Dealing with Facebook time line

 For most people Facebook is a major part of their Social Media Marketing Plan.  However the recent change to the timeline format on March 30, 2012 has many business owners mystified.  Hopefully this post will shed some light on how to utilize the new timeline.

One of the first things you will notice is the cover Photo. This is the large space that appears at the top of your page. You will want to use this space to engage your audience.   However you must follow certain rules for your cover photo. The maximum space for this image is 851 x 315.  You must not include arrows, prices, or calls to action such as telling them to like your page. Also do not include contact information, websites or any other information that should go into the "About" section

Your profile picture is placed just below your cover photo, in fact it slightly overlaps the cover photo and many savvy artists have used it as part of the cover photo.  This is a great spot to place your brand or logo.  The space requirements for your profile picture is 180 X 180.

Although this change may seem to be a major inconvenience there are some great things you can do with it.

Remember  social media marketing is all about building relationships and the new timeline format allows users to tell a story. Your stories will be posted in chronological order therefore your fans will be able to see the history, growth, and achievements of your company.

There are some stories that you may feel are more important than others and therefore may want to highlight them. By hovering over the story and clicking  the star in the upper right hand corner of that post you can expand it to the full width of the page.

Some posts you may want to keep at the top. By clicking on the pencil icon next to the highlight star on your post you can edit that post. You can change the date, delete posts or pin them to the top.  This is great if you have contests, or calls to action.

By using milestones your fans will have a chance to take the journey of growth along with you. Just click the book icon in the status update box and enter a headline, location, date, photos, and any information about your achievement.

You are still able to use tabs with this new format however now they are called apps.  They will be located next to the "about" section right under your cover photo.  To see all or to add a new app just click the arrow at the end of your apps.

Another new feature added is a new message box that allows fans to have a private conversation with you.

Facebook is in no way done with this new change. Soon they will be rolling out Facebook offers and you will be able to use this feature to send offers to fans

So make the most out of this new and exciting change in Facebook and remember to download your free copy of "Success in 10 Steps" by Michael Dlouhy. Just click the book on the left

 "Change is inevitable you can either roll with it or get rolled over by it" Sevauhn

Don't let your Social media marketing plan ruin your business

                                                   

Social media marketing has become one of the most important tools used in both small businesses and corporate America.  It is extremely useful because it gives you access to a high number of people that may be interested in your product.  It gives you the ability to meet and greet people while at the same time compiling an extensive contact list.

Sites like Facebook and twitter have proved to be massive tools in the industry.  They both provide detailed information about their members.  This is very helpful to marketers in finding new prospects because it allows you to search for the particular type of client they are looking for in their business.

However most marketers fail to use the social aspect of social media marketing by Spamming their lists.  The key is to come up with valuable content and use it as your voice.  You may have great information that could be the breaking point in someones life but they look at you as someone that doesn't know what they are doing because all they get from you is spam, not quality content.  It is for this reason that you should interact with those members that you consider prospects.  STOP TREATING THEM LIKE PROSPECTS (so for now on we shall call them new friends)!  let your "new friends" know what you do. BUT DON'T PITCH! let them know that you are here for them if they need you.  Get to know them by asking them what they are into.  Try to avoid using questions that can easily be answered by a yes or a no.  But avoid making it seem as if you are drilling them.


Once you find that you have a good following you should update your content on a regular basis.  A blog is a great place to accomplish this as it gives your readers value and therefore more of a reason to trust you because you've added value to their lives not just a sales pitch.

It is very easy to get wrapped up in the social aspect of your social media marketing campaign and forget that you are running a business.  It may be beneficial to you to keep a business account separate from your personal account.  It would pain you greatly to know that you've ruined your business because you said something to one of your Facebook friends that was never meant to be displayed to your "New Friends".  Also realize that even if you are able to keep all of your business sense in order, being tagged in a pic of one of your friends doing drugs or something is very bad and remember the old adage  "you are guilty by association".

Coming up with the right social media marketing strategy may take some trial and error but don't give up. With the right method you can reap great rewards in your business.  If you need to know where to start you can download the free eBook in the column to the left entitled  "Success in 10 steps"

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude".

Thomas Jefferson