5 Facebook page management and posting mistakes and how to avoid them (2016)

According to SocialFlow and SocialMediaToday, there has been a 42% reduction in reach per post in Facebook from January to May 2016. Furthermore, Facebook has shifted the content of the news feed towards friends and family (as quoted in the New York Times). These changes are affecting reach, exposure and awareness performance for marketers. 

Make sure your post stands out!

With Facebook reducing commercial organic post exposure, putting forward certain types of content (video and live posts), and pushing back other content (e.g. high frequency updates from a certain page) marketers and social media page managers are faced with the need to increase their paid social media campaigns, in order to gain the same performance from their social media pages.

It’s imperative to continuously keep up with tips and guidelines to creating and maintaining a successful Facebook page. This blog lists 5 posting mistakes that marketers make, which reduce their fan/ follower base even further. Read more to learn how to avoid them:

Mistake #1: Announcing instead of conversing
Facebook is a social media network. Successful pages are those that find the fine balance between socializing and commercial content. People go into Facebook because they are looking for entertainment, education and communication with friends. (They are not in social media in order to buy something). Businesses that provide entertaining content, a personal outlook into the business and in general show a friendly face will be successful in social media.
The 80/20 rule applies: 80% of your content should be informative, and maximum 20% can be commercial oriented.

You need to write a post in social media as if you are talking to a good friend. You want to encourage a conversation/ discussion/ reaction from your readers. Avoid big announcements and statements that have no real base. Do not make promises you cannot keep just to be provocative.  We are all sick to our ears of supernatural aspirations of commercial entities.

Mistake #2: Prolonging instead of KISSing
KISS – keep it simple and short. Researches show that people scan their feed, quickly going over
40-60 characters before deciding if to pay more attention. Short posts that make a focused point are the kind of posts that will be read. Giving your readers concise instructions will have higher probability that they will follow through.

Ask your readers clearly to take a certain action: “register now”, “tell us what you think”, “share your opinion with us”, like our page to get a gift” etc. Do not ask for something that is too much effort. Your request should also be simple and short. Asking your readers to interact with your content and providing an easy way for them to do so will clear the way for them to engage with you.

Mistake #3: Frequency oriented posting instead of resource oriented posting
You have to plan ahead! A post should have a clear target and it should have a clear location in your marketing funnel. The Call to Action should move your reader a little closer towards becoming a customer. If you have no inbound content strategy, as is reflected in each post, you will not gain the true benefits of the inbound content marketing methodology.

Posting often will get you nowhere! In fact, Facebook tends to push back updates that are coming too frequently from a certain page. The quantity vs. quality rule applies. Too many posts without a clear objective will bore your readers and they will leave the page by clicking "Unlike".

Even if your campaign is successful, too many leads may not prove to be qualified leads, which m ay actually lead to businesses. If you are a small business, perhaps you cannot properly handle high quantities of leads. You need to take all your resources into consideration and make sure each step in your web funnel is properly and professionally handled, so that your readers will have the best experience they can get. This will make them stay for more.

Mistake #4: Sporadic content instead of constant loyalty
Although its best not to post if you have nothing interesting to say, it is important to post on a regular basis and to remain consistent. Your audience learns to expect your posts, so you had better not disappoint them.

People in the digital era are looking for immediate satisfaction, so only one bad experience and they leave! Years of loyalty from a customer can be ruined with one silly mistake. It’s no different in social media. Keep to a certain standard you can uphold in the long run. Teach your audience to expect a certain level of information from you and make sure you keep providing it.

Mistake #5: Stagnation instead of innovation
You need to keep your audience interested, and in order to do that you have to be up to snuff. Be on top of the latest trends not only in your field but also in the field of Facebook posting. At the time of writing this blog, Facebook is promoting its new live posts platform. Thus posts that use this tool will gain higher exposure. Another platform, which Facebook is promoting is Instagram. Post that are placed also in Instagram are pushed in the Facebook feed.

Facebook also lifts posts that get lots of comments and re-shares to the top of the feed. The assumption is that if a post in engaging and getting readers to comment or share, then it means the post is entertaining and interesting. Facebook wants its readers to stay in its site – so if you provide interesting content, you will benefit from an upward push.

You need to know more than just the tolls and platforms available. You need to be able to create original and innovative content that is humorous, entertaining and memorable. This kind of content is engaging, and people will share it with their friends. This way, your readers work as your marketers, distributing your message and getting your word out to the world. This format of recommendation is looked on kindly by Facebook and is one of the best ways to make the most of your Facebook business page.

Business pages that find the correct balance continue to grow their follower base, while providing their readers with an enhanced customer experience, building a relationship with their customers that encourages loyalty.
Facebook is looking to encourage video and live posting, forwarding a more personal communication agenda with this policy. As Facebook strives to be more social, so should you.

A Marketer's dream - Driving for change in your organization

Many people face various obstacles to change in their lives and feel frustrated that it is so. Many coaches, psychiatrists and consultants make a living from this...I was once told that business relationships are just like personal ones... just in a business context. Not being able to realize your professional dreams in your work place can be just as frustrating as not achieving your personal goals.
This makes me wonder, what should an employee do to realize professional dreams? How can such an employee drive change in the work place so that the dream may take place? Or more specifically, how does a marketer initiate and drive towards innovation and change in the marketing department against a management that is fixed in the habitual ways of doing its business? Here are five tips.

1 - Organize your thoughts:
Its not enough to say "we need to innovate" or "we need to change our marketing"... its not even enough to say "we need a website". You need to define exactly what it is that you need and why.
For example: its true that in today's world every business organisation  needs an online presence. The reason I say this with such confidence is simple. Today everyone who needs information of any kind turns FIRST to the Internet to look for it, so this means your business has to be online so that you can be found by those people who are looking for you. However, this does not necessarily mean that you need a website - there are other methods to be online. Facebook may be the "third largest "country" in the world today" but if your clients are not its citizens, that is not going to help you. A newsletter can be a great tool, but only if your clients bother to read commercial emails in their inbox without chucking them to the "spam" first. You need to take a more detailed look at the idea of an online presence.

You need to crunch the details and define the exact steps required to achieve change, and to make sure that you ideas fit the reality of the organization your work in and the field of business to which you are marketing. To continue the example: consider what are your exact business needs and how can a certain online presence assist in the marketing efforts more than others. Consider where you audience can be found on the web and how do they like to receive their information best. Consider the realistic scope of the budget your managers will approve for innovative marketing initiatives. This brings us to the next tip.

3 - The salami method - slices:
Sometimes its best to cut a big change into smaller steps and take them on one at a time. Smaller projects with smaller budgets are also easier for your managers to accept. Your boss may be willing to experiment on one of your "crazy innovation ideas" if it costs the organisation less money. So cut your big change into smaller chunks and put them in the right order (remember, organize your thoughts...). Then focus only on realizing the first step, and do whatever it takes to make this step happen (the others are sure to follow). Stay focused and keep your managers focused on a target that is easier to grasp and to define. Managers will always find it easier to approve innovative thought if you can show them that its worth it. This brings us to the next tip.

4 - Show me the money!
Show your managers how the new marketing initiative can bring in more money for the organization. The activity you wish managers to approve needs to stand the test of a cost benefit analysis. You can use any kind of backing for your claims. Check statistics online, run a small test and crunch the numbers for your boss. In today's world almost any marketing activity can be measured. If you can rank your marketing activities and find out which is more efficient, you can cut actions that do not bring required results early and use the funds to start on something new instead.
For example: if you know that an online campaign is less effective than an exhibition because you not only get more leads from an exhibition but also each lead is cheaper (this is called Key Performance Index) then you can tell you managers that this is so with confidence. Confidence radiates authority and authority inspires trust. Trust, efficiency and benefits are great selling tools when it comes to management approvals. This brings us to the next tip.

5 - Self marketing - sell your project and yourself
A marketer needs to always sell the various marketing activities and oneself in the organisation. When you have an achievement, you had better be showing it off to everyone in your organization, managers and co-workers alike. Make sure that everyone knows how great you are at your job! If they think you are a great marketer, managers will have a greater tendency to trust your initiatives and approve the budget for them. If you constantly toot your horn about your work, just like you do for the product your organization sells, you will benefit from your own marketing efforts. This brings us to the next tip.

6 - Never give up!
Tenacity is a key factor is achieving whatever it is you set up to do. Be consistent and keep drilling your ideas to anyone who will hear them until the message gets through to management.
Its not just about the business and getting more leads from marketing, its about yourself!  Its great when you can have professional goals to reach for your self development. This will give you motivation to excel at your job and will provide you with flavor for your daily routine. Remember that you must never give up striving for improvement and innovation.

I conclude with a sentence many couches use, but its really does work,so here goes:
Remember to believe in yourself and others will believe in you!
Believe in your dreams, professional and private - work hard to get them and they might just come true...
Food for thought
Good Luck

How to Create good Video for Marketing

in today's internet world, video has become a powerful tool for marketers. The saying is that one picture is worth a  thousand words...to phrase this to more modern times - one video is worth a thousand pictures. People in the era of web like to get their information visually. Video channels and sharing sites have become powerful search tools in the web. All this means that as a marketer, you should definitely have videos as part of your marketing mix, or you are going to miss out on a great exposure channel. On the other hand, there is so much video out there that is is hard to make your material stand out. This article provides 5 tips to help you create more engaging videos at a moderate cost.

1 - Tell a relevant story - think about the information that your audience wishes to see and how you can provide it for them in an interesting manner. Statistics show that most people are looking for tutorials and training, information on how to use products or educational information such as new trends and tools. Think about the problem that your product solves for your customers and then how to enhance this information in a short video. Present a story line - show the problem and then the solution. Keep the video focused on the i,portant messages you wish to deliver. Make sure what you are showing is indeed the most relevant information your audience seeks.

2 - KISS - Keep it simple and short - think about delivering a focused message in simple terms and within 5 minutes. In today's electronic world even a 5 minute video may sometimes seem to long. People are not looking for flashy high budget effects. You can keep the cost of the video very moderate and still create an engaging film. If you have complex information, consider delivering it in a series of short videos - asking your viewer to watch the next video at the end of each short film (see more below about call to action).

3 - Create clean and focused imaging - consider your composition, lighting and sound.
Composition: The rule of thirds in photography recommends that you divide your frame into 9 blocks (3X3) and use the 4 dividing lines as guides to locating the most interesting objects in the video on those lines. Lighting: When filming people, make sure the lighting is complimentary and there are no shadows falling on their faces. Purchasing a good flash light even for home use is not very expensive and it will change your video completely, giving it a very professional look. Asking your subject to wear colors that compliment their complexion and paying attention to simple make up will also improve your video considerably.
When filing products, make sure the background is neutral and there is no scatter in the frame.
When filming computer screens, make sure there is no reflection and the content on the screen is seen clearly in your film. There are editing software that capture what is going on the screen directly from the computer. Sound: You need to make sure there are no distractions within your video frame. No moving people in the background and no background noise. You might consider using music in your video in a background yet enhancing capacity. Music can help create the right atmosphere for your video without taking center stage. there are websites that provide such soundtracks for moderate costs. If you are recording speech, make sure that you are eliminating the background noise as much as possible and use a good professional microphone.

4 - Do not forget branding and a call to action - your video is part of a marketing mix and its role is to engage your customers to continue their interaction with your information. Place a clear logo in the beginning and the end of your video, so that it is clear to the viewer who is providing them with information. Use your branding colors in the video sequences to enhance your brand even further. If you have music that is identifiable with your brand, use it. You can create such music by using a certain soundtrack in all your videos repeatedly. Make sure that your website link or a link to a landing page is embedded in your video. Include a call to action asking the viewer to do something after they have finished watching your video. should they contact you (provide info how to do so), is there a white paper they can read to further deepen their understanding of the information in your film? should they watch additional videos? Refer them to your website, brochures, presentations and all the other components of your marketing mix.

5 - Share and track - use all the modern web channels to expose your video to a maximum of viewers, and measure their viewing habits so that you can improve your content continuously. Once you have uploaded a video online, make sure it is shared and exposed to your audience via all the available channels. You tube and other video sharing platforms, social media networks, your own website, PR websites, special content websites and indexes or sites of relevant exhibitions as well as your newsletters and mailing campaigns should all have a link to your latest video. Try to create a buzz around the fact that your are publishing new content. Create a special landing page for your video and a corresponding PPC campaign in Google and Social Media platforms. Use the metrics and reporting of channels such as you tube to research the success of your video. Did your audience view your video to the end? how many people viewed it? How many people shared it? All this info is important to understand if your video has indeed provided your audience with relevant information that has interested them enough so that they took the trouble to view your film to the end and even to share it with their colleagues and friends (see first tip about telling a story). If this is not the case, see when the viewing stopped and try to learn from this, where your narrative needs improvement.

If you keep to these guidelines, you will be able to create simple yet engaging video content that will enhance your marketing efforts. In today's internet world, advertising is no longer an expensive undertaking possible only for large and established firms. Anyone can be an internet star! If you create an engaging video and a buzz around it, it can do wonders for your business.

Here is a link to a video I was involved in creating, as part fo my role as MarCom manager for Vidisco Ltd.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bIIAuM21c0

Great PR Content - My Formula and a Compliment

Its nice to be able to complement colleagues on great work. This time my compliments go to Rebecca Ehrenpreis who wrote a short blog post detailing a new website and a new invention to be found within.
Rebecca writes about a website that helps people find out their ring size. She begins with a personal story, moves on to describe the new product, quotes the company representative and provides users a convenient link to the website. All this is done within a short text and non obtrusive writing that is just a pleasure to read.

what should a great PR text include?
1 - Always keep it short and simple. Your message should stand out and be easy for your readers to find.
2 - Engage your readers so that they can sympathize with the product or service you are promoting. This can be done by telling a personal story or emphasizing a problem that you think your potential audience may have.
3 - Once you put forward the problem at hand, a problem your readers can relate to, all that remains is to offer them a solution on a platter. Describe your product or service in light of its being a solution to the problem raised earlier in the text. Keep the details basic and easy to understand.
4 - Include a short quote from a company representative that elaborates on the benefit for your audience. Putting a name and even a face to a company makes it all more personal. People like to deal with people directly. Talk about just one aspect of the product, which is the main solution relating to the problem at hand. Get your audience to be interested, they can then choose to learn more about your product.
5 - Provide an easy to access link to more information. If your audience wants to learn  more, the path they need to take in order to do so should be clear.

Rebecca used all 5 components of the above detailed formula in her short blog post.
I hope you will also find this post as a useful tool when next posting a PR text.

see Rebecca's ring size post in the link
http://www.beckysbeautytips.com/2014/01/26/an-innovation-for-measuring-your-ring-size/
More about Rebecca
beckysbeautytips.com
more about "Find my Ring size" in the link
http://findmyringsize.com/

The Rules of Engagement in the Era of Social Media

The presence of the Internet in the lives of every individual has forced marketing specialists and commercial companies to change their tactics. The world of Marketing has completely changed in the last 10 years, with online marketing and web promotion becoming increasingly more meaningful and more varied. This process is ever continuing with social networks (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter etc.) and applications (Whatsup) taking center stage. Everyone is online all the time. They can search for a product or service 24/7 and time in which they cannot find you on the web is simply a lost marketing opportunity.

B2B2C

While it would seem obvious that any company selling consumer goods (from apparel, via cigarettes to food stores), with a business model targeting you and me as customers (known as the B2C model – businesses that sell to consumers) would need a web presence and preferably also a social network presence, many managers in companies that sell to a corporate client do not find that a successful online marketing campaign and a good web presence is mandatory. Many managers in the B2B market (businesses that sell directly to businesses) still ask their marketing staff, why they feel that a Facebook profile is required. I would argue that in this day and age, every company needs to be present in the social media. It’s all about engagement.

Engagement

What does engagement mean? It means that a company selling a product or service should aim to connect with as many people as it can in its buying chain. The B2B2C model is being recognized as a true selling chain for many companies. This means that although a company has a corporate client and sells its products and services to businesses, the end user of the equipment can influence the purchasing decision of the business client.

A good example is equipment such as Laser hair removal machines. The laser hair removal device will be directly purchased by cosmetic networks or clinics that will provide hair removal services to the end user. A good marketing plan would engage both the end user and the cosmetic clinics. A good brand must filter to the knowledge of the general public. Clinics will purchase equipment if they know that this can score them extra points with their potential client, that’s the end user.

The automobile industry is also an interesting example. Cars are driven by everyone, but they are not sold directly to people from the production line. The big car companies have agencies that sell their product to the public. Big car companies also have large clients that purchase many cars at once, such as leasing companies or large corporate firms.  The buying chain is complicated but the brand has to filter to everyone and competition is ferocious. This is why adverts for cards can be seen in any local newspaper. Automotive manufacturers work on their brand from as many directions as possible. From Formula 1 to a personalized paint offer for your car. Automotive exhibitions and events dealing with future technologies are also popular with the public. BMW scored high in a Facebook campaign inviting people to graffiti its cars

The internet is an endless space in which your company can expose its products and services.

ROI

The cost (especially when compared to off line options) is relatively low. So the first rule of engagement is to use this opportunity and enlarge a web presence as much as possible, targeting different groups in the buying chain. Even classic B2B companies should target the end user or their product or service. A company page on Facebook with information for the public that relates to their field of activity is a great way to develop such brand awareness with relatively low means. Blogs and forums can also be opened to discuss related topics in which the company and its product could shine. All industrial magazines now have a web version. There are professional portals and index websites for almost any industry in which one can publish expert articles.

Content is King

The options are endless and content is the key! If you are doing something, just write about it. Talk about it everywhere and try to create a buzz by calling people to join in the action. If you are going to be present in an event, then tell everyone who is someone in your industry that you will be there. Put it on your website, on social media (targeted campaign to groups on Facebook and LinkedIn) in an email (newsletter) in a PR pickup website and in your blog. Call people in to enjoy benefits of visiting you. Lure them with a special app, get them to download content via their smart phones with a QR code, invite them to join a lottery for a prize that will be drawn at the event. Invite them to play with a digital gimmick that is connected to your product.

Write about your preparations before the event, your experiences during it and your conclusions after it. Invite those who visited you to comment. Provide special materials for those who visited. Keep them busy with your product. The more people you can connect to and engage in some sort of conversation on the web, the more you will eventually sell. The “lead to a deal” process may be a long one, but the equation remains the same. More exposure means more sales in the end. The Internet and social media make possible to increase exposure, so do not miss out on this opportunity to expose and engage.