It’s 2014: Is Your Business Social Yet?

If you haven’t yet begun to implement social networking as a means of brand awareness and connecting with clients and prospects, it’s gotta’ be because:  a) you’ve been doing a stint in prison; or b) you’re afraid / resistant and you still don’t get how & why social media can be your business’ greatest asset.  Well, WAKE UP!! It’s 2014, and if you haven’t implemented a solid social media strategy for your business, you pretty much don’t exist!

There are all kinds out there now: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr (and all the wonderful blogging sites), Google+, Pinterest, Instagram and, well, I could go on for a while. So, for the purpose of brevity, I’ll just give you a quick rundown on why and how Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging, if nothing else, are essential to the well-being of your business.

Let’s start with the basics about social media as a whole.  What do social media do for you? They keep your name in front of clients and prospects – on a regular basis. They're second to nothing else in terms of community building. They provide you with platforms through which you can easily and quickly maintain regular contact with your business connections. They allow you to effortlessly share and disseminate crucial information, via both text and images (not to mention video).  And last but not least, they promote brand awareness – in real time. 

Here, briefly, are some ways that social media can work for your business:

1.  Facebook – Facebook is the perfect place for you to connect with clients & prospects on a human level – a personal level. The first rule of using Facebook for business? Don’t try to blatantly advertise or sell your business on Facebook. That’s not what it’s about. You want to make lasting connections. You want to let people know what’s in it for them. Facebook allots you a forum within which you can mix the business and the personal. Let’s, for argument’s sake, say you’re in the real estate business. What can you post on Facebook? Photos and details of your listings, changes to mortgage lending rules, home improvement & décor ideas, links to informative industry related articles and videos, helpful hints & tips (for example, on how to ease the pain of moving), getting your home holiday ready, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Facebook also allows you to do really cool things, like form Groups (a home decorating group?) and create Pages (how about a Page for your listings?) that will take your business to the next level. Try to post on a regular basis – once twice a day – or at least several times a week. Keep your posts informative, engaging and entertaining to garner tons of “Friends” and “Likes” and “Shares”. And, most importantly – have fun on Facebook. It can be a great way to engage people and communicate!

2. Twitter – Twitter functions as an effective broadcast medium – you can think of it as a ‘micro-blog’. Twitter allots your customers/ clients a forum within which quick and easy access to your business is possible.  In business, communication with your clients is key – not only do you want to reach out to them, but they want take comfort in knowing that you are accessible to them NOW. And that’s what Twitter can do. Tweet about relevant industry news and information. Tweet links to important articles and news items that you know will be of benefit to your clients. Ask for feedback about new products and services via Twitter. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s completely interactive and it’s always there – in real time.

3. LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the business connection place within the realm of social media. A LinkedIn profile not only lends credibility to you and your business, but much like Facebook, it becomes an integral means of communication and connecting with people – with business-minded professionals. It provides a platform within which you can promote your services as well as the services of others. And others, in turn, can promote you and your business. Use LinkedIn connections to find jobs, people and business opportunities. Use it to find quality employees for your expanding business. Follow other companies within your industry on LinkedIn to keep up to date on news, important information and available offers. Research companies and people with whom you are interested in doing business and ensure that your profile is complete so that others can research you. Take advantage of features like LinkedIn Answers, LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Direct Ads to position your brand in the forefront of people’s minds.

4. Blogging – Blogging is an innovative and creative way of giving people a glimpse into the confines of your business. Your blog is the voice of your brand.  What to blog about? That’s easy! You don’t have to be Ernest Hemingway or Mordecai Richler. As a professional with years of expertise and knowledge, you may not be aware of the depth of information that you have to offer your clients. What’s common knowledge and taken for granted by you is not necessarily available information to the average person. The blog is a place that is easily accessible to your clients, where you can disseminate this information. So go for it – showcase your knowledge – be a smartypants – and an industry leader through your blog!                                                                                   

There’s just SO much information I could share with you on how you can effectively use social networking to your business’ advantage. I could actually teach a whole day’s course on the subject. Hey, wait, I do teach a full day course on the subject. If you want to join, we’d love to see you. Here’s our link: http://escomputertraining.com/socialmedia

MORE PROOF OF THE IMPORTANCE OF A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR YOUR BRAND

If you’ve been reading this blog, or any informational content pertaining to using Facebook for business, you know that Facebook is a meaningful and useful forum within which to promote your brand.  A Facebook page for your business is free of charge, it’s interactive and, of 1000 people surveyed, most (82% of those people who “like” brands) feel that, “Facebook is a good place to interact with brands…”  This is according to an infographic put forth by market research company, Lab42.  In fact, the infographic cites that “87 percent of people Like brands on Facebook”! 

I have included the infographic below for you to see, but just to cite a couple more very interesting findings:

75 percent of respondents felt more connected to a brand on Facebook and 50 percent of respondents feel that …”The brand’s Facebook page is more useful than its website…”  Furthermore, 77 percent agree that they have actually saved money as a result of Liking brands on Facebook!

So, if you don’t think that a Facebook page is relevant for your business, think again!  Time to get started.

Here’s the infographic in its entirety – enjoy…

GRAPH SEARCH: THE “THIRD PILLAR” OF FACEBOOK

And, the Facebook vs. Google rivalry rages on:  First, Google implemented Google+ as a means of making itself more social (and removing itself from the solitary rank of “just a search engine”), in keeping with Facebook’s social networking status.  Then, this past Tuesday, Facebook (commonly known as the largest social network on the planet) implemented “Graph Search” as a means of making itself more useful in the “search” category (although not in the traditional sense – read on…).

The new Graph Search is what Facebook is calling its “third pillar” of service, standing alongside the already implemented News Feed and Timeline.  The concept behind Graph Search is that it allows Facebook users to effortlessly search their “friends’” photos, locations and interests.

But, does Google really have anything to fear?  Probably not.  Graph Search is not a traditional search engine, insofar as it doesn’t search the Web based on keywords.  Graph Search searches are more refined than that and what you’d be searching for on Graph Search would likely not be found on Google.  It’s more ‘friend’ or audience specific than that. In other words, most of the content you will be searching for isn’t public.

Facebook users can now conduct searches that are more personal or intimate, for example, if you want to know whether or not you should shell out twelve bucks to see a just released film, you can search how many of your ‘friends’ have seen and liked the movie.  You can search things like “photos of ‘friends’ taken in the 1970s” or, “’friends’ of ‘friends’ who are male, single and live in Toronto”.  You get the idea.

"Graph Search is a completely new way for people to get information on Facebook," Mark Zuckerberg said at a press conference at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park on Tuesday.  "Graph Search is a really big project. Eventually... we want to index all the posts and all of the content on Facebook. I thought it couldn't be done. This is just some really neat stuff. This is one of the coolest things we've done in a while."

It sounds like it’s all well and good for those who have been waiting for something useful to tap into the wealth of data supported by Facebook, but as with anything else Facebook does, Graph Search has its critics – most of whom are concerned about privacy issues.  Facebook, however, has been insistent that Graph Search will not compromise privacy, claiming that the search feature will not surface any information that is not already publicly available on Facebook. 

Facebook officials stated that, “We’ve built Graph Search with privacy in mind, and it respects the privacy and audience of each piece of content on Facebook.  It makes finding new things much easier, but you can only see what you could already view elsewhere on Facebook.”

So, I’ll look forward to giving Graph Search a try before I pass judgment.  As of right now, Graph Search is available to only a handful of users, but will be rolling out slowly over time.  What do you think?  Ready to give it a try?

BIGGER & BOLDER: WHY FACEBOOK’S NEW ‘TIMELINE’ IS A GREAT IDEA FOR YOUR BUSINESS

You’ve probably noticed by now that Facebook is offering a new Timeline that can replace the standard Facebook profile that we’ve all come to know and love.  In doing so, Facebook is introducing a grand overhaul for business pages that will go live for all on March 30! 

You are now offered more control with respect to the look and ambience of your business’ page.  The new page is designed to allow even easier interaction with your fans – a priceless feature for any business.  It also enables enhanced graphics, the capability to feature posts and it allows for private messaging with fans.  Better still - have you seen the size of the Cover photo???  Facebook maintains that the ideal size for your cover is 851 X 315 pixels.  It’s huge – so use the space wisely – think branding and letting people know what your business is all about.  And, you’ll still be afforded your standard, smaller profile picture (which you might want to consider re-positioning for the sake of the look of your new page if you already have an existing business page).  The profile picture is still a great way to feature your company logo!

Here are a few more reasons that the new Timeline business page is a no-brainer when it comes to the greater good of your business:

- The New ‘About’ Section Showcases the Core of Your Business – This is the section that was previously concealed within the “Info” tab (on your existing business page).  It’s now displayed prominently at the top of the page for all to see.  Ensure that it’s brief and to-the-point.  Include something that captures the essence of your business without going into too great detail.

- You Can Now Control How Content is Displayed – Now, your most relevant and important post can be pinned to the top of your page, where it can remain for up to seven days.  If you’re offering a special deal of the week or if you’ve just changed the location of your business, these are things that you want people to see first and foremost when they visit your page.   This feature also enables you to change the dates of postings in order to keep more relevant posts displayed prominently at the top of your page.  You can furthermore “Star” a post and enlarge the size of the post (so that it dominates the entire width of the page!).  How’s that for getting your message across?

- You Can Showcase Your Business’ Highlights, Milestones & Accomplishments – You’ll be able to track your company’s history and along the way, feature the business’ milestones - you’ll be afforded the opportunity to highlight your business’ events, news and accomplishments.

- The New Admin Panel makes Your Life Easier – The admin panel is where you can go to view notifications, see and respond to messages from people/clients that you might not want others to see, view your page’s activity and view your page’s stats.  This very cool feature will simplify your online business practices.

Business pages will be universally upgraded on March 30, but Facebook is offering a preview of what your page will look like.  Just click on the preview button located at the top of your existing page to have a look.  And, if you like what you see, you have the opportunity to publish the new page now rather than waiting until the end of the month!  Exciting stuff!