We have all seen those pitchy Facebook pages, or streams of non-stop blatant and nauseating advertising messages disguised as “genuine” conversation. These types of posts often receive little or no response. Consumers these days are increasingly savvy. They know B.S. when they see it. Maybe your pages are not growing because you are guilty of not being “genuine” enough? To be genuine, you simply have to stop being a robot. Online it’s all about interaction

So how can you ramp up the interaction rate of your business Facebook page to foster growth?  Here are a few tips:

Don’t forget to “like” other pages as your page and customize your “Featured Likes” under your “Edit Page” options.  We all have partners and stakeholders so be sure to put them front and center.  You’re allowed five featured likes.  Use at least three of them for your most important partners and leave a couple open to randomly rotate among your  entire “likes” list.

Share!  Don’t be a selfish self-promoter! Share content from others too.  The share button is a powerful tool in  building relationships and providing topical content to your followers.

Keep an eye on your newsfeed even when you’re signed in as a page!   If you find something interesting “share” it. Chances are others will find it interesting too and the original author will think you are cool beans.

LIKE!  Like and comment on the content of others. Spread some love!  It puts your name in front of more people and it tells people that you are listening.  What comes around goes around. Show a little love, get a little love.

Comment on and “like” the post comments that people contribute to your page.  Again, it shows that you are listening and appreciate the attention that your fans are giving you.  If a comment requires a response…respond. It is kind of like rewarding good behavior. It makes people feel good and encourages future interaction.

You see, by dedicating a little more time to engagement you’re tapping into a huge pool of people who will start doing some of the marketing for you. It’s not just “playing” around on Facebook.  It’s marketing.  Simply put, social media is word-of-mouth advertising.

Recently, the Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau (FM CVB) marked the 15th anniversary of the release of the film ‘FARGO” by creating a full-scale replica of the infamous wood chipper and brought the actual movie prop to the community for “The Wood Chipper in Fargo” exhibit. To promote the exhibit, we created a presence online with a Facebook page [hyperlink:http://www.facebook.com/FargoMoorhead#!/thewoodchipper]. In just a few months, the Facebook page has grown to more than 7,000 fans, and is growing at approximately 1,000 new fans a month. We’ve also seen a true “real world” impact. Walk in visitors to the F-M Visitor Center are up more than 30 percent in the months following the installation of the exhibit and launch of our social media efforts. The “Wood Chipper Community” is extremely engaged and responsive too. But, let me assure you it didn’t happen all by itself. It took dedication to our fans and continued efforts of outreach and interaction to foster this healthy and vibrant online community.

You can do the same for your business. All you have to do is get involved in the conversation, reward your audience for their participation and spread the love.

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Every bank needs a sign

Whoever implemented the first digital time / temperature sign at a bank was a genius. That person deserves a medal. I mean really, they do. Every day on the way to and from work you look to see the time and outdoor temperature. It just so happens you also see the name of the bank displaying the sign, reinforcing its brand recognition.

Although, displaying the time in military time (where the day starts at 00:00 and ends at 23:59) and the temperature in Celsius (most Americans don’t know what that is) would be a more unconventional marketing idea. That would cause people to stop and think for a second. That would be reason enough for someone to talk about what they just saw. The effects might be minimal, but you never know. It would be fun to watch people drive by staring at the sign (with your brand on it).

To go even further, why not put up a daily trivia question? Or a random daily fact. People might even drive by your bank every day just to read the trivia question!

Free money

People love free money, almost as much as they love air. In Seth Godin’s book, Free Prizes, he told a bank advertising manager to slip a few $100s into the ATM. People would talk then. Mission accomplished.

Imagine someone pulls up to the ATM at midnight on a Saturday on his way to the next watering hole and he requests $40 and gets $120 instead. Would he go to the bar and promptly tell everyone? How much would you want to bet the bar clears out and a mass of people start withdrawing from that machine? I am willing to bet that each $50-100 you put in the pile to replace a $20 would be redeemed in the astronomical charges implemented at the only machine in town dispensing cash at 4 a.m. on a Saturday.

Stop with the fees already

Banks charge way too many fees, for everything. In a room with 100 people in it, not one would suggest otherwise. Set yourself apart from the crowd and stop charging fees. Maybe you opt out of fees and opt into advertising services like credit help, financial counseling or long-term planning and management of money. Perhaps you break all the rules and say no one will ever be charged a fee so long as they accept advertisements about these great services you can offer them.

What kind of marketing idea generator said its OK to add random fees to a bunch of different accounts and then promptly remove them with no questions asked when a customer asks what they are for? I mean, if the person whose job it is to dispense and receive monies can simply remove the fee on a whim, that fee should not be there. But I am willing to bet that people are happy when those fees are removed and do not report the devious nature of the fee to others. On the other hand, all of those people who don’t know how to check their accounts or balance checkbooks simply get feed to death.

Please upgrade your website

If Mint.com can offer a free budgeting service and attract thousands of people by crunching numbers and displaying them in charts, so can you. Mint.com makes money by referring people to credit card and mortgage companies. I would use a budgeting service if my bank offered it. A lot of the people who use my bank would too. Other people who don’t use my bank would consider switching or opt in to the free service because of the reputable brand. The problem with Mint.com is that it is not a Wells Fargo, US Bank or JP Morgan. Imagine how many people would be willing to give you a platform to help market other products and services to others. Remember it is always good to promote your competition as long at it is on your terms.

Invest in the community

If your bank supports a nonprofit or charity people can relate to, then you will have more customers just because people want to believe they are part of a good cause. People are emotional. Stories of helping others and photos of people in need play to our emotions and we want to help. Not only that, but once something has reached our emotions, we remember it. If your bank donates a percentage to schools, homeless shelters or dog rescue, potential customers will remember you and maybe even switch to your banking services. And I mean really donate, not just donate a lump sum and then spend twice as much telling everyone about it.

For example, how about using the save your change program to match donations to a school? Some banks have the save your change program where if you spend $2.12 on something they round up to $3 and put the .88 in a savings account for you. For every individual participant, save the change adds up to about $200-300 a year in savings. If my bank offered to match that savings from my save the change participation and donate it all to a local school, animal shelter or whatever, I would probably do it, gladly. I can just picture schools rallying all the parents to switch banks and sign up for your save the change and donate program.

Give out candy and dog treats

My girlfriend always talks about it whenever she goes through a drive-thru of any kind and the person at the window gives her dog a treat. Her cat was even offered a treat once. Kids love to go to the bank with Mom and Dad if they get a piece of candy from the teller. Use this idea and expand on it because adults like free treats too. Maybe on Fridays, everyone or selected people who use the drive-thru get a $5 gas card or a coupon for a free coffee. Or maybe they are offered a special such as a savings account with no minimum balance or the interest waved from their credit card for one month. Or maybe every single person who goes through the drive-thru gets a piece of Godiva chocolate no matter what day it is. People like to be surprised for the better, not that they just incurred $300 in overdraft fees. Use your imagination.

No related posts.

Here is the link to the article:

So how can businesses and bakeries use social media to increase sales?

The #1 thing they can do is to interact over social sites such as Facebook and Twitter with their clientele. We are not just talking about sending out an update on your next special or when your store hours are, we are talking about genuinely engaging in conversation with them. This dialog can cover anything and everything under the sun, but your customer needs to view you as a person that cares about them and not just some business with a Facebook page.

Follow the link to the article to see other great ideas.

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We were asked our thoughts on a few things concerning this article on if your Facebook use could get your FIRED!  Yeah, Fired!  Well, we were happy to be asked to throw our two cents to the article that was posted recently.

Josh Whitford was quoted on point number 5:

5. Keep the dialogue positive

Social media can be a great way to foster conversations about an employee’s recent promotion or a company event, says Josh Whitford, president of Echelon Media, a company that specializes in social media. But, he says, certain topics such as trade secrets should never be disclosed online.

You can check out the entire article here.

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3. The LIKE button

In this segment Brian talks about the evolution of the newspaper industry and how the arrival of social media has changed the way information is shared and why the internet should be an integral part of how newspapers conduct business from here on out.

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Seriously, the whole idea of a “like” button sounds cheesy.  I get it.  But the power that the “like” button possesses is HUGE. It is something that builds on itself.  The more it gets clicked the more you benefit.  Simply saying that people should click your “like” button is one thing…getting them to click it is an entirely different thing.

So how do you get people to click that elusive “like” button.  Well, it is pretty simple.  Conveying true and honest content of what is going on around you is the key.  Drop the whole idea that you can tell people about that 10% savings.  Start telling them about you.  Social media is reality.  It isn’t the old and ineffective tools of placed advertising in print or banner ads on websites.  If you are trying to get people to hit the button you have to prove to them that you are real.

Facebook is about people.  Facebook is about connectivity and communications.  If someone clicks that “like” button for you…you better take notice.  Start having a conversation.  Reply to your comments, let people know that you care.  Seriously, you need to take the scientific probabilities and chuck them out the window.  Being on Facebook is one thing.  Being a part of Facebook is a completely different one.

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1. Brian Talks Social Media with The Newspaper Industry – Part I
2. Brian Talks Social Media with The Newspaper Industry – Part II
3. Facebook Pages – You know you need one, but how?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTc8alez2L4

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In this segment I’m talking about mindset.  Both the mindset of our audiences and the mindset one should have when trying to leverage social media for their business.  This is the introduction to several clips from this presentation that we’ll be posting over the coming weeks.   I’d love to take some comments and start a conversation!

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Facebook Pages vs. Profiles

I thought today I would address probably one of the most common questions I receive when I am out speaking.  During my talks I of course, like a good social media consultant mention Facebook Pages as being an integral part of a good social media strategy. It is pretty clear that most understand the need to get into the whole Facebook game and most seem pretty willing to dive right in.  But, I am usually asked a relatively simple question:  How do I get a page for my business on Facebook?

To some of you this may seem like a no-brainer, but seriously some need a good explanation to get started on the right foot.

Perhaps it is best that we break down the difference between pages, profiles and groups first.  So here is the deal:

Profiles:

• Real people
• Real Names
• You, the human being.

Groups:

• Clubs
• Activists
• Community organizations

Pages:

• Businesses
• Products
• Brands

The keyword for most businesses is “page.”  Don’t do what so many have done.  Go to Facebook and create a profile with a fake first name and fake last name.  Like say, first name “Mikes” with a last name “Plumbing.”  If you are feeling the need to fib on some of the details in the form that is the first sign that you are not doing it right.  Facebook makes things pretty easy, so don’t fight the system!

If you want a page for your business or brand on Facebook you need to  have a personal profile on Facebook.

If you already have a personal account on Facebook you are in good shape to begin. If not, go start a legitimate profile…with your real name.  If you decide to fib your way into Facebook you will pay the price. A great example is a local fair in my area who started a profile page on Facebook.  They fibbed their name, built up hundreds of friends and then one day their account was gone.  Poof.  GONE.  All that work for nothing because Facebook one day realized that “XYZ Fair” wasn’t a real person.   Back to square one.  In some cases that is enough to cause people to give up altogether on social media.  That’s bad.

If you have already made the mistake of starting a business page as a profile there are things you can do to mitigate the damage but the clock is ticking so get moving.  Start a legitimate page on Facebook by following the information below and start telling your friends on your current account about it and get them to migrate over.  Use the share button on the newly created page and post it to your old (and soon to be detected and deleted) space.  Encourage people to join you on the new page. Be honest too.  Just tell them that you created this cool new page and value their support and hope that they will join you.  In no time you will have all that you have gained illegitimately in your new legitimate Facebook page.

So we have that straight, now with your personal account  established all you have to do is hit up this page on Facebook. Now I know a lot of us won’t be at our same jobs forever but don’t freak out.  One great aspects of pages is that you can assign numerous administrators.  You can add people to help build the page.  So just because you start the page under your personal account doesn’t mean that for the rest of eternity that you are the only one that can manage the page.  So no worries!

I might as well toss in this other tip to those of you who are new to Facebook Pages.  #1 Goal:  Get 100 people to like your page. Once you do you can secure yourself a nifty vanity url. Get to 100 and then visit this link to get yourself a slick address like http://facebook.com/echelonmedia instead of http://www.facebook.com/235234223423/echelon/2547656231r3252/media234234.  The vanity url will let you market your page to the masses.  Easy to remember, easy to find.

So go out and get that page started and start having a conversation.  No matter how simple this post may seem I hope that it is helpful to those who wonder, “how do I get a page for my business on Facebook?”

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