Posts Tagged ‘facebook for business’

Facebook Places Is a Valuable Small Business Marketing Channel

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

After months of hearing about foursquare and the rise of location-based social applications, Facebook decided to join the party. Back in August of 2010 Facebook released Facebook Places and the rest might well be history. Subscribers of this blog know how much we love location-based game foursquare, so before jumping in with our thoughts on Facebook Places, we wanted to give the new tool some time to show how effective it can be for small business owners. 5 months later, we are ready to say that Facebook Places will be a viable small business marketing channel. If you own a small business, it’s time to start really taking advantage of location-based marketing tools like foursquare, SCVNGR, and now Facebook Places.

Facebook: The Power of the Community

Facebook Places Small BusinessAfter the first 5 months, Facebook Places doesn’t really offer any new earth-shattering technology or features when compared with foursquare, and you could say that SCVNGR’s features blow both tools away. With that said, what Facebook Places currently lacks in WOW factor features is made up for by being backed by the biggest online community on the planet. Although foursquare is continuing to add new users faster, Facebook’s numbers are staggering. With so many small businesses already using their Facebook Business Page to connect & engage their prospects and customers, Facebook Places is a natural progression for those small businesses who see the power of Location Marketing.

Check-In at My Small Business on Facebook Places

Facebook Places allows prospects and customers to check-in at your business on Facebook. When a customer or prospect checks-in to your Place page that activity will end up in their friends’ News Feed. This is pretty powerful especially when many Facebook users have hundreds of Friends and some have thousands. That’s a lot of relevant eyeballs for your business. Oh and by the way, your business may already have a Facebook Places page, as users can add a Place if it’s not listed when they go to check-in. You should probably look into that. ;)

Small business owners should encourage customers and prospects to check-in on Facebook Places to capture the eyeballs that we discussed above, but also as a way to start getting to know the people who visit your store. When someone checks-in at your Place you can see who that person is, which means you can start engaging him or her around relevant topics about your business and industry.

There are a lot of other great features for small business owners to take advantage of with Facebook Places, but first you must claim your Facebook Place. This is a topic for another day. For now, hopefully this post has convinced you to start using Facebook Places to promote your small business. That doesn’t mean you should stop using foursquare and SCVNGR, it simply means that until we find out who the winner of this location marketing race will be, you should be using all of the tools that make sense for your business and your customers. At this point we are ready to say that Facebook Places deserves a spot alongside of the traditional location-based social tools like foursquare & SCVNGR.

We will discuss claiming your Facebook Place in a future post. When you claim your Facebook Place you will get access to even more features geared towards helping you promote your small business on Facebook.

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Posted in Facebook Marketing, location marketing | 5 Comments »

Use Your Facebook Status to Engage Your Customers

Saturday, November 27th, 2010

An engaged audience is a profitable audience. Engagement is the key to success with Social Media Marketing. Engagement is all about eliciting a response or action from your community. You want your community to be actively involved in your business. By getting them involved you’re giving them a stake in the game, a voice, a feeling of belonging to something… When you make your customers and prospects feel like what they say and do matters to you then those individuals are going to come to you when they have a need for your products or services. They are also going to help you spread the word about your business, which sometimes is more profitable for your business than their individual purchases. Getting your customers engaged in your online activities is a great way to “turn strangers into friends and friends into customers”.

Use Facebook More EffectivelyUsing your Facebook business page wall you can leave status updates for your community. Too many times small business owners use their wall as a microphone for shouting their message instead of a funnel for collecting responses from their community. The simple act of asking a question on your Facebook Wall can engage your audience to leave a response. The key is to post content that is relevant to your audience and to your small business and within the content there should be a call-to-action. By including a call-to-action you’re asking your audience to take part in an activity related to your business.

Here are just a few of the many actions that you can solicit from your prospects and customers through your Facebook Status:

  • Answer a question

  • Take part in a quick survey

  • Share the Facebook wall post with a friend or colleague

  • ‘LIKE’ the wall post

  • Leave a comment with their thoughts and/or opinions of the wall post

  • Stop by your store to take part in a big sale

  • Follow your small business on Twitter or any other social network that you’re on

  • Subscribe to your e-Newsletter

  • Download your latest brochure

  • Navigate to your blog or small business website

  • Participate in a contest or giveaway

  • Provide you with feedback on any aspect of your business

  • Purchase a product or service

As you can see there are numerous ways to use your Facebook wall to engage your online community. By getting your online community engaged in your Facebook activities you’re going to entice more new people to ‘LIKE’ your Facebook business page as people want to be a part of an active page, not one that has little to no activity OR one that only uses their Facebook business page as a microphone. Seemingly small tactics like using your Facebook status to engage your customers rather than as just another billboard for your small business can go a long way in converting prospects into customers and customers in long-time brand advocates.

If you need help developing a winning Facebook Marketing Strategy, check out our Social Catalyst™ product.

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Posted in Facebook Marketing | 12 Comments »

Create a Facebook Window Cling for Your Small Business

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Ever since we published the article Drive Traffic to Facebook with Facebook Window Clings we have been receiving a ton of emails and phone calls from business owners across the country who are looking to purchase a Facebook Window Cling from us. That would be a great return-on-investment story if the goal of that article was to drive sales of Facebook Window Clings. Unfortunately, we don’t sell Facebook Window Clings! :)

We actually wrote the post after we received a Facebook Window Cling for Catalyst Marketers. The package came from Facebook and we hadn’t done anything to request it. That led us to assume that Facebook was sending Window Clings out to all owners of a Facebook Business Page. And they very well could be doing that. With that said, we haven’t read any other articles about Facebook sending out the Window Clings. Due to the high demand of Facebook Window Clings from small business owners, and seemingly lack of supply from Facebook, we decided to write this follow-up article to help you create your very own Facebook Window Cling using VistaPrint.com.

Register for VistaPrint.com

Facebook MarketingThe first step in the process of creating your very own Facebook Window Cling for your business is to sign-up for VistaPrint.com. Registering for Vistaprint is free and pretty simple. Once you’ve registered successfully simply navigate to the left sidebar under the Business section. You’ll see the Signage category. Hover over “Signage” and a sub-menu will appear. Click “Window Decals”.

Design Your Facebook Window Cling

Vistaprint allows you to build your very own “Window Decal”. Vistaprint offers two decal sizes to choose from. You can also choose from their many different decal designs OR upload your own custom design (we definitely think the latter option is worth doing, but you would need to hire a designer and review Vistaprint’s specs). We recommend that you select a design from Vistaprint.

  • Step 1: Select a Style –> LARGE Window Cling
    • Create a Facebook Window Cling

  • Step 2: Choose How to Design It –> Browse our designs
    • Facebook Marketing

  • Step 3: Large Window Decals Pop-Up –> Click ‘Use your photos and logos” at the bottom of the pop-up

  • Step 4: Pick Any Design for Your Business –> We are going to select the one in the top right corner. See the image below to see the design that we selected.
    • Facebook Marketing Small Business

  • Step 5: Upload Your Image –> Upload the Facebook Logo. If you do not have a Facebook Logo, then simply use Google Images and search “Facebook Logo”. Download the version you’d like to use for your Facebook Window Cling.

  • Step 6: Enter your Text –> Fill in your Company Name | Company Message – Use the following “LIKE” Us on Facebook | Phone – Use the following “Your Company Name on Facebook” | Web/Other – Use your custom Facebook URL | Hours/Other – Write 1 sentence designed to drive customers to connect with you on Facebook right then & there from their mobile phone.

    • Social Media Marketing Agency Philadelphia

  • Step 7: Advanced Editing & Confirm all Copy is correct –> If you want to add more text, change fonts and colors, or move things around on your Facebook Window Cling then select Advanced Edit. Once you’re finished editing & reviewing your work, check the box to confirm that you approve the copy. Then click the ‘Next’ button.

  • Step 8: Select Options –> Choose the quantity of Facebook Window Clings that you want to purchase, as well as, select other options to add to your purchase.

  • Step 9: Display Options –> Choose how you want to apply your decal. You can create a Facebook Window Cling that’s applied to the inside or outside of the window. We are recommending that you select the first option; inside.
    • Facebook for business

  • Step 10: Checkout –> Now Vistaprint is going to ask you to purchase additional items. If you’re not interested then simply skip through the next three screens and proceed to checkout! For less than $14 you just created your very own Facebook Window Cling!

Facebook Window Cling for Your Small Business

By taking 5 minutes to read this article and then spending another 30 minutes (tops) creating a Window decal on Vistaprint.com you now have your very own Facebook Window Cling. You can place it on glass surfaces within your store in order to promote your business. A Facebook Window Cling is a great way to drive your customers to join your online community on Facebook. Once they are connected with you through your Facebook Business Page you can continue:

  • educating them about your products and services
  • building an even stronger relationship with them
  • turning them into brand advocates for your business
  • selling them your products and services

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Posted in Facebook Marketing | 5 Comments »

Add Social Media Links to the Websites Section on Facebook

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Are you using your Facebook business page to its fullest potential? Many small business owners simply create a Facebook page for their small business, and then expect it to “magically” attract fans & potential customers. Unfortunately, having a Facebook business page is not a silver bullet when it comes to building relationships with customers & prospects, and driving sales. It takes time, effort, and creativity to attract Facebook connections, and then engage those folks around your products, services, & philosophies. The absolute first thing that business owners should do when setting up their Facebook business page is to fully fill out their Facebook business profile.

The “Info” tab on your Facebook business page is extremely valuable to small business owners. This tab allows you to input all of the relevant information about your business. First you must fill out Facebook’s “Basic Info”, which is your physical location and store hours. Be SURE to input your physical location as local search is becoming extremely valuable these days. Having your location on your Facebook business page allows search engines to combine your business type, and your offerings, with a specific location. This helps drive QUALITY traffic to your Facebook business page.

Facebook Fan Page PromotionThe next section within the “Info” tab on your Facebook business page, which is entitled, “Detailed Info”, is what we really want to talk about with this post. This section allows you to input your “Websites”, among other things, such as parking availability for your business. The Websites section of the Info tab is EXTREMELY useful to small business owners. In this section, business owners should input ALL of their relevant web property URLs. For example, if your business has a presence on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and you have a company website & a company blog, then you should have every single one of those URLs in the “Websites” section of the Info tab on your Facebook business page.

Having all of your online properties in one place on your Facebook business page allows your Facebook connections to easily find your business on other sites that they might also be on. These are basically inbound marketing links that can drive traffic to your other web properties.

Are you taking full advantage of the Websites section within the Info tab on your Facebook business page?

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Posted in Facebook Marketing | No Comments »

Inbound Marketing with Sunbelt Granola

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Sunbelt Granola gets it. They are doing a lot of things right when it comes to Inbound Marketing. Sunbelt Granola is one of food manufacturer, McKee Foods’, brands. Whoever is charge of Marketing for McKee Foods Sunbelt Granola brand is doing a great job. I have to say, my guy Jimmy Matorin from Smartketing, and I have been talking for months about some major food manufacturers who just seem oblivious to Inbound Marketing, Mobile Marketing, and other technology-based ways to connect, and communicate with their customers. It’s refreshing to see Sunbelt Granola making Inbound Marketing work hard for their brand.

Sunbelt Granola produces whole grain, preservative free granola bars. They have identified their target audience as young, active kids and tweens. I’m assuming that part of Sunbelt Granola’s strategy is to connect with their target audience, build relationships with those folks, and ultimately sell more granola bars. In order to achieve their goals, Sunbelt Granola has launched a well thought out Inbound Marketing campaign. In this post, we’ll go through the four most critical steps that Sunbelt Granola took in order to reach, and connect with, their customers.

Identify a Target Audience

Sunbelt Granola claims that their granola bars provide customers with some quick energy. Granola bars are viewed as a quick and healthy snack. Many people enjoy granola bars, but Sunbelt Granola decided to focus on the youth market. I’m sure they’ve done a lot of market research and made the conscious decision that this market had the most potential for them. Now that they know what their customer looks like, it’s time to start the Campaign Development progress.

Partner with a Community Organization

Food Manufacturer Content MarketingSunbelt Granola decided to partner with US Youth Soccer. I’m sure they figure that many of our youth play soccer – it’s a popular sport across the entire country (unlike, say, ice hockey, which is popular only in certain subsets across the US). Partnering with a community organization like US Youth Soccer provides a number of benefits to Sunbelt Granola. With that said, it’s up to Sunbelt Granola to develop a campaign around this new partnership.

If you want to partner with a community organization or a non-profit, be sure to do your due dilligence before deciding which organization is the best possible partner for you. First, identify a number of organizations. Next, meet with decision makers from each of those organizations. Then, determine which organization best aligns with your goals, and your ideals or philanthropic philosophies. When searching for a partner, it’s also important to select an organization that aligns to your target audience. In Sunbelt Granola’s case, they chose to partner with US Youth Soccer, as the US Youth Soccer organization caters to the same audience as Sunbelt, young kids and tweens.

Develop an Inbound Marketing Campaign

As we wrote about briefly above, the goals for Sunbelt Granola are probably to connect with their target audience, build relationships with those folks, and ultimately sell more granola bars. In order to achieve those goals, Sunbelt Granola decided to use an Inbound Marketing campaign. They have also decided to partner with US Youth Soccer to tie in some Cause Marketing tactics. Sunbelt Granola determined that the best way to reach their target audience was to use their own product packaging as a vehicle for building awareness and driving action. The goal is to get youth to connect with Sunbelt Granola online, which they can easily do since Sunbelt Granola has put their website link on the box, along with mentioning that they are on Facebook & Twitter as well. Now their target audience knows just how to connect with Sunbelt Granola online.

Leverage Online Tools to Engage Your Target Audience

Food Manufacturer Content MarketingSunbelt Granola has done a masterful job at using product packaging to promote their social sites. With that said, their job is not over yet, now it’s time to engage their target audience, learn from them, build trust and relationships with them, so that eventually, those folks become brand loyalists and influencers. This ultimately leads Sunbelt Granola to their ultimate goal of selling more granola bars.

Lets dive into the Inbound Marketing campaign that Sunbelt Granola is using to achieve their organizational goals. Sunbelt Granola is marketing their granola bars to youth soccer players because they know that youth soccer players are their target audience. They have partnered with US Youth Soccer to run their Free Kicks Campaign. As part of the campaign, Sunbelt Granola knows that they have to offer youth soccer players something of value in exchange for any actions that they hope those folks will take. In the case of the Free Kicks Campaign, Sunbelt Granola is providing unique codes on the top of each box of granola bars. Customers can take that code, go to SunbeltFreeKicks.com, register, input their code, and take a free kick on the Sunbelt Granola online soccer game. Customers who score a goal, win a $25 shopping spree at Soccer.com (another strategic partner of Sunbelt Granola).

Even if customers do not win the free shopping spree, there are two other offers that customers receive when they enter their code on SunbeltFreeKicks.com. Each code that gets entered earns cash for the customer’s youth soccer club. The website has already integrated all of the soccer clubs around the country in order to make it EASY for customers to select their club. Sunbelt was able to get access to this information through their partnership with US Youth Soccer.

On top of a potential free shopping spree and earning cash for their soccer club, customers of Sunbelt Granola can win $1,000 as part of a monthly cash drawing. They can also win up to $2,500 through two semi-annual drawings. That’s a lot of cash just for entering one code. Each code customers enter is another chance to win all three offers. If I was a youth soccer player, I know I’d participate.

Once there’s a solid offer in place, it’s up to Sunbelt Granola to engage their customers when they start registering at SunbeltFreeKicks.com. Sunbelt Granola is actively adding their target audience to their email marketing list. Hopefully some of those folks also connected with Sunbelt on Facebook and Twitter as well. Sunbelt can now begin the relationship-building process with each individual customer. I’m not sure how Sunbelt is going about this process, but if they’ve set it up with as much attention to detail as they’ve done with the rest of the campaign, I’d imagine they are well on their way to building some strong customer relationships with the youth of America.

Inbound Marketing for a Small Business

Seeing Inbound Marketing campaigns like this really gets me psyched. I love it when large organizations ‘get it’. The one thing I hope to see in the future from Sunbelt Granola, and I know my man Jimmy Matorin would as well, is a mobile component. Sunbelt Granola’s target audience is one of the biggest segments of mobile users in the country. They can roll out a text campaign or even create an iPhone application from their online game. There’s so much potential with mobile, so hopefully they are in the planning phase of getting their mobile channel ready.

If you are not a large food manufacturer with the resources of Sunbelt Granola, that’s OK. Use their Inbound Marketing campaign as your guide. Find creative ways to execute your campaign within your budget. Their are a ton of free online tools out there to help you in your quest. It’s easier than ever before for small businesses to compete with the big boys. If you’re an avid reader of this blog, then you know that all it takes to run a highly successful Inbound Marketing campaign is a little creativity, a solid plan, and the right online tools. You can make it happen, just like Sunbelt Granola!

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Posted in Inbound Marketing | 2 Comments »

Drive Traffic to Facebook with Facebook Window Clings

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

In the never ending search for new ways to drive traffic to your Facebook business page, Facebook is now helping Small Business Owners with this task. With the arrival of the new Facebook changes last month, with the biggest being the switch from “becoming a fan of a Facebook page” to indicating that you ‘Like” a Facebook page, Facebook is taking their efforts offline. Here at Catalyst Marketers, we just received our first ever Facebook Window Cling. Have you received your Facebook Window Cling yet?

UPDATE: Due to the heavy demand for Facebook Window Clings we have written a follow-up article which shows you how to create a Facebook Window Cling for less than $14.

Catalyst Marketers Facebook Window ClingFirst, let’s define what a Window Cling is. Basically, a Window Cling is a sign that you can adhere to any window. Facebook realizes that business owners are looking for ways to drive traffic to their Facebook page. Facebook loves that business owners are spending time to drive traffic for Facebook, and to help in this effort, the Facebook Window Cling was born.

The Facebook Window Cling provides customers and passersby with your unique Facebook URL. If you haven’t created your unique Facebook URL yet, definitely take some time to do so – You need at least 25 people to Like your Facebook page before you can create the unique URL. By using the Facebook Window Cling to let folks know that you’re on Facebook, and by providing them with your custom Facebook URL, you WILL drive more people to your small business Facebook page. Of those, a percentage of them will Like your page, and then you can begin the relationship-building process.

Text LIKE CatalystMarketers to 32665

The other component that you’ll notice from the Facebook Window Cling image above is the Text component. I think this is a really good add by Facebook. Facebook understands how HUGE mobile communication and mobile commerce is becoming, and they, like everyone else, want to capitalize on it. Now, even if someone doesn’t have a smart phone that connects to the Internet, they can instantly Like your business page on Facebook by sending a text message. Pretty dope, huh? So, if you haven’t done so already, please text ‘Like CatalystMarketers’ to 32665 to indicate that you Like the Catalyst Marketers Facebook business page. :)

Where Should I Place My Facebook Window Cling?

Get creative here…A few places you might consider right off the bat are:

  • On the rear windshield of your vehicle
  • On your store window – The Facebook Window Cling should be visible to all patrons upon entering or walking past your store
  • On a local partner’s store window – If you partner with other local businesses in the area, perhaps they can put up your Facebook Window Cling in their store, and you can put up their Cling in your store. A little cross promotion action.

No matter where you place your Facebook Window Cling, be sure to take advantage of it, and other unique ways of driving traffic to your Facebook business page. Just because you’re on Facebook, doesn’t mean that people are going to automatically connect with you. It takes creativity and a little bit of effort on your part. Be sure that all of your customers know that you’re on Facebook. The first step could be for you to utilize your very own Facebook Window Cling.

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Posted in Facebook Marketing | 13 Comments »

Salon Owners Create Facebook Cards on REDKEN.com

Friday, April 30th, 2010

The other day we published another installment of the Hosting Your Own Local Fashion Show Blog Series. We received a comment from James Jordan of Matthew Ray Salon. James has published a few very insightful comments on our blog over the past few months, which we very much appreciate James, and this one was no different. James let our readers know that over on Redken.com, salon owners can create their very own Facebook Marketing Cards. We thought that this was a really great value-add from Redken, so we wanted to do some digging. This post is the fruits of our labor…

Facebook Marketing CardFirst, let’s quickly define what Facebook Marketing Cards are. I’m not sure if Redken coined the term or not, but basically, these cards are printed cards that have the Facebook logo and Facebook fan page URL on them. All business owners should have some sort of take-home card that they give their customers at check-out. On the card should be the URLs for each online social tool that you have a presence on, as well as, your blog URL and website URL. This is a great way to drive fans and followers to your online social tools. The catch is, business owners don’t have time to go out and find a company to help them create and produce these Social Media Cards. By Redken making the service available to their target audience, who in this case are salon owners, they are providing a ton of value to their customers. Other organizations will hopefully capitalize on this and create a service that all business owners can take advantage of. VistaPrint would be an ideal candidate. Does anyone know if VistaPrint.com offers a service like this?

Redken sells hair products and services. Many of their customers are salon owners. Those salon owners purchase Redken products and then sell them retail in their salons to the ultimate end users, consumers. Salon owners also purchase Redken products to use in their salon. In the never ending search to always be creating more and more value for their customers, Redken realized how beneficial Facebook was becoming for Salon owners. They capitalized on this trend by providing salon owners with the ability to create “Facebook Marketing Cards” through their “Professional Site” on Redken.com.

Redken has created a number of business tools on their Professional site, all geared towards salon owners. Some of these tools and information are free, and others, like the Facebook Marketing Cards, are for sale. By understanding the needs of their target audience, which in this case were access to business tools, and more specifically, a tool that provides an easy way for salon owners to promote their business on Facebook, Redken was able to add value to their relationship with salon owners. Even though salon owners have to pay for their Facebook Marketing Cards, Redken still provides them with an easy way to produce them. When you print marketing materials, you’re always going to have some costs, so Redken is still providing value even though they are passing through the print costs for the Facebook Marketing Cards — Good for them if they can make a little profit off of it as well — that’s what business is about.

Create a Facebook Marketing Card on Redken.com

The first step is to Register on Redken.com Professional Site. It’s an easy process and it’s free. Once you’ve registered, you now have access to everything on the Redken Professional Site. To create your Facebook Marketing Card, simply follow this path: Click on Grow My Business –> My Business Toolbox –> Salon Essentials –> Facebook Cards

Redken Business Tools for Salon Owners

Redken has made it very easy for salon owners to create materials that help them promote their Facebook fan page. The service benefits both Redken and salon owners. Hopefully salon owners take advantage of their ability to create Facebook Marketing Cards on Redken.com. Thanks again to James Jordan for letting us know about this service!

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Posted in Facebook Marketing | 1 Comment »

Do You Thank New Facebook Fans of Your Small Business Fan Page?

Monday, April 12th, 2010

A lot of people ask me how to make REAL connections on Facebook (and other social media sites). My response is always the same, build your online relationships just as you would build real world relationships. As you know, it takes time to build a solid relationship with someone in the real world, and the same holds true with online relationships. Relationships are usually forged based on mutual respect, similar interests, and connecting personalities. I’m sure that in your offline world, you are polite when interacting with your friends, business contacts, and your family. You should use that same approach when building online relationships on Facebook. Today’s post is all about being polite and respectful when interacting with fans and customers on Facebook.

Social Media Marketing FacebookMore times than I care to count, I hear people talking about how important it is to have a large QUANTITY of Facebook fans without much regard to the QUALITY of the relationship with those fans. Many times, engagement is an afterthought. Here at Catalyst Marketers, we believe in Quality over Quantity. Yes, we want to have a large number of fans too, but what we really want is a strong relationship with each and every fan. More times that not, the first interaction we have with a fan is a Thank You message that we send them after they’ve become a fan.

Every time we check the Catalyst Marketers Facebook fan page we check to see if there are any new fans. If we do have a new fan, we take 2 minutes to send that individual a Thank You message. We click on the fan’s profile and then under their profile picture, we select “Send a message” (not everyone allows for messages to be sent, so if you don’t see it, you can’t send that fan a message). We then open a ‘New Facebook Fan Script’ that we have saved as a Text File on the computer, copy/paste the content into the message, customize it (name and anything else that makes sense) for each new fan, ensure the link to our blog is active, and click ‘Send’. It’s that easy and I have to say, we get a great response from it.

The big time-saver is the script that we created. We created it for our first fan, saved out the copy, and now we use it for each new fan. If you want to get even more personal, you can manually craft a new message for each fan, but we think it makes sense to have some standard language that we can add to for each fan. If you’d like, you can use our New Facebook Fan Script as a guide for creating a script that meets your needs.

In your New Facebook Fan Script, you should consider having these main elements:

  • Subject line has the words ‘Thank You’ in them to help with open rates
  • Add the fan’s first name
  • Open with a sentence or two thanking him/her for becoming a Facebook fan
  • Set expectations on what the fan can expect to find on your small business Facebook fan page
  • Include a call-to-action (ie. take part in discussions, check out our blog, etc)
  • Close with your name and a link to your website or blog

If you follow the steps above, and begin to create QUALITY Facebook fan relationships, then you’re going to see an uptick in conversions from Facebook fans to customers. The steps for building a quality online relationship on Facebook are the same steps that you take when building a real world relationship. Being polite, by thanking each new Facebook fan, is a great way start to building a QUALITY relationship with Facebook Fans.

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Posted in Online Marketing | 4 Comments »

How Social Media Marketing Can Help Promote Your Salon

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Check out my interview with Glen Andrews on Blog Talk Radio. Simply click the Blog Talk Radio image below. We discussed how Salon owners can use social media and other online tools to reach more people, build relationships with customers & prospects, and drive sales. Please leave me some feedback on how you think the interview went.

During the recording, Blog Talk Radio experienced technical difficulties, so Glen couldn’t hear me at first. We aren’t able to alter the file, so you may want to listen to the 1st minute and then mute it until 2 minutes & 45 seconds in (or just wait, but definitely don’t leave the page – I do come on).

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Posted in Online Marketing | 4 Comments »

Jay-Z Built a Following to Build his Business

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

"Had a couple of meetings no offers yet,
Maybe I ain’t good enough for these offices,
Back to the drawing board ducking officers,
It’s all good cuz the streets is A&R’ing this,
So with or without any of your involvement,
I’m coming for all of this, respect my conglomerate,
I went from pauper to the President"
- Jay-Z “So Ambitious” from Blueprint 3

A little hip hop first…I have to say I’m a big Jay-Z fan. Growing up I always listened to BIG and remember PAC slamming Jay-Z on a few songs, so I never really gave Jay enough of a chance. A decade later, I think he’s one of the greatest lyricists of all time. Just look at his latest song, So Ambitious. Talk about pumping you up as a business owner…

"Motivation for me was them telling me what I could not be,
Oh well, I’m so ambitious…
No matter what the conditions,
Forget the personal issues
When you been what I been through,
Hey if you believe it,
Then you could conceive it."

Not only are Jay-Z’s lyrics incredibly motivational, but they hit on a big change in business today. Through the internet, and more specifically, social media and other online tools, people have been able to connect with other like-minded individuals in a way that we have never seen before in history. What that has done is even the playing field for entrepreneurs and startups when it comes to competing with larger organizations with bigger bank accounts. If you can build a large following, the big competitors will have to begin paying attention. Just listen to how Jay-Z became successful.

Jay tells us in his lyrics from So Ambitious when he says, "Had a couple of meetings no offers yet, Maybe I ain’t good enough for these offices, Back to the drawing board ducking officers, It’s all good cuz the streets is A&R’ing this, So with or without any of your involvement, I’m coming for all of this, respect my conglomerate, I went from pauper to the President". When he says, "the streets is A&R’ing this", he is telling the big record labels who wouldn’t sign him that it’s OK, he has built a following of supporters and through their support, he is building his own successful brand.

American business used to be built on selling products and services, but now things have changed through the advent of online tools. They allow entrepreneurs to sell nothing but ideas. Ideas that other people across the world can get behind. As the idea spreads, people will find a way to monetize it if it isn’t already generating revenue. Need more evidence that this change is occurring? Hearing Jay-Z talk about it and me write about it just hasn’t convinced you? ;) No problem.

Check out Seth Godin’s "Tribes". Seth talks about the power of building your tribe. Seth Godin is, in my opinion, the leading marketing thinker on the planet, so I tend to give a lot of credibility what he says and writes about. If you’d like even more evidence of this change, look at Twitter. The micro-blogging service is supposedly valued at $1 billion after their recent round of funding. Twitter doesn’t generate any revenue at this point, though they have left the door open for future advertising initiatives. What they do have is millions of users who love their service. Twitter is literally changing how numerous industries do business. So not only is Twitter a great example, along with Jay-Z, as to how building a following is a legitimate way to become a successful business, but the service it provides actually allows entrepreneurs to do the exact same thing!

So go buy the Blueprint 3, listen to So Ambitious, and start building a tribe for your business today. Take advantage of the many free online tools out there like Twitter and Seth Godin’s Squidoo. Let us know if you have any questions about what social media tools to use.

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