There Are Lots of Secret Emoji on Facebook

Did you know that Facebook supports many hidden emoticons, smileys, emojis and love icons? The social network will render all the usual face emoticons into pictorial representations: :) :D ^_^ . However, there are so many more that you could be using!

(y) = thumbs-up 'like' symbol
(^^^) = a great white shark
:|] = a robot 
:v = Pacman
<(") = a penguin

You can use these in wall posts, chats, and comments. You can find a full run-down of Facebook emoticons HERE

**They don't always seem to render in mobile.

Happy New Year!

We hope that 2012 was a fantastic year for you and your business and that 2013 is even better. Below you will find some tips – many of which we have mentioned in past posts – to help you start your businesses social media year off right!

1.    Standardize Naming

a.     Make sure that across all social media platforms your business has the same name – if you have different social media accounts for several locations, make sure each location is specified. For example, “Susie’s Shoes” should be “Susie’s Shoes” across all social media platforms and not “Susie’s Shoes” on one and “Susie’s Shoes Atlanta” on another. If you have multiple locations, consider “Susie’s Shoes – Atlanta” and “Susie’s Shoes – Birmingham.”

                                               i.     Why? The search function on both Google, and within each social media site, will allow people to easily find your business. Also, when they search your business they will immediately know they have found the right one and be more likely to follow you on each of your social media sites. This may seem very simple, however we find, more often than not, businesses do not do this.

2.    Update Consistently

a.     Now is a great time to lay out a social media update schedule. For the larger social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter we recommend 3-5x per week. If you are short on time, Social Media Management Dashboards like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck are a lifesaver because they allow you to schedule posts in advance.

                                               i.     Why? Studies, and our experience, has found that a business who updates each social media outlet they have created in a consistent manner is drastically more successful than those that do not update consistently.

3.    Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

a.     Make posting and updating profile pictures a vital part of your social media strategy. Pictures can cover anything from updates to your shop, specials offered at your restaurant, favorite clients, new homeowners, bring your kid or your dog to work day, and new product offerings. The sky is essentially the limit as long as you remember two things: (1) keep photos brand relevant and (2) make sure photos are appropriate and represent your brand in a positive way.

                                               i.     Why? Simply put, we live in a fast-paced world where pictures can quickly convey our brands message and make people feel connected to our brand. Studies have shown that pictures can raise both current fans engagement and also attract new fans.

4.    Keep Posts Professional

a.     In our busy world social media can be a blessing for connecting with current customers and attracting new ones. However, when we are in a hurry is when we also tend to make spelling and grammatical errors. This can be detrimental to the professionalism with which a brand is represented. If you are too busy to make sure spelling and grammatical errors are not present in your posts, or if spelling and grammar aren’t your thing, consider hiring a Social Media Management Company like us at Constant Raving or allowing a trusted employee to handle posts for you.

                                               i.     Why? If people see your posts on social media and there are misspellings, glaring grammatical errors, or more than two exclamation points people could easily get the wrong impression about your business.

5.    Have Fun

a.     While representing your brand in a professional manner on social media is very important, don’t forget to (at least occasionally) have fun on social media whether it be through photos, videos, or text. Photos are a great way to convey that element of fun to your fans – consider posting photos of clients enjoying your brand, a family fun day your company has, or a fun day at the office. Funny videos or photos from others that are brand relevant can also be effective if used sparingly.

                                               i.     Why? People following your brand on social media want to know that there are humans behind the brand. Additionally, no matter how serious the brand is, fans like to see that people employed by the brand like to have a little fun on occasion. Plus, people always need more fun in their lives!

As always, these are just a few tips to get you started. Remember that to develop a good social media strategy you need to be consistent so, while the new year is a great time to revitalize your social media strategy, this doesn’t mean that after January you don’t have to continue to put work into your social media to see positive results.

Still have questions or would like to hear some more tips? Let us know in the comments section or contact us directly!

Also, feel free to let us know what you think of this post, and/or what you would like to see addressed in future posts.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Constant Raving so we can help you choose the best social media strategy for your business, please contact us at ConstantRaving@mvoc.com or by phone at 919.244.7503. We look forward to hearing from you!

December is the Perfect Time to Increase Social Media Engagement!

We all know that December is the perfect time for warm clothes (for the Northern Hemisphere, at least), a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Latte, and holiday cheer. Did you know its also the perfect time to step up your social media to increase sales and get the word out about your business?

Whether you sell products that people might buy as gifts for the holidays, or even if you are in the food service industry, December is the ideal time to put some focus on your social media outlets. Why? If done correctly, not only will you likely see an increase in sales, but also in the number of “fans” or “followers” which could, in turn, positively affect sales throughout the year.

So, how can you use social media to your businesses advantage of the spending…oops we mean holiday…season?

1.     Pictures and Videos! December is the PERFECT time to post pictures and videos relating to your business and the holiday season (or even the cold weather).

a.     If you are a restaurant you could post pictures of your delicious soups or “comfort food” with a “would you LIKE” question

b.     A video is a great way to get the word out about your products and who they would make great gifts for this holiday season, particularly if you can throw in a creative twist to the video

2.     Cross-Promote Your Product! The holidays are a great time to partner with other businesses and organizations to promote each others products or services.

a.     A homebuilder could partner with furniture stores and show prospective buyers how easy it would be to move in and furnish your home before the holidays

b.     A restaurant could partner with an ice skating rink and invite ice skaters to come enjoy fantastic food before or after skating

c.      Create a video showcasing your recommendations for holiday products featuring both your products and other businesses products

3.     Feature Exclusive Social Media Specials! Post specials exclusive to social media on Facebook, Twitter, and even Pinterest.

a.     Make sure to encourage users to like/follow you when they redeem the special or coupon

                                               i.     One way is to promise great specials or coupons in the future to fans/followers

b.     Keep these specials or coupons exclusive to social media fans, this will encourage them to spread the word to others via social media.

As always, these are just a few tips to get you started. Remember that to develop a good social media strategy you need to be consistent so, while December is the ideal time to step up your social media, this doesn’t mean that after December you don’t have to continue to put work into your social media to see positive results.

Still have questions or would like to hear some more tips? Let us know in the comments section or contact us directly!

Also, feel free to let us know what you think of this post, and/or what you would like to see addressed in future posts.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Constant Raving so we can help you choose the best social media strategy for your business, please contact us at ConstantRaving@mvoc.com or by phone at 919.244.7503. We look forward to hearing from you!

4 Tips for Effective Cover Photos!

Watch our video blog to learn four easy and effective tips for uploading and maintaining cover photos for Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Pinterest and the NHL Social Media Fail

Pinterest is one of our favorite new(er) social media outlets that we love to recommend and set up for our clients, particularly those who rely heavily on images to sell their products. Yet, with the recent NHL “social media fail” (if you haven’t heard if it we will explain briefly momentarily) we want to remind users of the risks – and benefits – of using an open social media network like Pinterest.

If you are unfamiliar with Pinterest and how to use it, please see our post on Pinterest and Facebook here.

Pinterest, since its inception, has been a social media platform that encourages openness. You cannot edit or delete specific comments, the only option is to delete the entire pin and, if desired, re-pin it. Additionally, you cannot hide or choose who can see certain pins and pin boards. While we still love Pinterest, and actually like these features as it encourages people and businesses to be open and honest, it can backfire on a business (or person) if they aren’t careful. This was the case for the NHL last week.

The NHL who, as some may know, is currently in the middle of negotiations with players over a labor agreement that has resulted in a lockout, decided last week to create a Pinterest page. They advertised their new Pinterest page by posting this meme on Instagram:

This image elicited a torrent of negative responses both on Instagram and Pinterest such as “Keep calm and get the lockout over with!” and some so strongly opinionated that we can’t post their response on here.  This post on Instagram and their creation of a Pinterest account is now being labeled as the latest “social media fail.” Interestingly, as of the time of this post, the NHL still has, and is updating, their Pinterest page which is continuing to elicit some negative comments on their pins.

While the danger of creating a Pinterest account is that you do open yourself up to negative comments, we still believe the benefits of a having Pinterest account for your business far outweigh the potentially negative consequences.

Here are some quick tips to help avoid a “social media fail” for your businesses Pinterest account:

·      Timing is everything

o   Don’t create a Pinterest account (or any new social media account) when you are in the middle of publicized sensitive situation

·      Monitor your Pinterest account

o   We recommend you update and monitor your Pinterest account regularly for positive reasons (increases engagement, functions as an informal focus group); however, it is also good to keep up on what people are saying so you can respond/handle any negative responses.

·      Respond to any negative comments

o   Remember: social media is a new customer service platform, you need to respond to positive and negative comments as you would to a phone call.

While the NHL had a “social media fail” with their Pinterest account, by keeping the above in mind when creating and maintaining an account means you don’t have to have a negative experience! Pinterest is a great way to engage customers and has proven to increase sales for many businesses. Again, we encourage you to read our article on Pinterest and Facebook, found here.

Still have questions or would like to hear some more tips? Let us know in the comments section or contact us directly!

Also, feel free to let us know what you think of this post, and/or what you would like to see addressed in future posts.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Constant Raving so we can help you choose the best social media strategy for your business, please contact us at ConstantRaving@mvoc.com or by phone at 919.244.7503. We look forward to hearing from you!

Building Your Core Facebook Fan Base

So you’ve just started a Facebook page for your business, or maybe you’ve been on Facebook for awhile, and you have a decent number of fans but very little engagement. What do you do? Well, firstly, know you aren’t alone. A new study by Napkin Labs (a Facebook app developer that works with brands and agencies) shows that on average only 6% of fans engage with brands. However, this doesn’t mean you should give up! Instead, read on to find out a few key tips for raising your brand’s Facebook engagement…

It’s important to mention, before delving into some tips, that the study by Napkin Labs (as well as several other studies conducted over the years) found that the more Facebook fans a page has, the lower the percentage of engaged fans. Therefore, instead of focusing on getting as many fans as possible, you want to attract and engage a core group of devoted fans (Napkin Labs aptly calls them “superfans”). If these core group of fans are effectively engaged – read on for our tips/tricks for this – your social reach will expand as their interaction with you is shared with their friends. Over time, this will build a Facebook fan base that is interested in your brand, but that wants to be actively engaged.

Our favorite analogy is that Facebook is not one of the places where being the “cool” kid with all of the friends/acquaintances necessarily gets your brand the valuable interaction - like generating sales or attracting new clients - that it needs.

Alright, on to the tips…

1.     Post brand relevant material, but not always just about your brand

a.     This doesn’t always have to be directly related to your product, remember, Facebook is not largely about push marketing. For example, a home builder could post recipes for cooking in your new kitchen.

b.     Be careful to keep posts relevant – if you are a cupcake store, don’t post about your favorite shoes (unless you can relate it back)!

2.     Use lots of pictures

a.     Pictures not only do well on Facebook’s algorithm, they also are more attractive to the eye than just text.

b.     Make sure that you have a short text blurb to go along with the picture

3.     If you want people to like or share your content, tell them

a.     The best way to get engagement is to ask for it; for example, “Would you LIKE to come home to this car in your driveway?” “Help us spread the word, share this post with all your friends!”

4.     Express your appreciation frequently

a.     Tell them how much you love them engaging and being your fans! Anything from “Happy Friday! We just wanted to take a moment to say how much we APPRECIATE you!” to featuring certain fans on your page (with their permission).

b.     Run a contest or promotion (following Facebook rules and US/State laws, of course) to increase engagement, garner some new likes, but mainly to reward your core group of fans.

5.     Encourage both employees and customers to follow you on Facebook

a.     These are people who are either already dedicated to your brand (employees and loyal customers) or are interested in getting to know your brand better (new customers). They are likely to be part of your core fan base.

b.     They can be encouraged either by directly telling them they should like your page on Facebook, or by placing a Facebook widget prominently on your website and/or putting up a sign in your store.

Still have questions or would like to here some more tips? Let us know in the comments section!

Also, let us know what you think of this post, and/or what you would like to see addressed in future posts.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Constant Raving so we can help you choose the best social media strategy for your business, please contact us at ConstantRaving@mvoc.com or by phone at 919.244.7503. We look forward to hearing from you!

How to Write an Effective Call to Action for Your Business!

In social media people often talk about generating more “likes” or “followers” or, now, “pinners.” However, having 200 or 2,000 people following your brand on social media doesn’t make much of a difference if those people are not engaging with you on social media and/or purchasing your product. 

An effective social media strategy will incorporate effective “Calls to Action” to engage both existing and new customers. What is a “Call to Action” (CTA) and how do I formulate an effective CTA for my business on social media? Read on to find out…

What is a “Call to Action”?

Simply put, a CTA not only informs users of what you would like them to do – ex: “watch our video on YouTube” or “vote for us in this contest” but it also makes them want to follow through on the recommended action.

CTA’s come in many forms, including, but not limited to:

·      Claiming a promotion/discount

·      Promoting the business on another social media platform (ex: a “Follow us on Pinterest” post on your Facebook account)

·      Sharing content with friends

·      Entering a contest

·      Liking or commenting on content

How to Effectively Use CTA’s

Depending on what action you are encouraging your users to take, the form of the CTA will change slightly; however, here are several key things to keep in mind when formulating a CTA:

1.     Make your purpose clear. For example, if you want them to share something, tell them “Share with all of your friends”.

a.     Being creative in how you state your purpose is always good as long as what you want them to do, your CTA, is still clear.

b.     If this is a discount/promotion offer make sure to convey a sense of urgency.

2.     Ask a question.  “We are on Pinterest. Have you started following us yet?” or “We love our new ice cream flavors. Which one is your favorite?”

a.     Studies have shown that engagement often increases when the question is posed at the end of the post; however, this is not an absolute rule.

3.     Include pictures and/or links. This is particularly true for Facebook, since pictures and links trump only text in the algorithm, but applies to Twitter as well.

a.     Unless your simply trying to get users to like or comment on a post, links are important in CTA’s. For example, if you are trying to tell someone to check out your YouTube video, you need to provide the link to that video.

b.     We live in a visual world, pictures are constantly proven to increase engagement when included in posts (as long as they are relevant and appropriate!).

4.     Be positive! You want to inspire and engage your users.

a.     Exclamation points are great, but use them in moderation (we have a maximum of 2 per post).

5.     Don’t get too wordy. You need to give some information alongside your specific CTA, but don’t write a novel.

a.     Twitter has a word limit, try and stay well under this so users can easily share your Tweet so that others can respond to your CTA.

b.     Facebook posts should provide some information alongside your CTA (ex: Watch our YouTube video about baby seals in the wild) but you don’t need to tell them everything.

Ready to write your own CTA? Here are some examples to get you started!

We have affordable vacation packages for every budget! Wouldn’t you LIKE to be relaxing on this beautiful beach? (picture of beach)

Calling all DIYers…we are now on Pinterest! Have you started following us yet? (link to Pinterest page)

Time is running out on our 20% off store-wide coupon! Click the link below to get yours today! (link to coupon)

Don’t miss your chance for FREE shipping on any purchase tonight until midnight! Order now and share with all of your friends! (link to website and/or picture of products)

Still have questions? Let us know in the comments section!

Also, let us know what you think of this post, and/or what you would like to see addressed in future posts.

If you would like to set up a consultation with Constant Raving so we can help you choose the best social media strategy for your business, please contact us at ConstantRaving@mvoc.com or by phone at 919.244.7503. We look forward to hearing from you!