You won’t be after watching this…
Archive for November, 2009
Facebook recently unveiled a new feature that allows Facebook Fan Page administrators to publish customized status updates, including links, photos, and videos, to fans based on their geographic location.
Admins will now see an icon next to their Share button which allows them to narrow down their status update audience by Country, State, City, and even their language. If your fans don’t fall within the limits that you set, they will not be able to see your status update; not now, not ever.
This new feature is not only useful for larger brands with consumers spanning the globe who can use the feature to speak to customers in their native language; it will also be of use to any brand that has customers in multiple cities or states. Running a promotion in a specific region? Opening a new store location? Want feedback from consumers who shop in a specific city? Just target these, and other, updates to the fans that will most benefit from your message, without cluttering up the streams of those who aren’t relevant.
By geo-targeting and making your messages more relevant to consumers, you will not only be able to connect with them on a more personal level, you’ll be more likely to succeed at empowering them to take action.
-Kim, @kimberwom
So you finally decided to Google your company…
First search result: Your company’s website. *check*
Second search result: Your company’s Facebook Fan Page. *double check*
Third search result: A listing for your company on Yelp.com - arguably, the most popular online consumer review site… *Rut’ro, Scoob!*
You do a little scanning and find that there are absolutely no negative reviews written about your business. *nice!*
Bad news is that there are no reviews at all. *hmph*
So what do you do?
Not this:
Paying people to write reviews for you is not only unethical, but it’s also illegal. You could get into a world of trouble if the FTC finds you breaking this very simple rule.
So what CAN you do to get the reviews flowing in?
First step, make sure your product or service is buzz worthy. Would you want to talk about your business?
Second, go above and beyond to make sure your customers remember you. You may only get one shot to capture their attention - make sure every moment is memorable.
Third, put the reviews in their hands. This is arguably the simplest, yet most passed over means of acquiring new reviews. If they’ve had a good experience with you, your customers will be willing to buzz about you - they just need to know how and where to do so. Tell them where to go to review your business. It’s as simple as that.
And always remember that writing online reviews can take a considerable amount of time. Consumers have to find a review site with a listing for the appropriate business, create an account and then craft a well-written review….so don’t take their reviews for granted!
- Ryan, @ryanatmgh
*Image courtesy of Gawker.com*
Earlier this week, Facebook threw a curveball to companies using fan pages to promote their business. Up until now, an integral part of attracting fans and encouraging participation, on a large number of fan pages, has been creating fun contests and promotions for fans to participate in. Facebook has now made this a nearly impossible task.
According to new guidelines posted on November 4th, the following are the basic dos and don’ts of Facebook contests:
- You cannot: Condition entry in the promotion upon a user providing content on Facebook, such as making a post on a profile or Page, status comment or photo upload.
- You can: Use a third party application to condition entry to the promotion upon a user providing content. For example, you may administer a photo contest whereby a user uploads a photo through a third-party application to enter the contest.
- You cannot: Administer a promotion that users automatically enter by becoming a fan of your Page.
- You can: Only allow fans of your Page to access the tab that contains the third-party application for the promotion.
- You cannot: Notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles or Pages.
- You can: Collect an address or email through the third-party application for the promotion in order to contact the winner by email or standard mail.
- You cannot: Instruct people (in the rules or elsewhere) to sign up for a Facebook account before they enter the promotion.
- You can: Instruct users to visit the third-party application to enter the promotion Since users must have a Facebook account in order to access an application on the Facebook Platform, if you give this instruction, they will be prompted to sign up for a Facebook account if they do not already have one.
As you can see, these new regulations significantly hinder companies, especially small businesses, from taking full advantage of the Facebook platform. We are currently trying to get to the root of these changes and figure out Facebook’s motivation behind them. In the mean-time, please leave your thoughts and comments about the changes and what it could mean for businesses.
-Rusty
@RussWalters
So you’ve started using social media to reach out to current and potential customers, but, what about your employees, or, more importantly, your future employees? How can you begin using social media tools to effectively tap into that unknown pool of talent?
We’ve assembled a list of the top four social tools that companies can use to attract potential employees.
1. Facebook allows you to connect with and recruit young professionals by maintaining a company page with the latest job information. By viewing the profiles of your fans, you can dig deeper into someone’s personality than a typical resume allows. If this doesn’t work, run a Facebook ad specifically targeting people with an age range and keywords.
2. Your Twitter followers offer a wealth of opportunity. Use your account to notify followers when a position opens in your company. With a few retweets you can reach hundreds of potentially qualified individuals (It works! I found this internship via Twitter.)
3. Scour LinkedIn for recruits in your area and industry at your leisure. User profiles detail past experiences, current jobs, and future goals. Many also include professional recommendations, which can give you insight to a potential employee’s work ethic and habits before meeting with them.
4. Post available positions on college or industry-specific message boards and online marketplaces like Craigslist. These online venues are becoming two-way streets of communication between employers and job-seekers. As an employer you can browse uploaded resumes and respond directly to the posts which interest you. And by searching industry-specific boards you can find those most passionate about their work.
The main point is to make the most of your current networks. You have invested time and effort into building a strong presence for your company online; don’t be afraid to take full advantage of what you built when recruiting applicants.
Here are a few college/professional job boards to get your recruitment process started.
http://www.collegejobboard.com/cjb/index.cfm
http://www.thejobplanet.com/
http://koda.us/
http://www.prsa.org/jobcenter
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