Tag Archives: Facebook

Facebook

Facebook is Finally Aboard the Social Search Train

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Facebook is finally aboard the social search train

Facebook has completely redesigned the ‘Nearby’ section of its mobile app. Before now you could only see where friends had checked-in and the feature lacked the search ability to find businesses in your current area. Now Facebook has added the search feature as well as the opportunity for users to review places. Cue the term Social Search! I have beenharping about Social Search and its future importance since I began my company. Social Search, for those of you who are new to my blog, is the blending of Social Media and Search Engines. Social Search uses information collected from Social Media platforms (in this case Facebook) and Online Search (in this case the map and search features associated with Facebook’s mobile phone app.)

Every day more and more people are performing searches using their mobile phones and many of them are location-based, meaning they are looking for information relative to their current location. Businesses that appear on these searches have a major advantage over the ones that do not. For instance, with Facebook’s new ‘Nearby’ feature only businesses that have a Facebook page with a valid address will appear on the map. The ones who utilize their page more and have more fan interaction will appear towards the top of the search. Facebook users will still be able to see which of their friends have checked-in to a business or place but now they can also rate these places with a 1-5 star rating system. Businesses with higher ratings will appear higher in search.

Facebook is not the only company that uses user information in online search. Google Maps (Google+ Local) and Yelp are similar programs that will use a person’s location, their friends and a company’s online reputation to show search results. So what can you do to help better your odds of being found?

  • Perform a search of your business on these programs. Do you show up? What do they say about you?
  • Join the programs. If you haven’t set up a Facebook page or a Yelp account, what are you waiting for?
  • Get customers to talk about you. Many of your best customers would be happy to help. Sometimes you just have to ask.

If you need any help getting your business involved in any of these programs I have mentioned or would like more information, please contact Ryan at ryan@redeggmarketing.com or by calling (720) 446-6640. I specialize in working with local businesses to grow and manage their online presence including Social Media, Social Search, Website Development and Search Engine Optimization.

Using Social Media to Create Brand Transparency

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Brand TransparencyI think we can all agree that as consumers we are tired of being fed false promises and marketing gimmicks. We are constantly being bombarded with deals, bargains and discounts but what we are simply seeking are companies we can trust.

Transparency and trust are critical components for a brand’s reputation. People are not only more likely to consistently shop at a business they trust, but are more likely to recommend that business to a friend. Can you remember how you found that perfect beauty salon or auto repair shop and how many people have you since recommended go there? Word of mouth promotion is incredibly powerful but people won’t just go around talking about your business, you have to earn it.

The popularity of Social Media has helped many businesses achieve transparency and create an emotional connection with their brand. Social Media adds personality and provides customers with a chance to learn more about your company. By regularly posting relevant and interesting content, you are providing added value to your customer’s buying experience. Share funny photos from the employee holiday party, let your followers be the first to know about a new product line or have a fun photo contest! Get to know your customer base better and then communicate with those loyal patrons to earn their trust and their referral.

At Red Egg Marketing, we work closely together with businesses to create, grow and manage their Social Media presence. If you are interested in hearing more about how Social Media can help your business as well as other services offered by Red Egg Marketing please explore our website or call Ryan at (720) 446-6640. (Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook!)

Cottonwood

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There is a large cottonwood tree outside the window of my office. For the past couple of days it’s seeds have been floating around the air making it look as though it is snowing. When you see hundreds of seeds floating around in the air you wonder how effective is this tree’s strategy? Each day it is releasing its genetic information hoping that it will land somewhere where it can be pollinated (Forgive me if I am incorrect about pollination, my arbor knowledge is limited) and then grow into something big.

Well, if you cannot see where I am going with this yet, I will just tell you. I think this is a great metaphor for Social Media. Each day we submit information to the various programs we are involved in, in the hopes it will be found by people who will help our message grow big. Whether it is a YouTube video displaying our musical talents, a Facebook post providing a helpful tip or a blog article with a cheesy metaphor, we are putting our information out there for someone to find value in it.

Here are 3 thoughts for which I hope you will find value (as long as you can see past the cheesy metaphor).

  1. Never give up. Although at times it may seem like you are just treading water with your social media efforts, remember that the more exposure you get, the better the likelihood getting found by the right person.
  2. Do not be afraid to stray from your original plan. Like the seeds of the cottonwood floating around the neighborhood away from the tree, do not be afraid to try other ideas away from your original Social Media strategy. If you are only participating in Facebook, try LinkedIn, StumbleUpon or Pinterest. Feel free to take your content in a different direction as well.
  3. Look for help. The tree does not do everything on its own. Without the wind, the seeds would never make it anywhere. Try blog aggregators and participate on other people’s Social Media profiles to get your message out there. Remember the key part of Social Media is to be social. Help other people get their message out and they will help you.

Thanks for bearing with me. It may be kind of a stretch to compare cottonwoods to social media but cheesy metaphor aside, get your message out there and you will get found. If you have any comments or other thoughts, feel free to leave them below.

Facebook IPO

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As most of you now know Facebook had its IPO last Friday. This Monday Facebook started off the day by declining over 10%. What does this mean and should you be worried as an investor or a user?

Although it seems as though Facebook was overvalued when it’s shares first came to market, you have to remember that a share price is not just based on actual earnings, but future earnings and expectations. In this respect Facebook’s initial share price was probably spot on. The problem was that a hyped IPO lost steam and the investors looking to make a quick buck realized they needed to get out, thus explaining the sudden decrease in the share price first thing Monday morning.

Now that we have gotten all the financial jargon out of the way, how will the disappointing first couple of days of trading effect you?

Facebook boasts the largest user base of consumers and businesses of any social network and most platforms on the Internet. Do not be fooled into thinking it will not take advantage of this fact soon. With so much marketing data and so much potential for growth, Facebook will likely start moving into other industries aside from social media.

Here are some things to consider: 

  • Social Search: Social Search may very well replace conventional search and where Google+ has failed, Facebook intends to succeed. Imagine the power of a search engine that takes into account things you “like” and things your friends “like.” A finely tuned social algorithm could help people
  • Mobile Marketing: Facebook has hardly utilized the mobile phone where much of its product is being used. In fact studies show that as of this month, more people are using Facebook on their mobile phones than on conventional computers. If Facebook can start using this medium more effectively, expect great things for all involved.
  • Employees: Facebook employs some of the most creative and brilliant minds in Silicon Valley and trust me, there is a reason for it. Signal theory would suggest that the reason Facebook could head hunt so many amazing employees, is that there is something big in the pipeline.

To sum it up, the future expectations are high and there is an incredible expectation of growth. What are your thoughts? Will Facebook succeed and withstand the test of time?

Efficiency & Social Media

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Efficiency is always a hot topic amongst business owners. At the end of the month when you see the bottom line, the question always is “What can I do to improve?” Running your business more efficiently will usually help so a lot of business owners are afraid of getting involved in social media. But what if social media could help your business run more efficiently?

For instance:

  • Communicate with your most loyal customers in seconds
  • Conduct preliminary market research before investing lots of time and money in a product that might not sell
  • Receive feedback regarding products or services
  • Read news that might directly affect your business
  • Gain new customers through a channel you can connect use to connect with them

Social media may seem like a lot of work and it can be if not done, you guessed it, efficiently. Taking the time to develop a plan that makes sense for your business is key to profiting with social media. This is how companies like Red Egg Marketing can help. By creating, developing and growing a social media strategy, your business can run more smoothly and improve your bottom line.

Please contact Red Egg Marketing if you have any questions about developing a social media strategy.

Is your business ready for the switch to Facebook timeline?

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Facebook will be switching all business pages over to the new timeline view sometime today, March 30, 2012. If you have not prepared for the switch, do not worry, your computer will not explode the next time you login and your business page will not get booted off the Facebook platform never to return. However, you want your brand to appear on Facebook the same way it does in reality, right? On time, professional, up-to-date, cutting edge, organized, etc.

 Here are some tips for the Timeline Switch:

  • Hide from timeline: Now you can hide certain posts that you may not want to be shown on your timeline. Hide posts that may not be important, information that is not correct anymore, or products you may not sell.
  • Cover photo: The cover photo is a great way to show an image presenting your business or brand while your main photo can be your logo.
  • Fill out your timeline: Have fun filling out your timeline. Think of cool events that you think people would enjoy discovering. Maybe even hide something in there to surprise a fan!
  • Organize: Make sure the apps that are most important are showing and the photos you want people to see are highlighted. Make it easy for your fans to discover what you want them to see.
  • Make it look good: Consider aesthetics when you build your page. Make sure the page looks clean, the colors work together and it looks professional. Now your Facebook page can be more of a visual tool than ever before!

Do not stress out too much about the switch but you will probably want to get it done soon. In a recent study by Hearsay Social, smaller local businesses have seen 5 times the exposure than with the old pages. So why wait? Get your timeline figured out and get the most out of Facebook. Feel free to contact Red Egg Marketing if you are looking for help.

5 Things I Like about Facebook Timeline

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Facebook has gotten some flak recently after its unveiling of the new Timeline feature for pages. At first glance I had some my own concerns but now I am convinced it was a very beneficial change. Here are my 5 favorite features of the new Facebook Timeline platform. 

  1. Messaging: Now Facebook Business Pages can directly communicate and interact with their fans and followers. I think this feature adds a lot of value to pages because it helps promote conversations while giving the ability to handle questions, concerns or general comments in a more private setting. Not everyone of Facebook is looking to be social.
  2. Pin to Top: This is one of my favorite timeline features. Now you can keep your most important post at the top of your timeline for up to 7 days. This has become especially handy when running contests or promoting an event. Now your less important posts will not push your important information down the wall to be essentially lost in the shuffle of social interaction.
  3. Cover Photo: This is a great feature to add some personality to your page. Before with only the profile picture, brands looked stale and faceless by using just their logo. Now brands can take advantage of the logo still being attached to posts while representing themselves through a large banner image on their page.
  4. Highlight: This feature could use some tweaking but still is a great addition to the Facebook Timeline platform. I like the idea that you can highlight posts from your past that hold more importance than others. Like the Pin to Top feature, the benefit of highlighting your favorite items gives a business or organization a significant amount of control over their Facebook image.
  5. Timeline: The Timeline Feature itself has a lot of potential to be used by brands. I am very excited to take full advantage of it for my clients. Behind the façade of any business are people and ideas. Timeline will help show the personality of brands, their stories and their past and I think this is what Facebook and Social Media is all about.

Jury Duty

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Yesterday I spent the morning with 150 other people waiting to be selected for jury duty. We all sat in a large room with no wi-fi but worse, no coffee. Having no means of connecting to the Internet 8 years ago would have meant that if you forgot a magazine or a book, you would be toast. Unlike today, my phone was only able to make calls and play snake, thus I would have to find something else to entertain me during the hours I would have sat there.

The room I was in was filled with people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was a perfect random smattering of people to do some research. I noticed right away the amount of people connected to the Internet. Some were reading but others seemed to be working diligently. The majority of people were on their phones checking Facebook or Twitter, reading the news or maybe texting their friends. It seemed as though more than half of the room had a smart phone or a tablet and I found this very interesting.

The smart phone and tablet market has been growing exponentially over the past year. This is not news but what does it mean for search?  This sort of connective power has given people the opportunity to find information in seconds. Just this morning I gave someone directions to the nearest coffee shop using my phone. Obviously for the Coffee shop, location was helpful in this circumstance but they still had to be found. We could have asked someone walking by if they knew of a place but with the Internet at my fingertips there was no need. I found the shop, its reviews, I pulled up their web page and browsed their menu.

So my point is that since these situations are occurring everyday, are you ready?

  • Are you able to be found in location searches?
  • How does your webpage look on a mobile browser?
  • What social search platforms are you on?
  • What are your reviews saying online?