Picture the scene: you have set your Facebook page you have a few followers you have put a few posts out in quick succession. You leave it a few days and repeat.  You click on insights, you don't understand them. You are posting heavily at one particular time in the day and no engagement.  Why does that picture look squashed?  You click on this and you click on that and still it is a grey area.    

Working with someone who has social media experience can pay dividends in the long run, they can help you reduce the time it takes to learn to do and use something new.

I had quite a busy week last week helping people with social media questions and issues.  Firstly, helped a couple of people through direct messages on Facebook. These messages were responded to in minutes which meant that my Facebook chums could action and move on quickly.

Next on the training list was a Skype chat. This was great as we both were able to be in an application while I talked through various aspects of some social media platforms.  Again, quick and easy and allows a client or user to experience using the tools and ask questions at the same time.

Also on training list was a face to face training session with a local client.  I was asked to go through a few social media applications in detail, as client was already using them or had accounts set up and wanted more knowledge of scheduling and insights and how to take topics and themes and place these across a number of platforms in a different and creative way that satisfied audience attention without looking repetitive.  This ultimately lead nicely into looking at how to create a social media marketing strategy.

Being online for pretty much most of the day makes it easier for people to access me. If they are in the middle of doing something, it's great that they can just ping a message through Facebook or Skype messenger and get a response that enables them to move on quickly.   

I have provided training to networking associations in the UK and France [see testimonial below] and help clients with their social media campaigns and strategies.  

If you are looking to strengthen your social media knowledge for 2014 here's how you can connect with me: 

Facebook  -   Email  -  Twitter  -  Skype/Micala64

With many social networks available to small business owners, it makes sense to work with ones that suit your time and where you audience is at.  Overall it does seem to be that many small businesses like using Facebook and setting up a business page to promote their business.  If you are spending time there socially, it makes sense to spend time on your business page.

In order to have an effective Facebook business page there are a few things to take into account:

Planning:
Look at your business closely.  What goes on in your business that can be communicated to your audience that takes them on a journey?  What tells them a story?  What inspires them to take action?  Do you sit down regularly and look at what your business is doing for the next 3 months, 6 months or 12 months?  If you do, then you have plenty of content that can be planned effectively to use on your Facebook page and other social media platforms.

Time and effort:
As with any marketing activity it needs time and effort to market your business.  I often see many Facebook business pages where nothing has been posted for weeks, sometimes months, then all of a sudden there is spurious activity with an apology for not posting.  The most powerful tool within your Facebook page is the scheduling facility.  If you have thought about the planning, then schedule your posts at the beginning of each and make a note to check your page everyday for 5 minutes, responding to comments and saying hello to new followers.

Engage/Interacting:
A post once a week or month is not going to cut the mustard.  Think of it this way.... if you went into your favourite shop or visited a favourite website, you would soon not visit if the shelves or content had not been updated regularly. The same can be said of your fans.  Going back to your planning, post something that is going to create a response. There are plenty of things that you can do to engage.  Help them feel valued.  Ask a question,  use the poll facility that is already on Facebook.  Share a funny or inspiring quote or video. The idea is that if your fans like it they will share it. They start to become your allies/ambassadors. Create a  giveaway or competition. With Facebook relaxing their rules recently about competitions, there is no reason why you cannot incorporate this into your planning, especially if you have a new product or service.  With a bit of investment your efforts will certainly pay off.

Small amount of investment:
I have seen many comments where people say 'I'm not paying to promote an ad'.  Mmmm bit like saying you want to be seen in a magazine but don't want to pay for the space.  Facebook is free to use and free to set up a business page, which is great.  Facebook has already seen the potential of how it can make money, therefore it's users must also adopt some similar principles.  If you have posted great content which has received good comments and engagement then it is most definitely worth investing a few pounds to increase the circulation outside of your current fan base.  The insights area on your business page will provide plenty of data to help you decide which posts are worth boosting.

The bigger picture:
You cannot run your business on Facebook alone.  Not everyone has an account. If your business has a website it has a much better chance of being seen by more people if marketed and shared correctly across multiple channels [email signature, social media, newsletters, seo etc]. So make sure your website is included on your About section on Facebook or on your cover picture. 

I recently read a fantastic article by Jeff Bullas who took a look at Red Bull and their social media strategy. Red Bull create a lot of exciting content and has nothing to do with their product but centres around engaging and communicating with their fans. This link is definitely well worth your time: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/11/08/is-this-the-top-content-marketing-company-in-the-world/#uL051XAecB5FJaMB.99

In Brief:
·         Get planning
·         Dedicate time
·         Post high quality and shareable content
·         Be creative
·         Communicate with your community
·         Keep growing your community

If you are unsure on how to properly manage your presence on Facebook or other social media platforms, then please do get in contact with me.  Now is a good time to review your activity and get a social media plan ready for 2014.