Social Media

Facebook by FootSteps!

August 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Facebook now has over 750 million active users and is recognized as a top website destination all over the world. It is a global phenomenon which has changed the way we communicate, and the way in which we can market and connect with our customers.

How? Setting up a Facebook page is quick and easy, and when done correctly and effectively, it is a very adaptable way to market. A business page on Facebook feeds into your customers (“friends” who have opted to “like” you) personal page, so that when they are catching up on friends’ weddings and babies, they are also seeing that your store is having a fantastic sale this weekend, and then you have got their attention!

You are marketing to them directly in their home, and now, more often than not, into the palm of their hands. Your Facebook friends choose to “like” you, which means that they want to hear from you and become aware of your deals and your offers. This is basically like taking out an advert in the newspaper, except it is hand-delivered to those customers who want to be the first to know when you are offering a promotion.

Your Facebook page will work best when you update and add new content (“posts”) to it on a regular basis – be it, a new line of paint, or a sale on paddling pools, this week only! You can also promote in-store demonstrations, changes in business hours, staff promotions etc., which will let your customers get to know and feel familiar with what is happening with your store.

With your Facebook page, you can promote in-store activities, and then invite your “friends” to this event, and you can get an idea of the interest level. You can also create contests and have prizes. You can also create adverts that are linked to demographical information on Facebook, and then appear on Facebook users pages, regardless if they already friends of yours or not.

Facebook business pages are different to traditional print marketing. Instead of being flipped over in a newspaper, you are given consent by your “friends” to pass on information to them, and if the information is good, relevant and timely, they are likely to suggest that their personal friends also “like” you, and so your circle of customers grow. Facebook is dynamic and can be instantly updated, unlike print media.

Remember, 750 million users and counting…

FootSteps can help you get started on your Social Media plan. Our plan includes:

1 hour-Page set up
2 hours-Content building and Social Media Plan
1 month of weekly postings
2 hours online personal training

Regular Price: $300.00

If you are interested in having FootSteps set up your business’ Facebook page, please contact Patrick Curry by email or cell – 970.948.3201. We will set up your page for you, teach you how to add content, images etc., and show you how to get your customers to “like” you!

Filed Under: Facebook, Industry News

How to Improve Engagement on your Brands facebook page

April 11, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

This article was recently published by mashable. Buddy Media, a social media marketing company collected data from 200 of its clients’ Pages* over a 14-day period and found that time is an important factor in determining the success of a Facebook post. The study reveals that more often than not, a Facebook post is ill-timed — in fact, office hours could be the worst time to blast content.

Here were the key takeaways from this article.

Be Timely:

They found that daily facebook engagement has three peaks.

Early morning 7 am, after work 5 pm and late at night 11 pm.

Therefore, posting all of your updates during the workday means you’re missing key opportunities to engage fans at non-work hours. Good timing on Facebook depends on the day of the week, too. Thursday and Friday have 18% more engagement than other days of the week, suggesting that Facebook is a procrastination tool when people are itching to get out of the office.

They broke the study down to markets so we as retailers can see where we can improve:

Retail: Sunday is a big day for engagement on the shopping and retail front, but only 5% of entertainment posts go up on Sunday. The industry’s posts lean heavily toward Friday, which has below-average engagement.Tip: Target shoppers on Sunday.

Be Concise:

The data indicates that the length of the post can determine engagement just as much as the time of the post. The bottom line: Keep it short and sweet. Posts with 80 characters or less — the length of a short tweet — garnered 27% more engagement than posts that were more than 80 characters.

And while the content should be short, the URL probably shouldn’t be — posts with a full-length URL had three times the engagement of their shortened bit.ly, ow.ly and tinyurl counterparts. Read: There are viruses going around facebook spread by links and so people are more cautious about clicking.

Ask for Engagment:

If you’re looking to get Likes on a post, all you have to do is ask. “Like us if … ” — are much more effective at getting a Like than a post with a long explanation of why you should “like” something. Remember, “liking” only takes one click and then the “liked” item is syndicated on a user’s own page, so don’t be afraid to ask for the thumbs up.

The same goes for comments — outright saying “post,” “comment” or “tell us” motivates fans to engage. If you’re seeking answers, put a simple “where” or “when” or “would” question at the end of the post — you’ll get 15% more engagement than if the question is buried in the middle. Shy away from “why” questions, as they seem invasive.

What happens if you don’t want to be sending out updates for your business on a Sunday even though all the research says you need to?

You can use hootsuite, tweetdeck, or other social media management programs and schedule your posts on their system. They are easy to set up, you add the content just like you do on facebook, tell it what time to post and you’re done!

To link to the full article on mashable.com click here.

Filed Under: Facebook, Tips & Ideas

Facebook Marketing Now Offered by FootSteps!

February 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Kassie Thompson- Social Media Consultant

Hi, my name is Kassie Thompson and FootSteps has brought me in to help their clients with their Social Media plans. I am currently the Marketing Director for 4 Ace Hardware stores in Colorado. I have had great success marketing the stores on facebook and I want to share my knowledge with the group.

With 550 million users around the world, and counting, Facebook is one of today’s leading destinations influencing online identity, entertainment, and content distribution. It’s no longer about engaging with your friends anymore it’s about communicating with your customers, prospects, and vendors. If you don’t have a Facebook page for your business, now is the time to get started and discover what Facebook can do for your business. It’s a cost effective way to build your brand, communicate with your customers, and gain credibility as an expert in your field.

6 Most Important Things for Businesses to know about Facebook:
1. Create a facebook page.
Your facebook page should be the hub of your facebook marketing presence. With a facebook page, users become “fans” of your store. When that happens your name and logo will appear on their profile page and then it shows up in their friends newsfeeds. This is how your page grows virally. Facebook pages also rank very highly in google search results boosting your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ranking.

2. Create Targeted Pay-Per-Click ads.
Facebooks social ads platform make it easy to target gender, age and geographic audience. This fuels the flames of a “natural” viral growth. You can easily create ads, set a daily budget and review your stats to see your progress.

3. Create Facebook events for promotions.
Create regular facebook events for promotions you are running. For example: Create an event for the National Bag sale and invite all your facebook fans a week prior.

4. Create facebook only deals and contests.
People love fun ways of engaging and feeling like they are a part of your business. I created a contest on facebook this week where I took a picture of a huge heart made out of Hershey Kisses and uploaded it to our pages and had the fans guess how many kisses there were. The closest guess will get a $50 gift certificate and will be announced on Valentine’s Day.

5. Publish fresh photos, videos, and updates to your facebook page.
Facebook pages are not “set it and forget it”. They require regular updates with new content that is authentic and community generated- by you and your staff, the experts! It is important to upload interesting content and not just promotions. Be in tune with the weather, holidays, and current local events and share your knowledge with your fans.

6. Talk to your Customers.
Facebook is made up of people, and people want to talk to you. If you don’t enter the conversation, they invite you to, they will quickly stop paying attention to you. When you start your facebook presence you will need someone “to man the wheel” by allocating staff to participate in questions, comments or concerns from your fans. When customers discover there are real people there, their appreciation for you will grow- as will their willingness to let others know that you are the go to person for advice.

Keep in mind that facebook marketing is powerful and Social Media should become part of your store’s marketing strategy. Participating in the facebook eco-system requires consistent participation and willingness to engage your customers. There’s a good chance that you will find it more rewarding that you think.

Footsteps can help you get started on your Social Media plan. Our plan includes:

1 hour-Page set up
2 hours-Content building and Social Media Plan
1 month of weekly postings
2 hours online personal training
Regular Price: $300.00

To begin your Social Media Plan or if you have questions please contact Pat Curry.

To view Kassie’s presentation on the February Best Practices call click here.

Filed Under: Facebook

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	FootSteps Marketing specializes in interactive/digital marketing for independent retailers.
FootSteps Marketing is a Web-in-a-Box Website and Marketing Program solutions provider. Our focus is on providing professional, quick, easy and affordable website and marketing solutions to independent "brick and mortar" retailers looking to drive more "FootSteps" through their store.