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Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

“You say I should use Facebook to market my business?” I hear many of you saying. “You can’t be serious.”

Yes, I am serious.

I can understand your reaction if you think only 17-year-olds use Facebook. But listen to this: “The fastest growing demographic is the 35-54 year olds … the next fastest growing demographic is the over-55 crowd.”

That’s Paul Dunay and Richard Krueger, authors of Facebook Marketing For Dummies, speaking.

Yes, the Dummies series finally contains a book that explains why a business executive might want to use Facebook. Because one of the principles of marketing is to hang out where your customers hang out.

And these days, many of your customers are hanging out on Facebook. Yes, they are primarily trying to stay in touch with their friends, children and grandchildren.

But suppose one of their friends reports an unpleasant experience at a restaurant, and they confirm that negative feedback with their own disastrous experience. Right there on Facebook for all the world to see.

If you owned or managed that restaurant, wouldn’t you like to know about these comments? They’re happening right now in social media whether you know about it or not. Wouldn’t it be better to know?

And if you have a Facebook Page — the business equivalent of a Profile — your customers can become “fans” of your Page. They can post information about your business and recommend your Page to their friends. Every interaction with your Page will generate a News Feed that all of their friends will see.

And did you know that you can advertise on Facebook?

Facebook indexes every member’s profile in detail. So when you create your ad, you can include keywords to describe your target audience.

“By adding keywords to your targeting, you can reach consumers based on the interests listed on their profile page. Never before has there been a mass medium that allows for this kind of precise targeting. Identifying and then reaching a specific audience has never been this exact and cost-effective until now,” say Dunay and Krueger.

And did I mention that Facebook Pages are indexed by Google and other search engines?

Are you starting to see the business case for participating in social media?

If so, please read my review of Dunay and Krueger’s book.

And for more articles about Facebook, please visit Social Media Examiner, a new ezine about all kinds of social media.

Copyright 2010, Ruth M. Shipley

SMR Information Solutions

Are you thinking about using social media to market your business but don’t know exactly how to begin?

Have you given up on Twitter? Think Facebook is for kids? And YouTube is where you go to watch funny pet videos?

If you feel that way, please take a look at Social Media Examiner, a new ezine that covers social media. This ezine was created specifically for businesses to help you navigate the social media jungle.

And to teach you how to use social media to find product evangelists who will advertise your business for you absolutely free!

Here’s an example:

This man freely advertises Harley Davidson bikes!

Have you ever seen a man who loves Harley-Davidson motorcycles so much, he has the company’s name tattooed on his arm? He freely advertises Harley-Davidson everywhere he goes.

That’s a product evangelist!

So how do you find product evangelists to advertise your business for free? On social media!

But it’s not just about finding product evangelists. It’s about talking to your customers and listening to what they say. And showing that you care about what they say.

They’re already talking about you on social media — wouldn’t you like to participate in these conversations?

So can I tell you how to get college-level training in social media marketing for just $30? Take a look at my review of Dave Evans’ book, Social Media Marketing an Hour a Day on Social Media Examiner.

This book will teach you everything you need to know about using social media to market your business. Every weekday for three months, you will have a one-hour assignment to complete. By the time you “graduate,” you’ll have a social media marketing plan that you can implement immediately.

And be sure to subscribe to Social Media Examiner. It’s free and it’s filled with actionable advice about social media.

And every month I’ll review another social media book.

After all, it’s a jungle out there! Let the experts guide you in this new advertising medium.

Copyright 2010, Ruth M. Shipley

SMR Information Solutions

Photo and Tattoo used with permission of Tattoo Artist Daniel Upton, Golden Apple Studios, Austin TX.

Do any of you remember Joseph Campbell?

He was the famous mythologist — author of The Hero With a Thousand Faces and many other books — who told us all to “follow your bliss” in his Power of Myth PBS specials with Bill Moyers in the late 1980s.

“That’s all well and good,” you may have thought at the time. “But I have to make a living. How do I make money by following my bliss?”

If you’ve been asking that question for the past 20 years, you’ll be happy to know that someone has finally answered it. Gary Vaynerchuk has written a book to teach us how to make money by following our bliss.

Many of you may know Vaynerchuk as the host of the video blog WineLibraryTV.com. Now he has written a book titled Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion.

Please see Social Media Examiner for the rest of my review of this book.

Copyright 2010, Ruth M. Shipley

SMR Information Solutions