How Small and Local Businesses Can Use Facebook Graywolf's SEO Blog |
| How Small and Local Businesses Can Use Facebook Posted: 09 Feb 2011 07:27 AM PST
If there’s one aspect of social media that mainstream press seems to love, it’s Facebook. For this post we’re going to be talking with Greg Finn of Cypress North, Victoria Edwards of Linkshare, and Marty Weintraub of aimClear about how small businesses can use Facebook. 1) It was recently reported that Facebook was the most visited website in 2010, beating out Google for the first time. Do you think that there is value there for small businesses or is just part of the social media hype? Greg Finn The fact that Facebook users are regular users is really the biggest upside to me, and it’s not just kids using it anymore. Facebookers really are adamant about checking the site frequently, whereas Twitter is used very differently (outside of our industry). Sure, Twitter has 15 million users, but according to a study from Edison Research, only 33% of users use Twitter once a day whereas 50% of users log on to Facebook in any given day. I have seen traffic stats mirror this research as well. I also love the format that Facebook provides, allowing for easy communication, fan interaction, and sharing. Take a look at this post from the UFC – it not only has a link, but a description, video and comments/likes as well. Whereas the same thing on Twitter looks like this:
Victoria Edwards Marty Weintraub A quick look shows that 30,580 people living in the United states “like” master electrician, master mechanic, master plumber, small business owners, business owner, or business development. FB rocks for many types of small business marketing assignments. For instance, circumvent Groupon-type services to accomplish the same types of objectives for a much lower cost. 2) There are some businesses that are a natural fit for Facebook, and other businesses that don't make too much sense. Can you give me some examples of who should definitely be spending time on Facebook and who shouldn't? Greg Finn
Types of companies that may benefit less & analyze their goals before participation:
With that being said, I do think that these companies can still find value if used correctly – just not as much. For example, a specialized widget manufacturer may not appeal to the majority of users, setting their Facebook page up as a news source for reps could be beneficial in keeping relationships. By updating their Facebook page with new products, company happenings, and industry news, a useful and informative destination would be created that could reach customers off of the main website. This type of communication is still valuable, just at a smaller scale than a post about a sweater sale at Old Navy. Victoria Edwards Businesses that should not be on Facebook are the ones who have created a Facebook page, but have either left it on auto pilot or have forgotten about it. Not only does it make your brand look lazy and unprofessional, but it also leaves a window open for potential brand damage. Marty Weintraub Therefore, anywhere marketers are successful in direct response search PPC, FB Ads is a natural build out. FB Ads ads are still much less expensive than AdWords. For SMBs and local business, understanding this dynamic opens up fabulous opportunities at dirt cheap prices. The barrier to entry is that FB, as grass roots as it is, requires savvy marketers to leverage for local. That’s the reason things are sometimes hard for local businesses. 3) Let's stop talking theory and dig in. Are there any small businesses that you think are doing a good job on Facebook? Greg Finn They do a great job communicating regularly using their own media. I think it is really clever how they post, and it is always topical. They also have perfect frequency and relevancy for their audience in my opinion. I think that the UFC does an exemplary job in pushing their branding with Facebook. They work fans into regular photo updates, feature exclusives with fighters, and also let fans know what’s coming up. Best yet, they make users feel like they are important and somewhat of a VIP just for following. It would be hard to find a better event & branding example than the UFC. This is hands down, no questions asked the best Facebook page in the Search space currently, and should be a model for any news source/blog. Instead of just spitting out info from their sites, regular posts include group questions/discussions, links to relevant stats/posts (not on WebProNews), company updates, and of course links to their content! It is a great job all around of not just broadcasting their news, but creating a valuable destination for marketers. This is a good example of how a smaller retail company can not only promote product, but have a good time doing it. From asking questions to showing people at work to hosting events, Boca Java does a great job at updating fans. They also do a great job of creating unique Facebook only specials that provide fans with that VIP feel! Victoria Edwards WUSLU is a 'deal of the day' site focusing on home furnishings. Not only does this Facebook page make use of the FBML to bring in the brand, the individual constantly monitors and engages with their fans, in addition to utilizing 3rd party applications, like Wildfire, to bring in contests that further engage the audience. Example #2: http://www.facebook.com/horsetreats A few other small businesses that I feel are doing a good job in Facebook, whether Note: These are not clients, but I have gotten approval from these individuals to use them as examples. Marty Weintraub 4) I understand that lots of businesses are hesitant to publish metrics, but what are realistic goals that you have seen people achieve from Facebook? Greg Finn Victoria Edwards I think realistic goals must be set if a business wishes to do Facebook marketing but does not want to invest in Facebook ads. One must communicate that it will be a long, slow process by not adding Facebook advertising into the mix. Marty Weintraub 5) For a small business who is getting ready to get involved on Facebook, what are three tips or actionable items you can share? Greg Finn
3) Leverage Off-Line & Other Marketing to Help Promote Page 6) They say that you learn more from your mistakes than your successes. Care to share a mistake you made or that you saw a small business make on Facebook? Greg Finn Victoria Edwards Another lesson learned was how slow of a process it was to increase various key performance indicators, for example fans acquisition, without leveraging Facebook ads. I became quickly aware how slow the process can become, in addition to realizing that if you have a client who does not want to do ads on Facebook, you MUST communicate how the process is much slower rate at which you increase like, fans etc. Set a realistic expectation and make sure they are communicated to your client if they do not add Facebook advertising. Marty Weintraub A big thank you to Greg, Victoria, and Marty for taking the time to participate and share your knowledge. There’s a lot of actionable advice that hopefully the readers can put into place.
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This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis Wordpress Theme review.          | ||||||
| Are Search Engines Using ClickStream Data Posted: 08 Feb 2011 08:14 AM PST
Recently there was a big kerfuffle over Bing copying Google results, Bing denying it, the Google FUD machine in full force, and some nice conspiracy theory about who is pulling the strings and why. While this makes for some exciting drama and fun twitter banter, there is some actionable information for SEO’s: paying attention to and using clickstream data. According to the Bing response they are 100% using click stream data from sources such as IE toolbars and factoring that data into their ranking algorithms. In fact, that click stream data is at the heart of Google’s accusation that Bing is copying them. What REALLY happened is that Google engineers set up some fake SERP’s for made up words and made sure Bing got the data by sending clicks to Bing. While it’s technically not the clickfraud that Bing frames it as (since PPC wasn’t involved), it was artificial data, convincing enough that Bing believed 10% of it. In my opinion the days of being able to ignore or dismiss social as a fad or not a part of SEO are over… The real question you need to be asking yourself is, does Google use click stream data as part of their ranking algo? If you set the wayback machine to 2002, GoogleGuy (aka Matt Cutts) felt using Toolbar data could help provide better SERPs (hat tip MattMcGee). To the best of my Knowledge at the time this post was written, Google hasn’t disclosed if toolbar clickstream data is or is not used in ranking data (if Matt Cutts or any other rep wants to comment or drop me a link to an official comment, I’ll append this post). That said, in my testing I have seen a lot of evidence pointing to toolbar click stream data being used–at least on a short term basis. Pages with a lot of social proof (aka tweets, stumbles, reddits, etc) will pop into SERP’s for extremely competitive terms and then fade away when the clickstream data stops. In my opinion the days of being able to ignore or dismiss social as a fad or not a part of SEO are over. Any serious SEO should also have a social component as part of their strategy, unless it’s a strictly B2B play or something “unsocial” like a funeral home. So what are the takeaways from this post:
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This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis Wordpress Theme review.       |
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