C3. Creating Connections Consulting, in partnership with the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, is bringing two key social media for business seminars to the Anderson Center in March and April of 2013.
Join C3 and the AACC on Wednesday, March 13th for “Maximizing Social Media Marketing for your Business: An Introduction to Digital”from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. at the Anderson Center in Anderson Township (7850 Five Mile Road, Cincinnati, OH 45230).
“Maximizing LinkedIn”will be held at the same location on Wednesday, April 10th from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. There will be a FREE30 minute bonusseminar on Marketing with LinkedIn Company Pages from 4:00-4:30 p.m.
Join social media strategist and former P&G marketer, Michelle Beckham-Corbin as she takes the class from possibilities to execution steps. Register early as space is limited. We will be in the large conference room of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce located in the Anderson Center on Five Mile Road.
Register for the Social Media Marketing Seminar here:
Here’s what others are saying about Michelle’s seminars:
“Michelle is a high-energy person who is exudes a passion for business and personal development. Her enthusiasm for utilizing social media as a tool for strategic marketing is contagiously energizing.
Having graduated with an undergraduate and MBA degree from Xavier, Michelle is continually seeking opportunities to give back to the university. Recently she demonstrated her expertise in strategic marketing and social media by presenting her methodology to university students, alumni, faculty, and business partners during the 2nd Annual “Career Campaign” offered by the Professional Development Center in the Williams College of Business. As a strong and engaging presenter Michelle quickly connected with attendees as she walked them through a step by step plan for developing their on-line presence. Michelle’s outreach to attendees continues beyond the classroom when she offers her contact information and urges others to get LinkedIn with her.”
~Cheryl Wilson, Career Development Coordinator, Williams College of Business- Xavier University.
C3.Creating Connections Consulting to offer pro bono social media marketing and speaking services for non-profits and community organizations in the Cincinnati region in 2013 via the C3 Gives Back Program. Founder Michelle Beckham is a former P&G customer business development and marketing manager who has worked in the digital space since 2005.
One resource that most non-profits and community organizations need, but might not have the budget for is strategic social media marketing consulting or speaker services. C3 helps businesses and organizations create a strategic marketing plan that integrates the most effective social/digital tools for their call to action and target market and teaches them how to create content and engagement strategies for each platform to build customer relationships and business.
Michelle Beckham speaks all over the region on social media marketing topics, reputation management, online branding and internet safety for children. Follow this link for more information.
It is C3’s corporate philosophy to share knowledge and give back to the community whenever possible. Michelle has been a board member for several Cincinnati organizations including: Authentic Leadership-Cincinnati, New Media Cincinnati, IHM Job Search Group, St. Ursula Academy, the Institute for Social Media at Cincinnati State, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Communications Commission and the Procter & Gamble Global Alumni Network Speakers Bureau team.
C3 is instituting a formal request program to meet the needs of non-profits and community organizations in 2013. Organizations can apply for an opportunity each quarter to receive free strategic social media marketing assistance or speaker services for their group.
Requirements:
Must be a 501(c)(3) or community organization within the Cincinnati/Dayton/Northern Kentucky area
Speaking segment limited to a maximum of two (2) hours
Consulting services limited to a maximum of two (2) hours
Deadline for first quarter 2013 requests is 12/31/12.
84% of your Facebook Fans Won’t See Your Page Posts
Facebook made a major move to increase revenue recently with Promoted Posts (not the same as a Facebook ad). If you have a Facebook Page for your business, you may have noticed that your Page stats (number of new fans, reach and frequency, etc) have been edging southward. For example, a typical Page post might have garnered a couple of hundred views on a fan base of 800 with a moderately engaged audience and above-average content several months ago. That same Page is seeing reach numbers in the double digits (i.e. 63 views).
I just completed a Facebook Page Promoted Posts test in which I updated the same post about an upcoming C3 LinkedIn Training class as a regular post and as a Promoted post. I found a major difference in organic and viral reach with the paid post (much higher!). In fact, the Promoted Post (a mere $5 outlay) brought in 851% more total views than the non-promoted post with identical content. I had zero viral reach for the non-promoted post, only organic (original) Page fans, while the Promoted post had several hundred viral viewers. (Check this out for information on the difference between organic, viral and paid reach.) Post analytics will also point out how many of the views were paid views. It’s interesting that my organic views (original fans) were much higher than the non-promoted organic views for the post, emphasizing the point that Facebook adjusted the Edgerank algorithm to allow more of my current fan base to see the post in their news feed as when the post was not promoted.
It’s really too bad that Page owners won’t be able to use Edgerank to drive frequency and reach with engaging content as they could prior to FB’s current quest to drive monetization.
I think this will have a huge effect on small businesses. Every business, regardless of size, will need to set aside part of their marketing budget to allocate to Facebook advertising or risk having only 16% of their user base see posts shared by the Page.
If this sounds like Farsi to you, then perhaps a Facebook Page Marketing consult should be in your future. We are happy to get your business/organization up to speed on the recent changes to Facebook Page Marketing. Just contact us here.
Here’s a little gem that I picked up over the weekend. While it can be entertaining and useful, I also see implications for initial spammers. You can now Tag a Page or Application by naming it something else. For example, let’s say I post on my personal Facebook Profile or another Page the following statement:
Hanging out with the most progressive bunch of people on the planet.
I can substitute the hyper-linked phrase: “progressive bunch of people” for my actual C3 Facebook Page, so that when someone clicks on the hopefully enticing statement, they will be taken directly to my C3 Facebook Page.
The code for the status update would look like this:
@@[0:[91368159145:0:progressive bunch of people]]
The numbers refer to my Page ID and the terms that I want to stand in for the ID follow the colon and precede the closing brackets.
I can just see the “questionable” sites using the new .xxx domain using this as a redirect to their Facebook Pages with innocent sounding links. Makes me think that the capability won’t be around for a long time, so use judiously while you can and make your friends think that you are a social media rockstar! Ok, I could have said GURU, but I detest that moniker!
Now go Market your Page!
p.s. if you are still reading- here’s a site that will crank out the html code for you: C3 Tip of the Day.
Update: as of 12/8/11 the capability to custom tag on Facebook seems to be disabled. Not sure at this point if it is a glitch or a permanent ban by Facebook.
One thing that is consistent about social media is that it is constantly changing! It’s practically a full-time job just to keep up with these changes and process them into workable ways for a business to capitalize on reaching their intended target audience more effectively.
Today, I am sharing a quick tip that will make your Facebook Page more effective and boost your ability to be found online in search.
Here’s the tip:
Setting a personalized URL (PURL) for your Facebook Page
What does this mean?
Right click on your Facebook Page name and take a look at the URL or web address. Does it list your name and a series of numbers like this:
If it does, you need to set it to a proper address. It will be helpful from an SEO (search engine optimization) stand point, as well as be a more concise web address for you to promote on your print marketing materials.
See this link to learn how to set your URL. Be aware that Facebook has recently reinstated the 25 Likes Rule for PURLS. This means that you MUST have 25 Likes (Fans) before the PURL can be set.
Additionally, your Page name does not have to match exactly with your PURL. Take a look at this Juvenile Diabetes example:
They opted for the smaller name for the PURL and in their profile banner (myJDRF), but chose the full name in the Page Title in order to take advantage of the key words: juvenile, foundation, research and diabetes as key search terms.
If you work for the biz or org of the Facebook Page, then make sure to add the link in the Info Tab of your Facebook Personal Profile. So many people don’t realize that they have inadvertently connected a hyper-link to the community page for the business or organization and not the REAL Facebook Page.
If you need help with setting your Facebook PURL and Name, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 513-445-2180. We are always happy to assist you!
Connecting with people is my passion and always has been (hence the name of my company) and it always amazes me when businesses are apprehensive about connecting with their online communities. I see this many times through the Facebook Page Marketing workshops that I teach in the Cincinnati area. Page administrators are a bit nervous to engage in conversations for fear that something may come up that they can’t handle.
A business owner in my most recent workshop asked if he should immediately delete negative comments posted to the wall of his retail company page. My immediate answer was NO! One needs to step back and think about how they would handle the situation if the patron was at their place of business. The disgruntled customer would not be ignored or dismissed; instead, store personnel would ignite customer service 101 principles and handle the situation appropriately. This is the same thing with Facebook. A negative comment is a chance to put customer service into effect and to handle the situation publicly so that others can see how you operate. Chances are the comment will have hit news feeds and the cloud before you can delete it anyway, and then you are left with a negative image that you will have to deal with later.
The exception to dealing with these types of comments in a professional and customer service oriented way is if the comments are clearly put out there by “trolls” . A troll is defined by Wikipedia as:
“..someone who posts inflammatory,[2]extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”
Troll comments should be deleted and the Page admin can still make some statements to the community to explain why the action was taken. Might even be a great time to set up some community Page rules and post them in the Notes Tab in order to stay static or if your budget allows, create a custom Tab where your rules will be prominently seen under your Page Profile Pic or Banner. Coca Cola does a great job of posting their “House Rules” as a custom Tab. Take a look here. C3 makes custom tabs at reasonable prices. Check our website for more information.
The goal to having an online presence should be connecting with your customers and potential customers by creating signature experiences and opportunities for needed content that only you can provide. There certainly is a lot that goes into managing a Facebook Page and its corresponding online community, but once an administrator receives training on how to effectively market the Page and build a following, then a little advice from community managers who are rocking it out online would certainly be helpful.
I happened to stumble upon this great FREE eBook on Google+ (thanks Mike Alber for posting). It shares 60 tips from community managers across the globe that can help you to be effective with your online engagement. The eBook was created by Blaise Grimes-Viort and appeared in this blog post. Blaise states:
“If you enjoy it, please feel free to share it with someone else you think would benefit from the pearls of Community Management wisdom found within.”
So in the spirit of sharing great work, here it is (click on image or link below):
eBook created by Blaise Grimes-Viort- photo credit: Blaise Grimes-Viort
Small business owners do a worthy job in connecting with clients and potential customers through their marketing efforts, but where they can fall short is when their personal networks are neglected. Many people find it uncomfortable to keep their friends and family in the loop of what is occurring with their business. There is a sense that if you are already in my inner circle, you must certainly know what it is that my company does or what my role is. Unfortunately osmosis and transfer of information does not occur and very few people have clairvoyant capabilities.
Recently I have had several encounters with friends and professional colleagues, who while knowing what I do in general, really were rather clueless in terms of the full services that my company provides and the depth of my experience and background. I preach to clients constantly that we are living in a “World of Mouth” universe; it only makes sense that I practice what I preach by updating my personal network on my company capabilities. To do anything less, would be counter to what I believe and that is that peer recommendations from trusted sources are key influencers to purchase behavior.
In the spirit of sharing, please find the latest C3 Newsletter below. It contains an article that talks about the heart of C3 and our social media marketing services. I plan to have monthly Open House sessions on Google+ Hangouts for people to stop by and chat about burning social media and business questions. Stay tuned for more information!
C3 Services- Click on image for full newsletter.
Until we meet again, stay happy & healthy!
Michelle
Chief Social Media Strategist and Founder of C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC
Procter & Gamble Sales & Marketing Veteran (15 yrs)
Xavier University, MBA
Even if you have a Facebook Page, are you truly leveraging Facebook marketing capabilities to create a dynamic Fan base that drives customers/clients to action?
Announcing the Facebook Page Marketing for Businesses and Organizations Workshop, a hands-on computer lab class that will allow you to work with your own Facebook Page as we discuss strategies that are unique for your industry at the state-of-the-art computer lab at The METS Center for Corporate Learning in Northern Kentucky.
Facebook Marketing has exploded and is being used by corporate brands, small businesses and non-profits all over the world to connect with and engage their clients and customers. Gain the competitive edge by learning how to leverage this important social networking tool. Don’t just have a Page in name, have a Page that builds community and becomes a destination point for your fans!
The class will be held on Tuesday, August 30th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with a FREE Bonus Introductory Session on the latest social networking craze: Google+ from 11:00-11:30 a.m.
This class will be limited in size to maximize the hands-on learning and discussion among the group. We will cover the following topics:
Page Settings Optimization
Administrator Capabilities
Custom Landing Pages/Tabs
Building a Strategic Fan Base
Creating Engagement Strategies
Creating Winning Content Strategy
Tagging for Cross-Marketing
Messaging Fans
Marketing the Page
Page Analytics
Click here for more information and to register for this class. Previous C3 workshops on Facebook Marketing have sold out. Don’t wait, register now and save $20 with the early bird discount while seats are available.
Hope to see you in the Facebook Marketing Class. Where else can you go to actively learn how to leverage your company or brand Facebook Page?
Can’t make this class, see the C3 Website for a list of Social Media for Business classes for the remainder of 2011. I will also be speaking to local businesses at The Secrets to Small and Medium Business Growth Seminar hosted by The Berry Company, publisher of the Cincinnati Bell Yellow Pages. This is a wonderful free event for businesses to come and learn more about how digital media can help you connect with customers and grow your business.
A recent experience with online shopping brought me front and center to today’s blog post. I was searching for a unique birthday gift to send to a family member and after perusing the website for Cookies By Design (CBD), thought I would check out their Facebook Page for special discount Fan offers. Their landing tab deposited me to a brightly printed page announcing a Father’s Day Sweepstakes and a nice reminder to “Like” the Page, but as my eye traveled down the copy, my vision was hit with bold, black single-spaced (and in some areas, all CAPS) print outlining the CBD official sweepstakes rules. I copied the sweepstakes verbage into Word and discovered that the copy amounted to 831 words. Total turn-off. Would have been much better to make the copy less of an eye chart or include a link to a page on their website with full details.
I’m not going to critique their iFrames app use or custom profile pic, you can do that on your own and look here for comparison sites. Just wanted to point out how, as a potential customer, I was a bit turned off by all the print on their custom Welcome tab.
I next checked out their Wall to see what kind of engagement was gong on there- ok, I was really looking for that elusive coupon special……but what I found was the underscoring of my belief that the English major will rise again to be in demand in today’s online marketing world. So what does that mean?
In order to have engagement between a brand and their customers/clients, one needs to have a social media community manager that is fully capable of sustaining that engagement. This includes content that is meaningful and sought after by Fans and potential fans as well as the back and forth conversation that occurs within the exchange of information. The community manager must seamlessly become one with the brand message so that consistency is maintained.
Who better to be a social media community manager than an English major: a person for whom words are pearls. A person who has studied the art of dialogue, sentence structure, essay writing and for whom feedback is part of the experience of writing.
I was reminded of this need for English majors when I spied this post on CBD’s Wall. In case you can’t read the circled portion of the post and the subsequent fan response in the photo below, here it is:
CBD: “Ok I’ve received your email and contacted the Franchise Business Consultant about this matter. Someone will definitely be in contact with you shortly and work something out to remedy the situation. We value your business and appreciate your patients.“
Fan: ” *patience! hopefully no “patients” from your cookies 🙂 ”
The marketing side of me is scratching my head wondering why the Page Admin still has not responded 48+ hours later……Tying the idea of patients (illness, etc,) with the ingestion of their product is just not good business. Perhaps they need a subscription to Hyper Alerts, as there is more recent admin activity on the Page.
So about those cookies…..unfortunately, no matter how tasty they are, the impression the company leaves me with via their Facebook Page is enough to send me in search of another present for my Dad. Perhaps a virtual gift card???
My blogs have been silent for quite some time. Not because my thoughts and words have dried up, but simply because I have been incredibly busy working the C3 business. 2011 has proven to be a banner year in the first four months, underscoring my decision to embark on piloting my own craft. One of these days I am going to write a post (or perhaps an e-Book) on my journey from corporate marketer with P&G to business owner and social media evangelist in the middle of my career, but for now I wanted to briefly (more later) share some of the great things that are happening in my social media marketing work. Hopefully you will find a kernel of an idea that you can use to market your own business or organization.
Facebook Community Management:
I am having great fun running the social media campaigns for clients. The key is to spell out what your services will be; attach a fair price that adds value over what the client could do for themselves; set benchmarks on key data points and provide monthly reports on activities and benchmarking. I like to provide screen grabs of key engagement posts so that clients can visually see the Page in action.
Facebook iFrame Customization:
While I learned FBML (Facebook Mark-up Language) and became an iFrame developer to enhance my own Facebook Page presence, I have discovered an explosion in interest from other Pages and have created a series of Customization Products for sale. They include:
Custom Extended Length Profile Pictures that integrate key marketing message or company info
Custom Welcome Tabs
Custom Tabs (anything a client dreams up from Reveal Tabs, Reservations, Services, Event Promotion, Specials, etc.)
Facebook engagement & content strategies that are industry specific
Facebook Page Marketing training
Facebook Page Custom Profile Pic ExampleCustom Facebook Welcome Tab Example by C3
Having an impactful static marketing space on Facebook (especially when the landing tab is set to one of these colorful Tab Pages) truly does the job of making your business or organization stand out and be noticed. It shows that you are operating in a professional mode.
Facebook Marketing Ideas:
Operating multiple Facebook Pages gives me a chance to connect with many different communities and to test various theories about engagement. Fans of Pages want to connect with the Page in a dynamic and human way with an exchange of relevant information and back-and- forth conversation. Pages that broadcast only are turn offs.
A winning Page will have Fans that are so smitten with the Brand that they will post relevant content. When the Page can integrate that content in an even bigger way, by recognizing the Fan, then the exchange is elevated to a higher level. Here is an example:
One of my clients is a long-standing restaurant in Cincinnati that is much-loved. They have an annual Cinco de Mayo Party that includes live radio station broadcast, specials, giveaways and general party time hoopla. I created a marketing program to help build anticipation of the event on their Facebook Page. I started a countdown with custom photos marking the number of days left and posted them daily on the Wall. Fans began asking questions about the event. One fan inquired whether the restaurant would have Cinco t-shirts available again. She shared that her husband had received one at the very first ELC Cinco party years before and she would love to send a new one to his current location: Iraq.
After we chatted on the Page, she shared the story with her husband that night via Skype and it turned out that he happened to be wearing the original lime green ELC Cinco shirt- she quickly snapped a screen grab and posted the Skype image onto the ELC wall. That generated a lot of conversation and her husband took it a step further the next day by posing on a military aircraft in Iraq wearing the shirt. He sent her the picture, she posted it and I turned it into a custom profile pic heralding him as the ELC ultimate Cinco Fan.
El Coyote Custom Profile Picture featuring Fan in Iraq
I was so touched by the number of people who commented on this, including their son who stated in a comment:
“That’s my Dad!!”
This is a simple example of how real people can interact and engage with a Brand- but only if they have the ability to be true listeners in the cloud and are able to mesh the mission/vision and brand essence with the human qualities of communicating in a warm and real way.
Facebook Page Engagment Example by C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC
I am happy to assist your marketing efforts, just give me a call at 513-445-2180. Have a question that others could benefit from hearing the answer? I have a Custom Tab: Social Media Q&A with a comment box for folks who have a burning question.
(Note: C3 is a social media marketing firm and Michelle is a Steering Committee Member of New Media Cincinnati, a digital/social media networking group.)
Michelle Beckham's Blog 