Who remembers, “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”?? I couldn’t resist. Okay, nevermind…
Facebook is switching us all over to business fan pages on TIMELINE by Friday of this week. …Whether we like it or not. Honestly, the more I talk to my clients about it, the more they like it! I believe the opposition is simply lacking the education around Timeline.
I love the new Timeline design! It just makes sense to me. I have been explaining Timeline as a sort of virtual scrapbook. You wouldn’t want to put every day of your life in your scrapbook. The same is true for Timeline. In backing, Facebook is using terms like “Life Events” and “Milestones” within Timeline. For businesses, Timeline is a chance for a brand to tell their story from the beginning. One of the best examples is Starbuck’s fan page. Check out their fascinating photo dated 1971!
In addition to the date line running down the center of your page, you can’t help but notice the visual impact your images have! What a chance to turn some heads!
Now back to the title of this post… Content! I don’t care what platform you’re using or if you are Timeline ready or not. If you, as a business, are using social media for marketing, your CONTENT will make or break you!
CONTENT is simply defined as the message your page delivers to it’s fans (or followers). The origins are YOU.
The quickest way to decrease the number of fans on your page is by self-promotion! And, if you are posting this kind of content multiple times a week or, worse yet, multiple times a day, be prepared to loose them fast!
HINT: As a typical social media user who is online daily, my mentality is along the lines of socializing. I also look forward to keeping up with current events and other news that might draw me in. Notice that I did not say I was looking for advertisements from businesses! This is true for the good majority of social media users.
So why are you still promoting your services and products to your fans?? …I would be willing to listen if you had a good reason.
No, your success will not come in the form of fans responding to your “ads”. If you are open to change, read on…
This has been a difficult concept for most businesses to comprehend, however your eyes will be wide open if you do get it!
What makes content good (or even great)? It has to do solely on what your audience wants. Every industry is different and it may be true to say that no two businesses within the same industry find success the same way. Wow, that sounds complicated… NO, it doesn’t have to be! My first bit of advice is to LISTEN to your audience and find out what they want, need, are looking for, etc. If no other way, ask probing question to help find out what they might need from you.
Example… If you sell car insurance, a fan’s need to save money on insurance only happens once a year or so. What kind of content should you be delivering the other 51 weeks? Well, let’s step out of your world and into theirs. What defines them… They are a car owner, probably has a job, possibly children and a spouse, their typical day is one of getting up for the job, getting kids around, getting out the door early, after work it’s quick meals at home, helping with homework, relaxing after a long day and looking forward to the weekend.
How can you, Mr. Car Insurance Man, help make their week better? Although it’s outside the box, these people may really appreciate a quick, timely tip on the local traffic, the cheapest gas prices in the area, a notification on a free car wash charity event, a favorite weeknight recipe, local weekend events that are kid-friendly…. I could go on and on.
When posting this type of content from your fan page, your fans will recognize that you, Mr. Car Insurance Man, take a genuine interest in helping out your customers (and potential customers). They will appreciate your gesture and see the value in “Liking” your fan page. If your content is really good, they may feel inclined to share it with their friends, all while linking the original post back to your fan page! More shares = more fans!
It just takes some initial strategy and an honest effort to get the ball rolling. Commit to a reasonable amount of time each week and be persistent. Your work will pay off!
Happy posting!
Good Day!
I just read an infographic that would be a great follow-up to my previous post regarding retail (holiday) sales. The heading of the graph is “Social Network Users Want Deals & Discussions” (from Social Rank Media).
With the newest release of Facebook fan pages, there is a greater emphasis on the number of fans on your fan page. The greater the number, the better Facebook likes you and will deliver your page to search results and onto fans’ news feeds. There are other factors as well, but today I am focusing on the numbers.
I hope by now that many independent sales people for the larger direct sales companies have realized that their target market lives and breathes on Facebook (and other social media sites). I also know that the key to their success (for many) is in the ‘face-to-face’ nature of their business. That’s okay… The two work hand in hand!
