The changes in the way Facebook shares information clues you in on the number of businesses who’ve joined the Facebook Nation.
“Jane Foote became a fan of Sneakers Towing.”
“John North became a fan of Southern Tours.”
Bowling lanes, shopping malls, and restaurants, oh my! More local businesses hang their digital shingles every day. They’re exploring the possibilities of social media, hoping to tap into the viral love of the plugged in audience. We say “Bravo!”
But are they tapping effectively?
We visited several of the businesses popping up in the past few days of updates. Two areas seemed in need of some course-correction: interaction and information.
I N T E R A C T I O N
One company’s made 2 status updates since August – not terribly engaging. On the opposite side, the dozen-a-day updaters talked nonstop. These businesses felt the need to share every breath – and some repeatedly. That’ll send folks HIDE-button hunting before you can say “We have a customer.”
Find the grey area between being informative and authentic, and “TMI”. Social networking is about interaction – it’s not broadcasting. You want them to talk back. Why? Because conversation builds relationships. Use your Facebook analytics to dial in that grey area.
I N F O R M A T I O N
Three of these new business pages posted no links to their existing websites. One simply told us when it was founded…nothing else.
The content for your “About” area provides visitors insight. “About” also feeds the Google monster because the super search engine indexes Facebook pages. Take advantage of this 250-character chunk of text by including keywords that point their way to you. And by all means, fill out the “Information” areas. Include keywords and links to increase the content score of your page for different types of Google searches. For instance, Address, City, State, and Zip Code supply info for local searches. Company Overview, Mission, and Products help with product searches.
O N E M O R E T H I N G
All you businesses masquerading as “friends” – only fellow Facebookers can learn anything about you. Sure, you can send friend requests to bump up your “friends” count. Great. The only thing the rest of the web finds in a Google search? The names of 8 of those friends. Plus you get zero analytic information about your interactions. Sort of boils down to quality vs. quantity.
So, to you new Facebook businesses – we offer a hearty WELCOME to this connection-making tool. But keep in mind, a tool is just a toy unless you use it effectively.
If you’ve ventured out into Facebook’s business district, have you discovered things that work? Things that flop? Do you have questions? As ever, the comment section is open for business.
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