Businesses Can Use This To Monitor Chat About Them

Go to http://www.bing.com/social and type in the name of a major company. I have copied my search for “Pepsi” below. In posts made in the last hour prior to this search Pepsi can get some valuable information. There is a comment about an advertisement made during a major league baseball game, several comments about the “Pepsi Refresh Project” and several other subjects.

Just go to http://www.bing.com/social and check it out. How can you use this for your business?

Business Can See What Customers Want

Businesses can use this as a tool to get a more specific view of what their target markets are looking for. If a business sees a Facebook comment on it’s page that generates several thumbs up, then the business knows to pay close attention to that particular comment. That provides a greater understanding for what the market is demanding.

Set Up The Facebook Hacking Notification

To get the security notification operating go to “My Account”:

Account Settings

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Click on the settings tab:

Click The Settings Tab

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Click on “Yes” to receive notifications:

Facebook Security

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Once this is submitted you need to log out of your Facebook account and then log back in. As you log back in you will be asked to register the computer you are on.

Register your computer:

Register Your Computer

You can receive security notifications by email or by SMS. If you receive a notification and you are not aware of the new access to your account then log in and change your password right away. And then notify Facebook

Dropped Cookies Require Re-Register

If your PC drops cookies for any reason you may need to re-register your computer. Facebook may also ask you some security questions to get into your account.

How To Add The Button

In the developers pages of Facebook visit the Like Button page. There you get instructions on a range of ways to put Like on your sites. At the bottom of the page is a code generator. Plug in the URL of the page you Like. Make sure it is the specific page and not the home page of your site. Then click the “Get Code” button and it will give you code to post on you page. Next, go to your site and post the code in the place you want to post the button. I like to put them at the bottom of my articles. Then readers can click the button and they notify their friends of a good read.

But one of the major changes they made you may not pick up on.

Facebook has been accused of selling our privacy again!

Again, Facebook has been accused of revealing personal information to marketers. But you can make some changes to your privacy settings to help minimize your exposure. Jeff Elder has written instructions on his blog site that will step you through the process.

There is also an issue in question concerning the ability of your friends being able to see what applications and games  you have been using. Do you want your friends to know the apps you are using? I don’t! They are working on this problem…

Click here to go Jeff’s site and step through his instructions to minimize your exposure.

Thanks for reading. Comments and feedback are appreciated.

I hope this helps you improve your social media missions. For those who want to get involved but don’t have the time or the staff to do so, I am available for hire. Please contact me.

Huck Huckabee
BusinessAndSocialMedia.com
[email protected]
704-438-2910

Set Up Your Facebook Account

One of the greatest things about the Facebook page is that it is so easy to use.  Facebook doesn’t make it obvious how you get started in your creation of your fan page. They seem to try to trick you into buying a paid ad. You may want to do that in the future, but for now just follow these steps. You go to the Facebook.com site and click on the “Advertising” link on the bottom menu on the right hand side. When I first saw this I thought they were promoting their advertising. But, this is where you go to set up your business Fan page. Their next move is a little slick also. You come in on the “Advertising” tab. This is where Facebook is promoting their paid advertising. Click on the “Pages” tab and then click the green “Create a Page” button on the right. The rest of the setup process is just a simple walk through.

Put Good Content on Your Page

After you have set up the page we need to make your page something that people are interested in. That way they will become a fan of the page.

Your Information Tab

The next step is to get information about your business on your Info page. Tell the world who you are and what you do. This is where you list your website, give an overview of your company, post your mission statement and tell the public about the items you are promoting.

Post Photos

Facebook users are able to view a “Photos” page. This is one of the many applications available. When you click on the tab, Facebook will give you instructions for uploading pictures. You will need to As I am writing this they are updating this process to make it easier to load photos and allow them to be uploaded while you are doing other things on your Facebook account. On my site for Small Business Websites I have just uploaded several photos from several different folders on my computer. And I have posted them in a folder labeled “About Small Business Websites”. The process is very easy to use.

Research Applications

Many applications by Facebook and by third parties have been created for you to use. Do a little research on you own. And look for a future article on good apps for business.

Post “What’s on your mind?”

Click on your wall tab and post some information for your visitors to see. Post news about your company. If you are contemplating offering a new product or service this is the best place to ask a question. If you are early in the creation of your Fan page then you probably have few if any fans. Just the same, post a question. See if you get a response. Then ask is again when you get more fans.

Check your site regularly, review comments people have made and respond to them. Personal interaction is one of the main benefits of businesses using Facebook. Make your customer feel like the focus is on them.

Contact me at businessandsocialmedia.com if I can help you manage social media for your business.

Postings

Many businesses post content on their Facebook page that is of use to their broad range of followers. They fail to see the need to be specific. Some postings need to target the general audience. But, don’t hesitate to post items focused on small segments of your friends and fans. It adds the personal feel to those you are addressing. And it can educate those you are not.

General postings can be created by people with knowledge of the content. Some companies have their clerical staff handle this operation. While this is not necessarily bad for general information, it may come with an action generating twist if it came from someone with value added motivations.

Personal postings should be done by the people who will come in contact with the customer. Nothing is wrong with posting personal items on the company Facebook page if you want to develop relationships with the Facebook target audience.

Passionate postings need to come from the upper ranks of the company. The higher up have the most to gain and they need to show it by displaying their belief in what they do.

Replies to Postings

When you reply to postings you are in the personal format. Replies show specific interest in the person you are responding to. And it is an opportunity for you to show your personal side to the readers of the page. Replies should be made by personnel with communication experience. If you are selling goods, then use the sales staff. I may result in a new lead.