January 18, 2012
I met someone last week who wondered if I still ran Spiderworking.com. The reason? She ‘Liked’ my Facebook page but hadn’t seen any updates from me in months. Since Facebook made it’s latest changes to the newsfeed at the end of last year reports have been coming in of page updates not appearing in the stream. Page owners also saw a significant drop in their page and post views and a new statistic appeared on our pages ‘talking about’. All of this combined means that if we really want users to see our updates we need to encourage interaction, the ‘talking about’ stat has become the most important insight on our page.
So how can you encourage more interaction on your Facebook page? I’ve been experimenting and here’s what I’ve found works so far.
Always look for feedback
Whenever I post something to Facebook I ask for feedback, instead of posting a link and saying what it’s about, I think about why I’m sharing it and add my thoughts and ask others for their opinions. I try to end most posts with a question mark. This has been a valuable tool for me and has helped me gather ideas and content for blog posts amongst other things.
Other effective tricks I’ve seen other pages use for getting feedback are posts with a missing word (see below), or asking for ‘three words to describe’. Giving likers something simple to do will encourage more engagement than asking for a long opinion.
example from Mari Smith
Share on Twitter
If your posts are no longer appearing on the newsfeeds of all your fans you need to be reaching them elsewhere. Posting links to Facebook posts on Twitter and asking for feedback is an effective way of widening the conversation beyond those who pick up your stories on Facebook. Facebook users no longer need to like a page to comment on it so you may find you will get more interaction from new users this way.
I try and post one Facebook discussion a day to Twitter and have found it effective for getting new comments, all of these are hugely valuable not just for encouraging sharing but again for garnering opinion on topics that I can translate into blog posts or content in the future.
Use a variety of content
It’s widely agreed that images and videos have better edgerank than other types of content. Images and video are also more visually attractive to users, they will catch your eye the way a status update or a simple link won’t. When I’m posting a status update I try and find an image that illustrates my point and add it to the update. It’s important to include a variety of content types on your page and I wouldn’t recommend using the image trick for every update. People get tired of the same content and you will discover that video and links will reach different users than images and status updates.
example from Amy Porterfield
Run a competition
Running a competition on Facebook will get lots of people talking about your page. Use an app like ShortStack that allows you to configure sharing, this way people who enter will be prompted to tell their friends. If you have an active user base running a photo contest that is judged by Facebook users will encourage competition entrants to share your page with all of their friends.
example from Country Hounds
Great content
This should really have been my first point. Creating compelling content that people will want to share will always encourage interaction and shares. I always recommend creating a content schedule for Facebook, you can download a blank schedule word document here. Think about when you are going to post and what sort of content you are going to post on each day. This will make it easier for you to find content to share and encourage consistent posting.
Carry a camera and a notebook with you everywhere and look out for photo opportunities that will work on your page. I find the voice memo device on my phone invaluable and am always recording snippets of ideas when I have them.
What have I left out? How do you encourage engagement on your Facebook page? Let me know… leave a comment.
December 14, 2011
One of the highlights for me of the SMM11 event in London earlier this year was the presentation by John Morter, the man behind the ‘Rage Against The Machine for Christmas No1 Campaign’. He was amusing and gave us lots of handy takeaways. The one that resonated with me the most, possibly because it’s something I had been advocating myself for some time, was his tip to change your Facebook page avatar when you have a new offering or important news. The change in profile image will draw people’s attention and maybe make them take a fresh look at what you do.
With Christmas on it’s way Facebook is awash with seasonal avatars and for those selling gifts or Christmas products adding a bit of festivity to your page reminds people that you are there, a fresh avatar attracts new post views and can even be a spark for a conversation.
This year we chose to add antlers to our logo. Last year more dramatically we made it snow. The reaction has been great and we’ve seen lots more interaction since we made the change. It also gives us something else to talk about, we asked our ‘Likers’ to share their pages with us and you can see both their and our designs below.
There are a couple of downsides to being festive, you must remain true to your brand, a cartoon Reindeer or Santa whilst suitable for some companies doesn’t suit others. You need to make sure your brand shines through so that your avatar doesn’t get lost in the sea of Santa hats.
Think about how you can modify your logo to reflect the season without hiding your branding. When creating your festive profile picture imagine your decorating a shop, how you decorate depends on who you want to come in the door, once you have identified this create something that reflects it.
What do you think? Does changing your avatar draw more attention to your page or do all the Santa hats mean you’re missing updates from the pages you usually follow? If you have created a festive page share your link with us on our Facebook page.
December 8, 2011
This morning my feeds were full of the news that Facebook is launching a ‘Subscribe’ button that can be added to websites. This made me revisit my use of Facebook subscribe and whether I wanted to continue.
When Facebook first rolled out ‘Subscribe’ I thought it was a good idea, in fact it was something that had been possible for a while under another guise. It used to be the case that if you sent a friend request to someone and they didn’t respond you would see their public updates in your newsfeed. Subscribing just formalised this process, and I think we have Google+ to thank for the simplification of it. Initally I allowed subscribers, partly as an experiment to see how it would work but as I accumulated subscribers I began to understand the benefits. I like having the option, it means I don’t have to friend people I don’t know and can keep my friends down to the people I do communicate with on a regular basis. However there are a few glitches that I’m not altogether happy with.
Firstly if I want to post a lot of content that I think has relevance to my subscribers there is no way of restricting this. Many of my friends are just that, they have no interest in social media beyond keeping in touch with friends, if I’m constantly posting business social media links they are going to start ignoring my updates altogether. I am what I’d call a ‘power’ Facebook user, which is a polite term for someone who posts a lot. I like that I can restrict content to just those I think would be interested in it by using friend lists but if I want my subscribers to see it I can’t stop it pumping out these social media news stories to everyone on my friend lists.
So why am I concerned? Surely I could just post the social media stuff to the Spiderworking.com business page? The Spiderworking.com page is aimed at a very specific audiece. It’s there to provide useful tips and handy information to small business owners using social media. Many of the interesting articles I want to share publically through my profile would not fit that remit. I like being able to share these with a wider audience and my Facebook profile, along with my Google+ page allow me to do this. To be able to filter content just to subscribers would give me the opportunity to share this stuff without boring my non-business, non social-media related friends.
However this isn’t my biggest problem with the subscribe button. As I mentioned above I love being able to filter content to the appropriate audience. I often choose to share posts publically, to just friends or to a specific group of people. This functionality is key to what I post on Facebook. However if I comment on a friends ‘public’ post or ‘Like’ it this appears on the newsfeeds not only of all my friends but also my subscribers. These could be fun comments with friends that may seem odd or inappropriate to a public audience. As a result of this I’ve stopped commenting on some posts. I’m becoming less social.
So I’ve reached the stage where I wonder if having subscribers is worth it? I have very little contact with them and if they fell into my target market surely it would be better for them to connect with my business page? Not having subscribers wouldn’t fix my second problem totally, comments I make will still go out to my entire friend list and publically but without subscribers they won’t automatically appear on ‘strangers’ news feeds. I have to consider if it’s just my ego stopping me abandoning subscribers and clearly if this is the case it’s not a strong reason to hang onto them. I’ll be re-thinking the entire Spiderworking.com social strategy for the New Year and will decide then if having subscribers on Facebook is a worthwhile exercise for me.
Have you allowed subscribers on your Facebook profile? If so do you see a benefit? Do my concerns concern you too? I’d like to hear your comments.
November 16, 2011
We are seeing more and more young people entering the world of Social Media. Facebook & Twitter are becoming the tools that our youth are choosing to communicate and for many parents this is worrying. Not only do many of them not understand the networks but they are concerned that their children could be leaving themselves open to dangers or acting inappropriately online.
It is important therefore for parents to familiarise themselves with social networks, to understand privacy settings and what levels of privacy are appropriate for young adults. Understanding the tools gives parents the opportunity to open a conversation about social media and for them to create a supportive environment in which children will feel more comfortable reporting any issues.
Some parents approach to social media is to ban its use altogether and it’s worth noting that both Facebook and Twitter do not permit users under the age of 13. However, banning a child over the age threshold from using these sites will just encourage them to use them outside the safety of the home. Internet cafes and friends with computers will give them the opportunity to set up accounts without your permission and without your advice.
It’s not all bad news…
The Good News
A study by EU Kids online showed that Irish Children were the most responsible in Europe, only 7% of our teens add personal contact details to their profiles as opposed to 14% in the rest of Europe and only 11% have public profiles in comparison to 29% in the EU.
Using social media can be very beneficial for young people:
- Confidence – communicating online can give young people added confidence. Even a shy child will often come out of their shell and start talking online. This will build their confidence and communication skills in real life relationships and make it easier for them to integrate into new groups.
- Social media is here to stay, it is already being woven into the fabric of our lives in much the same way as the phone and the email are already. This makes it an important life skill that will become more and more relevant in their future lives.
- Children are able to connect with other like minded people. These could be people they share hobbies and interests with or support groups for children with issues.
- Education – Social media can be a space where children can learn from each other, they can share, view and understand a wide variety of content and opinions and learn to debate these.
- Staying in touch with friends and family geographically far away, this is becoming more valid in Ireland at the moment with many families seeking new homes overseas. Social networks allow children to keep their friendships alive.
How to stay safe online
I’ve created two downloadable guides to Facebook and Twitter privacy for teens.
Download the guide: Facebook privacy – Recommendations for teens and young adults by clicking here
Download the guide: Twitter privacy – Recommendations for teens and young adults by clicking here
Suggested Rules
After discussions with parents I’ve compiled a list of suggested rules for young people using social media. It is in no way complete and I’d love to hear your thoughts so please do leave a comment.
- Don’t’ become friends with someone you don’t know in real life
- Don’t agree to meet up with strangers
- Don’t include personal contact info, hometown or other information that could have people track you offline
- Think three times before posting something. What you post has longevity and could be connected to you in the future.
- Respect the privacy of others
- Never send personal contact info via a social network
- Don’t use geolocation services that broadcast your current or past location
- Computers should be used in shared family spaces
- Never ever share your password
If you would like Amanda to come to your school or youth group and talk to parents or children about using Social Media safely contact us.
October 26, 2011
This week I talked to Fiona from Dink Design about her experience selling on Facebook:
Tell me a bit about you and your business:
My background is in Graphic Design. I studied at NCAD and worked as a designer for about 10 years. When I had my two children I began thinking of setting up my own business, one which would allow me to work from home, but also felt I needed a change of career. I turned jewellery making, a life-long hobby, into a business and so started Dink Design. I decided early in the process that the main focus of the business would be an online shop as this would fit in perfectly with my home life and allow me to work my own hours. Setting up my business page on Facebook and then my Facebook store was a natural progression for me and thankfully it’s working very well!
Why did you decide to open a shop on Facebook?
I’ve had my Facebook business page for about 3 years but only really started utilising it to actively promote my business just over a year ago. I started by posting pictures of a new collection and then when I received positive feedback and queries about prices I began posting new items with prices and descriptions and they began to sell.
I had been using Facebook this way for quite a while when I read that there were a growing number of shopping apps available for business pages. A fellow Facebook business owner mentioned OWJO and after some research I decided to add it to my page. One of the main advantages is that it allows me to accept credit cards and laser, as well as paypal which is the only option I have on my website.
How do you get people to visit your Facebook shop?
I post about it on my business page as well as on twitter offering special ‘Facebook only’ prices… I also mention it whenever I send a customer newsletter.
How do Facebook sales compare to sales from your website?
At the moment sales through my Facebook shop and direct from the wall on my page are slightly higher than those on my website which is quite amazing. I think it shows how online shoppers are changing their habits. There is more trust involved when shopping on Facebook – the customer knows that they can leave a negative comment if they are not happy with the quality of their purchase and they know that the seller doesn’t want that. And from the seller’s point of view, the advantage of a Facebook page and shop is that they can bring products straight to their customer through the customer’s news feed.
Would you advise people to open a Facebook store instead of building a website? If so why if not why not? What are the advantages of having both?
At the moment I’d say yes – start with a Facebook page and store – it’s free after all. Of course a website is essential these days but for a start-up business a Facebook page allows you to have an online presence and retail facility but without the cost involved in creating, designing and then marketing an e-commerce site. With the various apps that are available to use on Facebook you can create a pretty complex and informative page.
I set up my Facebook shop with the intention of attracting new customers who would eventually shop on my website where there is a greater choice.
What are the disadvantages of having a Facebook store?
The main disadvantage for me are the relatively high fees charged by OWJO. I sell products at a reduced price on Facebook as an incentive and with the added fees my profit margin drops quite a bit. In many ways this balances out when I take into account being able to accept credit card and debit card sales.
How much does it cost you to sell on Facebook as opposed to selling via a website?
OWJO take 7% and then there are the usual credit card processing fees, roughly 3% plus a flat fee of €0.30. I find this normally work out at about 10-11% of the sale price.
Paypal which I use on my website is less expensive. They take 3.4% plus €0.35.
What made you choose OWJO as opposed to other Facebook shop solutions?
Firstly they’re an Irish company which is important to me. Their interface is very user-friendly and professional looking, much more so than lots of the other shop fronts I’ve seen. Another important factor is that they allow me to accept credit card, laser as well as paypal. Their website is very comprehensive with lots of information and it’s very easy and straight forward to add items to the shop. Their office is local and I can call them or email knowing that they’ll get back to me.
What advice do you have for people wanting to start selling on Facebook?
Hurry up and get going! As I read somewhere recently – you may not like Facebook or Twitter or social media in general but your customers do, that’s where they are so you need to be there too!
Fiona’s Facebook shop can be found on her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dinkdesign
And her website: www.dinkdesign.ie
October 13, 2011
I was reminded of a great Facebook tip for driving more fans and engagement whilst watching a video hosted by Mari Smith recently. It was her final tip that reminded me that this was something that I really don’t do enough of. The tip came up again at the KLCK Bloggers Meet-up on Monday. So what was this top tip? It’s a simple as sharing your Facebook Page posts directly to Twitter and asking for feedback. But how do you do this?
You can automate this process but I’ve just disconnected this feature for Spiderworking.com. Why? Well when I looked through my newsfeed I found that the posts looked automated, they often clashed with similar posts I was making on Twitter and it prevented me from personalising these tweets. So today I’m going to show you how to link to a specific Facebook post manually. It’s really easy, it will bring you more engagement and as people have to ‘Like’ your page before commenting or posting it will also bring you more Fans.
1. Click the timestamp underneath the post you want to share
2. Copy the complete link from the address bar of your browser
3. Shorten the link by pasting it into a service such as www.bitly.com
4. Paste the link into a tweet asking for feedback
You can use this same method for finding a direct link to a specific tweet or Google+ post too.
October 5, 2011
I’m often asked how to set up your own Facebook welcome tab. If you don’t have the budget to hire a designer or someone like me to create your landing page is it possible to do it yourself? The answer is of course yes.
I’ve spoken about landing pages a lot. I think they give us a wonderful opportunity to tell people who visit our page a bit more about what we do and encourage them to click that ‘Like’ button.
Creating your own customised page from scratch can be complicated and requires some tech knowledge and skills. The good news is that there are lots of free applications out there that can assist you. Here’s my top three:
1. Pagemodo
For me these are the original user friendly landing tabs. They’ve recently launched new designs that are even prettier. It’s easy to slot in images and texts to make them your own. You can choose from a variety of free templates and there are some more feature rich options in their premium packages.
The one disadvantage is that you have to edit the page on their website and then send it to Facebook. If you want to change your page you can only do this through the website.
2. WooBox
I really like the whole suite of applications that WooBox offers. Their custom page creation tool is great, you can input text and images through a very simple interface, no HTML knowledge is required but if you prefer to enter your own markup you can switch to the HTML editor. You don’t need to go off Facebook to edit either, when you access your page you can click into the editor directly from here.
You can even create Fangates (content only people who like the page can see). The biggest advantage of Woobox is that it comes with free stats showing you pageviews and conversions to likes.
3. Static HTML
If you know your HTML Static HTML is a great app. You can simply cut and paste your markup into a box and you have your page. For people like me who often make HTML errors it handily marks errors in red making them easy to spot and correct. You can easily create fangates and as with Woobox you edit directly from your Facebook page. This gives you complete control over the content you upload. However you will need to host your images elsewhere as this isn’t supported in application.
If you’d like a professionally designed Welcome or custom Facebook page we’re still running a contest on Twitter. We’ve one more prize of a free customised page to give away. Enter the competition here. We’ll draw the winner when we reach 700 Likes.
September 28, 2011
#Krocomm is Ireland’s free e-commerce event happening in Dublin on Tuesday 4th October at Kro HQ. There are lots of great speakers, clinics and giveaways. Book here.
Back at the beginning of the year there was a lot of buzz about f-commerce. In other words selling directly from a shop on your Facebook page. It’s true more people are looking to Facebook to start a shop, it’s also true that lots of large brands seem to be embracing it but is it right for your small business? How else can Facebook help you sell? These are topics I’ll be discussing at the #krocomm e-commerce conference next week but here’s a sneak preview of my presentation.
Why sell from Facebook?
Facebook is a massive community, research has shown that Facebook fans are loyal customers who are more likely to buy online. If you can connect with these potential customers you could be building powerful brand advocates who will not only buy from you but also recommend you to friends.
Buying online is all about trust, you are asking someone to hand over their credit card details so it’s important that however you choose to sell, your web presence oozes professionalism and trust. If you don’t have the budget to create a great e-commerce website straight away Facebook is often a better option. There are several applications that are simple to add to your Facebook page that make setting up a shop easy. Two Irish based ones are Owjo and VendorShop and there are lots of other options out there. However simply adding a shop to Facebook doesn’t ensure trustworthiness. Make sure your page is designed well, add as much detail in the info page as possible and be easy to contact offline.
Once you’ve set up your shop the same rules apply as with any e-commerce venture. Customers won’t just come to you, you will need to attract them. One of the biggest disadvantages of f-commerce that I can see is that people who ‘Like’ your page often just visit once, once they’ve clicked the ‘Like’ button they rely on seeing your updates on their newsfeed. Having a shop tab as part of your page means that you will need to get them back to your page, you will need to drive them to your shop and entice them to buy when they get there. This is true of both f-commerce and e-commerce.
So how do you encourage that purchase using social media? I’m not going to talk about general strategy here and it’s important to remember that these tips will only work as part of a full Facebook or social media campaign.
Offers
I’m not sure if it’s a sign of the times but consumers don’t expect to pay full price for anything anymore. If you want their attention you are going to have to discount occasionally. Creating offers exclusively for your Facebook community is a great way to push them over the edge into a purchase. You can simply add a discount code in your updates or as an image as these are more likely to attract the attention of your fans or you could create a customised page with vouchers. If you are a bricks and mortar shop give your fans a fun phrase they have to say when they come into your shop, this will create a bit of fun instore too.
Exclusives
Every Christmas a member of my extended family gets an invite to a special shopping night in Brown Thomas, they give her a glass of champagne when she arrives and the shop is less busy so she’s able to shop in peace and is guaranteed a personal service. She’s a loyal Brown Thomas customer and this experience makes her feel special. They are ensuring her loyalty for the future. You can replicate this on Facebook.
Why not offer an exclusive to your fans, if you have a new product or a new range of products give your Facebook fans the chance to buy 24 hours before the general public. Not only will this encourage them to buy, it will create a buzz around your launch.
Reviews
We tend to buy from shops that are recommended to us by our friends and I for one know I research a product online before I buy it. Reviews are therefore an essential part of any e or f-commerce site. If someone is able to see frank customer reviews next to the product you are selling they are more likely to buy. Another Irish company LouderVoice makes the process of getting and sharing reviews easy.
Sharing
If you sell something make it easy to share. What happens when someone buys from you? Do they have the option to share their purchase with their friends on Facebook? On Twitter? The easier you make it to share the further the word will spread about what you are selling.
Examples
When I asked people on Facebook would they buy from a Facebook shop most people hadn’t encountered one. This is probably one of the biggest barriers you will come against. There are good examples out there.
Young British Designers have a beautiful shop and I’m informed they only sell on Facebook, there’s no website attached.
Handmade Jewellery store Dink Design are using Owjo to sell from their Facebook page and I think it looks quite attractive and very trustworthy.
Another Irish company Puddleducks have a store powered by Payvment. Again it looks trustworthy and it has those all important ‘share on Facebook’ buttons.
Pampers have a Facebook shop but it differs from the others as links take you away from Facebook and onto their own website.
So what do you think? Would you buy on Facebook? Have you tried selling there? What sort of results have you had? I’d love to hear your experiences so that I can add it to my presentation next week.
August 10, 2011
I was passing through a Facebook page recently and a particular post caught my attention ‘This page is not your billboard’. I wondered what had sparked this comment. It wasn’t too long before I found out. I started finding people posting the Spiderworking.com Facebook wall, short comments like ‘hello from your latest fan’ and a link to their page. Some people were bolder posting what amounted to an advert for themselves on the page.
I have encouraged people to post on my wall in the past and many businesses do, sharing information, asking questions etc. and it is the lifeblood of a page to have these important engagements. However the short ‘hello look at my page’ post can most definitely be counted as spam .
On another occasion I noticed a page I liked had started posting ‘adverts’ or in this case links to their blog posts to many high profile Irish pages.
I don’t really blame the people who create these wall posts, there are unwritten rules of social media etiquette and they can be hard to navigate. In this specific example it is also a waste of time. Content posted on a pages wall by anyone other than the admins does not get shared to the newsfeed of the people who ‘Like’ that page. The only people you will reach with your post are those visiting the page (a small fraction of the people who Like the page) and the Admin so all you achieve at the end of the day is a few disgruntled admins.
Are you unsure if you’re spamming? If so here’s my quick guide:
What is spam?
The Google dictionary defines spam as “Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients” For the purpose of this blog post I’d widen that to unsolicited self promotional content posted on the Internet in a space not fit for that purpose. This could be a Facebook wall post, a comment on a blog, a discussion in a Linkedin group or a Twitter direct message. As a rule of thumb something that just promotes you with out adding value has the potential to be considered spam.
How do I know if I’m spamming?
I guess the key to knowing if a post is spam or not is asking yourself if you are adding value and is it relevant? Is your post purely promotional or are you asking a question or sharing information that the page owners will find useful?
If you’re leaving a comment on a blog is it well thought out? If you’re including a link is it relevant to the article?
If you’re posting a discussion to a Linkedin group is it it relevant, will it provoke interaction from others?
If you are sending a DM on Twitter is it personal or is it automated? Are you simply asking them to Like a page or read your blog?
Don’t panic!
If you’re guilty of any of these behaviours don’t panic, you can stop now, you can even delete posts you’ve made on others walls and go forward knowing that you’ve seen the error of your ways. Start providing value to pages and your community and your spamming days will soon be forgotten.
Are you tired of spam? Have you been spammed in any more creative ways that I’ve missed? I’d love to hear your comments below.
July 6, 2011
At the end of last week Google launched it’s brand new shiny social network Google+. I was cynical, after Google Wave and Google Buzz would G+ be good? From the outside I wasn’t impressed. It seemed to be just another Facebook but then I started using it.
When I started looking at what I liked about it I realised that I could learn from G+ . That in some ways I had forgotten the beauty of social networks and I should refresh the way I use Facebook accordingly.
So firstly what did I like?
1. It’s less complex than Facebook – Facebook has some great features but I think they confuse people. When I’m teaching people how to use it it seems like I could run a week long course on the topic and still not get through it all.
2. Content is good – Because it’s new and membership is still limited the content is really good. Mostly self generated and a lot less automated stuff… and even better NO FARMVILLE!
3. Excitement – It’s new and most people are finding their way around and sharing tips. There is huge positivity from the people who are posting and it makes you want to join in.
4. The people - G+ is similar to Twitter, you can follow who you want and they don’t have to follow you back. This means you can follow some of the top people in your industry on G+. For me that’s easy as I’m in social media so my industry influencers were some of the first there.
5. Choose who to share with – At first I couldn’t see how ‘Circles’ differed from ‘Facebook friend lists’. The difference is that you are required to enter who you want to share with on every post. Some posts are public and Twitter style, some you want to keep for friends, family or even individual users. This should stop news-feeds getting cluttered.
So how will this change the way I use Facebook?
1. Keep it simple - Facebook is complex and it’s easy to assume that everyone knows how everything works. Keeping updates simple and showing people exactly how to communicate with you – whether it be telling them exactly what to do to ‘Like’ a page or join a group is important. Never assume someone knows something, don’t use complicated jargon, make it easy to participate. Of course there is a fine line to tread between keeping it simple and being patronising so make sure you are also adding value, be careful not to talk down to people.
2. Provide compelling content – All of us at one time or another post something we may not have thought about properly. Whether it’s talking about having a cup of coffee or a digest of our daily activity we really need to wonder if people are really interested. Since I’ve been using Google+ I’ve gone out of the way to find compelling content to share. I’m carrying my camera with me everywhere again and only posting the best stuff I find on the net to my profile. With this in mind I’m going to be more selective on what I post to my Facebook profile – although I’m sure I’ll still post a bit of nonsense there.
3. Excitment - How can I make what I’m doing with my Facebook pages more exciting and innovative. I for one have fallen into a pretty tight Facebook schedule for Spiderworking.com and I sometimes forget to think of myself as a client. What clever and innovative ideas would I suggest to a client to get the most from their page and how can I make mine more enticing? I feel I also need to be more impulsive with my posting.
4. Am I connected to all the right people? – I have a lot of friends on Facebook but my stream moves so fast I don’t communicate with them as much as I should. I’m going to start using Friend lists again to make sure I’m not missing important posts from great people. I haven’t actively sought out friends on Facebook for ages and this is something I should be doing, who out there is providing great content through their personal or business pages that I should never miss? I need to find these people and pages and make sure I’m connected.
5. Be selective with sharing – Facebook friend lists serve the same purpose as Google circles. With new lists created I’m going to stop clogging peoples news streams and only send relevant content to relevant groups.
All of this should make me a better Facebooker, I know you’ll all be watching now to see if I fulfil my pledge!
Do you agree with these points? Have you used Google+ yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts too – leave me a comment below or join me on Google+ to have a chat.
|
01 442 9410
Are You A Social Media Spammer?
I was passing through a Facebook page recently and a particular post caught my attention ‘This page is not your billboard’. I wondered what had sparked this comment. It wasn’t too long before I found out. I started finding people posting the Spiderworking.com Facebook wall, short comments like ‘hello from your latest fan’ and a link to their page. Some people were bolder posting what amounted to an advert for themselves on the page.
I have encouraged people to post on my wall in the past and many businesses do, sharing information, asking questions etc. and it is the lifeblood of a page to have these important engagements. However the short ‘hello look at my page’ post can most definitely be counted as spam .
On another occasion I noticed a page I liked had started posting ‘adverts’ or in this case links to their blog posts to many high profile Irish pages.
I don’t really blame the people who create these wall posts, there are unwritten rules of social media etiquette and they can be hard to navigate. In this specific example it is also a waste of time. Content posted on a pages wall by anyone other than the admins does not get shared to the newsfeed of the people who ‘Like’ that page. The only people you will reach with your post are those visiting the page (a small fraction of the people who Like the page) and the Admin so all you achieve at the end of the day is a few disgruntled admins.
Are you unsure if you’re spamming? If so here’s my quick guide:
What is spam?
The Google dictionary defines spam as “Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients” For the purpose of this blog post I’d widen that to unsolicited self promotional content posted on the Internet in a space not fit for that purpose. This could be a Facebook wall post, a comment on a blog, a discussion in a Linkedin group or a Twitter direct message. As a rule of thumb something that just promotes you with out adding value has the potential to be considered spam.
How do I know if I’m spamming?
I guess the key to knowing if a post is spam or not is asking yourself if you are adding value and is it relevant? Is your post purely promotional or are you asking a question or sharing information that the page owners will find useful?
If you’re leaving a comment on a blog is it well thought out? If you’re including a link is it relevant to the article?
If you’re posting a discussion to a Linkedin group is it it relevant, will it provoke interaction from others?
If you are sending a DM on Twitter is it personal or is it automated? Are you simply asking them to Like a page or read your blog?
Don’t panic!
If you’re guilty of any of these behaviours don’t panic, you can stop now, you can even delete posts you’ve made on others walls and go forward knowing that you’ve seen the error of your ways. Start providing value to pages and your community and your spamming days will soon be forgotten.
Are you tired of spam? Have you been spammed in any more creative ways that I’ve missed? I’d love to hear your comments below.