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Tag Archives: Social media
How to Schedule Posts Right on Facebook
So, you’ve heard of Hootsuite and other post scheduling services, right. Well, Facebook, in their desire to take over the world, has updated their posting feature to include the ability to schedule your post. And the best part is, it’s easy. Here’s how:
1. Navigate to your Pages Timeline and type in your post
2. Click the little clock in the bottom left corner.
3. Choose a date and time in the future.
4. Hit Schedule, and BAM! you’ve scheduled your post into the future.
Now, we’re sure that you might make a mistake once in a while, so you’ll need to edit or delete your scheduled post. Here’s how to do that, and again, it’s easy.
1. Go to your Admin Panel and choose the Manage drop down menu.
2. Choose Use Activity Log.
3. Locate your scheduled post at the top of the page.
4. To the right, click on the down arrow to reveal another drop down menu where you can choose to change the time, post right away, or cancel all together.
Now you’re ready to post like the pros!
All From A Tweet
Lest you think tweeting is a silly business practice, or even not worth learning the in’s and out’s of @’s, #’s, and RT’s, we want to share
with you the power of a single tweet.
Way back in March, we heard about this wonderful thing called Startup Weekend. Startup Weekend is a 54 hour event where entrepreneurs and techies alike get together and build tech based businesses. The event is filled with excitement, learning, teaching, and building not only businesses, but networks, communities, and friendships. Needless to say, we instantly wanted to be a part of it. So, we did what any responsible business person would do, we tweeted.
We simply asked, “How can we help?” A couple days later, we received an email followed by a tweet back. This is where the fun began. We were able to meet with two really great people, Brendan Daly and Melissa Parker. They are both in the ESTEEM Program at Notre Dame (another great program). We discussed ways we could help, reach out to media, blast on social media, talk with others who might be interested, etc. The next thing you know, we are a 3 man team (Kyle, Erik, and Bryce) at Innovation Park on the campus of Notre Dame. We’re taking photos, videos, talking, helping, learning, meeting new people, and having a good time. The weekend went very well and we’re super excited to see where these new startups go. 
During the last hours, just before the final pitches, we showed a video we made of the event. A recap video of sorts. That caught the attention of certain decision makers at Notre Dame. So, we talked with them as well.
Long story short, we’re now shooting, editing, and delivering video for several departments in Notre Dame, and we’re excited about it.
You can see how a simple tweet can lead to a wildfire of connections, exposure, and ultimately, success. So go tweet!
If you’re interested in Startup Weekend, here are some great resources:
B2B Marketing on Facebook
Can Facebook really generate leads for B2B companies? For many that try to attract and engage fans through the networking site, there is something fundamentally awkward about the attempt.
Indeed, Facebook “can be a lonely place for B2B marketers,” says Joe Chernov, vice president of content marketing for Eloqua, a marketing technology company in Vienna, Va. “It’s definitely not as natural a fit in B2B as it is for a consumer brand.” B2B companies, he adds, “need to work a little harder, get a little more creative.”
B2B marketers are increasingly looking to Facebook as a content distribution and engagement channel. In 2011, 70 percent of B2B marketers used Facebook to share content with their networks, a 30 percent increase over the previous year, according to a study by Marketing Profs in partnership with the Content Marketing Institute.
Here’s the key to B2B success on Facebook: Embrace the idea of it as a rich network that allows you to connect with prospects and customers–in other words, actual people. Even though your business is catering to other businesses–you might sell HVAC units to commercial real estate builders, or you might e-mail marketing services to nonprofits–there is still one person (or perhaps, a series of people) who will ultimately make the purchase. Recalibrate your thinking. Even in B2B, the goal is to reach and engage with flesh-and-blood individuals.
At the same time, Facebook is a busy place. It has a larger population than any country in the world, except China and India. According to Facebook, its citizens are highly active, visiting the site an average of 40 times per month for an average of 23 minutes per visit. What that means for the B2B marketer is that business updates are competing with potentially far more compelling stuff (photos, party invites and what does that hot guy from high school look like now, anyway?)
Nonetheless, Facebook can work quite well for many B2B companies. Here are five ways to use it to increase engagement and generate leads. One important note: For any of this, your company must have a business page, not just an individual profile. (For guidance, seeFacebook.com/business.)
1. Get the “like” before the love. It’s critical to get your potential leads to “like” your page before you can engage with them further. In all likelihood, less than 1 percent of your Facebook fans will ever return to your business page. Rather, they’ll engage with your content through their news feeds. Your Facebook page will lay the groundwork for building awareness and establishing trust; plus, it will offer a regular platform for sharing content, promoting sales and rewarding fans with special deals. Incorporate sign-up forms, calls to action and links to your website that support lead gen.
In The B2B Social Media Book: Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, Linked-In, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More, Kipp Bodnar and Jeffrey L. Cohen cite software developer Brainshark as a company that does an effective job attracting “likes.” Brainshark’s Facebook page features four key items: a can’t-miss orange arrow, an embedded video overview, a link to sign up for a free account and an invitation to test its cloud-based software.
2. Integrate leads with likes. ClearRisk, a risk-management company in St. John’s, Newfoundland, does this well. It offers a free, information-rich e-book in exchange for contact info. Once visitors like ClearRisk’s page, they are directed to an embedded sign-up for the company’s book, Insurance Premiums Are Killing My Business, which is delivered via e-mail.
Regularly share content like e-books, white papers and webinars within your Facebook content stream. Remind your fans of the usefulness and effectiveness of your content by offering solid links and snippets via posts that emphasize the material itself vs. sales-driven “Sign up now!” directives.
Social media marketing company Involver packs its Facebook presence with goodness that communicates the brand’s value: videos, a PDF with a collection of Facebook success stories, client logos and more. And its newsletter sign-up is in an obvious spot.
Percentage of B2B Marketers who use social media to distribute content.3. Create a contest or sweepstakes. This is a great way to attract fans, assuming you pick your prize carefully. What kind of sweepstakes might work for a B2B company, when its business appeals to a finite, specific audience? That was the question Eloqua asked itself, leading to the launch of a joint program with Empire Avenue, a virtual stock exchange. Those who “liked” Eloqua were entered into a drawing for virtual currency on the gaming site.
Eloqua’s Chernov says the sweepstakes attracted lots of fans–but more important, it attracted the right kind of fans. “We had very little churn following the end of the sweepstakes, so that’s a really good sign that we pulled from the right community,” he says.
A word of caution: Before you launch any Facebook contest or sweepstakes, read the fine print of Facebook’s promotion guidelines. Promotions must be administered as a separate page–either on a “canvas page” or as an app on a page tab. You cannot collect entries, conduct a drawing or notify winners through your main Facebook wall (more details here: Facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php).
4. Understand the algorithm. Facebook buries boring content, using an algorithm called EdgeRank to determine what appears in news feeds. So it’s key to update your Facebook presence with content that ignites interaction and increases your visibility. What works best? Updates that are rooted in utility and creativity, including something personal or fun tossed up now and again. Make sure you’re putting out relevant, compelling, charming stuff that matches the interests of the people you’re targeting.
- Ask open-ended questions to invite interaction.
- Create updates that offer real value, as opposed to spewing sales messages.
- Post at different times of day, and tailor to various outlets. (Don’t auto-post or cross-post the same content to multiple platforms.)
- Limit volume: No more than one or two posts a day.
EdgeRank gives more weight to videos and photos than to text-only status updates, so tell your story visually. And don’t forget weekends: That’s the time to reach fans who aren’t online much during the workweek.
5. Think outside Facebook. Embedding widgets and plug-ins into your business’s website can be a significant way to increase engagement. Integrate Facebook sharing icons into your landing page and in e-mails your company sends to allow your customers to easily share your offers with their friends, thereby augmenting your visibility.
This article was originally published in the March 2012 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Getting Personal With B2B Marketing.
Cash Mobs and How to Get Them to Come to You.
You’ve probably heard of flash mobs – groups of people who use social media to plan to appear in person at a chosen location at a particular time to sing a song, hold mock lightsaber battles or take some other random action. Fun, but frivolous.
Another iteration of this meet up is of much more interest to entrepreneurs. It is the cash mob – a group of shoppers who agree to patronize a local business at a particular time and spend at least $20 apiece to support their hometown merchants.
Cash mobbers are usually advocates of the buy-local movement who don’t like how big chains have emptied some downtowns. So they’re voting with their dollars, mostly for small businesses.
Related: Chris Brogan on Social Media Starter Tips to Grow Your Business
Although these communal shopping events are oftentimes organized by individuals, cash mobs have been convened by companies looking to give back to their community. An example iscandle company Scentsy, which celebrated its fifth anniversary by giving $100 to each of its 1,000 headquarters-based employees to spend in local shops in their home town of Meridian, Idaho.
Here are seven ways to get a cash mob to visit your shop:
- Sponsor events. Businesses with high visibility in their town — the type that sponsor baseball teams or the 4th of July parade — tend to be the ones selected as the focus of a cash mob.
- Attend events. The owners who invite cash mobs attend chamber of commerce events; they chat on the town’s listserv and they turn up at the firehouse pancake day to help out.
- Tell your story. If your business is struggling, get the word out. Sometimes cash mobs focus on helping businesses that have fallen on hard times. For instance, after a number of merchants in my town appeared in a newspaper story about how they’ve struggled through a burdensome Main Street repaving project, shoppers organized a ‘give-back’ night to support the afflicted stores.
- Communicate your values. If your small business supports the buy-local movement, let those shoppers know you’re with them. Post signs in your store and on your website.
- Organize your own cash mob. If you’re active in community groups that promote shopping local, nominate another area business as the beneficiary of a cash mob. That could help make cash mobs a regular happening in your town, which could eventually draw one to your store, too.
- Make an offer. Let the head of buy-local groups know that if their members participated in cash mob at your store, everyone can get a freebie such as $25 worth of merchandise for $20 or free appetizers during the meet up.
- Partner with other local businesses. Get together with other local merchants and offer a group deal if a cash mob will schedule a trip to your neighborhood.
Related: Expert Live Chat: How to Ramp Up Sales
What tips would you add for attracting a cash mob? Leave a comment and let us know.
More Creative Marketing Ideas
It’s a boggling year for marketing, isn’t it? New social-media platforms seem to be springing up like mushrooms, mobile is exploding. . . it’s hard to know where to focus your marketing time and dollars.
Everywhere I turn lately, I’ve come across tips for how to do innovative marketing this year. So I’ve collected a short list of my favorite tips.
Here are eight ideas for giving your marketing effort a boost:
1. Ask your customers how to reach out. When is the last time you got somedata from your customers about how they’d like to interact with your brand? There’s really no excuse when you can run instant polls on your Facebook page.
Related: How the White House Became a Social-Media Powerhouse
2. Triggered emails. Do you send customers an email that makes additional offers after they abandon a shopping cart on your website, or maybe an email that provides free information? If not, you’re missing a great opportunity to keep your name in front of a customer who’s close to buying.
3. Text marketing. Find out what customers want by texting them a question. Then, send them a coupon for a discount on that item. This one’s particularly useful for those Gen-X and -Y customers, many of whom don’t seem to use email anymore.
4. What your competition isn’t doing. Analyze what marketing methods your competitors are using, and look for the holes. Be somewhere they’re not — maybe on Pinterest, or YouTube, or bus boards.
5. Don’t just network — host an event. Hosting an event is a powerful way to get known by a lot of people at once. Why? Everybody comes over to thank the host. Hold the event at your place of business if you have a physical store, so people learn where you are.
6. Referral rewards. This one’s an oldie but goodie that’s still around because it works. Let customers know you’ll pay them $100 if they send you a customer, and turn your customers into your marketing team on the cheap.
7. Simplify. Remember that too many marketing messages confuse customers, especially as you spread them across various social-media channels. Try to pare down to three choices in all aspects of your marketing, from how many fonts you use to how many times you follow up.
Related: 10 Lessons in Brilliant Marketing
8. Make it musical. Does your company have a theme song? A musical jingle you could share? Use tools such as Spotify to share a musical message with prospects.
What’s your new marketing twist for 2012? Leave a comment and let us know what new marketing strategy you’re trying this year.
