How to use Facebook Local

Like Google+ Local, and Qype and Foursquare before it; Facebook is getting into the local mobile search area with its new Facebook Nearby effort.

The social media’s mobile phone apps on both IOS and Android have now incorporated Foursquare style functionality and allows users to find and rate businesses in the local area, and even review them. The new addition also allows them to see where their friends have checked in and also search for local business by name or type.

With over 500m mobile users worldwide, Facebook offer significant potential and this change makes it even more central to any SoLoMo strategy you have. So, let’s see how to best integrate it.

Create and Claim

Visibility is first and foremost. To ensure you can be seen on the new Facebook Nearby you’ll need to claim or create the Place and Business pages and add the relevant details, which include phone, email, address, opening hours etc. When this is done users can rate your business and this in turn helps rankings on Nearby search results.

You will also require a Facebook Place page for the physical location of the business. This allows you to see what visitors are saying, doing and any recommendations or check-ins. It’s quite easy to do.

Pages

The page is also a necessity and it should be created with keyword rich content as Google can index it. This means it can be used to provide information to potential customers and if liked can be used to share content. It can also be merged with the aforementioned Facebook Place page.

Merging

Merging is not available to all businesses as of yet, but you will be prompted by the site if it is possible to do so – so, keep an eye out if it’s not yet an option. One thing to note is that only single locations and pages can be merged currently. So, if your business has a number of locations it cannot be merged together as of yet.

Of course, once the pages are merged, people who Like one or the other will be able to see photos, details and information for both. Also, if they Like your business via Nearby, they will also like your business page and you’ll pop up on their Newsfeed from now on.

Results

As we’ve hinted, the results and your position during local search are dictated by the number of stars, check-ins and other information. These actions inform Facebook on what businesses to showcase in the app for others in the area.

So, to make the most of the feature you will have to encourage fans to check-in and also to provide stars. Incentives, such as a free desert with a check-in or encouragement on the form of in-store signs and Facebook posts and emails all help to encourage this and improve your ranking locally.

The potential for Facebook Nearby is significant thanks to its app integration, Facebook’s huge user base and other factors. So, for 2013 it’s definitely worth considering it in your New Year social media resolutions.

Gaining Facebook engagement through photos

This article was originally written by Sam Zastrow for Social Media Today. You can read the original here.

Several months ago, I realized our Facebook page was, well, kind of bad. Sure, we had optimized the page, added a Timeline photo and were posting regularly. But we weren’t getting the kind of engagement required to help our page realize its full inbound marketing potential. As a new, inexperienced social media manager at an agency that touts its expertise in social media marketing, it was my job to make sure our page was serving its purpose as a branding tool and piece of our overall marketing strategy.

I started by taking a look at what bigger brands were having success with on their pages and adding social media marketing blogs to my daily reading. My biggest initial takeaway was the fact that photos seemed to be driving a ton of Likes and comments for both the big brands and social media marketers. With all the changes Facebook had made in the last year or so to make its network more photo-friendly, it seemed logical that photos should provide the core for a winning social media marketing strategy.

Around the same time, I got my first smart phone (I know, I know) and a friend introduced me to Instagram, then a hot new social network that allowed users to take, upload, edit and share photos on the fly. I thought it was pretty neat, and it turned out we already had an Instagram account set up for the agency. My boss had his eyes dilated that week, and almost without thinking about it, I “Instagram’d” a photo of him wearing sunglasses while working and posted it to Facebook with a snarky caption.

Much to my delight, that silly photo got more engagement than almost any update we had previously posted. Thus began my obsession with a photo-driven social media marketing strategy, which I’ve outlined below.

1. Integrate Instagram with your page to give fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your business

While its marketing capacity is limited, Instagram is a great branding tool, especially for small companies. I say this because at many small businesses, personal relationships are a driving force in business-customer interactions. Chances are, your most loyal customers (those who are most likely to interact with your page) know a lot of people who work at your company. If they see someone they know in a photo you post to Facebook using Instagram or another photo uploader, they’re more likely to comment on or Like the photo.

Additionally, behind-the-scenes shots like the one I snapped of my boss give your followers the feeling that they’re getting exclusive content by following your Page. It gives followers a reason to come back to your page.

2. Attach an image to link posts

Our biggest problem with our Facebook presence before I started putting an effort into it was the fact that most of our posts were just plain boring. Blog posts can be really exciting, but when they’re shared as a headline with a link and Facebook’s lame pop-down preview, they’re certainly not going to catch anyone’s eye.

You can get around this problem by attaching an image to each post. By doing so, you’re ensuring your post takes up more room on news feeds and at least gets your fans to notice that it’s there, rather than merely skipping over it. Ideally, people will see the photo, click on it and then follow your link.

Hubspot does a nice job using eye-catching photos to draw attention to their link posts.

It’s best to use commercially available photos instead of any old photo you find on the internet to avoid legal issues, so use Creative Commons to search for commercial photos on photo search engines like Flickr. Also, do realize photos appearing on your fans’ news feeds look different when they appear on your page; 403 pixels by 403 pixels works best for both.

3. Include a screenshot of your content when you post a link to it

I stole this one from Social Media Examiner. They include screenshots with almost all of their blog posts.

Including a screenshot of your blog post (or of the first page of your eBook, for example) serves as sort of a teaser: it encourages your fans to click through to your website. Once again, just make sure your screenshot isn’t too big to display on your page properly.

One last thing: is there such a thing as too many photos? I think so. Facebook marketing queen Mari Smith recommends including a photo with 90% of your posts, but I think that may be pushing it, especially given Facebook’s recent move against link and photo posts. Still, recent research from Hubspot indicates photo posts tend to draw significantly more engagement, so don’t be afraid to include photos with a hefty majority of your posts.

Increasing User Engagement on Facebook

If you use Facebook as a tool for promoting your business or brand, then you have probably noticed that Facebook has recently updated its EdgeRank, also known as its News Feed Algorithm.

Facebook is not trying to hide the fact that they want businesses to start paying to promote their posts. It is in Facebook's best interests if your posts are not showing up in people's newsfeeds. They want you to pay to have your posts appear there.

 

You might wonder if there is any hope in getting your posts noticed in Facebook's newsfeeds without having to pay to promote them. While it is not possible to have your posts appear to everyone who has "liked" your page (even if you pay to promote them), it is possible to improve your chances of having your posts noticed by keeping these tips in mind.

 

Keep Your Fans Coming Back for More

 

Many people post whatever comes into their head on Facebook, even on their business pages. Before you post, ask yourself if this is something that your fans would really be interested in seeing. The more posts your fans ignore, the less likely it is that your future posts will appear in their newsfeeds. Many people who "like" a page on Facebook never visit the page again. To get people coming back to your page, your content must be truly engaging.

 

Remember that negative interaction with your fans can actually count against you. If your fans think you are spamming them they can report your posts to Facebook, further reducing your chances of your future posts being seen.

 

So how do you get your Facebook fans to interact with your business page? First let's look at what Facebook's EdgeRank algorithm is measuring.

 

Facebook's EdgeRank Algorithm

 

EdgeRank takes into consideration how much you interact with your fans. The more interaction the better, especially if your fans are actively interacting with you by "liking" and commenting on your posts.

 

The EdgeRank algorithm also looks at what type of interaction your fans are having with your page. It gives greater weight to comments than "likes", and the more comments the better.

 

The algorithm looks at how long ago a post was created. The more recent the post, the more weight it is given.

 

It is important to remember that the more fans you have the better. If you have a big fan base and are showing ongoing interaction with your fans, the EdgeRank algorithm gives more weight to your Facebook updates.

 

Create Engaging Content

 

Before you post on your Facebook page, ask yourself what your fans would like to see. It is easy to fill your page with links to your web site or blog, which is not necessarily bad, but if your fans are not interacting with your posts, think about how you can vary or improve your content to generate more interest.

 

Images have been shown to create more fan engagement than just text links. People like to look at photos, and if you post some interesting pictures that people can relate to, they will be much more likely to leave a comment.

 

One of the most effective ways to get people to respond is to ask a question. Try to think of questions that many people can relate to. People like to talk about themselves, so ask a question that will get them talking about what is important to them. Their responses may just give you some ideas for new posts or articles.

 

When people do leave comments on your page, make sure to respond to their comments. Show your fans that you care about their thoughts and that you will respond to their questions and comments.

 

Contests and giveaways are also effective ways to increase fan engagement on your Facebook page. People always love to win things, and they will keep checking your page to see if they have won.

 

Time Posts to Increase User Engagement

 

Remember that most people are not logged into Facebook all day. Try to time your posts to the times of day when people are most likely to be checking their newsfeeds, such as first thing in the morning, at lunch time, and after dinner.

 

Unfortunately, there is no way to completely understand Facebook's EdgeRank algorithm. Facebook is slowly moving toward a pay-to-play model and business owners will either have to adapt to the new model or find another way to promote their businesses. Don't forget that creating useful, engaging content, however, will go a long way toward getting your posts viewed by more of your Facebook fans. 

http://socialmediatoday.com/drip007/964571/increasing-user-engagement-facebook

Reality Television and Facebook?

Reality TV on Facebook

A Chance to Dance is a new American reality show that will become the first show to air both on a cable channel and Facebook.

The move taken by the show’s producers, Nigel and Simon Lythgoe, highlights their ambitions to generate more of a buzz and subsequently capitalise on this with improved audience ratings. It has been recognised, particularly from the recent Olympics, that viewers are often online whilst they watch, contributing to various social media sites. This is something that television companies could really look to harness and reality TV seems a perfect start.

Although there have been increasing steps to combine social media with reality TV in recent times, this move is the ultimate step and may see the show really prosper. In similar shows, Twitter has been utilised to involve the audience, creating hashtags to spark conversation and debate. In A Chance to Dance, Facebook viewers will be able to post comments and chat about the show, answer trivia questions, get access to exclusive footage and witness interviews with the producers. Clearly, the combination of the two will immerse viewers even more than before and will hopefully help build a bigger audience.

By targeting fans of the previous shows American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, the producers hope to see a large proportion of Facebook viewers during the shows air. These viewers will be required to pay $1.99 per show or $11.99 for seven episodes. The network company Ovation will not be using the Facebook credit service and will instead opt to use credit card or Paypal transactions.

Facebook credits

The decision not to utilise this service signifies part of a growing trend which recognises the relative inoperability of the service. Reality show Big Brother has experienced a great amount of difficulty with the service and recently had to completely suspend it for one eviction. Facebook themselves have begun to move away from the service, choosing to use actual money in their Bingo and Slots Friendzy games. The Financial Times has reported that Facebook are likely to discontinue the service ‘at the end of the year after hearing from merchants that the 30 per cent cut it took on transactions was unpalatable’.

Social media and other shows

Having Facebook stream live shows does make a lot of sense in the reality TV world but if this were to branch into other areas it could have detrimental effects. With reality TV, arguably the shows don’t require a great amount of concentration and social media lends itself to the format as viewers can voice their opinions and feel part of the programme. Conversely, if a new drama were to be aired on Facebook, viewers are likely to not pay it their full attention, possibly missing significant information and superior camera work. Whilst social media can be beneficial in generating the hype, perhaps keep these shows to television. In spite of this, viewers could be online anyway during watching a show. Either way, it is difficult to see credible shows turning to social media as another way to stream their shows.

It will be intriguing though, to see whether this move will be mirrored by other shows in the future. Were it to prove a success with A Chance to Dance, then it is likely to be seen again. Hopefully, were this to be the case, the shows would be given the same attention as if it were shown on television.

What do you see as the future for television and social media?

Driving Traffic to your Blog or Site - Jargon Free!

In today's uber-competitive and ever-growing online business industry, getting traffic to your site can mean the difference between having your company flop so hard that you lose everything, or, quite conversely - having it blossom and potentially gaining a host of new clients!

So the first step is simple (assuming you've already got your business a webpage of it's own).
You advertise it. 
Now I don't mean spam other businesses or your Facebook friends with links saying 'click this, click this!'. I think we can all agree that's just bad etiquette. Instead, it's good to start by finding other similar businesses or blogs online within your niche or expertise. Do they have a forum? Do they allow comments on their page? 
If so - why not read what others in your business area are talking about, and what the latest news is within your niche? Engage others and maybe have a discussion on your opinions and feelings on whatever topic it is that you're talking about. Most forums and blogs that allow you to comment have a simple set-up when you write your post. They'll ask for your name, your e-mail address and then they'll ask (and this is the important bit) for your website. This is where the magic happens. You will link back to your website here, and then others can choose to click that link if they wish. This is called 'Back-linking'.

Back-linking plays a very important role in online business; especially if you're running a business from home or utilising a blogging platform (which I assume you are, since you're reading my blog right now).
I won't go into the small and frivolous details of it, but the reason you'll want to back-link is because of something called 'SEO' (Search Engine Optimisation).
What SEO means, for you - is that search engines, such as Google or Bing will check your website every day, and automatically check how many back links your site has leading to it (from other sites or forums) and put simply - the more back-links you have; the higher your website will rank when people search for whatever business it is you run.

For example, say you're running a home business like I am, and that your business sells stationary to other businesses or individuals. If you've been commenting and posting on other websites, linking your own - then Google will see this and put you higher up on the search page every time somebody searches for 'Home stationary company' or 'Home business stationary' and other combinations of whatever it that your business site is about.

So remember, the key to getting views on your site - which in turn mean more customers or clients, is first finding other similar businesses and engaging people that are interested in your niche.