Facebook had a banner year in 2010. Everywhere we looked, online and off, people were talking about the power of the super mega social network. To say the least, it was an exciting year to be working in this ever-changing arena!
Over the last year I’ve had the privilege to be a regular contributor for the top rated online magazine, Social Media Examiner. From those articles, here are some of my favorite social media tips worth highlighting.
Hot Tip #1: To Up Your Facebook Game, Assign a Community Manager
Let me give it to you straight. . . Facebook pages can be a lot of work to maintain. I know this for sure: a lot of time and effort goes into successful pages. One way to streamline your time and effort is to assign a community manager. A community manager is an admin of your page who is responsible for managing the page and making sure it’s running smoothly. If you have multiple admins on your page, the community manager is ultimately responsible for managing them as well.
Questions to Ask Before Assigning a Community Manager
To help you make the right decision, here are some important questions you want to ask before you make your final hiring decision for a community manager:
- Does this person show the ability to be social online?
- >Does this person show a genuine interest in connecting with our clients/customers?
- Can I trust this person to be professional and respectful at all times?
- Do people naturally gravitate toward this person?
- Will this person actively contribute new ideas to grow the page and make it better each day?
Here’s the full article: How to Select a Facebook Community Manager
Hot Tip #2: Use Inbound Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Page
It’s a no-brainer that we need to use marketing tactics to drive traffic to our websites, but when it comes to Facebook pages, many overlook the importance of using similar strategies to help grow their page. The “build it and they will come” concept is definitely not meant for Facebook pages!
Inbound marketing strategies, including the use of keywords, opt-in opportunities, video, blogging, and cross-promoting on your other social networks are all key factors to “getting found” by the people most interested in your products and services.
One great example of a Facebook page that also utilizes inbound marketing strategies is the Social Media Examiner page.
I recently asked Mike Stelzner, the sites founder, the secret to his Facebook page’s success. “We started with a plan from day one,” he said. “Part of that plan was to create a button on our site’s sidebar that simply said, ‘Join us on Facebook.’
“Another thing we did was to make sure our daily email blasts to our readers encouraged them to join our fan page; thus every day more than 50,000 readers are reminded about our fan page.
“Our fan base grew very quickly and has garnered about 100 new fans each day.”
The most important thing to remember is that inbound marketing is powered by content.
Just as you would on your website and blog, you must continually publish great content on your Facebook page. How do you do this? One way is to pull your blog posts onto your page via the “Networked Blog” app on Facebook. Another way is to post a link directly to your wall and add some commentary about your recent blog posts to encourage your fans to comment.
Every day when we post a new article on the Social Media Examiner website, we also post it on our Facebook page. When we do so, we often encourage comments directly to our page by asking a question when we post. This works like a charm and I encourage you try it on your own page!
Here’s the full article: 4 Proven Steps to Facebook Page Success
Hot Tip #3: Create a Fool-Proof Facebook Plan
In 2010, Facebook pages popped up in record numbers. Businesses saw that they had another space to connect with their clients and a great opportunity to add value.
However, one thing I hear repeatedly is that Facebook page owners are frustrated with their lack of fans and low engagement levels. They work hard to create the page, add the bells and whistles, but no-one comes.
One reason for this is a lack of purpose and planning. The words purpose and planning might not get you all that excited. However, the payoff is big and worth the time. Once you put a plan of action in place (in the form of an editorial guide), the rest starts to fall into place. The result: growing fans and increasing engagement will not feel like work, but actually be an enjoyable experience. Imagine that!
First, Define Your Purpose
To define the purpose of your page, here are three questions to consider:
#1: Why Do You Want a Facebook Page?
If the answer is, “Because everyone else has one,” you might want to rethink your direction. What can a Fan Page do for your company that you’re not already experiencing now?
#2: How Will Your Page Differ From Your Website?
Think about what you can offer on your Fan Page that’s different from your website. Consider the factors that will keep your clients and potential clients coming back for more.
#3: What is Your “It” Factor?
Figure out what you bring to the table that’s different from your competitors and build on that within your Fan Page strategy.
Creating Your Editorial Guide
Here’s what to include in your editorial guide:
#1: Posting Strategy: Decide on the Consistency of Your Posts
#2: Content Strategy: Decide What Type of Content You’ll Be Posting
#3: Formatting: Define What a Post Should Look Like
#4: Engagement: How Will You Approach Fan Comments?
#5: Monitor: Prepare For Negative or Promotional Posts
There’s one caveat to all of this: Your editorial guide is just that—a guide. It’s not written in stone and should be tweaked until it works for your team. The goal is to get your Fan Page running like a well-oiled machine, while continuing to go with the flow and enjoy the constant interactions and conversations with your fans. Your Facebook page community is sure to thrive if you spend a little time planning up front.
Here’s the full article: How to Create a Facebook Page Editorial Guide
So there you have it, 3 hot social media tips worth reading.
Have you implemented any of the strategies listed above?
If not, do you plan to in 2011? Tell me what’s on your mind!
