No More Likes Please!

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I was recently pulled into a group on Facebook; the primary intention is to get more “likes” for the pages of small business owners.

We'll all “like” each other’s pages and then we'll have lots of fans!

Would you believe that I don't want your “likes”? It’s true. I don't need fans that are never going to pay any attention to what I have to say. What’s the point?

So go ahead and “like” a bunch of pages that you have no interest in and get back a lot of empty “likes” in return. The ratio between “likes” and “talking about this” for your page will deteriorate even further.  Is that what you want? 

A long time ago I read that the average “talking about this” was around 3% to 4%. That’s pitiful! Facebook doesn't make it easier since they only show your page to a very low percentage of fans. 

Who do you really want to “like” your page? Think about it:

• People who have a genuine interest in your product or service
• People who will engage with your posts
• People that fit your demographic target

Of course you know all that already; it’s in your marketing plan! What? No marketing plan. Okay perhaps it is time to write one!

Oh and for the record I'll stick with the Facebook group. It was created by a friend. I'm hoping to turn things around in there a bit and have people share their social media issues, frustrations, and questions and have intelligent discussions instead. Sadly, it appears to have turned into a sales bulletin board "buy my cupcakes!" "I make handicrafts" etc. No people, this is not what it's all about about!

Dan Fogelberg sang about plans back in the 70’s (see below); how are your plans going? If you need any assistance with your strategic plans and marketing needs, stop by our website, or stop by on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.  There's no obligation to "like", "follow", or "+1". 

Don’t Just “Like” My Page.

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Watch out folks, I’m going to rant a little. Some of you know that I have several pages. When I initially started those pages I didn't start plugging them relentlessly on my personal profile nor did I invite all my friends. I DID invite friends, however, ONLY the ones that I thought would be interested in the subject matter.

Pages aren’t about your friends.

They’re all about the folks who have an interest in what’s being presented to them. The point is to make it so darn interesting to them that they comment on the posts. That’s engagement; it’s key to survival for a page.  And yes, its lots of hard work, so if you’re not ready to put in the time, don’t start a page until you’re ready to commit to it.

I work my butt off coming up with original, interesting articles to please the good fans on one of my pages, MODern Marketing 4 U(ModlandUSA). Don't worry; I enjoy the writing! Very few respond and/or comment. For now; that’s okay. Facebook is not the main source of traffic for my blog readership and may never be. Despite that fact, I continue to work hard to keep my audience on Facebook captivated.

And lately I’ve had a flood of folks from Twitter say “like my page and I’ll like yours.” Truth is I’d rather see you display an actual interest in my page and talk to me than just merely “like” it! Honestly, I felt funny liking a B to B biz recently that offered office management services to landscapers, plumbers, and the like. There’s nothing I need there. Sigh.

But back to the friends. I probably get four or five requests a week to join a page and most of them are concerned with products or services that I’m not interested in. Do you please your friend and like their page or blow them off? There have been a few instances when I’ve felt comfortable enough to write to the page owner to tell them WHY I won’t like it.

Does having me there as a number and not as a participant really add any value?

Personally, I’d rather have fewer fans and a higher engagement “talking about this”. Currently, my Groovy Reflections page is at 36%, ModlandUSA is at 10% and Gizmo and His Groovy Friends is at 12%. These are great numbers since the average is 3 to 4%. Thank you fans!

In closing, I just have one request: Talk to me...on my website, Twitter, Facebook, or Google+! I love to yack. 

The Byrds sang about pages long before Facebook had them:

Fans, Facebook, and You.

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Once upon a time, a fan was simply a way to catch a cool breeze. You held it in one hand and fluttered it up and down by your face. Paper, bamboo, plastic, a fashion accessory. 


Spectator sports brought about a whole different kind of fan; loud at times, loyal, swelling with pride and perhaps swigging a brew.


And then there are those “fans” in Social Media, namely Facebook. Remember “fanning” a page? Despite the changeover of terminology, we’re stilling referring to them as our fans (at least I am). “Likers” just sounds too awkward.


Who ARE these people who have indeed “fanned”, oops, “liked” your page? They include: 
Your friends (admit it; you may have strong armed a few however they generally have an interest for your page else they wouldn’t be there in the first place)

• Your friend’s friends (since they may see activity for your page)
• People who searched on Facebook and happened to find you 
• Tweeps or users of other social networks (if you are promoting your page on Twitter or elsewhere)
• Enthusiasts (who will share and promote you if they really dig you.)
• Friends of enthusiasts who are enthusiasts (who found your page via their friends)
• Spammers (they’ll post spam soon after liking your page so they’re not there for long unless you've been ignoring the upkeep of your page)
• Fans who are “Talking About This”: They consist of new fans “liking” the page, clicking like on a post, commenting on, tagging, mentioning or sharing a page, checking in (if you have a location) and those who are coming to an event (if your page offers events). These are important fans!

Note that a fan can fall into more than one of these categories.


Where do YOUR new fans come from? Are they mostly your friends? If so, concentrate on growing that fan base since your friends may not be typical enthusiasts of your product or service, thus skewing the demographic information that Facebook provides. Not a breeze to do but they may catch wind of you via a Facebook ad or via your blog if you have one.


And why did Facebook make the change in the first place? They state: To improve your experience and promote consistency across the site, we've changed the language for Pages from "Fan" to "Like." We believe this change offers you a more light-weight and standard way to connect with people, things and topics in which you are interested.


Hello Facebook, this rationale is rather broad in scope. Would have been nice to have asked US first. Or are you planning to use a 1 to 10 scale at some point (see my thoughts on that issue here). 


It’s been over a year and half since the change, Are you stilling calling them “fans”?
Donovan “caught the wind” early on his career. Click here to enjoy his folky sounds.


This blog is part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Here's E, D and C.

Buoyancy, Social Media, and You.

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Bought a really silly item at a garage sale 20 years ago. A buoy. Oh, not just any buoy; this one once served a purpose, judging from the words “Slow Wake 5MPH” on it. It stood over five feet tall and looked cool in my game room.

Time went by and it was time to part ways. I emerged $20 ahead after recouping my original $5 investment and the buoy entered a new career as a pool float.

Do you need a buoy just to stay afloat in the world of social media? Are you flailing your arms in an effort to keep your head above water? And if you are merely floating, isn’t it time to do the butterfly stroke and move forward?

Let’s assume you have a plan in place (if you don’t, read about apples first). And perhaps the plan is a good one. You've laid down the steps and while you’re floating most of the time, you’re not swimming but sinking a little once in a while. It’s time to review that plan. And you may have to tweak it more often than you’d like. A couple of scenarios:

You’re on Facebook and/or Google+ and not getting a lot of engagement. You truly believe your posts are great; perhaps they are original blog posts or links to articles. Are you merely slapping those posts on your page, or are you saying something constructive about them?

At the very least, you need to say something about that post.

Summarizing what your fans will find when they click on the link will encourage them to read it and say something about it.

Asking a question to the fans works well too. They DO want to talk to you; why else are they even there? Well okay, the lurkers aren’t going to say anything, but that’s a whole other blog post.

Or how about this? Give your fans a jolt with something that’s slightly out of scope but not so far out that they’ll be questioning your sanity. If your product is pool supplies, why not post a song related to that? Twistin’ by the Pool? Splish Splash? Trying this may bring some light heartedness to your page…do make sure you stay in tune with your brand. The advantage? It could bring fans back more often and while they’re visiting, they’ll check out your other posts too.

Ready to go beyond just floating?

A tune related to buoyancy for you. Click here.

This blog is a part of a series for the A to Z Challenge. For “A”, click here. Stay tuned for “C”.

Note: Buoy pictured here is not the one we owned. This one was found at http://www.wholesalemarine.com

‘Cause You’ve Got…Seasonality!

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Does anybody really know what time it is…does anybody really care?

Hope you do because we’re since most of us in the U.S. lost an hour from Saturday Night into Sunday. Wish I could be telling you that we are gaining an hour! On a brighter note, spring is coming (it’s in full force already where I am) and the days have been getting longer.

And they get even “longer” once we “spring forward”…so what will you do with all that extra daylight? Will you spend it at the computer, or will you be outside?

Have you thought about the popularity of your blog or the number of hits you’ll get on your Facebook or Google+ page during the warmer months?

• Are your fans or readers away from the computer when it’s warm out? If you’re blogging about hiking, canoeing, riding a bike, etc. chances are you’re not going to be seeing much of them if they can sneak in an hour after work doing something they truly love.

• Do your fans or readers have kids? They may be off to an outdoor adventure on the weekend, or rushing off to baseball practice after school. 

• Are your fans or readers sun worshipers? If they’re emerging from the blues of winter, being outdoors makes them feel good and that’s where they’ll be often.

• The time to start planting is soon here. People can get started when there’s more daylight to allow that.

Of course, these examples offer up a bigger can of worms. Questions to think about:

• Demographics. Who are they in regards to their age, income, and gender, where they live, occupation, etc.? How does that affect their behavior during the various seasons?

• Psychographics. How active are they and what do they do with their leisure time? Yeah, “leisure time” is pretty much non-existent, right? Surf the internet, surf the waves, indoor sports, outdoor sports, crafts, reading, cooking, going to movies; you get the idea. If their activities rely on the weather to any extent, you may see engagement levels go up and down, depending. 

Paying attention to the patterns in regards to blog hits and comments or activity on your page can help your business in the long run. Knowing when people are around (or aren't) allows you to plan more efficient strategies.

If there’s a reduced audience because of seasonality, there are options.

• Consider scaling back your posts for a short time; if you post 10 times a day, post 6 or 7 times instead and save some of that valuable material for when your audience is fuller (as long as it isn’t timely material).This holds true especially for Facebook if the number of fans “talking about this” has gone down. 

• Experiment with those who you haven’t been able to engage. Find some new ideas to post and coax those people out of the wood work! 

• Ask more questions to your fans and see what they are looking for from you.

• Make seasonality part of your page. Welcome the seasons (including weather related and sports), springing forward/falling back and holidays and weave them into your page. 

Not all of these thoughts will apply to your product or service. But I think I just saw you nodding your head up and down, so something clicked!

In closing, enjoy this tune by Carole King. Click here.