Five Steps for a More Effective Facebook Page for Small Business

Emily Weaver wrote a great tip on Manta that AJGpr, a Los Angeles Public Relations Firm wanted to share. Here it is.

Representing your small business online can be difficult, but if done the right way you can reach an unlimited amount of customers. With social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn it makes it easier for small businesses to truly stay in touch and on track with both potential and current customers.

1. Start with a Facebook Page

Facebook is generally used for social interaction anyway, so putting your business on Facebook will be second nature if you already use it for keeping in touch with friends and family.

If you already have a profile on Facebook, you can add a page for a company or small business. This way you can still keep your personal profile active and under the same account.
A great way to test out any new page online is to have a focus group you can trust. Who would be better than your friends list on your profile page.

2. Stay informed, get a routine

As a small business owner you want to keep your Facebook page up to date for customers. Not only does that fall under the category of posting content on a regular basis, it also means to be realistic when it comes to results.

Post content – a photo, a news story, what you’re doing during the day – something that customers can only get from liking you on Facebook. If you get one ‘Like’ out of it you’ll be thrilled, but don’t expect it all to come at once.
Have a goal of what you’d like to see happen out of what you post, just don’t get too distraught over a question you ask that gets no answer. As for posting, make it a habit to update your page at least once a day.
There never is a wrong time to post, just as there isn’t a right time to post; whenever you get the time, whenever you have the content. Make it engaging for your customers so that they can get an idea of what you’re about!

3. Update your status with style

The status can be very daunting, but it’s an open space for you to share content with your customers. That’s exciting! Before posting, you might want to map out what you want to share.

Do some research on other brands similar to yours and see what they’re posting. For instance a local bakery might post a photo of their famous hot chocolate, or a diner could post a question about what customers would like their special to be for dinner that day- something to involve customers, something that will keep their attention.
Don’t think your content has to be completely formal. Make it your own, and represent the voice of your small business.
Make sure to post mostly open-ended questions or thoughts to get more of a complete response out of your fans, this way you’re communicating back and forth with the person who matters most – the customer.

4. Keep in touch with customers

This may be an easy task, or a challenging one, depending on what you want to do.

As the owner of your small business Facebook page you’ll be able to see who has ‘Liked’ your page. One way you can keep customers engaged is by sending them a message as soon as they ‘Like’ your page. This is a great way to let your new fans know that you’re going to be there to respond and interact with them promptly.
Another way to keep customers engaged is to answer them via the messages section onFacebook. Some may just send you spam, but others will probably have legit questions. This section is something you’ll want to keep an eye on each day.
In addition to your daily posts, answering your customer’s questions in a timely manner can only give them a positive perception of you. By keeping in touch with customers and answering their questions and suggestions you can keep a connection with them and they’ll definitely have nothing but good things to say about you and your business!

5. What you can offer fans

Think about it- they’re ‘Liking’ your page. What do they get out of it?

If you can get something like a promotion going for your fans, or a coupon for 10% off your latest inventory it would guarantee their satisfaction and possibly get them to spread the word about ‘Liking’ your page.

For more ideas on what to post or just for best practices, visit Manta on Facebook to get an idea of how you can use Facebook for your small business.

AJGpr was wondering how best to use Manta to promote its clients. A Google search brough up this article by Stepahnie Taylor Christensen for BusinessNewsDaily.

The best small businesses in the world can’t be a success until it becomes known within its community and industry. Budget and resource constraints can make that an especially challenging task for small businesses. That’s where a service like Manta comes into play.

The web site, which allows users to post information about their company and allows consumers to find them, currently hosts more than one million registered users and 64 million company profiles. Six years after its inception, Manta is ranked the third largest business news/research website by comScore.

Manta’s President and CEO Pamela Springer, explained how small businesses can use Manta to reach a broader customer based.

BusinessNewsDaily: How is Manta different/more valuable to a small business owner than Google or Hoovers listings?

Pamela Springer: Manta offers so much more than an online business listing. We’ve become the destination site for small business owners to promote their company and connect with customers, prospects and partners. Our comprehensive coverage of small companies, including details about the people who work for these companies, and the ability to connect with the business owners and professional directly, is the foundation of our community. Traditional online business listing sites may offer either a consumer-centric experience, or simple, often limited, business information. Manta’s focus is on capturing comprehensive, unique and accurate business information directly from the business owner .

The Manta company profile is truly a source of promotion for a company. The ability to update and enhance this profile so it is accurate and reflects what the business owner wants to communicate, is a key feature. It’s essentially business connecting with more business. More than 2,000 business owners claim or add their company on Manta each day, and more than 27 million unique visitors come to Manta to find these companies.

BND: How can small business owners use Manta to transform search activity into actionable prospecting tools?

P.S.: Manta members can request to become a contact of any registered user of Manta in order to promote their company or build business relationships with sales prospects and partners. Manta’s unique filters allow users to refine their requirements in finding a particular company or set of companies based on revenue, employee size, etc. They also can save and store information, including contact information, so they can create a forecast or sales pipeline. Manta also provides business owners weekly statistics as to how many users have visited their profile compared to their peer group along with charts comparing related businesses in their area.

BND: What is your recommended strategy for a small business with limited marketing budgets to use Manta most effectively?

P.S.: Business owners don’t need research to tell them their customer is spending more time online. Step 1 of any small business owner’s online strategy is to be found. Step 2 is to make sure the information found is accurate and engaging. A Manta profile successfully implements that strategy for no charge to the business owner. To take full advantage of Manta, a small business owner should add detailed information on products and services, logos, website links, photos, press coverage, videos, event information, association memberships, and Facebook and Twitter account details. Company profiles should be updated as often as necessary to keep the information fresh and compelling.

Business owners also can purchase a Premium Business Listing, which allows their profile to be found in distinct areas of the site based on keywords they choose. By choosing keywords that match your specialty, you become easier to find for Manta users seeking businesses like yours. You also can designate geographic areas for your keywords, so that you can be found by people outside of your immediate geographic area.

BND: What kind of small business owner should use Manta? Is it appropriate for businesses whose end-user is the consumer, or business-to-business sellers only?

P.S.: While our user-experience is oriented toward answering business questions, Manta can be used by any kind of business serving any type of customer. Our company profiles include accurate, in-depth business information necessary for making introductions and initiating potential business. In many instances, a Manta company profile ranks extremely high in search engine results page, helping promote a B2C or B2B company.

BND: You recently took a giant leap in traffic, growing from 12 million to 26 million users. Where did the audience boost come from?

P.S.: In a very short period of time we’ve become one of the largest sites on the web (#41 on Quantcast) and one of the most influential (comScore recently cited Manta as one of the top properties driving overall web growth).

As visitors search for companies on Manta, more companies claim, update and add their profiles and use the new features we’ve introduced to promote their business. Our repeat traffic from existing users is exploding. The more company profiles are claimed, the richer and more valuable our data becomes. The unique and in-depth details in our company profiles, and the ability to connect with business owners attached to those profiles, is developing a very strong following and fueling our huge audience growth.

BND: What advice would you give an entrepreneur just starting out in terms of the best and smartest ways to use the tools Manta provides?

P.S.: My advice for any entrepreneur is to use Manta to research and investigate the marketplace and use your findings to strategize and create a business plan. Using Manta, you can research and survey the business landscape by category or region and then use our “ChartIt” tool to visualize your findings.

Manta’s database of detailed company information allows anyone to research possible partners, vendors and suppliers; source products and materials, and seek information about competition or potential adjacent markets. Manta provides endless possibilities as a research tool. Finally, use Manta to network. Never underestimate what a personal connection can lead to.

BND: How might a small business listed on Manta whose owner is unsure how to use it effectively, make changes to beef up its value?

P.S: Manta gives a platform to promote business, so updating and changing the profile regularly with new information is key. In addition to our free profiles, our Premium Business Listings allow users a wider array of services and features to enhance their online presence. We send weekly activity reports on viewership and offer customer service support to our users.

BND: What is the most common misperception businesses have when it comes to using Manta? What’s the biggest missed opportunity?

P.S.: The biggest misconception is that Manta is simply a database. Manta is a community in which small businesses can promote their business and connect to customers. Through its rich, detailed profiles on nearly 64 million businesses worldwide, Manta serves as an unrivalled resource. The biggest missed opportunity for a small business owner is to simply not be a member of the Manta community.

The widespread use of social media has fundamentally changed how people communicate and share information and that includes PR professionals.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media sites are essential modes of communication and “getting the word out.” The speed of information sharing is faster than ever before and PR professionals have access to a wealth of content that can be shared with consumers and key media influencers seeking solutions to a problem.

Thanks to social media the dynamic between PR professional and journalists/producers has changed. What used to be a monologue is now a conversation. Journalists and producers actively seek information and sources online. Many are active on Twitter or maintain blogs. So communication is faster and getting significant stories to them is easier.

There are so many uses for social media when creating a public relations and marketing campaign. It allows for conversational marketing and is another way to reach influencers. Blogging is also another way PR professionals and their clients can share stories beyond just what goes into a press release. Creating a simple keyword based search on Twitter can connect companies with people at exactly the right time to serve as a helpful resource.

At AJGpr, we embrace multiple channels of social media and use it to complement traditional means of marketing and creating brand awareness.

How to Harness the Power of Social Media For Your PR Campaign

We live in a hyper-connected world — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,Google+, and YouTube, and the value of maintaining a strong online presence can not be underestimated when planning a marketing or PR campaign. Social media is not only a powerful tool for individuals and organizations trying to achieve their business objectives, it is also an imperative element in the development of any effective business strategy.

Social media has changed the way the consumer talks about and interacts with brands. Whether on a website, on Facebook, or on Twitter, these channels are a breeding ground for conversations and their popularity among today’s consumer keeps growing as more people turn to the Internet to consume news. Since conversation and feedback can be channeled and encouraged, social media is rapidly delivering a new standard of interacting.

And while traditional media placements (TV, radio, and print) still have value, consumer opinion and rating, through social media, is considered an important source of credible, reliable information. Today, word-of mouth, through online channels, is often given even more consideration than third-party media in making purchasing decisions.

Having a large online presence with fans and followers can significantly impact on how your business interacts with consumers and ultimately attracts more clients.

The bottom line is you should pay attention to social media. Knowing where the conversations are taking place and how to use social media for your campaigns should be at the top of every PR campaign.

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