Facebook 101

facebook 101

getting started with a bang

“Why should I even have a Facebook presence?”

“What’s wrong with just using my wall as a landing page?”

“Advertising on Facebook scares me. Can you help?”

Director, Kim Pink

! e m e k i L ! e m e k i l e s ! a e e l m P e k i l e s a e l p y t t a e r k c i P t s I f ? i p t o a t Wh erry on ch

You NEED to be on Facebook! What are you waiting for? If you still haven’t joined the social media revolution then I have just one question for you, which I pose with total respect - what are you waiting for?

Here’s why you need to be on Facebook and using social media in general:

Who is... Written in Pink? Written in Pink is a professional copywriting, public relations and design agency driven by Director, Kim Pink. An experienced writer and public relations consultant with experience across a diverse range of industries in both Australia and the United Kingdom, Kim has a passion that keeps her at the cutting edge of her field. She specialises in empowering every form of marketing by making every word count. By cultivating an indepth understanding of the language and emotions that motivate target audiences, Kim delivers text that speaks directly to the audience and inspires them to act. In the last year in particular Kim has focused on mastering the art of optimising social media for high impact marketing results. This manual is part of a series that aims to equip small business owners with the knowledge they need to take marketing to the next level. www.writteninpink.com.au

1. Two-way communication helps you build consumer relationships Social media allows you to converse with customers and potential customers in real time and is a powerful source of feedback. While many companies choose to use social media to announce the launch of new products and services, the most ‘social’ use it to build new products and in doing so give their customers a sense of ownership. For example some clothing manufacturers give their followers a selection of garments to vote on. The most popular garment is the one that goes on to become fabricated. Not only is this a great way to test the waters with a new product but building a sense of ownership makes your customers more loyal. 2. It’s a powerful tool in a time of crisis Social media has been used very effectively to manage product recalls and information distrubtion during times of conflict. In fact companies that don’t have a social media presence have found it hard to be heard once a challenge arises. This is because while your, no doubt, ex-consumers create groups inviting people to add negative comments about your company, you don’t have a social media presence and therefore no voice. Even if you dive into social media once the crisis has occurred the negative groups have been there longer and will be found easier - that’s just the way search engine optimisation works. Plus if you monitor social media regularly you will identify negative consumer sentiment before it turns into a crisis. 3. Accessibility and affordability Access millions of people at little to no cost without getting up from your desk chair. Social media is one of the most affordable marketing tools available. 4. If you don’t get social, you simply won’t get found It might sound overdramatic, but it isn’t. Google recently announced that it had changed the parameters of how it ‘finds’ relevant search results for users. It now places greater emphasis on social media content. So if you don’t use social media all the other companies that do will appear above you on a results page. Plus, the more relevant and practical information that you add and the more your followers comment on or share that information with their friends, the better rating you’ll receive.

Think of Facebook or any social media as a new form of public relations. It allows you to manage your reputation, and in doing so grow your business and profits. It just allows you to do it faster than ever before.

Map out your SUCCESS Before you head online develop a strategy that will give you direction Like any marketing tactic, your Facebook presence should be governed by a strategy or plan. A strategy ensures you and your team understand what you are trying to achieve and defines exactly how you will achieve your goal/s. Most clients who establish a Facebook profile without a strategy find themselves underwhelmed with results. This is because they’ve never had a clear vision of what it is they were trying to achieve in the first place.

When developing your Facebook strategy consider the following: 1. What is your goal? When considering your goal try to make it as specific as possible. For example consider the geographic boundaries you’d like to operate in; consider how long the evaluation period is i.e. when will you evaluate your performance. Perhaps you would consider identifying one overall goal such as increasing awareness of your brand, but then developing a short list of more specific goals such reaching 100 fans within the first six months. Once you know what you want to achieve every move you make on Facebook can be targeted to achieving your goal.

Insider tip:

When considering your timeframe remember that most campaigns take 6-12 months to have a decent impact

2. Who is your target market? Understanding who you want to communicate with is integral to your success. Are you targeting existing customers or searching for new customers? How old is your target market? Where do they live? What interests do your target market have? Why does or why should this target market be interested in your Facebook page, your business or product? A better understanding of your target market will allow to you identify what motivates them to make that all important purchase decision. 3. Tactics Tactics are the actions you will take to achieve your goals. I like to think that this is the ‘living’ portion of your strategy. That is because while it is important to proactively plan actions you should also be able to change these actions to react to how successful they are in achieving your goals. Some people create quite specific and detailed tactic plans that include the identification of exactly what individual subject matter you will discuss on scheduled posts for the week or month. Sometimes it is more helpful to be more general so you can respond to subjects that are in the news at the time. Examples include: • Identify and implement a theme of discussion every second week • Implement a live chat session with a key member of the team at a certain time each week • Invite a guest ‘speaker’ to host a discussion on your Facebook page and publicise this event to fans

The mechanics of setting up YOUR PAGE Before you have a business page you need a personal account 1. Personal Account Before you can create a page for your business you must have a personal Facebook account. From the Facebook homepage follow the prompts to create an account. It’s as simple as entering some basic information including your name, email address, gender, birthday and choosing a password. 2. Create a Page Once logged in to your personal Facebook account you need to ‘Create a Page’. While this page will focus entirely on your business it will be operated from your personal log in details. To get started go to the very bottom of the page when logged into your personal account. Click the ‘Create a Page’ option. a) What sort of page you create will be defined by what sort of business you are. If you are a charity choose ‘cause or community’, if you are a local business choose ‘local business or place’ or if you are a larger company or organization servicing clients across the state, country or internationally choose ‘company, organization or institute’. b) Depending on which type of business you choose you will then be asked to answer a range of questions about your business including what category of services or products you fall under, your address and contact details etc. Click ‘Get Started’ when you are finished. c) You will now be taken into your ‘page’ to a welcome screen that gives you a number of steps to get your Facebook page working as it should. These include adding an image, starting to build your fan base by inviting friends to like your page and of course getting started by sending your first status update. Once you are using your Facebook page you can switch back to your personal account by clicking on the Account menu option in the top right hand corner, then choosing your personal log in. You can also switch from your personal page to your business page in the same way.

Be sure you are on the right page before updating your status etc.

Creating a welcome page that will get you LIKED You only have seconds to convinece a viewer to like your page When a user comes across your business page on Facebook, the first page they see is your wall (the place where your status updates are posted). However, there are some great, free applications out there that will allow you to add a welcome or opt-in page with much more marketing power.

Research demonstrates that it only takes seconds for a user to decide whether or not to like your page. So make sure your welcome page gives them a good reason to click. Take full advantage of your welcome page. A complimentary service such as Involver’s Static HTML (www.involver.com/applications) allows you to easily create a jpg welcome page. What you put on your welcome page is up to you but here are some tips: 1. Always include a call to action prompting the user to ‘Like’ your page. There is no shame in simply asking them for what you want. 2. Why not create a sense of exclusivity with your words by hinting to what the reader will get if they ‘Like’ your page? Perhaps your Facebook fans will exclusively be the first to know of your new products or services. 3. Showcase your special of the week or some other deal - everyone loves to feel like they’ve got a discount. 4. Offer an incentive! Offer a discount or a give-away that is exclusive to users that ‘Like’ your page. 5. Facebook is a very picture oriented medium. Research shows that welcome pages with an image of a person, particularly a happy woman, are more likely to inspire viewers to click the like button. Don’t forget that there is no limit on how much you change your welcome page image.

tool and tips

Use your profile image to create a big IMPACT Just using your logo for a profile image? Boring! Did you know that your profile image can be up to 180 pixels wide and 540 pixels high? And yet most people simply use their small logo.

Your Facebook profile image is prime advertising space. Make sure you use it! This is your opportunity to distinguish yourself from the competition. Make the most of this space by creating a small ‘advertisement’. Having trouble thinking about what to put in the ‘advertisement’? Here are some tips: 1. Logo - you should include your company logo on all marketing collateral including your Facebook profile image. The constant use of your logo helps build brand recognition. 2. Service or Product - include a clear and short statement regarding the product or service you offer, for those new users that may not be fully aware of everything your business has to offer. 3. Key Competitive Advantage - this is how you differentiate yourself from the competition. What is that one unique element of your business that makes you unlike any other? Do you offer something that your competitors don’t? What is the one reason that your customers choose you over the competition? 4. Sales Series - you can change the profile image of your Facebook page as often as you like. Why not create a series of images? Use this opportunity to showcase the deal of the week? Or try profiling the employee of the week to help build a personal connection between users and your business. 5. Imagery - as previously mentioned Facebook is an image focused medium. Including your image as part of the profile image advertisement you create will give your business a face and help the consumer build a more personal relationship with you and your products. Building this relationship makes them feel more invested in your business, products and services and in turn more likely to buy.

tool and tips

IMPACT users to your page from outside Facebook Your page is up. Now it’s time to tell people about it. If you want to build your Facebook ‘likes’ you cannot rely solely on people organically finding you through your fans’ networks. In the same way it is standard practice for business owners to include their website address on all marketing material, you should also be telling people about our Facebook presence.

Use your external marketing tools to push people to your new Facebook page 1. On your website - ensure you place a standard Facebook ‘Like’ button on multiple pages of your website, not just your homepage. You can access the Facebook ike button from www.facebook.com. I would also recommend including a live feed of your Facebook posts on your website homepage. 2. Printed marketing material - ensure you communicate your Facebook presence on all printed media including brochures, flyers, pamphlets, annual reports, direct mail pieces etc. Keep in mind that readers of your hard copy printed material cannot simply click a link to see your Facebook page, they will have to actively seek it out next time they are sitting at a computer. As such try giving them some extra incentive. Offer a discount or free giveaway if a reader can like your company’s Facebook and give some sort of evidence that they have read your brochure e.g. describe the image on the third page. 3. Advertising - prompt people to search for your Facebook page in all television, radio and print advertising. Make sure you communicate the benefit they will receive by liking your page e.g. ‘Get up to the minute updates on the latest deals available exclusivity to our Facebook fans.’ 4. Other websites and blogs - get involved in discussions on other websites or blogs relevant to your industry. Be sure to add something fresh and relevant to the conversation, then include a link back to your Facebook page for any readers that found your comment useful to click on. Remember that it may not be enough to simply tell a reader that you are on Facebook. Think about an incentive that will push them from just thinking about your company to making the decision to ‘like’ your company. Finally, don’t forget that your likes won’t spike overnight. It can take anywhere between 6 to 12 months to see the real impact of your hard work. Hang in there and you’ll reap the benefits.

25 likes is a m

ileston

e When a Face book page re aches 25 like to have a ‘va s it qualifies nity url’. Basically this url makes it easier for yo your Facebo u to showca ok page on p se romotional material. If you past th e standard u rl that Faceb it will includ ook gives yo e a long list u of meaningle ss numbers. But you cho ose a short va nity url nam facebook.co e e.g. www. m/writtenin pink Once you’ve amassed 25 likes visit www.facebo ok.com/usern ame. You’ll h a name for yo ave to choose ur personal a cc prompted to ount first, th en you’ll be choose one for your busi CAREFUL: yo ness page. B u can’t chan E ge it once yo u’ve set it.

Take advantage of truly targeted ADVERTISING Facebook advertising is a highly targeted and cost effective marketing tool There are three great benefits of Facebook advertising - affordability, the ability to reach a specific target market that is more active and more likely to want your product or service and the ability to test what works for you. Here are some tips on the best way to dive into Facebook advertising. 1. Define your goal. Write down exactly what it is you want to achieve from your Facebook advertising campaign. Do you want to increase general awareness of your brand or something more specific like increasing the number of likes by 20% in two weeks or number of website sales by 20% in a month? Be as specific as you can so you can evaluate performance later. 2. Define your audience. Who is your target market? If you are a cookie store are you hoping to increase awareness of your shop within your suburb? Or are are you hoping to tap into a more specific market like the children and parents that attend the school within walking distance of your store? Being more specific will allow you to really refine your advertisement. 3. Define your key message. Define what you are going to say in the advertisement. It needs to be delivered in a short, sharp headline then a short blurb of complimentary text. The headline has to capture attention and make the reader want to read on or click. The complimentary text needs to communicate why the reader should partake in your offer or services. 4. Head to Facebook and create your advertisement. Steps 1-3 will have prepare you well for this. Now follow Facebook’s prompts and put it into action. Don’t forget to be picky about the image you use in your advertisement. Facebook and the people that use it respond to imagery! More than likely it will be this image that attracts the reader to the advertisement. It should be engaging and relevant. During this process you will be asked to define your cost structure. There are several options. A Cost per Click (CPC) structure is best if you are trying to achieve a specific action from the reader. Cost per thousand Impressions (CPM) is best if you are attempting to increase general awareness. You will also be prompted to define how long you want the campaign to run and your budget. Setting a daily budget will see Facebook display your advertisement until the budget has been reached for that day. A lifetime of the campaign budget will see Facebook display the advertisement according to how many clicks or impressions your budget allows for in the designated timeframe. A maximum bid allows you to stipulate the maximum amount of money you’re willing to pay per click or thousand impressions. Finally an auction system will see the market define the value of your advertisement and therefore how much you pay per click or thousand impressions (although you can still set a maximum bid). 5. Submit for approval. You will be prompted by Facebook to submit your advertisement for approval. Implement, evaluate and refine. Once approved your Facebook advertisement will go to work. Make sure you use all the tools available to you to check on its performance. Know that you can recreate an advertisement changing the image or text. You can run multiple advertisements within the same campaign, allowing you to see what works best for you.

Make sure you try several different styles and designs and work out what sort of advertisement motivates your audience.

Need more help? If you’re still feeling a little overwhelmed, want to make sure its done right the first time or simply don’t have time to dive into Facebook, contact Written in Pink Director Kim Pink on (+61) 07 3102 5644. Let Written in Pink introduce you to a world of high impact social media. Welcome to the world of Facebook.

Watch out for the next e-manual In the next manual we delve further into Facebook, uncovering: • how to grow your Facebook ‘fan’ base • how to create fan loyalty • how to transform fans into buyers This manual will transform your Facebook page into a powerful sales tool. Stay tuned...