Facebook has 500 MILLION users! You can bet that a significant number of your customers—and potential customers—are on Facebook.
A recent Morepace Omnibus Report found that the average Facebook user is a fan of nine Fan Pages, with 41% using Fan Pages to let their friends know what products they support.
The survey found that not only do consumers want to evangelize, they also see Facebook as an attractive alternative to email campaigns:
37% want to receive coupons and discount offers,
35% want to be notified of new product availability, and
31% want to learn more about the organization.
Additionally, 28% join a company’s Fan Page to meet people with similar interests.
Facebook has quite a few plug-in applications that you can use to enhance your page. To create the tabs that many businesses use with their fan pages, though, you will need to use Facebook's FBML code (similar to html). So, unless you have html proficiency, you may need help with that. (Give me a call at 720-341-6336 or 210-392-5649 for professional assistance!)
How can you get the most from your Facebook Fan Page? Optimize it! For example, you can add tabs for…
Fans’ photos and videos, or to allow them to share information or reviews.
Polls or customer suggestions.
A welcome page that tells visitors about your Facebook page and encourages them to “like” it.
Offers—or even limited ecommerce. There are some retailers that have built robust ecommerce applications into their Facebook page. For most small businesses, that investment would be too cost-prohibitive. But, it is not difficult to offer some “featured items” or “special offers” directly through the site.
Promotion of events. These could be either company events or community events that your fan base would be interested in.
Some companies use their Facebook Fan Page as a second website or “microsite.” Use your website, your email, and any other advertising you do to promote your Facebook page.
Remember that your Facebook page is a great way to create a community of influencers. Give your fans exclusive content (something they really want!) and they will spread the word to their friends.
New Constant Contact Features: Email Plus Social Media
New Features in Constant Contact
Social Media and Email Make a Powerful Combination
Many small businesses are interested in social media, but don’t really know how to even begin to harness its power. What if I told you that the secret is combining social media with email? And, now Constant Contact has added new tools to make that easy. In fact, the new tools make it easy to both push your messages out to social media audiences and to manage and monitor what others are saying about you in social media.
One of the biggest hurdles to using social media effectively is finding your customers within the social media communities. To be successful, you must get individuals to “opt-in” to your Facebook page or become a connection on LinkedIn or to follow your tweets on Twitter.
The best way to start is with the customers who have already opted-in to your email list. Constant Contact makes it easy to incorporate social media links into your email, so you can convert contacts into Facebook “fans” and LinkedIn connections. As a further enhancement, now the Constant Contact service can also send out a link to an online version of your newsletter through Twitter.
Having this online version of your newsletter is a key to making your email and social media efforts work together. The new online version includes a Facebook “like” button that allows your customers to share your company on their own Facebook page as a “like,” or company they support.
There are also buttons on the online version page that allow your readers to share on Twitter, Delicious, and other social media networks. And, there is a “Join my mailing list” button so that those who visit the page as a result of a friend’s social media recommendation can join your mailing list, as well.
So, you offer links to your social media pages in your emails. And you can also put an email sign-up block on your Facebook page. That completes the circle so that your existing customers can become your advocates through their own social media pages and profiles, and you can capture email addresses for their contacts who opt-in to your social media pages.
The other challenge is managing your social media communication. Because social media networking takes place on a variety of sites and requires ongoing interaction with those in your network, many small business managers have difficulty finding the time to keep up with what is going on within the realm of social media.
Constant Contact has a new cure for that, too. Recently, the company purchased a California company called NutShell Mail. The service allows you to register your social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace, and then receive an email that compiles postings and comments on your postings from within your social media network. You also get changes in status from LinkedIn, so you can keep up with your business contacts and their activities. And, you can even set up a “keyword search” on Twitter, so that you receive tweets on a particular topic—including tweets that refer to you or your company.
Nutshell Mail is a great service. The best way to see what it can do for you is to try it. There’s no charge, so there’s no reason to delay. Just visit Nutshell Mail here, and see for yourself.
If you wonder whether the Internet offers opportunities to you, request my e-Business Opportunity Analysis. It's a free service to small businesses from 1st Click Consulting.
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