10 Fan Page Engagement Tips - Facebook Conversation Starters

Great post I found on better networker about Increasing Facebook Fan Page Engagement

10 Facebook Conversation Starters to Increaser Engagement

Engagement is the holy grail of Facebook. It's the one thing newbie marketers covet and the one thing seasoned Facebook users work so hard to maintain. Engagement is the key to Facebook success. If your fans are not liking, sharing, commenting, posting and raving about your Page content, you might as well be the wall flower at the party. You'll find yourself at the party but not really working the party.

 

You have to work Facebook to get anything out if it and success doesn't happen by chance, it is strategically planned and orchestrated. At the core of every successful Facebook marketing strategy is Conversation, Communication and Consistency.

Here are a few tips that you can implement today, to help you get the conversation started on your Facebook Page so you're hearing more than the crickets!

Make sure to take note of the examples I share with you. They'll give you some hints and clues as to why they are some of the most popular Pages on Facebook.

1. Know Your Audience: Knowing your audience is crucial. You can have the best Chat-Ups and questions ever, but if they are not attracting your ideal audience, they will fall flat. Do your research and find out what "type" of people following a specific page respond to. What works great for engaging them on one page, may not engage them on another page.

2. Question of the Day: Asking questions on Facebook is a great way to spark up activity and drive traffic to your Page. Post a question or do a Q &A Session where your fans get to ask you questions! Social Media Examiner does a great job when it comes to Q&A with the experts.

When asking questions on Facebook make sure to KISS.

Who do you have to win the football game on Sunday? vs. What did you think of the quarterback ratings from Sundays game?

Which one do you think will get the best response? The first one right!

Questions that require only one word answers are WAY better than questions that require you to right a thesis. So keep it short and sweet!

3. Hot Tip of The Day: Start your conversation with "Hot Tip of The Day" or depending on the niche you are in you may want to be more specific. If you are a mom working from home you can put "Hot Mompreneur Tip of The Day:" or "Mompreneur Quick Tip:". Say you're a author, you can ask questions or post tips that are featured or discussed in your latest book. Charles J. Orlando, Author of The Problem With Women...Is Men.

This helps fans become familiar with your style and it keeps you communicating in a consistent way where your fans come to expect and actually look forward to the days when you give your free tips.

4. Breaking News: Staying consistent and up to date with current events, trends and movements helps to establish yourself as an expert and authority. Keep your ear to the pulse of what's moving and shaking in your industry. Those that are the first to break news can become valuable, trusted source the others in the marketplace. So Stay in The Know!

5. Fill in The Blank: This is a great way to get people talking and to get a short response that is easy for people and fun.

6. Toolbox Tuesday: If you are in an industry where there are specific tools, applications, or software programs that add value to your business...share them with people. You can also ask people what tools they are using to get things done, to become more productive or that helps them to be more profitable.

7. Fun Fact Friday: People love facts! Share a fun fact or post a "Did you know" type of post.

8. Deal of The Day: If you have the type of business where you offer promotions or deals on a regular basis, dedicate one day a week to sharing the latest deals. You can also share deals from other sources, retail outlets, etc withing your niche. This is really good for affiliate marketers who make a living promoting a lot of different products.

9. Photo or Video Day: Are taking pictures or shooting videos a big part of your business platform. Put them to good use by having a Photo Friday or Video Monday where you share your latest vlog post or share pictures. Here is a great example of Zappos doing a Photo Friday, which always has some really great conversation starters to increase engagement among their fans.

10. Quote of the Day: This is a classic, but one that works really well. Share your favorite quote or come up with you own witty or insightful sayings to encourage and entertain others.

When Is The Best Time To Engage

The hardest part of building a wildly successful Page is knowing when to get the party started. Post 3-5 times a day, every day to get the momentum you need to get people involved. But what are the best times of day to engage on Facebook?

A study done by Buddy Media found that daily Facebook engagement has three peaks: early morning (7 a.m. EST), after work (5 p.m. EST) and late at night (11 p.m. EST). Therefore, posting all of your updates during the workday means you’re missing key opportunities to engage fans at non-work hours.

It may take a while, but keep it up. Try keeping specific conversations or topics on certain days of the week. This not only helps you to be more consistent it also helps you to focus on the type of content you are going to be adding to your page.

Like this video? Want more Facebook Marketing tips? Come join the conversation on my Facebook Page to get even more free training: http://www.facebook.com/thegoldmedalmarketer. See you there!

 

The Utimate Google+ Marketing Guide

So Google+ is here...but what now? If you are struggling to figure out how to use Google+ for business or you have the feeling of "Oh boy, another social network I have to add to my marketing to-do list", then you are in for a treat today.

Embracing Google+ should be on your short list of activities and this Google+ Marketing Guide is going to walk you through the process of getting started with Google Plus + to promote and market your business in 10 easy steps.

Google+ is making its presence known and getting ahead of the curve now can help you position your brand and business at the top of the Google search engines leading to more exposure, customers, leads and sales.

So let's get started!

Why Do You Need To Be On Google+

Google+ is rapidly becoming a mainstream social media platform and it is also THE social network endorsed by the world's #1 search engine. If you are still wondering why you need to be on Google+, let me shed a little bit of light on the key reasons why you can't afford not to be on it.

• If you want to use Google+ you have to actually get on the social network to post updates (you can not update from other programs) so engagement is greater than on Facebook and Twitter where the process can be automated.

• Google+ is a great way to drive traffic to your blog or website. Not only can it boost your search engine rankings, it's a great platform to connect your business and gain exposure.

• One thing is very apparent: Google+ is already showing up in the Google+ search results. Meaning they are giving precedence to content updated and shared by people within the Google+ social network.

• Google is transforming into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships. They began this transformation with Social Search, and they are taking huge steps by introducing three new features:
  1. Personal Results, which enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page;
  2. Profiles in Search, both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and,
  3. People and Pages, which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.
  

Together, these features combine to create what's called Search plus Your World. Search is simply better with your world in it, and Google is just getting started.

So as you can see, Google is well on it's way to completely transforming the way we interact socially online.

As with any social media marketing method, it's not as simple as building a profile and watching the flood gates of traffic stream in. Engagement doesn't happen by itself. You have to interact and actively participate. You must construct a profile that attracts your target prospect and showcase enough value to make that potential prospect want to know more about you.

With that said here are 10 steps to getting started with Google+and making it work for you and your business.

Step # 1 Sign Up For Your Google+ Account

If you haven’t signed up for Google+ yet set up a free account by going to their start page. You can sign up for Google+ using your current Google Account or by creating a new Google Account. To ensure your current Google applications are seamlessly integrated into your Google+ profile, you will want to create your Google+ profile under your already established personal Google account.

Signing up is pretty straight forward and you'll be asked to enter your first and last name. If you have a business you will also have the opportunity to fill out a business page as well. Next you'll want to upload a photo. Make sure your picture is professional and similar (if not the same) as your profile picture across your other social networks.

[box type="note" style="rounded"]Quick Tip: Be sure to use the same photo you have on other networks such as Twitter or Facebook, so that others will easily recognize you.[/box]

Once you've completed your signing up, you will be prompted to invite friends into your circles by having Google+ search your email contacts on Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail.

Step # 2 Build a Strong Profile

Before you start connecting and adding followers to your circles, the very first move you want to make is creating a strong Google+ profile. Why? Not only will you be attracting people that share your interest (I'll show you how to SEO your Google+ profile in a minute) but when people stop by your profile you want to give them a compelling reason as to why you are someone they NEED to be connected to.

So how do you take advantage of Google+ to get exposure to your personal brand and drive traffic. SEO! Google+ has a ton of awesome features that will allow you to optimize your search engine results. I have included for you an example of how I SEO optimized my Google+ profile below. As you can see from the spotlighted areas, you can optimize your profile by updating specific data fields on your profile as well as build links back to your own sites.

I have links back to all of my social networks, my blog, specific posts and pages (notice the multiple links back to the "Go-Guide" newsletter- talk about increased opt-ins!!) and my business. I have even utilized the "Occupation" section to the max, by listing targeted keywords relevant to my niche!

You may only have one chance to grab a potential prospects attention so make it count. One of the most important steps for businesses who want to leverage Google+ is to update both your personal profile and Google+ business pages profile making sure all of the details are completely filled out! Your Google+ profile page may be the very first point of contact people have with you online so make sure you have a killer description, include all your contact details and add links to your website, blog and top 3 -5 social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn). You will also want to add links to your top pages on your blog or business site (maybe your newsletter page, free marketing tips or products and services page).

Step # 3 Maximize The Photo Strip

As an entrepreneur your # 1 goal is to build awareness for you or your business. Take the time to fully utilize the photostrip underneath your headline to display the photos that best showcase you and your brand. Here is a really cool example of how Coca Cola highlights their brand.

You can update your Google+ profile to include photos that provide insight to who you are and what you are all about. This includes uploading pictures:

•   that show social proof (at events, with industry leaders)
• that show helpful facts and figures about your industry
• that show your lifestyle

Are you an author? Show your Google+ followers pictures that highlight chapters of your book. Create 5 different graphics that are 720 x 720 pixels and upload them to the photo strip on your Google+ profile.

Step # 4 Get Creative with a Mini-bio Hovercard

This feature right hear is pretty cool. Note that your Google+ profile also has a place to insert your location and employer (past and present).

Don't just list your employer or company name, get creative with your “Employment” field and use that to craft a compelling “mini-bio.” This mini-bio will then show up as your hovercard, which is the only information someone using Google+ sees when deciding whether or not to circle (follow) you.

Simply go to the "Employment" section and enter a complete description. You have plenty of characters to write as much or as little as you want. Just make sure you maximize the opportunity to tell people about you. Write a bio similar to one you have on your other social networks. You can even include a link (even though it is not clickable).

You want to do everything you can to make is easy for more people to circle you. Right now your # 1 goal is to get as many followers as possible. This is what will make a huge difference in the search engine results. The more followers, the more sharing of your content, the higher your search engine rankings.

Step # 5 Personalize your page URL

Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin all let you create what's called a "vanity url" which is makes your social media link all cute and pretty. Well Google+ doesn't have that feature. So what do you do?

You may have noticed (it's pretty hard not to) that your Google+ page URL looks like this https://plus.google.com/102229962150902607675/posts. Yep, ugly, long...who wants that on their business card? At some point Google may include a feature that allows for a vanity url, but until then you can use a service called Gplus.to to create a user-friendly, custom URL (3-25 characters) like http://www.gplus.to/bolder, which will redirect a user to your page.

Step # 6 Create Circles

After you've gotten the basics out of the way and configured your privacy settings, start adding Circles. Google plus allows you to create Circles, which allows you to categorize your connections and selectively share information with certain people.

You may want to post something that you only want your family to see. You can select your "family" circle, and only the people you've tagged as "family" will be able to view that post. Mark your post as public if you want everyone to see it. This is a great way to streamline your information.

I suggest you create a list of circles to help you organize and categorize specific content. For example your circles can be "Family, Friends, Influencers, Authors, Social Media, Los Angeles, Ca and Business Partners." Watch this short video below on how to start with Google+ Circles.

[youtube width="425" height="350"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocPeAdpe_A8[/youtube]

Once you've created your circles, you need to start filling them with people. To find people to add to your circles, click on the circles icon. Here, you 'll see your Gmail contacts and people Google thinks you might know. Underneath you'll see a dashboard displaying your circles – Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and Following, etc. You can add people to these circles by dragging their picture into an already created circle or them or create new circles by dragging people into the blank circle on the left hand side.

After you have extinguished your list of imported or suggested contacts, move on to finding new people by typing their name in the Search Google+ box. You even have the option of searching based on brand names or keywords to find people related to them. You can also add someone to your circle directly from their profile. Based on the privacy settings they have selected, you can see exactly who they have added to their circles along with people who added them to their circles. Clicking on the "View all >>" link will allow you to view a complete list and add people you know to your own circles.

If you’re still looking for more people to add to your circles, the Google+ Top 100 is an awesome resource to check out. While you won't want to follow everyone on the list, you will be able to find more people in your industry or niche by seeing who they follow as well as who follows them.

# 7 Establish your presence & get to know your audience

The easiest way to stay active on Google+ is to add relevant content surrounding your niche. Google+ presents a unique opportunity for you to establish yourself as a thought leader in a space where your competition may not be actively participating...YET!!

Get to know your audience by asking questions, sharing content and interacting. What works on more established social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook may not be a good fit for your Google+ audience. Make the effort to customize your message and content to their needs. Also take advantage of the Google+ hangout feature that allows you to use a live webcam (videoconferencing) with up to 10 other Google + users. What better way to connect with people than via live chat.

You can update with quotes, articles and provide a link to new blog posts you write on your personal profile. But there are other things you can do too. Simply updating your stream regularly will tell people you are serious about using Google+. If you make yourself worth following you will build a bigger audience and that audience is then more likely to follow you off site to your own website.

As with any social network, the rule of thumb is to always give value. Before you post anything, ask yourself if it is going to be beneficial, useful or of value to others. Even though you can share selectively between friends, acquaintances, family members and people you are following just be careful about what you post to make sure you are worth the follow.

# 8. Commenting and Tagging People

Commenting on a picture or a status update by using the +1 is a great way to let people know you like what they posted and that you are paying attention. Since comments on public status updates will also be public, your profile will be seen by anyone who reads the update and its comments. Whenever leaving comments, be it on Facebook, Blogs or Google+, be sure to leave insightful comments that provide value and will help build up your authority in your industry.

Tagging other Google+ followers is one of the best ways to interact and build your audience. You can tag them in your stream post and comments by simply typing the @ symbol followed by their name. The Google Plus smart search will populate their name as you type. You can then select them from the dropdown menu and the person you tagged will then be notified with an e-mail that they've been mentioned in your G+ stream.

[box type="note"]Be sure to only tag people when you are talking to or about them. Don’t randomly tag someone just to get them to look at your updates or comments. That is called spam! [/box]

#9: Promote your Google+ page

The best way to drive traffic to your business on Google+ is to promote it. You can promote your Google+ profile from your website, blog and other online platforms.

Businesses should utilize features such as Google Badges and Google +1 icon buttons. To do this, simply go to the Google+ Platform Preview and sign up to receive updates. Next you'll want to visit the Google+ configuration tool page to customize your badge or icon. Copy and paste the generated code into your site to enable and display the badge or + 1 button. By adding these to your website or blog, it allows visitors to recommend your content with a single click of the button.

HubSpot shares some interesting data, reporting websites that use Google’s +1 button generated 3.5 times more traffic from Google+ than websites that don’t have the button installed.

# 9 Go Mobile with Google+ iPhone App

If you have a smartphone such as an Android or iPhone like I do, you can enjoy the benefits of the Google+ iPhone app. Simply visit to app store, search "google+" and click the green install button. The application is FREE and you can use it to view your news stream and profile, post updates, check your notifications, view photos, and find people to add to circles. You can also use it to start a new conversation with friends via the Google+ as an instant messenger feature.

This Google+ Marketing Guide should get you up and running on Google+ in no time. Have any helpful tips, tricks or shortcuts to using Google+ for business? Share your experiences with this increasingly popular social network. We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments.

To learn more about building your brand and business using Google+, and other great tips, sign up for the exclusive Go-Guide newsletter.

10 Tips To More Retweets on Twitter

Need More Retweets? Here's a really cool post on BetterNetwork - 10 Ways To Get More Retweets Guaranteed.

Need More Retweets? Ten Ways To Get More Retweets on Twitter

Ever wonder how some people on get a flash-flood of retweets, while others can't even manage a trickle? Are you one of those online marketers that want more Twitter traffic?

Twitter is at the top of the social media madhouse, being one of the top 10 sites on the planet. I mean really, we can all use more Twitter traffic right?

The fact is the more Twitter action you get the more social media clout you have...and we can all use more clout!

One of the best ways to Twitter domination is through retweets.

Ok so what is a retweet?: If you like a tweet, share it by retweeting it.

Twitter's Retweet feature helps you and share a Tweet you like with all of your followers with one click of a button.

So we know what a retweet is, but what does it really take to get more retweets?

Let me give you a quick heads up...It takes more than great content and Twitter buttons on your site.

Mastering the retweet is a science...and I am going to show you how you 10 ways you can get more retweets.

Oooh!! You're feeling warm and fuzzy already....I know!

So let's get started.

# 1 Place retweet buttons within your blog posts

Ok, so I just told you that Twitter buttons on your blog is not going to cut it alone. Try being more direct by telling your reader exactly what you want them to tweet within your post. Use sites like Click to Tweet to add a tweet link next to the text you want your readers to retweet.

Here’s how it works...

Say you want to encourage your readers to retweet a quote or business tip.

1. Copy the original tweet posted on your Twitter feed.
2. Go to Click to Tweet and paste the message you want to share in the box.
3. Click the “Generate” button to create a custom link.
4. Copy the link.
5. You can write something like "time is money" [tweet] in your blog post creating a hyperlink for [tweet]

Now, whoever clicks on the link [tweet] will have the message automatically added to their Twitter status box, then they simply click to tweet!

How sweet is that!!!

Look, don't be scared to put retweet links in your content, especially when you have a coo quote, tips or phrase that you know people are going to like. This strategy has worked pretty well on site like Quicksprout.

#2 Build relationships

Social Media Networking is all about relationships. Not status updates and posting quotes. Each week I use the "Power of 5" and try to connect with a minimum of 5 Twitter users that have a large Twitter following. And when I mean larger, I'm talking about more than 20,000 followers. I send them a direct message, connect with them on Facebook, retweet some of their content, or email them directly.

This is a strategy similar to the one I use on Facebook to connect with influencers. Over time your relationship with the "cool kids" of social media will grow. You'll see that they may start to retweet some of your tweets too which is super cool because they have tons of followers. So you are guaranteed to get a few retweets out of it.

If you can build relationships with enough influencers within your niche or industry, you'll have your tweets being shot out to tens of thousands of followers by multiple industry leaders and your numbers will skyrocket!

#3 Know The Words That Are Least Tweetable

Not all words are create equal in Twitterland. Twitter guru, Dan Zarrella analyzed over 30 million retweets from his database, comparing them to a sample of over 2 million random Tweets and found the most common words that occurred far more often in non-ReTweets. Here is a list of those words you want to steer clear of:

game, going, lol, haha, watching, work, but, home, night, bed, well, tired, sleep, gonna, hey, tomorrow, tired, some, back, bored, listening.

#4 Learn What Your Readers Want To Read

For some of you sending out random tweets is the norm, but if you really take a look at what master Twitter users do you'll want to slap yourself for not using common sense. While so blatantly obvious, tweeting about something that people actually want to read, is so easily overlooked. If you want to get more retweets on Twitter, you'll want to spend time educating yourself about what exactly it is your network or target market responds to.

#5 Use The Tweet Exchange

If your goal is to gain more retweets, why not give your readers something of value in exchange for a retweet. Have a guide, ebook, audio, or webinar? Let your readers know they can get FREE access to your goodies when they retweet your content. And as your readers are retweeting your content you'll find you'll get more download and visitors funneling back to your site. Definitely a win-win

# 6 Follow The Trends

Make sure you are paying attention to the trending topics and hashtags. There are anywhere from 2 to 4 million tweets that include hashtags. Pay attention to the popular hashtags...if you do you can get your tweets seen by more people, which will naturally lead to more retweets.

Here are a few cools ways to find out what's trending on Twitter:

• Check out Trendistic: For those who like visual data Trendistic gives you a graphical interface to see trends and keywords on Twitter. Trendistic will list the hot trends over the last 24 hours, 7 days, and month as well as provide embeddable charts and the ability to compare trends.
• Do a Twitter Search: Want to see Twitter trends, go to Twitter. By going to the sites official search page or homepage you can see all of the hot trends site. Want to see the conversation feed for those trends, just click on the word.
• Monitter: This is an unassuming site that turns out to be one of the best ways to track trends in real-time. Simply type in the keywords and it will automatically update with the most recent tweets containing those terms. Add or remove columns to give you the right amount of information. It also allows you to narrow the search to a particular geographic location, allowing you to find out what’s going on in a particular part of the world.
• Tweetmeme: Looking for the hottest links on Twitter? Tweetmeme can help you with that.
• Hashtags.org: This is a simple but pretty popular site that tracks Twitter hashtags. What's a hashtag: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keyword or topic in a Tweet. Any Twitter user can categorize or follow topics with hashtags. This webpage on Twitter hashtags also provides graphs on hashtag activity.

# 7 Memorize Your Personal Tweet Number

Leave enough space to allow people to retweet your content easily. Twitter gives you 140 characters but if you use up all of the space and people have to edit your long tweet just to be able to retweet you, most people are just too lazy to bother. So it’s worth memorising your Magic Retweet Number. But if you’re lazy too, just remember to make your tweets between 120 - 130 words.

# 8 Don't dumb it down

Use proper English, correct spelling and take the time to really craft your tweets. Tweets with more complex and "smart" words tend to get retweeted at a higher rate so leave the text shorthand (LOLs and the likes) for your iPhone.

# 9 Be Careful With The Automation

Automation makes our life easy, but too much of anything is pad for you, including automated tweets. Is it ok to pre-schedule tweets in advance. Absolutely! but at the same time you want to make sure your voice is what's really attracting people to you. make sure your content comes across real, authentic and organic. If you must use services like Tweetadder or Twitterfeed,make sure you review everything before it goes out.

New Breed Entrepreneur Tip: Remember – your brand is all you have online. And you want to have a strong brand, that has it's own unique voice. Take care in the content you put out in to Internetland. Do everything with excellence in mind. It will pay off and you'll have people retweeting, sharing and liking your content in droves.

#10 Be Consistent

Just like anything else you want to master in life, you have to be consistent and you have to do the work. That means giving people content that is worthy of being retweeted not some of the time but all the time. If people don’t know what to expect from you, they won’t feel comfortable putting their reputation on the line by sharing "bad" content. So make sure you always give people a reason to feel good about sharing your content with their own network.

 

Facebook Marketing Tips For A Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign

Are you a small business stillstuggling with Facebook marketing? Awesome post on Betternetworker about creating a successful social media marketing campaign for facebook.

15 Tips To Creating A Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign on Facebook

This is a public service announcement! Facebook is here to stay...not going anywhere...nope...at least no time soon. So if you are still running away from this social media behemoth, putting your head under the pillow wishing it will just go away...this is one last ditch effort to get you to understand the benefits Facebook can have on your business and why if you don't man up, your competition is going to leave you in the dust.

This post is not to hype you up on the power of what a social media marketing campaign on Facebook can do for you, but to give you a realistic and thorough view of how Facebook can enhance your connections, customer engagement and cash flow to your brand or business. This post is to educate those who are still on the fence about social media, Facebook in particular, but are looking for real business building strategies that can get you results with less effort.

WARNING! This post is super long. So if you don't have more than 15 minutes you may want to bookmark this page so you can come back and finish it up later.

I was thinking about creating a multi-part blog series or even a mini ebook, but I thought what the heck...why not just give you the Facebook strategy you want, right now, so that you can begin to learn, implement, share and teach others on how to effectively launch a social media marketing campaign on Facebook for your small business. No hoops, no opt-ins, no links to download. Lucky you!

Here is what I am going to do though:

I am going to lay out for you 15 Steps To Launching A Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign On Facebook

So if you are ready to go, let's get started.

Oh, but hold on, before I give you the 15 Steps To A Killer Facebook Launch, Why Facebook?

Facebook is the KING of the internet with over 800 millions users. Yes, it reigns supreme as the #1 website on the net and it isn’t showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. 80% of all Americans use a social network and Americans spend more time on Facebook than any other U.S. website (Nielsen). Your customers are there.

Are you using Facebook to the best of your ability and do you really know how to market your products and services on it?

If you don’t do anything else, get your business on Facebook. It should be an important part of your marketing mix. It helps with branding, connecting with potential customers on a personal level, and differentiates your business from competitors who aren’t using Facebook. The result: Driving more traffic, increasing sales, and a number of other benefits. You may be one connection or "like" away from your business breakthrough.

Now there are a million and one guides, manuals, reports, videos, workbooks, and ebooks on Facebook marketing for small business but if you are reading this post and are not having success of Facebook or still trying to figure out how to attack this social media giant, then I promise you this. Go through each of these 15 strategies, get in the game, and starting playing ball. I'd be absolutely floored if you didn't see a significant improvement in your connections, your customer engagement, your social media clout and your sales.

Step #1 - Listen To Your Target Market

To be successful on Facebook (or any social media platform for that matter) you have to know where your target market is hanging out. Where are they from? What do they look like? What are their interests? What groups are they active in? Are they influencers?

Good thing for you that Facebook, actually tracks all of this information for you. (learn more about Facebook insights here)

If you are listening, you'll know where your audience is...and only when you know where your ideal customer is can you effectively begin to engage and connect with them in a way that cultivates relationships and puts your brand and business in a position to be seen and heard by the right people.

Strategy #2 - Find The People With The Most Clout

Who are your influencers. A research report from Meteor Solutions found that the type of people who follow or friend you are more important than the numbers. Influencers are the people who create viral action, who share content that drives a flurry of activity. Influencers create value in the social media space, because you can measure your success based on their activity.

An influencer can post a status update and immediately create buzz by the number of comments, shares, likes and reactions it gets. How does this help you? This helps you know what topics are hot. It helps you determine what people are interested in. And it gives you the opportunity to know exactly who you need to get in front of on the social media scene.

Facebook has a number of influencers that just by association can increase your brand's clout and credibility. When you can strategically place yourself in front of these influencers, the potential to develop life changing relationships with them exponentially increases. So take advantage of their social media cred to help boost your own.

Amy Porterfield, suggests creating a list of 25 key influencers and connecting with 5 of them daily. You can go to Twellow, Listorious or do targeted searches on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to find out who's making waves in your industry. Make comments, share their links, answer their questions...

New Breed Entreprenuer Tip: Never, ever, ever insert a self serving link back to you in someone else's comment feed. It's tacky. You want to provide value in a way that does not impose on the influencer or make it's fans feel uncomfortable. Take the time to go to their blog and comment there as well. Be consistent and you will eventually raise a few eyebrows.

Strategy #3 - Find Your Blueprint For Success

Everyone needs someone to model their success after. You've created a list of 25 influencers. Now pick one or two that you can model your social media strategy after and stick to what they do until you get results. Success breeds success and if you learn and apply you'll cut your learning curve in half and start seeing significant results faster. Trial and error is for people who have time to waste...and I don't know anyone who can afford to waste time, so stay in the loop on what your chosen influencers are doing on a daily, weekly, yearly basis to build their business online. Read their posts, subscribe to their RSS feeds, opt in to their newsletters, watch their videos, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social network they participate in. Become a student of success. Don't over analyze, don't doubt the strategy, or make things more complicated than they need to be. Just go for it. Take massive action, master your game plan and stick it out.

Strategy #4 - Have A Strong Social Media Image

Presentation is everything online and in the increasingly noisy world of social media, you have to stand out on Facebook. And you do this by looking the part of a professional that can deliver quality content, services and products while building down-to-earth, authentic relationships with potential prospects and business partners.

Get a Facebook profile page that people can connect with: If you are a personal brand or solo-entrepreneur, please no pictures of your dog, cat, or car as your profile pic...that's for both your personal and fan page. FYI...Anybody can upload a picture of a hot, exotic luxury car...doesn't mean you're an industry leader, doesn't mean your products don't suck, doesn't mean you know what you're talking about or that you can create solutions for others. For all we know you're still living in the basement of your parents apartment pretending to be a guru instead of living the guru lifestyle - which is helping and empowering others to live better lives.

Exotic Cars + Facebook Fan Page Pic = You're So Lame!

Here are an example of Social Media Examiner's Facebook Fan Page...They are definitely getting it right (as they do with everything to do with social media):

Here is a really great tool that my good friend Donna Valdes turned me on to. It's called PageModo and it allows you to create a custom business Facebook Page for FREE. You don't need any special skills, no html code and the pages are beautiful!!

Next!

 

Strategy #5 - Upload Images That Put The Spotlight On Your Products & Services

This is an extension of Strategy # 4. There are 5 photos that appear right at the top of your profile pages. Use them wisely. The pictures you place in these 5 prime spots should showcase your products, services and skills. It should paint a story of who you are, what your brand is about and the value you bring.

Make sure your photos are captivating, eye-catching and fun! Images are powerful in increasing social media engagement and bright, colorful, fun pictures is what catches people's attention and moves them to increased engagement.

Also, always make sure you include descriptions to each photo you upload including a link to your blog, company bio or product page. You can also add a link that directs people to your lead capture page or opt in page (which I highly highly suggest you do). I recommend you create multiple lead capture pages or info pages (keep them in a notepad file for easy reference) that you can direct fans to.

Pictures give your Facebook friends a peek into your life as an entrepreneur and a person. The pictures you post convey a message about who you are and the type of lifestyle you live. Strategically share images that paint the story of what you are all about.

While we are on the subject of creating stories with pictures...Make sure to check out the new Facebook Timeline feature. It's finally released and a really great way to tell your life story through your profile.http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline

 

Strategy #6 - Tag, You're It

Yes tagging is good when done strategically and tactfully. When you upload photos to your Facebook Fan Page, tag each photo with your page name. The next step is to get the attention of an influencer. Do this by tagging your photo with the influencer's name using "@name". You are essentially giving them a social media shout out. You want to let them know in your description why you are tagging them. Please make sure it is relevant to their message, perhaps the photo is in response to a challenge or comment made in their status update.

You are taking the time to tag an influencer not only to increase your chances of getting their attention, but to let them know you support them, that you are listening, and that they are important to you. Be genuine. Just because they have social media clout doesn't mean you have to like them. So if that is the case, don't tag 'em.

Tagging when done right is a win-win for you and the influencer.

Here is a simple example of how to utilize tagging the right way:

Say you just launched your very first training program and you want to promote it on Facebook. Use this strategy here...

• Upload a picture of your new training program. You could use a logo, banner, or a screenshot.
• Add your description of the photo and include a link to the new training program.
• Tag the picture with your own name, your fan page name or business page for your new product, then tag your influencer with their fanpage name (@influencersfanpagename).
• Next you'll want to make sure you include a link to the picture in your status update to the influencer's Facebook fan page, where they are promoting their services or products.

"I am really excited about the launch of my new training program "name of your product" which you can get a sneak peek at here "http://yourlink". I want to thank "@influencersname" for inspiring me to move my butt and giving me the blueprint to follow with her program/book/training.etc @influencersfanpagename.

Quick Tip: Make sure you like the influencer's page first. This way the tagging strategy is done properly and the influencer's fan page will populate in the drop down list when you go to tag them.

Strategy #7 - SEO Your About Me

Yes, your info page is not just where your Facebook fans come if they want to learn more about you, it's a tab that Google needs so they can know more about you....and while no ones else may care too much about what you have to say about yourself, Google cares.

Go to your Facebook Fan or Business Page, click "edit profile" button, click basic information and in your "About" section, insert your blog or website url, along with the most relevant keyword(s) situated toward the beginning of your about me blurb. This way your fans can see it on your profile page...Here is an example of my blurb.

[twocol_one]About Section

[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]About Section Extended

[/twocol_one_last]

Notice the keywords social media marketing are the very first words I start my description with...then I sprinkle other important target keywords throughout the rest of the description. Also notice, I've added my blog url toward the beginning and end of my description.

Social media marketing tips at http://andreabolder.com. How can I serve you? Ask me anything about social media, entrepreneurial mindset or making money online to get in depth answers on how you can up your business game! http://andreabolder.com

Strategy #8 Optimize Your Facebook Bio

Next you'll want to create a more robust description of who you are and what you do by optimizing your biography. Be real, be authentic and entertain. Don't be silly or write stuff that you "think people want to read", but create copy that will draw fans in and keep them wanting to read more about you and your business.

[highlight]Keep the tone conversational, keep it light as if you were talking to a friend over a cup of coffee. When you can create content that actually resonates with others in a language they understand and can relate to, not only are you building rapport you are establishing a connection that can lead to conversation, communication and conversion.[/highlight]

Include links throughout your bio that direct fans to learn more about you outside of Facebook. The more engaging your bio the more traffic you'll drive to your external sites, so take time to think about what you are writing.

Also, make sure to sprinkle your target keywords in your bio and in the "Personal Interests" section.

Take a peek at mine...

Notice that the very first thing I placed in my biography section is a live link to my about me page on my blog: http://andreabolder.com/about (Please don't bore your readers with a long, drawn out dissertation of your life story on your Facebook Info Page... prime them with a short, juicy, mini-bio that is straight-to-the-point and makes a good impression...leading them to click on your about me link to learn more about you!

New Breed Entrepreneur Tip: Don't be afraid to brag on yourself a little bit. It shows you are confident in your skills...just make sure you can back it up!

Strategy #9 - SEO your Status Updates

You have to know the keywords and trends that are going to get people talking about your business and brand. Do your research! Identify the topics and keywords that are important to your business. This means paying attention to the lingo, terms and conversations floating around within your target market or niche. When you continuously see and hear the same words, phrases, or terms, this should be a hint to you that you may want to start talking to your audience using the language that will get their attention.

For example, If you’re in the real estate industry, you would investigate forclosure, loan modification, property value and so forth. Keywords should reflect what’s important to your business and what your potential customers are actually searching for.

When you are consistently searching for new keywords and staying informed on new trends you'll find you are better equipped to reach and help your target audience.

Strategy #10 - Offer Conversational Status Updates

If you are serious about building your online clout and presence, a big part of being social is opening up conversation to others. Ask people questions that prompt simple answers? You should be posting 2 -3 updates a day that encourage communication and comments. You don't need to get too deep, just ask questions that will get the social media party started. Think ice breaker...

If you are trying to get the attention of an influencer, make sure to tag them in your update.

Strategy #11 - Create Your Bribe

Social media is very much an "I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" type of culture. If you want to increase engagement you have to be willing to give up the goods. Have a free ebook, report or guide? What about a free video course, webinar or audio?

I personally believe you should format your page in a way where the viewers must "like your page first" before they get access to your free content. While you don't necessarily need them to hand over their name and email address (called a double opt-in) to get access to your freebie, I do suggest that at the minimum you have them click like before getting access.

New Breed Entrepreneur Tip: Monetize Your Freebie. Strategically and tactfully sprinkle affiliate links or links to your own info-products throughout your free report or guide. Use a number of different call to actions that get your reader to move to the next step of the process, which could be getting them to your blog, or on to an email list or to a sales page.

[box style="rounded"]Example: For more tips and strategies that will double your results in half the time, visit me at blog at "insert your link here".[/box]

Always, always, always give away your best content. You want your fans to feel like they got the best end of the deal. Nothing is more annoying than liking, opting in, or purchasing something then feeling like it was a total waste of time.

Create content that is hypnotic, packed with value, and will not only keep them coming back for more, but have them raving to their friends and peers on how great your information was.

Strategy #12 - Use Paid Facebook Advertising

Be proactive and get a little aggressive with your engagement by creating a Facebook Ads campaign. Create an Ad that has a hypnotic headline, an eye-catching picture (bright colors, images outlined in red, hot girls - all tested to increase clicks!) and a simple but compelling call to action.

Since you are paying for advertising time, make sure you stay on top of your Facebook campaigns to see how they are performing. Any campaign doing poorly, snatch immediately. You don't want to waste money because it can add up quickly.

Perform split tests to see which campaigns give you a better return on your investment. Take screenshots of ads that you would click on, that catch your eye or have garnered a lot of likes. Keep them in a folder called "Facebook Ad Samples" so you can use them as models for when you create your own Facebook Ad campaign.

Strategy #13 - Integrate Twitter With Facebook...Or NOT!

It is my personal opinion that you should not use any application that feeds ALL of your Tweets to your Facebook page. I'm a fan of Twitter, not a Fan of feeding your entire tweetstream onto your Facebook wall.

Some people send a tweet out every 5 minutes. Can you imagine how utterly ANNOYED your Facebook fans would be if they were getting notifications from you every 5 minutes 24/7? How about Super ANNOYED!

So unless you don't tweet very often I recommend you using this really cool app that Facebook guru, Mari Smith, turned me on to called Selective Tweets.

Selective Tweets lets you update your Facebook status from Twitter - BUT you can choose which tweets you want - just end a tweet with #fb when you want to post it as your Facebook status - simple!

If you want your fans to have access to your entire tweetstream from Facebook, you can also pull in all your tweets onto a tab using an app like Involver.

Strategy #14 - Integrate Video Into Your Facebook Marketing Strategy

I probably don't have to tell you how powerful video marketing is, but when you combine video on your Facebook landing page it can boost your traffic and increase conversions.

Video Marketing is one of the fastest ways to build an online presence and create viral exposure for your business.

One of the fastest growing marketing mediums being used by online marketers today, video marketing offers incredible potential when you pair it with Facebook. Video marketing can take your business to “celebrity status” helping you to build brand awareness and creating rapport with your viewers.

Although you can post your YouTube videos directly to Facebook, I suggest using Facebook's video uploader.

Why?

If you post your YouTube videos to Facebook by cutting and pasting the embed code straight from YouTube you'll find that if your viewers click twice they will be promptly swept away from your Facebook page landing on your YouTube channel.

Unless your goal is to build your YouTube subscribers on Facebook you NEVER want to take your fans away from your Facebook page or blog. They may never come back.

The ultimate goal with social media is to always drive traffic to you, not away, with the final destination place being your BLOG! So let's get in the Strategy # 15

Strategy# 15 - Tie Your Blog To Facebook

So speaking of blogs...as an entrepreneur and business owner looking to build up your online presence, a Wordpress blog should be a top priority. Google loves blogs. They are interactive, constantly changing and a great way to create a community of loyal followers....and your Facebook marketing tactics should include ways to get your fans back to your playground...your blog.

Your blog is your prime piece of internet real estate. It's the one place where you can showcase your message. It's your house and it's where people will get to truly know and understand you and the the value you provide.

So you may be thinking, that sounds good but I don't have time to blog...

Don't think you have what it takes to maintain a blog? There's a ton of PLR (private label rights) content that is already written for you. No more writer's block. No more struggling to create content. Simply tweak the pre-written content to give it your personal voice and hit publish. With PLR content, it will free up your time so you can focus more on your business while putting out content that will build your credibility and establishing you as the expert!

My favorite PLR content for network marketers, internet marketers and affiliate marketers is Nicole S. Coopers MLM PLR Store. High quality content (alot of PLR is junk), affordable and there's only 200 licenses available for each piece of content released. So you should have no excuses when it comes to having a blog.

So once you got your blog up and running, how do you attach your blog to your Facebook page?

1. Use the Facebook app Networked Blogs to tie your blog feed. Takes less than 5 minutes to set up and will help you build your brand across the social networks.
2. Placing a Facebook Like Box In Your Sidebar: Get the code here
3. Adding Facebook Comments To Your Site. Here's a post I did not too long ago on installing Facebook Comments Plugin To Wordpress
4. Having Facebook Like and or Share Buttons: There are a ton of plugins, like Facebook Social Plugins, you can use to add Facebook buttons to your site. I recommend having a plugin that allows Facebook shares toward the beginning and end of a post.

So you've read the entire post! Woohoo! Good for you. Now all you have to do is start applying what you've learned. Building a brand on Facebook is not about setting up a Fan Page or Business Page and hoping fans will come to you. The whole "build it and they will come" philosophy doesn't work too well with Facebook. You have to be strategic, you have to have a focused message (if you are a social media marketer, don't talk about how to fix cars) and you have to constantly be adding value to your community.

Success on Facebook is possible. People are creating more connections, more customers, and more cash flow on Facebook than on any other social network. Release the overload...find strategies that work and stick to them. Take these 15 Steps To Launching A Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign on Facebook and make it happen for you and your business!

Did you find this post helpful? Maybe you have a Facebook strategy that you think is worth sharing? Leave a comment and let us know what's working for you?

Cheers!

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