don’t post a string of updates promoting your latest products – that will turn people off immediately.  It’s all about being subtle,  not shouting about yourself. Post links to interesting information about your niche,  e.g. general health and wellness if you’re a Herbalife or Forever Living distributor. Search on Twitter for tweets asking about your company or products,  or just general information related to your niche.  Follow “thought leaders” in your field of interest and begin engaging with them.  It’s OK to post “sales” updates occasionally,  but no more than 10-20% of your posts should be self-promotion. Set up Google Alerts for topics around your niche,  browse a selection of blogs and share links to these.  You might find this post useful if you’re not sure of the best way to do this.  Give value to your followers and always invite comments and questions.  If someone responds to your update,  always reply and invite further engagement.

Don’t expect things to happen overnight –  it will take weeks or more likely months, to build up a following. It can be hard work to keep your community engaged – you have to keep at it and not abandon your Facebook or Twitter accounts for long periods.  If you’re not sure of the best way to maintain your presence on social media,  you might consider getting help from a professional.   Your social media strategy will pay dividends in the long run, but plenty of patience is a must!

Are you in network marketing? Need advice on setting up and using social media accounts?  Start by contacting me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

you can also TEXT

INF SOCIALMEDIA or INF SOCIALMEDIA + your email address  to 60777

to receive your free copy of my booklet “10 Reasons Why You Need to Get Up To Speed With Social Media”.

Naomi | 5 comments | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
16 Sep 2011
facebook pages • facebook subscriptions • google • social media • social networking

Facebook Subscriptions

Facebook Subscriptions and Further Changes to Pages

Facebook
Facebook has made 2 updates to its interface this week, as part of an ongoing campaign to improve the experience for all users.

Firstly, Facebook Subscriptions. There is now an option to subscribe to personal profiles – without becoming a friend of that individual. This will benefit public figures, journalists, politicians, celebrities etc, who might want their updates seen by a wider audience. Remember there is a limit of 5000 “friends” per personal profile, but there is no limit on Facebook Subscriptions.

Subscriptions are NOT intended to replace Pages – the functionality is different. But there’s no reason why individuals should not use both subscriptions and pages. Here’s a summary of the differences between Facebook Subscriptions and Pages:(click picture to enlarge)

Facebook Subscriptions

According to Facebook,

“A profile with subscribers is ideal if you want to personally connect with people who are interested in you.
It’s fun to receive updates from friends and others that you want to subscribe to. And it’s easy to publish to your subscribers on the go. Anyone who subscribes to your profile can receive your public posts in their News Feed”.

and on the differences between Subscriptions and Pages, they say:

“Pages have advanced marketing features for managing your brand or business on Facebook.
Pages can be maintained by multiple people on your team. They offer insights to understand who your fans are, and let you target posts by language and location. (For example: Tell only fans in New York about your show there next week.)You can also promote Pages with Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories.”

Worried about your subscribers seeing all your updates (some of which may not be suitable for “public” consumption”)?  No need to be! Subscribers will only see the updates you share publicly; you still have the option to set who sees your updates at the time of posting. Subscribers can also choose exactly what type and how many of your public updates they actually receive.

I’ve already set my profile to accept subscriptions and am looking forward to getting updates from people I’d never expect to be friends with. Will you be trying this out?

Facebook Page

A Facebook Page

The second major update this week affects Facebook Pages. Last night it was announced that you no longer need 25 “likes” to obtain a short (“vanity”) URL for your Page. This is great news. It means that a business can get a Page up and running quickly, choose a URL and then use it on business cards, website, email / forum signatures, advertising etc. No more having to beg for people to like the Page! However, it would appear that you do still need 30 Likes to get access to Page Insights (analytics). At least you don’t have to worry too much about getting these in a rush!

And yet another update I noticed today….. If you click on the above screenshot of my Facebook Page, you’ll see, as well as the usual updates on the wall, “view 1 share”. This allows the page owner to see instantly who has shared their content. Seems a good idea to me!

The general consensus amongst the social media illuminati is that Facebook has introduced these updates to ensure that the platform is closer in functionality to a potentially massive competitor – Google Plus. With the improvements offered by these tweaks, Facebook afficionados now have no real reason to desert!

What do you think? Do you like the latest Facebook updates? I’d love to hear your comments.

 

PS _ I wrote this post on September 15th and published today, September 16th. And already we’re seeing yet more updates to the Facebook interface. This article from Simply Zesty gives an excellent summary.

Need help promoting your business via social media? Get started by contacting me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | 2 comments | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Sep 2011
facebook • linkedin • marketing • social media • twitter • youtube

The Angelic Bulldog Project – Social Media Promotion

Angelic Bulldog concept

The Angelic Bulldog Project – World Motorcycle Speed Record Attempt

What on earth is the Angelic Bulldog Project, you may well ask?

I had certainly never heard of it until last month, when I was at a training workshop. I got chatting with Jenni of Successfully Yours, and she explained that a group based in Lincoln were planning an attempt on the world motorcycle speed record. This would probably to take place in 2012, and they needed someone to help out with marketing and promotion via social media. As the Angelic Bulldog project is run by volunteers, there would be no remuneration, but the reward would be an advertisement on the sponsors’ website and possibly a logo on the machine itself!

I know absolutely zero about motorbikes and to be honest they terrify me – I was taken for rides by my cousin-in-law a few times many years ago and never particularly enjoyed it. Driving a car at 70mph is quite scary enough for me! The idea of a motorbike travelling at 400mph just doesn’t bear thinking about…… but that’s what the Angelic Bulldog could be doing next year.

The Angelic Bulldog team’s Guiding Principles are to:

  • bring back to Britain the outright Land Speed Record on two wheels
  • achieve worldwide recognition for British engineering skills and talent
  • utilise British design, manufacturing, engineering, products and services where possible
  • restore Britain’s heritage of outstanding engineering achievements
  • educate young people through a series of educational programmes to maximise their potential, especially within science and engineering
  • produce project-generated educational resources that are complimentary to the school curriculum
  • renew enthusiasm for science and engineering subjects with regard to future careers for young people in Britain
  • inspire and encourage young British people to be the best they can be.

So here I am as a member of the PR team for the project! We have a Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, LinkedIn profile, and you can also follow us on Twitter. Please support this exciting project.

The Angelic Bulldog project team welcomes new sponsors – various levels of involvement are possible. Find out more at the Angelic Bulldog Sponsors site.

Angelic Bulldog logo

Need help promoting your project or business via social media? You can contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | No comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
26 Aug 2011
facebook • marketing • SEO • social media

12 Simple Ways To Freshen Up Your Facebook Page

Is Your Page Looking Stale?

Create a Facebook Page

My recent post proved very popular, so here’s a follow-up on the subject of Facebook Pages…..

Although you’re probably posting regular updates on your Page, it can be difficult to maintain your community’s interest and get them interacting and participating in conversations.   While it’s good to keep content on your page mainly relevant to your industry or niche,  there’s no harm in going off-topic and posting something light-hearted now and then.  Here’s a few suggestions.

  1. Make sure you use every category of status update – text, links, photos and videos. (obviously not all at once!)
  2. Always remember to reply when someone comments; engage in conversation whenever possible.
  3. “Like” other pages (related to your business) as your page; mention and thank them if they return the favour.
  4. Always post “breaking news” updates relevant to your industry or niche; fans will return more often if they know your page is a good place to get up to date information.
  5. DON’T automate posting of your blog articles or tweets to Facebook. This can result in your updates being aggregated with others from the same automation tool so that they aren’t always visible in news feeds.
  6. Post updates that mention Facebook, especially if relevant to your business.  After all, Facebook is the most shareable topic on Facebook!
  7. Use albums to post photos, rather than posting individually – and remember that Facebook only displays up to 3 photos in a status update.
  8. Use the photo caption space to ask a question, e.g. “Where do you think this photo was taken?”
  9. Start a regular feature. e.g. a useful tip posted every Monday.
  10. Celebrate “this day in history” and post what happened on a specific day.  A google search will help out!
  11. Ask a question using Facebook’s Questions app.  This can be a simple yes/no, or why not ask your community “what’s your favourite TV show” – lots of options here!
  12. Include links in text status update and not the links box. The update will display the link as clickable in addition to the normal title, photo, and meta description of the link. At a minimum this allows an additional opportunity for a fan to click the link. These links stand out as different and can get clicked on more.
  13. Run a contest or publish a coupon (beware – Facebook has strict guidelines on doing this.
  14. Use your Page Insights to target specific demographic groups for relevant status updates (e.g. female fans only)
  15. Ask for Likes – tell fans to “click like” if they agree with a statement.

Need help with setting up a Facebook Page for your business? You can contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | 2 comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
18 Aug 2011
blogging • business growth • facebook • marketing • social media • social networking

Why Do I Need a Facebook Page For My Business?

Facebook Pages vs Profiles – revisited!

Facebook Profile Disabled

I’ve written about this in a previous post, but it does warrant another mention as I see so many businesses wrongly set up on Facebook, and as per the above example, this can end in disaster. Would you be happy if this happened to your business?

If you want your business to have a presence on Facebook, you MUST use a Page.

Read Facebook’s explanation of how Pages differ from personal profiles.

Pages have functionality far more suited to business use than do personal profiles; for one thing an individual can only have a maximum of 500 friends, whereas there is no limit to the number of “Likes” a Page can have. It’s possible to customise a Page with various apps so that it almost functions like a mini-website – you can add videos, contact forms, even online shops – none of which is possible on a personal profile. Even better, once you have over 30 likes, you gain access to Page Insights – powerful analytics giving you useful feedback into how your page is performing. Oh – and you also get instructions on how to add widgets such as Facebook Like and Send buttons, a Like Box or your actual page feed, to your website or blog. None of this is possible via a personal profile.

Here are some examples of creative Facebook business Pages:

Coca Cola Facebook PageCoca Cola

Cupcake Chic Facebook PageCupcake Chic

Spotlight Graphic Design Facebook PageSpotlight Graphic Design

Nightwish Facebook PageNightwish -one of my favourite bands!

Note also the photo strip at the top of the pages (visible when you like the page) – this can be customised too. Here’s an example (click image to enlarge):

Involver Facebook PageInvolver -creator of Facebook apps

Has this convinced you that a Facebook Page is the way to go for your business? Do you have any other great examples of Pages? Let me know in the comments. And if you like this post, please share it on your favourite social media platforms via the links above and below!

Need help with setting up a Facebook Page for your business? You can contact me on 01777 249075
or by email at info@naomijohnsonsocialmedia.co.uk

Naomi | 6 comments | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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