Heard of the 4 P's of Marketing?

Price, Product, Place and Promotion?

Then I am sure you will find the 4 P's of Social Media Marketing ( with a bosweb twist!) just as helpful to focus your marketing efforts

Platform - where are your customers hanging out?

Most likely not in Google+ as yet!

Are they in Facebook, Twitter, Linked In or Pinterest? When planning your social media strategy and how you wish to use these tools to market your products and services, not all platforms are equal. You may find different types of customers are mainly focussed in different areas. You may find you need to use slightly different communication styles in these various platforms.

Which leads to our next P

Personality - who are you and how do your represent yourself in these platforms?

When you speak to your customers via social media, are you engaging them, are you speaking to them like you would face to face? Think about the style and tone of your words and imagery you use. Is this a reflection of your business? Be authentic, social media can tell fakes pretty quickly, so make sure you speak with honesty to build credibility and expand your reach.

And remember have a personality! Don't be too staid and buttoned down in your comments. The social media medium allows you to be more relaxed in your style that a traditional press release. Loosen up people!

Piggybacking - Connect with fellow businesses online

I am not recommending that crazy tagging of unrelated businesses to build up an audience. Again that kind of approach to social media just doesn't work long term. Think about who in your industry, your business community and your circle of friends ( this is social media!) that can be brand advocates for you - and also you for them. Acknowledge and share great content around. There are a lot of resources we can share and as small business owners, it pays to acknowledge those that you recognise as good value and they in turn will recognise you.

One thing to remember with this approach is when you are looking to launch, reach out to those in your circle with a large footprint, the influences and brand advocates who can kick off your project with some well timed tweets, likes and +1's. It really pays to build these relationships overtime.

and the final P

sPontaneity - yes well it's not a P is it!

That's the point! Mix it up, inject some fun. This is the fun stuff in your marketing activities. Remember it is SOCIAL media...

Facebook Timeline for Business will take effect for everyone on the 31st of March.

We have put together a quick list of Facebook Timeline changes you need to know!

 

 

Cover Photo

Timeline’s cover photo allows you to create an eye-catching, descriptive visual of your brand.

Image Dimensions - 851 x 315 pixels

Use every pixel of screen real estate available (851 x 315 pixels), and change the image occasionally, in line with campaigns or other events relevant to your business. You cannot have ANY calls to action in this cover image area.

Profile Image

This image represents your business' identity and should remain unchanged.

Image Dimensions -  180 x 180 pixels

About Us Section

Your profile’s “About” section is prime, above-the-fold real estate to feature a short and punchy overview of who you are as a business or entity and why people need to find out more about your business' story.

Character Limit - 170, ensure you use your web address as appropriate

Review Facebook’s updated Page Guidelines to ensure your page is up to the latest standards, noting in particular the information around cover images.

Milestones

A milestone is a major event that is particularly relevant to your brand, such as a product launch,
personnel announcement, store opening, or other moment that is significant to your brand’s
growth and development.

Make the most out of milestones:

• Use photos & videos to tell your story
• Tailor the content to the industry to which your brand belongs
• Include questions to prompt conversation with your fans

Pin Posts

A pin post is a post that a brand may “pin” to the top of its Timeline for 7 days at a time, as a way
to curate its Timeline content and encourage a post’s “stickiness.”

Image Dimensions - 404 x 404 pixels

Make the most out of pin posts:

• Showcase links and other information about tabs and promotions that you want to drive
  visitors to - such as encourage people to LIKE your page
• When you’re running a contest or campaign, pin a post that calls attention to a particular
  phase of the promotion, and schedule the post to run the length of the promotion’s phase

Stars

Highlight an important post on your brand’s Timeline by “starring” it. When you star a post, it will expand to widescreen and always be visible. Milestones cannot be starred, so aim to star non milestone posts that you wish to call particular attention to.

To star a post on your Timeline, simply hover over the post and click the star icon that appears.

Image Dimensions - 843 x 403 pixels

What tabs should I features below the cover photo?

Tabs are more narrowly scoped in the Timeline format: there are four tabs featured on the top navigation, and brands can customize three of them (the Photos tab is fixed).

Since the featured tabs are always visible to users who visit your Timeline, you should choose them strategically.

To see additional tab applications, users must expand the tab panel by clicking a drop-down box located in the top navigation. If you wish to integrate new features here, we are happy to help! 

Make the most of tabs:

• Focus attention on the photos you upload, as this tab is always front and centre!
• Switch up your three customizable tabs periodically, according to current brand objectives, product releases, or product popularity. You may not have 3 tabs! Do not worry if you don't!
• Choose tab images that are descriptive and are good 'CALL to ACTION ' images
• Assign names to your tabs that clearly indicate what the tabs is about - again this is another 'CALL to ACTION' here
• If you drive users to a landing tab, include an on-brand call to action in the tab name that encourages users to click (e.g., “Shop Now” or “Book Here!”)

Image Dimensions - 111 x 74 pixels

What do I need to know about direct messages?

Timeline gives users the ability to send private, direct messages to brand pages. It is a great potential customer service tool. Make sure that you put processes in place to check these messages sent to your Facebook Page so that messages your page receives are responded to or escalated in a timely, appropriate manner.

It’s worth noting that Timeline does not give brands the ability to direct message fans or other users. You can respond to a user up to two times, but only after that user starts the conversation with your brand. 

 

On the 31st of March - Facebook will be rolling out a significant change to how business pages look and work. Facebook Timeline will take effect for all business pages around this day.

Is your business ready?

We will be conducting several information sessions to help you get ready for the change.

We can also book you in for any changes you would like us to do on your behalf.

This information session will cover

1. The new cover page and changes to the rules around what can be used on this graphic
2. Modifications to your TABS and where they will appear now
3. Favourites - what this means for your key content
4. Changes to your default landing page
5. Private messenging - how this works for brands.

For more details, make sure you visit our training page.

Places are filling fast - so don't delay!

Many thanks to those brave revolutionaries who joined us to take on our Social Media Revolution information session.

We taught them how to increase sales by marketing with Social Media and how tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ can work for business.

Our Social Media for Business workshop answered many questions and reassured our clients about connecting with their customers.

Social Media has been attributed with starting revolutions, bringing down governments and changing the way we think, buy and communicate with each other in ways not seen ever.

We were delighted to share this uprising with all those in our session. 

View all our photo's here

Are you ready to join the social media revolution? Would you like to learn how to increase sales by marketing with social media? Do you want to know what Social Media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ are and how they can work for your business? Then come along to our Connecting with your Customers ('Facebook for Business') workshop!

Did you know that Australia is the most prolific user of Social Media globally?

No?

Then check out this Australian video infographic view of Social Media ... 

 

2 clients and 2 great facebook ad campaigns

The Client's

Both Put the Kettle On and Harmonis Kiss are 2 recent clients of ours looking to make inroads into very crowded retail markets, coupled with some of the lowest sales growth in the retail industry for the last 10 years. Yes it is tough!

Both businesses are very new - 'Put the Kettle on' is solely an online business based in a small regional centre. Harmonis Kiss is a niche organic skin care provider specialising in the teen market, essentially based online - but with a growing bricks and mortar distribution channel.

Put The Kettle On                          Harmonis Kiss

The Plan

Both clients have a large female following - so what is a great cost effective way to 'connect' with a large female audience quickly?

A FACEBOOK ad campaign.

Both clients ran 2 short and highly targeted ad campaigns, specifically around building a fan base or expanding their group of likers.

They specially selected ages and demographics to suit, ensured that their facebook pages were up to date and inviting with images, regular posts and links back to their site - in a welcoming and gentle manner.

A clear timeframe and modest budget was set ( we mean modest - our clients are watching where the marketing funds are being used very closely)

No hard sell!

The aim is to engage and from there build a loyal following, who spread the word and when ready BUY.

The Outcome

Facebook: Giant waste of time, or valuable business tool?

It is no surprise that I am in the latter category!

Have you seen The Social Network? Great movie, it is hard to imagine that something as ubiquitous as Facebook only really started in 2004.



When business owners ask me ‘what is social media?’ what they most likely mean is – ‘talk to me about Facebook!”



For today’s business owners, Facebook is likely to be the first step on the path to understanding social media and how it can work for your business. They may have ignored their kids as they migrated through msn, bebo, my space and finally Facebook – but the sheer size, magnitude and influence of Facebook can no longer be ignored by business owners.

In 2010 when Facebook celebrated its sixth birthday it announced that it now has over 400 million members. That’s quite an accomplishment, as in 2009, the social media giant had 150 million users. For the stats minded – try this link - there are 10 million users in Australia right now! That is an awful lot of friends talking to friends talking to friends!

This is the beauty and power of Facebook and why you should be seriously considering it for your business. Your competitors already are!

So some FB basics:
1. When setting up your business on Facebook, make sure you set up a page and not just a profile! It is breaching Facebook guidelines for businesses to operate on Facebook as an individual – so make sure you read the guidelines!

2. A profile page is you personally interacting with friends, family and various pages you like on Facebook. You need to approve people as ‘your friend’ before they see any of your information or status updates depending on your privacy status.

3. A business page allows people to LIKE YOU, which means that each time you update your Facebook page with all the great stuff going on in your business they see it! It also means that you do not need to see the personal lives of each and every single one of your likers filling up your business page!

4. Be mindful that at any time FB can change their rules, change their interface (which they do a lot!), and change the way you can set up you page – nothing to be worried about – just something to be aware of. It is not like a website where you control the content and display yourself.

Trickier stuff:
Once you have set up your page, what do you do with it!
1. Tell all your friends to like your business. Tell your staff and your family – this kicks off the chain reaction of people seeing that Mary Smith likes Style – The essential guide for… on Facebook. This enables all Mary’s friends to perhaps click on that link to find out all about this new page that she likes!

2. Create a Welcome tab for new likers to see – you may need a hand with this to have a really groovy one done that best promotes your business.

3. Link your Facebook page at your website – put the link to Facebook in your email signature – spread the word.

4. Think about a Facebook ad campaign – this is going to allow you to target a very specific demographic who would be interested in your business based around what that Facebook user has indicated as being a like or merely an item that they have commented on.

5. Tag people and pages – expand your conversation with others.

6. Don’t just promote yourself all the time, comment on newsworthy items, give SHOUT OUTS to clients or businesses (again using tagging!) to recognise what they are doing well.

7. Be polite and honest. Once a comment is in the public domain – it is out there! So choose your words wisely.

We find many clients find the initial setup and process a little daunting – especially if they are not a Facebook user themselves, don’t be daunted! If you are stuck or worried, talk to your webdeveloper, teenage son or daughter or a trusted friend who may be more into facebooking than you.

We normally find that once technical items are taken care of and some basic how to’s are provided – they are off and running and promoting their businesses to engaged and interested customers in no time!

Google just launched Google+, their answer to Facebook.

Our thinking is that the success of this new social network relies heavily on Google's 200M+ pre-existing Gmail Users that even then may still not ensure it's success (remember 'Wave'?).

For more info check out the Google promo video below, take a guided tour or this story at Mashable.com that comments on new features that are very un-Facebook.

and not just a profile

Anyone can view your Facebook Business Page

Facebook users can become a Fan of (Like) your business page

You can view statistics about your business page through Facebook Insights

You can run Facebook Ads directly to your business page

You can send an update to all of your Facebook Fans

You can stream your Facebook page directly through your website

Facebook users can become Fans directly from your website

You can get more than 5,000 Fans (personal profiles only allow up to 5,000 friends)

It’s against Facebook’s terms to setup a personal profile for a business, and Facebook can take it down.

Need help swapping your business profile across to a facebook page?

Talk to us today!