2013 Goals and Planning

December 28, 2012 / hsmadmin / No comments

Well, as 2012 winds down I am reflecting upon what I’ve accomplished this year and where I want to go in 2013. I’m sure many of you are doing the same. What are your goals for 2013? Have you written them down?

This year I’m hoping to focus more on consistency of this blog. I know that I have been sporadic about my posts in 2012, and I’m hoping to change that in 2013. With that being said I would love to hear from you… what would you like to see more of here? Which social network is most important to you and your business in 2013? My goal is to help all of you achieve your goals as I achieve my own, so please connect with us on any or all of the social networks listed at the top right of this blog. Sign off with your answers in the comments, Tweet them to us, Post on our Facebook or G+ wall, or even shoot us an email. We will do what we can to post more of what you are looking to learn in the wonderful world of social media!

With the new year just days away, a few things you may want to consider doing to get yourself ready for success:

5-Preps-for-2013

1) Review and update all of the social media channels you are on. Is any of the information out of date? Are store hours updated? When did you last update your profile pic and/or cover photo? Make a goal to check these sites at least each month to update them.

2) Plan out your content for each site. I firmly believe in utilizing a content calendar to keep things in order, and keep you on task for each social network that you are on. Utilize scheduled posts when possible, but do not schedule and forget.

3) If you have a website complete steps 1 & 2 for that too! It’s another extension of your business, and it should always be up-to-date with fresh and interesting content.

4) Plan out your overall marketing strategy. Do you have a business plan in place? If so, when was the last time you updated it? Where will you focus your attention in 2013? Where is your target demographic? Put it on paper. How much $ will you allocate for advertising?

5) Write down your specific goals for 2013 as far as number of new clients, number of total clients, total revenue, total profit… whatever your focus, you are more likely to achieve it if you have it written down.

What else is part of your preparations for making 2013 the best year yet?

Category: Uncategorized /

7 Social Media Steps for Success

December 4, 2012 / hsmadmin / 3 comments

Often the biggest hurdle for Social Media Success is that of time. Time is limited for us all, and while Social Media may not cost anything monetarily, it does cost us time. In this post I will share with you some basics that will keep you on task in the social media world and that will save you time. Here’s a pic you can pin on Pinterest and save for a quick review.

1)   Define your objectives: What do you wish to accomplish from this page/profile? Your goals and objectives may change over time, so be sure you sit down at the beginning of each month and refresh your objectives. Are you still working to grow a following? Are you trying to gain the trust of a fan base already in place in order to sell a product, or do you want to provide better customer service and get new ideas from your fans? Write down these objectives.

2)   How will you measure these objectives? You need a way to determine if you are being successful and are seeing results. How will you measure this? Through “likes,” through engagement? Through sales? Write down how you will define your success below your objective.

3)   Create a Communication Plan: This plan is needed if you have more than one person that will posting for your business. This plan states who is in charge of posting what for the page. You will want to have this sorted out so that you are not both posting content at the same time. Ideally you will want to spread your content out throughout the day so that you do not bombard your fans all at one time.. You can use the calendar plan discussed next to also determine who will be in charge of each post.

4)    Plan, plan, plan! Now think about your audience. Who are they, what do they want to see from you? In order to meet your objectives what will you need to post? How often will you need to post? Remember that recent studies report that content should be 70% fresh and engaging, 20% from someone else’s page, and 10% promotional. (Check out this post and infographic shared by Mari Smith back in September: https://www.facebook.com/marismith/posts/363208390420100)

Pull out a blank calendar for the next month and plan your posts.  This doesn’t mean that things are set in stone, but it will save you time each day from thinking, “Oh no, what will I post today!” It will also help keep you from posting at the end of the day everyday when you finally remember or get to it. If you have a plan in place for each day you can plan ahead and schedule your posts to automatically post at a certain time each day. See #5.

5)   Schedule your posts in advance. You may not always need to do this, and you may not wish to do this more than a few days or a week in advance, but if you already have your content calendar planned out go ahead and schedule those posts. For Facebook you can schedule them directly in Facebook using the small clock icon to the left of the Post button. For Twitter or other sites you can use a 3rd party site such as HootSuite or Social Oomph. It has been reported that 3rd party posting sites are not picked up well in Facebook’s Edgerank, so I suggest you NOT use those sites for Facebook posts.

6)   Now if you are scheduling posts remember that you will need to still check the sites several times throughout the day in order to engage in conversations that may arise as a result of your posts. Do not just set them and leave them or no one will want to comment if they will never get a response. Utilize apps for smartphones for each site, so that you receive notifications when someone has interacted with your post. Try to respond to every comment, so that your fans/followers know that you are there and that you care about what they have to say.

7)   Measure your success: Since you determined at the beginning how you would determine if you were successful be sure to take time at the end of each week/month to review if you have been successful. What can you tweak next month for better results? What days/times seem to get you the best engagement? Measure, tweak, and start back at step #1!

Do you plan your strategy similar to this each month? What else do you do to help you manage your page? Please share in the comments or on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you!

Category: Social Media Strategy / Tags: , , , , ,

Facebook Fan Page Parties: What’s all the fuss about?

November 26, 2012 / hsmadmin / No comments

First of all, some of you may be wondering what a Facebook Fan Page Party is… it is an event that takes place on Facebook Fan Pages, most often taking place on a Friday; therefore, you will sometimes hear them referred to as a Fan Page Friday Party. A Facebook Page will often post a cute picture letting fans know that it’s party time, and fans are permitted to post a link to their Fan Page in the comments of that picture. Different Pages have different rules for their parties, most require you to post from your personal profile in the comments and to “like” the page hosting the party before posting your page. Many also only allow one business page posted per person in the comments, so that you don’t see 15 pages from the same person.

The idea of the party is to post your page in order to network with others that may not otherwise find your page, and then for you to go through and check out the pages that others have listed. Stopping by their page with a like, and a quick note to say hello. Some pages will also allow you to post sites other than Facebook pages, such as a Twitter profile, LinkedIn profile, or Google Plus profile. More great ways to network and meet people!

Some pages host these events every week, and other pages host them every other week or once each month. I have to say that I’ve enjoyed participating in these parties. I have made some new friends, and I’ve found some other great pages with good content to share. The other big highlight is that after the first week of participating in a few parties I was able to pick up 65 new fans for my page. Up until that point I was only picking up about 5 likes each week. Fan page parties helped my page jump up in numbers quickly, and while not all of those new fans engage, I have picked several who like and comment regularly on my page.

Now, I’ve read posts out there downplaying these events, stating that you will pick up likes, but those likes will not do business with you. In some cases I agree with this; however, I have found some great new connections with folks that I don’t think I would have found otherwise… so for now, I will continue to look forward to these parties, and I will continue to host my own. Please join us every Friday at www.facebook.com/HospitalitySocialMagnet.

I’d love to hear more about your experiences with Fan Page Parties, so please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Category: Facebook / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

9 Basics to Maximize Your LinkedIn Profile

October 18, 2012 / hsmadmin / No comments

There’s a lot of buzz around LinkedIn lately, and there’s good reason for it! It is a great place to network and market your business… it is not just an online resume site, although it is great for that too! There are some basics that you will want to be sure you cover if you are just getting started with LinkedIn. When creating your profile on the site, be sure to complete your profile 100%! You want to have everything there that someone looking to do business with you… or hire you, would need to know to get you the job. By the way, the Improve Your Profile button below your picture and headline in the Edit Your Profile area is a great way to go through all of this step-by-step!

You also want to visit the site frequently to update your profile. Keep any eye on your profile views and how many times you have come up in the search. You may need to tweak some sections if you aren’t seeing an increase in these numbers. You can also get more profile views by posting updates, but more about that below.

So here they are… 9 basic points to keep in mind to maximize your LinkedIn profile:

1) A great, professional profile picture. Remember that this is a professional site. You want to put your best foot (face) forward. This is not the place to use your Facebook profile pic, and probably not a good idea to include your family members in this one either. Keep the size of your photo between 200 X 200 to 500 X 500 pixels.

2) Create a creative Headline. Many just use their current job title here, but that will show elsewhere, so use the headline to tell more about yourself. Use some keywords that would help someone find you in the search. For example, are you a Passionate Sales Professional Focused on Increasing Revenues or are you a Sales Manager? Which would you prefer to do business with?

3) Don’t skip the Summary section. I see a lot of people skipping over the Summary to go straight to the Experience section. The Summary is a great place to tell everyone what you do, what you want to do, what you are passionate about, and what you are looking to do in the future. Again use some keywords, but don’t go too crazy.

4) Complete the Experience section… and yes, that says COMPLETE. Don’t just list job titles. Treat this as your resume. Tell them what you have accomplished at each of these positions, what were you responsible for, etc.

5) To complete the rest of your profile you will need to add your Education information, Skills and Expertise, website (up to 3 can be added), Twitter username, Interests, Groups and Associations, and Honors and Awards. Again, think hard, and fill in each section. More on the Skills and Expertise and Groups below…

6) Skills and Expertise: Here you can add keyword and phrases that describe skills you have and have utilized in your past positions. The really cool thing about this is that you can now be endorsed for each of these skills. Endorsements are easy to give. You just go to a person’s profile, scroll down to their Skills section, and click on each keyword or phrase to endorse them. When endorsing others they will get a notification, and chances are that they will return the favor. Ask those you work with and do business with to endorse you.

7) Groups: A great way to network using LinkedIn is through Groups. You can join groups on all topics. Search for groups using keywords then request to join. Once you join a group participate in the conversation, ask your own questions, network. Use it like you would a networking event, only you don’t have to leave your home or office.

8) Request Recommendations! When you ask others to Endorse your skills, also ask them to write a Recommendation of your work. These are a bit more in depth, a few sentences, telling others about how it was to do business with you. Recommend others, and again they will receive a notice and will be more likely to recommend you!

9) Utilize the News Feed. The News Feed is similar to Facebook in that you can post an update for your connections to see in their News Feed; however, again this is a professional site, so you would not want to post the same update that you would post in Facebook. Post about your business… without being salesy or too promotional. Share interesting articles, blog posts, or other information about your business or others in your network. Anytime someone writes a recommendation or endorses you a notification will appear in your connections feed. This keeps you top of mind in your connections eyes, and may just get your profile a few more views!

Good luck setting up your profile! Let us know in the comments here or on our Facebook page if you see an increase in Profile views after reading this post! Oh, and please connect with me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/amybaumcratz. ;)

Category: LinkedIn / Tags: , , , ,

Timing Your Facebook Posts

October 13, 2012 / hsmadmin / No comments

There are lots of posts out there that tell you when it’s the best time to post on Facebook. Some say never post on the weekends or never in the evening, and others say always post on Saturday or always post in the evening… so who’s right and who’s wrong?

All are right and all are wrong… It really depends on your audience, so before anyone can answer this question for you, you first have to determine who your audience is and when they will be using Facebook. For some, determining who your audience is and when they use Facebook will give you a great start of when to post, but for others it still may be a mystery.

This is where you should use Insights as a guide. Post different times on different days and go into Insights to see what posts are receiving the most engagement. For example, I work with several businesses that get awesome engagement early Saturday morning, but others who don’t even get a single like on a post at that same time. Then another business seems to do really well on a Tuesday around 3 pm, but others barely get a response on Tuesday at all. Don’t let anyone tell you that there’s only certain times that work for everyone… the correct answer is that it really depends on lots of factors, so learn who your audience is and when and how they utilize Facebook… That could be a great post for your page… just ask them!

Here are a couple screenshots for those who aren’t sure where to go in Insights to find this info:

 

Once you’ve hovered on the date to find the time, glance over to the columns on the right to see the Reach, Engaged Users, Talking About This, and Virality of the posts and compare each post. The most viral post in this above screenshot was at 7:39 pm EST on a Thursday evening.

Remember that engagement levels differ depending on what type of content you are posting as well as the time, so mix that up too! Photos seem to be best for everyone, so use them often. Then mix up the rest with text, links, questions, and video. In the above example, that post on Thursday evening was a photo, so was it the day and time that worked or was it the content? The only way to tell is to post a different type of content again at that time on that day of the week to see if it gets similar results.  Tell us in the comments below what days/times are working best for you!

Category: Facebook Posts / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Facebook Offers Step-by-Step Instructions to Create Yours

September 25, 2012 / hsmadmin / No comments

Just last week Facebook introduced Offers to business pages with at least 400 likes. These offers have been around for certain business pages, but now are available to more pages. You’ve probably seen these offers in your News Feed. They look like this:

The beauty of these are that they show up in your News Feed each time one of your friends either Shares it or Claims the offer. When the offer is claimed a pop-up box appears with a code to claim the offer immediately, and an email is sent to you with the offer info so you can claim it later. So as a business page, if you create an offer, each time it’s claimed you are potentially getting visibility from the friends of all who have claimed the offer. This includes both people who like your page and those who do not already like your page. Even if the offer isn’t claimed you can get visibility each time the offer is “liked,” commented on or shared! Sounds pretty cool right?

The downside is that Facebook is tying this into advertising, so you will need to pay for a minimum of $5.00 to Promote your post to get your Offer out there. You can choose how much or how little your budget is, and Facebook will show you an estimated number of how many people will see your ad at that amount. The great news is at this time Facebook is giving a $10 credit for first time users of the Offer.

For our first test of this new option on a small business page with just over 900 likes, we were not that impressed. Only 8 claims in the past 3 days. We will be trying it again… possibly starting the test on a better day of the week for this page as far as engagement goes. We’ll update you on our progress at a later date. Here’s a quick look at the details of our Offer during the Paid Promotion period:

 

In the meantime, here are some quick screenshots of where to go to start your own Offer.

1) Go to update your status, and you will see the Offer option on the right.

2) After clicking “Offer, Event +” you will see this. Click Offer.

3) Next choose if your offer is In Store Only, Online Only or both.

4) Here is the next screen for an online offer. You will need the web address for that offer and the promo code if you have one.

5) Then select a thumbnail image for the offer – if you don’t choose one your profile pic will automatically be loaded here. Then come up with a headline for your offer (up to 90 characters). You can see below that box that you can also choose how many claims you will allow, and when your offer will expire.

6) Along the bottom of the window to the left of the Preview button you will see the icons for creating your offer, then adding a barcode to your offer (optional), and Terms – for terms and conditions of the offer. Click Terms, and then click on Add your terms and conditions to type what they are. Then select Preview to see your Offer.

7)  Here’s a preview. You can see it will also send you an email to view the offer.

8) The next step is to choose your budget for promoting the Offer. Here it defaults to $10.00, but you can click the down arrow for more options as done in the screenshot below this one.

You can see here the option for $5.00 is given with an estimated reach of 1000-3000.

That’s really all there is to it! Will you be creating an Offer? Let us know in the comments how it works out for you. It’s a cool option to have. We just need to play with it a bit to hopefully see more Claims.

 

Category: Facebook, Facebook Offers / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Step-by-Step for Creating Pinterest Boards

September 20, 2012 / hsmadmin / One comment

There is a lot of buzz out there on Pinterest, and why wouldn’t there be when you have a social network where average time spent is between 14-16 minutes per user (1.36 million users/day), buyers referred from Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy and spend 10% more on average, and Pinterest brings in more referral traffic than Linked In, Google Plus and YouTube combined. (Sources: Mashable.com and repinly.com) This makes for a powerful social network, and businesses are jumping on board more and more each day!

Pinterest is a very visual site all about photos and video. For the newbies out there after signing up, you create boards. Think of these boards as virtual bulletin boards, and on these boards you will “pin” bits of information that you can refer back to at a later date. These virtual boards can be loaded with pictures and videos from websites for whatever topics you are interested in. Popular categories include fashion, home decor and art. So, lately I have been asked more and more about how do you get started building these boards, so here’s a step-by-step.

Step 1: After creating an account from the main page as seen below you will click the drop down under your profile name and select Boards.

Step 2: The next screen will show any boards that you have already created in the account set up process. From this screen you will click the Add + button at the top. (Look for the red arrow in this screen shot.)

Think about names for your boards. You want them to be creative and fun! Take a look at other similar businesses and get ideas. Remember just like any other social network, you want to be social, not salesy. Make it fun and entertaining, so people will want to follow you.

Step 3: After clicking Add + you will get this screen: This is where you will click on the 3rd icon over to Create a Board.

Step 4: The screenshot below is what you will see next. Here you will give your board a name, select a category that makes sense for what you will pin to this board, and you can also select who you permit to pin to this board. It may just be you, or you may open it up to allow some of your followers to also pin things to this board. Finally, click the red Create Board button. Now you have created your first Board! Just repeat the steps to keep adding boards, and then you will be ready to start pinning! Pinning can be done by uploading images or links to images from your website, and you can also add the “Pin It” button to your browser. I recommend this because it is so easy. Anytime you see an image that you want to pin it’s as easy as clicking the Pin It button on your browser and the available images will come up. You choose which image you want to pin, and then it will ask you which board you want to pin it to. Easy!

To get this Pin It Button just go to the top of the screen where it lists “About” click there for a drop down menu which will say Pin It Button. You will get the screen shot below.

Just click the Pin It Button shown on the screen and drag it to your browser. It will be there whenever you are browsing, so you can pin anything you would like. Good luck getting started on your boards!

Category: Pinterest / Tags: , , , , ,

5 Facebook Don’ts to Help You Keep Your Fans

September 2, 2012 / hsmadmin / No comments

This post is a bit different than others. There are some things that I hope you will NOT do as you use social media to promote your business. There have been a lot of posts out there that will tell you much of the same, but as I follow more and more small town local businesses… especially on Facebook… I’ve noticed that they are still being done.

So, here’s my PLEASE do NOT list:

1) Please do not tease me by posting once in a blue moon. I “liked” your page to see what you are about and what you have to offer. I would really like to hear something from you. It would be nice to see a regularly scheduled post, preferably once a day at a minimum. Keep in mind it’s recommended to try different times of day, and keep an eye on your insights to see which time of day gets you the best response. For example, one of my clients gets a great response first thing Saturday mornings, while another does much better on Thursday evenings.

2) Please do not post all your posts for the week on the same day, one right after the other. It seems spammy and chances are you will lose fans with this approach. Facebook now has the scheduled posts option, so use it to your advantage. Schedule your posts on Sunday for the whole week. Easy!

3) Hootsuite is a great tool, as are some other third party tools for scheduling posts, BUT  please know that if you use it for Facebook, I, along with all your other fans will be less likely to see your posts. There doesn’t seem to be a proven formula to prove this, but I have noticed that I miss some posts by businesses that use it. At times I notice them in the ticker instead of the News Feed… being a social media nerd I look through the ticker, but most of your fans probably ignore it for the most part. As mentioned in number 2, Facebook now has scheduled posts, so use it instead. Here’s a pic to show you where to click when you are adding a status. Click the small clock on the bottom left, then select the year, month, day and time for your post, and click Schedule. Easy!

4) Please do not ask me to buy or tell me about your great deals in every post. I do want to hear about them, but I also want to know more about your business, your employees, and even what you all are doing in your community. Please change it up… oh, and don’t always just post a status update or share a link to another website.

5) Which leads me to… please post photos, lots of nice, pretty photos for me to see what you are up to. Pics of your product, your local area, your employees, customer photos, mix it up, and share away! Videos are cool too. Show me how you do what you do.

I’m sure there are others, but these are the 5 that come to mind at the moment. What drives you crazy about businesses using social media sites for marketing purposes? Please list them below in the comments.

Category: Facebook / Tags: , , , , ,

14 Free Things Hotels Should Do to Get Facebook Fans

August 24, 2011 / hsmadmin / 2 comments

For hotels just starting on their social media strategy, they often wonder how they will get fans to “like” their page. Some of these tips will work for other businesses, but we’ve had success with hotel pages for sure!

1) Get the word out to the locals: contact your local CVB, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Agency, etc. Especially if they are already using Facebook as part of their strategy this is an easy way to spread the word that you now have a page as well. If you are a member of these organizations many will help you spread the word by posting on their page a link to your new page inviting everyone to “like” you! Also as a member of these organizations you often have opportunities to promote through their email lists and/or mailing lists, so give them a call and ask what you need to do. In return for their assistance you can offer to assist them by promoting their upcoming events, member events, local news, and more. Also, if the hotel utilizes any local media for advertising ask them to get the word out on their pages. For example, one hotel advertised with a local internet news site and local radio station. For no additional cost, both of these posted several posts with links for the hotel’s page asking everyone to “like” their advertisers page.

2) Attend local networking events: You are probably doing this already for your business, but be sure to attend business after hours and other social events. If the organizers allow it take pictures of other business owners enjoying the event, and tag those businesses when uploading the pictures (Include tags of the CVB, Chamber, etc as well). These tags will appear on those business pages and will bring awareness to their fans that you also have a page.

3) Claim your Place, link it to your page, sign up for Foursquare or one of the many other location social sites, and set up deals to gain more interest in “Check-in‘s” on these sites. More on “Check-in‘s” next.

4) Use your personal account to “Check-in” using Facebook Places at local businesses to help them get noticed and ask them to do the same. The great thing about check-ins is that they are visible in all friends News Feeds, so their friends think you are a cool place to be.

5) Put signage in the lobby that makes everyone aware that you have a Facebook Page, and then give them a reason to like your page. Please don’t just say “Like us on Facebook.” Give them a reason to… first to hear about upcoming specials or deals, be the first to get info on upcoming events (great for full service hotels).

6) Use QR Codes: Create a QR code that takes guests right to your Facebook Like Button. Have one large one created as a window cling for the front door, have additional ones on sales office doors or administrative office doors, also consider utilizing them in all collateral, menus, guest directories, meeting room note pads, be creative. Use these QR codes on your business cards and at trade shows have visitors to your booth try out the code. Get buzz going at your booth and get more likes!

7) Have a front desk incentive/contest for the front desk representative who gets you the most new fans within a certain timeframe. Give them business cards using the QR code to hand out to guests at check-in or check-out, and tell them to write their name on the card. Have the guest like your page, check-in, and mention the desk person in a comment, so you can track who gets the most.

8) Run a Contest: On this one be sure to read Facebook’s rules on contests first. Bonus points to your brand’s loyalty program is often a great choice because if they aren’t already a member you will also gain a new member!

9) Share interesting content and do not over promote. This should probably have been #1. Remember it’s not all about “Me, me, me!” If all you do is promote you will lose the fans you are working so hard to gain. Share local info, especially event information and other local travel related tips or events. More than likely your fans are interested in not just you, but your area as well. Share posts from the CVB, Chamber, and other local businesses. Share local sporting event information or other upcoming shows at local theatres or other entertainment facilities. If you need content to mix in share crazy holiday information… did you know there’s a National Chocolate Day or Ice Cream Day? Keep things fun and interesting, so your fans won’t hide your content… What good are a bunch of fans if none of them see your posts. Also, share what your staff is doing with local charity organizations? Did you all just volunteer for the YMCA, Special Olympics, United Way, etc? Take pictures and videos and share them! (By the way, pictures, videos and links with posts help your EdgeRank within Facebook.) More on that later! Or check out some great posts on socialmediaexaminer.com. They have some awesome articles!

10) Tag, tag, tag: Whenever working on your content think about what organizations, entertainers, businesses, etc that you can tag in the post. For example, a hotel near a concert venue can post about an upcoming concert, and they should tag not just the venue, but also the artist.

11) Use booking links when you do promote rates or packages: Many major brands have booking links that you can create for groups, local accounts, and packages. Anytime you are offering a special or package create one of these links and include it with your post. Give your fans a simple way to book that deal without having to go to your site and hunt for it. You will likely get more bookings.

12) Create Events: These can be for Managers Receptions, bands in the lounge, special parties or entertainment you are hosting at the hotel, business after hours, etc. Create a Facebook Event for it, and promote it to your fans, then go back to step 1 and have all of them promote it for you as well! You will probably pick up more fans, and attendance at your next event will grow! (By the way, if you are using an entertainer of some sort, chances are they also have a page, so ask them to also share your event on their page to all their fans. One hotel did this, and the band had over 3000 fans, so they were able to increase attendance to their event from 100 to 350… not too shabby!

13) After your first 25 fans, go to www.facebook.com/username, and claim a simpler username for your page. Then you can use a simple link on all your collateral. (It will look like this: www.facebook.com/MyBusinessUsername, and you can also use www.fb.com/MyBusinessUsername… they will both direct you to the same page!)

14) Also, don’t forget to add the Facebook Like Box to your independent website. These make it easier for visitors to like you right from your website.

Remember that this is just a start to get you going. Your first fans may be more local, but as you gain local fans, word will spread to all their friends (including those that often visit from out of town), and you will gain more fans who will need your services.

How do you get more fans? We’d love to hear your ideas! Please share them in the comments below!

Another great article on Increasing your Facebook Fanbase!

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/21-creative-ways-to-increase-your-facebook-fanbase/

 

Category: Facebook Fans / Tags: , , , , , , ,

How to Create a Facebook Deal

August 16, 2011 / hsmadmin / 16 comments

Earlier this year Facebook rolled out Facebook Deals, their version of Groupon. Businesses that have claimed their Place page on Facebook can now create a Deal. (By the way, your Place page and Business page can be merged, so that you do not have to manage the two pages separately… but more on that later!) These Deals are available to anyone who checks into your business on Facebook using a Smartphone. Businesses with active Deals appear with a small gold icon next to their name. After checking in, the Deal will appear on the screen of the Smartphone for the customer to show you in order to claim the Deal you are offering.

This is great for any businesses’ social media strategy! It’s important because after someone checks into your business it will show in the News Feed to notify all their friends! This potentially means more fans for your business page, and more customers for you!

There are currently four different types of Deals that you can offer an Individual Deal, Friend Deal, Loyalty Deal or Charity Deal. Facebook explains the differences as follows: Individual Deal – Reward individual customers when they check in at your business. Best for simple discounts or gifts with purchase, Friend Deal – Reward groups of customers when they check in together. Help spread the word about your business more rapidly, Loyalty Deal – Reward customers for visiting your business a certain number of times, similar to a traditional punch card, and the Charity Deal – Pledge to donate to a charity of your choice when customers check in at your business.

Here are screen shots of the step by step process to create your Deal!

 

Are you already using Facebook Deals? If so, which type of Deal are you using, and how is it going? Please comment below!

Category: Facebook Deals / Tags: , , ,
 
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