Facebook Basics: Messaging Fans

Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

How to Start Your Own Blog

Aug
2011

A blog can be a great way to delve into social media or it can be a the centerpiece to an established social media campaign. It is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with customers, showcase your expertise, increase visits to your site, and create a friendly persona for your company. You can add photos, how-to videos, whatever! The opportunities are endless. Plus blogs are easy to update, as it’s not abnormal for blogs to have multiple contributors posting throughout the week. More so than anything, blogs are interactive, allowing you to solicit feedback from customers and engage them in conversation. Great, right?! But now you’re probably wondering where to start.

First thing’s first. You need to select hosting, a domain name, and a blogging software platform. Our platform of choice is WordPress, but there are many options out there that might suit your needs. What you use to create your blog isn’t necessarily the important part. Rather, you should make always make sure you self-host your blog. What does this mean? It means paying an annual fee to a service for hosting your blog. By doing this, you control your domain and the content, plus get the benefit of the traffic to your site.

Advertising Your Online Presence in the Offline World

Aug
2011

Would you provide just a street name if you were advertising your business? Probably not. You want people to be able to easily find your place of business, so you would most likely provide an address that would tell them exactly where you’re located. Well, believe it or not, the same thing applies when you’re trying to get customers to become a fan/followers on Facebook and Twitter and any other social spaces you’re on. When advertising on the internet you have the luxury of linked icons that customers can click to go to your page. Unfortunately, this doesn’t translate over into other types of media, such as print advertising. Telling someone to simply find you on Facebook without providing a URL or handle is like suggesting a customer find you on Main St. It doesn’t actually tell them where they can find you, plus leaves it to chance — quite possibly they might find your competitor first!

There is a very easy solution to guarantee that customers don’t get lost. Display your URL(s) prominently— problem solved! Wear your Facebook and Twitter URL loud and proud, as they are as much a part of your company’s brand as anything else. If the Facebook.com/MarketingJava URL is too long for you to fit in your advertisement, FB.com/MarketingJava is also an option. Similarly, if you Twitter.Com/MarketingJava is taking up too much space, a simple @MarketingJava should be enough to let your customers find you. (Bear in mind you need to actually “claim” these names to use them!)

Geolocation Deals: Has Your Business Checked In?

Jul
2011

Okay, we all know it; geolocation is now just making its way to the market like Twitter was a few years back. We also know, just like with Twitter, that businesses that choose to become early adopters will be at a major advantage when the masses decide to join in. If you’re just starting out and don’t know anything about geolocation services, then there is one primary thing you need to understand: They are applications that run on smartphones that mesh your city, your social life, and deals!

Foursquare, one of the household names is geosocial applications, allows businesses to give discounts/free items based on a user’s activity within its application. For example, the person who checks in the most at a location is dubbed “the Mayor” of that spot. This person might be rewarded with a coupon for a free side or drink, which they can redeem at the store (thus encouraging repeat visits).