Glance Links – August 2014

I like to fill this post with links that will help your marketing efforts. But since I’m on vacation and in a pretty good mood, I thought I would share some examples of “social media done right” with these favorite Facebook pages. The only criteria is that each are funny or interesting (or both), and engaging to their communities. Enjoy!

Upper Darby Police Department – The boys in blue in this Philadelphia suburb (pictured above) stay connected to their community with this hilarious page, with great stories about just how funny peeps and perps can be. It’s also full of news and crime reports… serious when it needs to be. Kudos to this genius content creator.

George Takei – Actor, artist, activist… renaissance man. He’s done it all and he posts some hysterical stuff. Oh Myyyy….

The Order of the Good Death – Caitlin is a Los Angeles-based mortician who sees death everyday, and shares her interesting, albeit unusual insights into dying. Not very funny, but certainly insightful. And definitely worth a look.

Random Hearts with Roxy and Friends – This is a charming page that my cousin put up a few months ago, and it never ceases to make me smile. Roxy challenges us all to find and post images of hearts, and her friends have responded with photos… everything from clouds to water stains to bruised toenails. I’ve yet to be so inspired, but I’m still looking. Shouldn’t we all be? Follow her for that extra little nudge…

We Are Ultras – Allow me just one soccer page to promote… dedicated to the Women Soccer Supporters of the world – The Ultras. The women who hold nothing back. The women who know Ultra is a way of life! May the soccer gods bless them all!

Dangerous Minds – Celebrating weirdness of all kinds, with specific favorites like 60’s and 70’s advertising, obscure punk rock and various counter-culture oddities. You may not find it funny or interesting, and you may just shake your head a little… if it is still attached! I guarantee you will share something on this site with your warped friends!!

The Onion – Yeah, yeah… who doesn’t know about the Onion? But they make me laugh multiple times a day, and any list would be incomplete without them. The standard bearer for online, irreverent satire since 1765.

This is my weird, fun stuff… where is yours? Share your favorite pages…

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Flippin’ Facebook

“I’ve had it with Facebook.” ~ John Q. Public

How many times have you heard this complaint? The constantly changing layout, hard to follow rules, more ads in your news feed, and the dwindling reach for company pages… flippin’ Facebook is a nightmare! Users can’t comprehend how Facebook has the nerve to make changes to the FREE site they love so much, and company page owners are mad that they now actually have to PAY for Facebook advertising. It’s exasperating!

Users need to relax. Breathe… Embrace the changes, because they are almost always designed to give you a more positive experience. The ads are the price you pay for using Facebook for free. And be honest, you get enough out of the Facebook experience to justify putting up with a few ads in your News Feed. The reality is that everyone has the right to make money – including the gods of Facebook. To think otherwise is Un-American! Truthfully, I can’t believe they took this long to end the free ride for company pages.

I’ve been speaking with a lot of small business owners about the decreasing reach of Facebook company posts. While we have been lamenting the decline, it should cause us to embrace and understand exactly what Facebook advertising can do. That “free” ride has been over for a while now, but Facebook is still the best way to target specific customers.

If you have been doing it correctly, you have built a Facebook following of the right people – people who want to do business with you. And you have been providing them with good content that helps grow your business. “Boosting” those great posts to your loyal “listeners” must now be a part of your budget. Low cost Promoted Posts not only reach your followers but can be expanded further to reach potential customers, by using specific demographic targeting and keywords – at very affordable prices.  I’m not saying that every post deserves boosting, because your core customers will probably visit your page frequently. Pick your spots and, most importantly, track your results.

Boosting works. Ads are similar, and certainly hit a wider audience. Think about spending $50 to reach 10,000 very specific people… Can that be accomplished with any other traditional B2C advertising method?

Whether you do a Facebook Ad or a Promoted Post, dedicate a portion of your marketing budget to make a big impact. If you are a small business it is a no-brainer. You’ll wonder why you weren’t doing this all along.

And quit yer whining…

Glance Links – April 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just some stuff that caught my eye recently, and might help you in your marketing efforts! If you have any that you would like to pass on to me… hit me up!

Social Media For Increased Mental Health – Many thanks to Chuck Hall from SoMeBizLife for sharing this article that examines the positive and negative effects of social media, specifically Facebook. Chuck used this article as a discussion point in a recent seminar, and I’m sure it really got the conversation off and running. What are your thoughts?

Some Thoughts on the Imminent Demise of Google+ – Three words… “It ain’t happening!” I’ve recently been beating the streets about the wonders of this platform, which I think is extremely worthwhile for the search boost alone. The recent resignation announcement of Google+ champion Vic Gundotra has set the interwebs abuzz with panic. Two of my purple haired friends (not saying I have many), Lynette Young and Cecily Kellogg, recently shared how fantastic articles on the subject. The common theme is DON’T PANIC. Here are the two articles they shared:

• Google+ Is Shutting Down? (Related: The Sky Is Also Falling)
• Google+ Ghost Town – My Open Letter to Misguided Reporters

The Power of Failing – What do the world’s greatest entrepreneurs have in common? The courage to fail. Checkout this article and discover why failure is the ultimate driving force behind genius.

The Experts Speak – The most common question I hear from small businesses interested in social media is, “Where do I start?” Here is some great information from the email marketing site, Constant Contact… 50 Expert Tips for Getting Started in Social Media. It’s cool that I know some of these people, including one of the aforementioned purple haired friends…

Spring has sprung. May it bring to you many exciting ideas… JL