For companies trying to launch a presence on Facebook for the first time, the differences between a personal profile, a page and a group can be pretty confusing. I've seen plenty of mistakes from newcomers: thinking that a personal profile is actually a page is a common error, as is starting a group when a page would have been better. Here's a quick primer that highlights differences between the three.
A personal profile is what you create when you initially become a member of Facebook and set up your account. Facebook makes it clear in its rules that a personal profile must represent a real person . . . not a business or product. Personal profiles are what the vast majority of Facebook users set up to interact with friends on the site.
You’ve probably seen businesses that have made the mistake of creating a Facebook profile to advertise their company (ever gotten a friend request from a person named “Metroville UsedCars” or some other company name?). As I said, this is technically against Facebook’s terms of service, and these kinds of profiles that don’t represent a real person can end up getting deleted. Recently, Facebook has created an option for you to change a personal profile into a page if you’ve made this mistake.
You must have a personal Facebook profile before you can start a Facebook page or group. If you're the owner or representative of a company, it's a good idea to limit the "friends" you accept on your personal profile to people who you actually know. While Facebook pages and groups are meant to serve large numbers of people, your personal profile is meant to be a more private outlet that you probably won't want to share with individuals who you don't know.
A Facebook page is geared more toward marketing and promotion for brands, products, celebrities and public officials. It allows large numbers of people to "like" the page and be updated with information and news from the page administrator, as well as interact with other people who have liked the page.
When you are an administrator of a Facebook page, anything that you post on the page wall will be included in the news stream on the profiles of people who have "liked" your page. In other words, if you have 10,000 "likes" on your page, then every message you post on the page wall will be disseminated to 10,000 people (since it shows up in their news stream, though, not all of them will see it).
While Facebook groups serve a purpose, they don't allow you as many innovative marketing options as pages do. Groups can be made completely private, and are meant more for closer-knit selections of members who are members of a common organization (think book clubs, employees of a common company, or social organizations, for example).
One advantage of Facebook groups is that they allow the administrator to send bulk email messages to every member of the group, which you can't do as administrator of a Facebook page. In spite of this, however, Facebook pages still offer businesses the best options for online marketing.
No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome. »Is Google ready to dive into the world of social search? Well, it looks like they’ve taken a giant step. Last week, Google announced their new +1 experiment. In essence, it’s the Google equivalent of the Facebook “Like” button. Logged in users who are opted into the beta can click a "+1" button next to search results. This allows you to find and share relevant content with others in your Google network. Oh and for all you PPCers out there, never fear, + 1 is not just for organic listings, paid ads can be +1'ed as well!
What changes in traffic will I see?
Google’s aim here is to draw people to ads that friends and family have essentially recommended. It should be no surprise that users are increasingly paying more and more attention to reviews and opinions of peers (hence Facebook’s tremendous growth), so the concept seems sound. If you have useful ads pointed to incredibly relevant content the +1 experiment can only help!
What will happen to my click-through rate?
Hopefully it will go up! One really cool thing that stuck out to me is that organic +1’s will also show up in ads. So if someone visits your store and “+1’s” it organically, their +1 will show up in in paid ads. This could definitely bring a better sense of synergy to organic and paid listings. Advertiser's who are doing everything run should only see increases!
Will this affect my quality score?
Google claims that no, this will not directly affect your quality score. Although, while they say that quality score is still determined by overall ad performance, +1 could possibly have an effect on your performance or that of your competitors. Therefore, it might be best to keep an eye out for any changes.
How can I tell if my ad is receiving +1s?
As of now, reporting is not available but once +1 is in full force, you will be able to monitor them through the dimensions tab in AdWords.
Can advertisers opt out of +1 feature?
In short, probably not. If +1 makes it past its trial phase this will be a default setting so ready or not, users will have access to +1 any advertiser they choose. However, in order to see +1s, you will need to be signed-in and searching in English.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t see +1s popping up on your ads right away. As of now, the experiment is a limited release. That said, if +1 ever makes it off the launch pad, it will be very interesting to see the impact of social input on the top search engine.
No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome. »Earlier this week, Scot Lowry, CEO of Fathom Online Marketing, wrote an article for IndustryWeek entitled “Lean Sigma Marketing.” In it he discusses how valuable it can be for companies in the manufacturing industry to incorporate online marketing into their traditional marketing efforts.
He calls the process Lean Sigma Marketing, because just as the manufacturing sector combined Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing to produce optimal results, he suggests that today’s traditional offline marketing can be enhanced by incorporating online marketing tactics. A combination of the two processes can drive more measurable results and help manufacturing companies bring in a continuous stream of qualified leads.
It can be easy for a manufacturing company new to the world of online marketing to get caught up in all the industry buzz and lose sight of the ultimate goal: To drive costs down and sales up. In order to stay on track, the article suggests that companies focus on the following:
- How and where customers buy
- What the cost of each lead is
- What the present sales/lead generation processes are, and how much they cost
- What customers are searching for and where they are searching
- How to stay in touch with customers and prospects on an ongoing basis
With this information identified, it becomes much easier to develop a strategy that will meet each company’s goals, bring qualified leads to the door and produce profitable sales.
In his article, Scot stresses that a combination of the best offline and online marketing efforts can result in leaner, more efficient and more results-driven marketing. Or, as he would call it, Lean Sigma Marketing.
Read his complete “Lean Sigma Marketing” piece in IndustryWeek to get additional information on how online marketing can benefit the manufacturing industry.
No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome. »
Pizza places in Cleveland, Manhattan hote
ls, Nail salons near Atlanta. Local searches are growing in popularity. Search engines recognized this growing interest in localized searches and have made it even easier for searchers.
People no longer have to specify their location to get localized results. Search engine sites will automatically do it for the searcher, making search results more relevant. So, how can you compete in this local search world?
While there are a variety of important factors that contribute to your presence in local searches, keeping your content fresh and local-focused is a major component.
Localized Content for Localized Searches
Keeping your content fresh and updated will automatically make it stand out more to search engines. On an on-going basis you should be working to add new pages to your site and update your existing content. Whether that means creating a blog or just editing pages on a regular basis, the fresher your content is, the better chance you have of showing up in search results.
To target your content to users in specific cities, develop a content strategy that surrounds your geographical area. Use your content and link structure to tell search engines that your site is relevant to users in a specific geographical location.
Some new localized pages that you can add to your site include:
- Shipping rates
- Sales tax differences
- Store locations
- Content focused on different climates
- Directions to your locations
Focus your existing content on your geographical area by highlighting community events and linking out to local sites using specific cities and neighborhoods as your anchor text. Incorporate the names of cities and suburbs on your pages and be sure to have a page dedicated to your address, a local map and directions to your business.
The main goal of your localized content strategy should be to offer users real value by providing relevant and valuable information specific to your location. Not only will you increase your presence in localized search results, but by targeting your focus to local users, you may actually increase your conversions.
Image courtesy of WPromote.
Have any local strategies of your own? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.
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Managing an e-commerce site is more than just making sure your shopping cart functions properly and all product photographs are easy to see. To get the most out of your site, you need to make sure the content supports your objectives and makes it easy for consumers to buy your products. The copy on your e-commerce site needs to accomplish two goals: establish trust and convince visitors that your product is right for them. In order to accomplish these goals, you’ll want to avoid these common e-commerce copywriting mistakes:
- No copy on product pages. Writing content on each of your product pages helps you express what your product does and build trust with consumers. Before people buy, they want to know that the product you’re offering meets their needs and content is a great way to communicate this.
- Inconsistent tone. Everything from the homepage copy to the product descriptions needs to follow the same writing style and tone of voice.
- Exaggeration. Never exaggerate your product’s capabilities in order to make it seem more desirable. Always use logical arguments when explaining the benefits of your product. Your credibility and reputation are at stake if you exaggerate the benefits of your products, and you’ll be left with many unhappy customers.
- Conventions are ignored. It can be tempting to get creative with the wording on buttons and links, but it’s best to stick with what works. Use the conventional “add to basket” and factual, descriptive anchor text to link to product pages. Although creative wording might not have a negative effect, it most likely won’t improve your conversions.
- Forget to localize. Some translations just don’t work as intended, so make sure that your copy is culturally sensitive. In addition, some cultures are more aggressive with their advertising, while others are less aggressive. The best way around this is to write copy that is compatible with all cultures.
At the end of the day, your copy could make or break your e-commerce efforts. You should always make sure that your copy is flawless and gives your audience all the information they need in order to make a purchase. With this, you’ll establish trust and be seen as a credible vendor on the Internet.
How do you gain trust on your e-commerce site? Let us know in the comments section below!
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