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How to Not Waste Time on Facebook

Tom Sullivan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:29:59 +0000

Despite what some old-school marketers and internet bloggers think, Facebook is not a complete waste of time (but it can be). As social media becomes more intertwined with internet marketing every business needs to consistently evaluate the return they are getting on each piece of the internet marketing puzzle. This includes Facebook.

Ideally, you should be spending no more than 15 minutes a day on Facebook (and probably a lot less). When I say “you” I’m referring to your business, so if you want to play around on your personal page after work that’s fine. However, if you want to get the most out of your time on your business’ Fan page then you’ll want to follow these steps:

1) Time yourself: The best way to get in a habit of spending 15 minutes or less on Facebook is to keep track of the time every time you log on.

2) Set up a blog feed: This is an easy way to continuously add quality content to your Fan page (directly from your blog). Simply select ‘edit page’ on your Fan page and then click ‘notes’. Then you’ll want to edit the import settings.

3) Suggest your Friends become Fans: Since you have a personal page associated with your Fan page I would suggest asking these Friends to “like” your business every month or so, depending on how often you Friends’ list grows.

4) Ask your Fans for feedback: At least a couple times a month you should pose questions to your Fans in order to get their feedback. Their responses can help you improve your services, understand your target market better, spark new ideas within product development, and much more.

5) Respond to Fans’ comments: This should take the bulk of your time. The less questions and comments from Fans the less time you should be spending on Facebook. These Fans should be considered potential clients, and for many of them, Facebook and social media is their preferred choice of communication. Do not lose out on a new client by not responding to their questions, concerns or comments on your Fan page.

I know that it can be very tempting to spend countless hours on Facebook, but for your business’ sake, limit it to 15 minutes or less per day, and focus on the Fan interaction. Feel free to add any of your own tips for managing your time on Facebook. We’d love to hear them.

Should I avoid social media out of fear of negative reviews?

Tom Sullivan — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:00:01 +0000

Social media continues to grow in popularity every day. Facebook has more than 400 million active users, and as Zack pointed out in a previous blog post, Twitter has surpassed the billionth tweet. More and more people are seeing the benefits of social media. They’re using the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Digg, Reddit and much more to spread the word about who they are. However, there are some business owners who have yet to get into social media, and for many of them, there is a specific reason why they’re avoiding it. They fear the possibility of negative reviews.

This is an understandable fear. With an open forum that these social media outlets offer there is ample opportunity for negative reviews. One might think that an ethical and well-run company has nothing to fear, but no matter how excellent you might be there is usually someone out there who is hard to please (or will never be pleased). You know the guy. He goes into a restaurant prepared to give the waiters and waitresses a hard time about the food before he even knows what to order. Nevertheless, here a few reasons why you shouldn’t fear social media, or more specifically, negative reviews on social media:

1) You can address negative comments: Social media gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to a wide audience your customer service ability. If you’ve properly addressed the situation and the person continues to write negative things then others will notice how you handle situations and admire your efforts, rather than give credence to the complainer.

2) You can delete negative comments: On YouTube, Facebook and your blog you can approve or disapprove comments. Sometimes you might not want to delete all “negative” posts because, like #1 points out, you have the ability to address concerns and prove how responsive you are. Even the most ethical companies get complaints, so don’t hide everything. Pick and choose which non-complimentary comments you’d like to not delete and answer them appropriately.

3) You can overpower negative reviews: The website that has been the source of the most resentment most recently has been Yelp. I wrote an article a while back titled ‘Should I trust Yelp?’. There is still a lot of controversy surrounding Yelp, and because of that many people are fearful of setting up an account with Yelp. We know you can’t delete or even address Yelp concerns on your review page; therefore, the solution should be to push down the Yelp results in the search engine rankings. How do you do this? By utilizing multiple types of social media! Think about it, if someone specifically “googles” your business (possibly fishing for reviews) they should get a Google local business listing, your website, your blog, your Facebook Fan page, your Twitter account, your LinkedIn account, your YouTube channel, press releases and articles ALL LISTED BEFORE THE YELP REVIEW. I understand that this is a temporary band-aid on a bigger issue, but if you can push the Yelp listing off of page 1 it is much less likely someone will look at your Yelp listing. Then again, maybe you have nothing but great reviews on Yelp. In that case you would simply want to market your Yelp account more on all forms of social media, to draw attention to it.

If you run an ethical and professional business then you should never worry about getting into social media out of fear that someone might write a bad review. The best advice I can give you is to take advantage of all forms of social media to give you more than one voice to discuss your business and, if needed, challenge or address bad reviews. Give incentives to your clients to write good reviews of your business on your Google local business listing, your Yelp account and any other review sites geared toward your industry. Offer discounts or coupons off of future services for people that write reviews. There’s nothing to be afraid of with social media. In the long run it will only reveal the true character of your business.

Arguing Business Week and Their Call Out of Social Media Myths

Zack — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:30:16 +0000

Recently someone forwarded me an article from BusinessWeek, outlining “Social Media Myths,” and asked me if this was true and if they should be concerned. I told her that there is nothing to be worried about, and that the article was not researched well and that his arguments were superficial at best. Social Media Marketing is a powerful tool and one that is not going anywhere, anytime soon.

This article that was featured on BusinessWeek, outlines some myths about Social Media Marketing, and explained why you should steer clear of it. The first problem with this article, is he only uses Social Networking sites as his examples, which we all know is only 1 part of Social Media Marketing. He never mentions, video marketing, social bookmarking sites, Information pages, Press Releases or blogs. His understanding of Social Media Marketing is narrow and un-educated, as he feels all social media marketing is, is Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and LinkedIn.

As we know by now, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all crucial staples in the Social Networking arsenal, but there is a reason we do not talk about Myspace. Prior to the time BusinessWeek’s article was written, Myspace had started making changes to their site, being more geared towards celebrities and musicians. Myspace was not a big place for companies to begin with, just a place for tweens to gather and gawk at their favorite celebs, or a place for rising artists to share their new music. Myspace targets these users, knowing that it cannot compete with what Facebook and Twitter have to offer

He mentions that if you want your social networking site to work for your business, you have to invest money in it, and not just in the ‘free’ side of it. This right there should tip you off that he is not exactly sure what he is talking about. Social networking is a simple and easy tool used to connect with other business’ and business owners, or like minded people that can all help your business. These sites offer hundreds of free tools to add to your page to make it powerful. Just take Kelly O’Neil’s fan page for example: in the left hand sidebar you find a little opt-in box to sign up… that is just a basic HTML box… done for FREE!

Towards the end of their article, the author mentions that Social Networking sites are NOT for Marketing. Is this guy kidding? It was at this point I figured his article was just an early April Fool’s joke. Sure these sites may not have been developed for marketing, and it may not be their ONLY purpose, but these sites do an incredible job at marketing. On Facebook you can set up a fan page for your business allowing you to give information and connect with your clients at the same time. On both Facebook and Twitter you can link up your Blog articles via a RSS feed to bring the visibility of your company to that many more people.

To close his article, he mentions that Social Networking will be swept under the rug and forgotten in coming years. Newer and better things will come along and make it pointless…. I am pretty sure this same argument was made about the TV… and computers… and even the internet. In January of 2009 (2 months before this article was written) Facebook had 150 Million users. Today (14 months later), Facebook has over 400 million users. That is an increase of OVER 265%!!!

Social media marketing is showing no signs of slowing down. Heck, everyday, more and more people join the Social Media army and set up camp on Facebook, Twitter or one of the many sites on the internet used to connect with other people and promote themselves or their business. If Social Media was slowing down, I am sure large companies such as Pepsi, would not be ditching their famous Super Bowl Ads, in lieu of Social Media Marketing. The world is online, Business’ are Online. People are online. Maybe your marketing should be online too….

To learn more about Social Media Marketing, click the red button at the top of the page to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

Grow Your Business Through LinkedIn Groups

Zack — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:38:35 +0000

Facebook? Check! Twitter? Check! LinkedIn?…. LinkedIn?

As we have discussed before, Social Networking is an extremely important and integral part of Social Media Marketing. However, in order to get the most out of it, you want to be sure you are using every part of these Social Networking sites to their fullest. If you have been doing everything we tell you to do (as you should be… let’s face it, I am amazing…), then your business is probably flourishing. However, we have not yet reached the pinnacle, as there is always more we can do.

One of the best ways to really grow your business, is the use and joining of different groups on LinkedIn. First of all, the groups are indexed by Google, meaning if you create a group, or join a group, the title of the group can be found in Google Search results. Secondly, the groups are a great place to interact and meet new and exciting individuals. There are discussions, and emails and a lot of networking that happens in these groups, and that is a great way to grow your network, which we all know is a great way to in turn, grow your business.

Just like all Social Networking sites, the best way to get results is to take full advantage of all options they offer. If you have a business, then a Facebook Fan page is important to you. If you have a Twitter account, a Twitter Management tool such as Hootsuite is important. And if you have a LinkedIn account, then joining groups is the way to go!

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more Social Media Marketing and the Importance of LinkedIn Groups, check out the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here or give us a call at 877-673-7096

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

The Buzz About Google Buzz

Zack — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:38:34 +0000

Well hello everyone! For those of you who missed me, I apologize for the delay between blog posts. To those of you who did not miss me.. was it something I said?

Anyway, in the month it has been since my last blog post, a lot has been going on in the Social Media World, but none bigger than Google Buzz. Google is at it again, as they set themselves up to be the big player in the Social Media Game. Google Buzz is a great new feature located within your Gmail account, that allows you to chat and interact with your friends socially, combining the best of E-mail, Twitter, Chat and Facebook, all into one tool.

Buzz takes a list of the people you email most (that are also on Gmail) and adds them as your followers. Then in your Buzz inbox, you can post messages, videos, pictures, and links that everyone can see, just as they would on Facebook and Twitter! Unlike Facebook and Twitter though, videos and images are easily viewed right from the Buzz screen, and you are also not limited to 140 characters. One of the greatest features that Buzz offers is a threaded comments section. So when looking at all the various Buzz’s on your screen, you can follow comments and conversations with ease. You can also reply directly to someone via email or chat, or send private messages, all on Buzz.

Buzz is a fun new thing that Google has recently introduced and as always, there is a lot of hype surrounding it. Google has made a habit of taking things to the next level, and I suspect it will not be long before Twitter and Facebook and scrambling to catch Buzz.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about Google Buzz and Social Networking, be sure to check our our video series! Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

Twitter and Facebook Updates Now Indexed By Google

Zack — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Google is at it again. No Google has not bought any new companies, but they have found a way to stay in the loop on what is going on Facebook and Twitter. Google now has a section in their search results that feeds in real time status updates from Facebook and Twitter (and a few other smaller sites).

What this means is, along with all other search results, you are also given the chance to see what is being talked about on the internet’s top 2 Social Networking sites. How it works is, when you type in your search query, Google brings up all of its normal results, but it has added a feature on the page titled “Latest Updates” in which in real time it updates with all that is being said on that subject on the Social Networking giants.

This has single handedly just made using Twitter and Facebook that much more important. You could be a doctor, or a dentist, a realtor, whatever. If you are updating your status and somebody is to type in one of your keywords, they just may find you. Social Media is all about being found through the internet and these Word-of-Mouth ways of networking. So increase your chances of being found and start to partake in the Social Networking festivities. You can read more about this new feature here.

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and the Importance of Networking, click the red button at the top of the page to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

Facebook Vs. Twitter: Battle of the Social Network Stars

Zack — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:10:57 +0000

If you have been paying attention to our blog posts, there are two items we talk about regularly: Twitter and Facebook. And this is not by accident. The reason we talk about these two so often is because they are quite possibly the most powerful tools out there for social networking. So here and now we are going to outline both of their similarities and differences in hopes of determining the better of the two.

Applications: Both Twitter and Facebook offer various applications in order to make your experience better. On Facebook all of the applications are within the system, and some great ones such as Static FMBL help you create a better experience for friends. Although apps such as Farmville and Mafia Wars become overwhelming and get in the way. Twitter has no built in applications, instead they are all housed outside and are used to make your experience better. These items include Tweetdeck, Twollow, Tweetlater, Twitterfeed, etc… All of these applications are designed to help you grow your list. Edge: Twitter

Network Building: On Facebook you are building friends and on Twitter you are building followers, but either way, you are building your network. Within Facebook you can only have 5,000 friends, unless of course you have a fan page, then your following is unlimited. With Twitter you can have an unlimited amount of followers, but with tools such as Auto Follow, you often end up following people without knowing it, and all your friends are kept in one place. Facebook is slower and limited, but can have multiple areas to house friends/fans, whereas Twitter your list can grow faster but not always aware of your list. Edge: Tie

Communicating With Network: Both platforms give you the option to connect and message with friends and followers. On Facebook you can send personalized messages, write on people’s walls, comment on pictures and videos, whereas on Twitter you can really only send direct messages. Edge: Facebook

Overall both of these platforms are great for Social Networking and in all honesty, both of them can help you grow your business no matter what you are doing. But for sake of this post I will crown a winner (and no, this time I will not remain indecisive). Twitter allows you to grow your list much faster and connect with much more people. However the search function within Twitter needs a lot of work, and in Business there is nothing better than the personalized touch that Facebook can offer. So with that, I crown the winner of this head to head battle: Facebook

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and the Importance of Social Networking, click the red button at the top of the page to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Be a Fan of Turbo on Facebook! And be sure to Follow us on Twitter too!

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

Facebook Hands Cease and Desist to USocial

Zack — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:27:39 +0000

A little over 2 months ago, I wrote a blog article on an online company named USocial, that will help you build your Facebook friends list for a fee. At that time, I wrote what a bad idea it was because even though it did help you build your list, it did not allow you to build real connections with “friends.” Well if you ignored everything I said and decided to give it a try anyway, your account is coming to an end.

USocial has been served a Cease and Desist order by Facebook, for violating the user rights of the online Social Networking Mega Platform. According to Facebook, the process of making a profit from their profiles is strictly prohibited. Facebook also says they have given the cease and desist order because USocial “violates its rights by sending spam, using web tools to harvest pages, getting login names and by accessing accounts that did not belong to the marketing firm.”

Obviously, Turbo Social Media was not the only one to find something fishy with the whole USocial friend buying process. Unfortunately too many people in our society are eager to make a quick buck, even when it violates the rules of others.

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and the best ways to grow your Social Networking list, click the red button at the top of the page to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

How To Separate My Personal Life from Professional Life on Facebook

Zack — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:32:51 +0000

We got a lot of phone calls and emails from last week’s article, so I guess it is now upon us to elaborate and make some clarifications. Last week I talked about how to be professional on your Facebook Account by not adding inappropriate pictures or content, but we have had a lot of questions asking us to follow up and here I deliver. See below for some a few of our frequently asked questions and my answers:

Does it make sense to have both a Professional Account and a Personal Account?

Facebook is all about Social Networking and staying connected to people you know on a personal level as well as a professional level. So the answer to the question is both Yes and No. It would be great if you could have both, however Facebook discourages that so we recommend a Fan Page. With that being said, if your name is long such as William or Charles, you can have an account as William or Charles and another as Bill or Chuck.

If I have both a Personal and a Professional Account, How do I make sure my professional friends do not end up on my Personal Account?

The beauty of Facebook is, you are in charge of who is given access to your accounts. If you are maintaining both accounts, and a Professional somehow finds your personal account, you can simply send them a message directing them to the right place, and then not accepting their request on the Personal Account. The same goes for the other direction, if an old friend or your mother-in-law request friendship on your professional account, then you can simply direct them to the right place (although you may just want to ‘Ignore’ the request from your mother-in-law altogether…)

What if I do not want two Accounts? I have a hard enough time maintaining one….

This is a common problem we hear from a lot of people. Facebook takes up a lot of time, and it can be great for your business. On the personal side, you might want it to stay in touch with friends and relatives. If you do not want both accounts, I say decide which you want more. The business building networking, or the personal connections with friends and loved ones. I would not say to combine them, for reasons stated in my last blog post. If all else fails, you can always have a personal account and then add on a Facebook Pan Page for your business.

I hope this blog post helps to clear up any questions you might have on Facebook and the importance of Social Networking. If not feel free to reach out to us and we will be more than willing to help out

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and the Importance of Networking, please click on the red button in the top right corner and fill out the form or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media

How To Be Professional When Using Facebook and Twitter

Zack — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:04:35 +0000

Facebook and Twitter have become amazing tools for Social Networking, whether it be for business or for fun. A few years ago a slew of these Social Networking sites popped up (MySpace, Facebook, Orkut, Flickr, etc..), most of which were designed by college aged kids giving them a way to stay in contact or connect and share via the web. Over time though, many of these sites have taken on new roles: that of professional networking.

LinkedIn is sort of the place to go for business networking, but it does not have as many users or as much reach as Facebook and Twitter. The only other site that has nearly as many users is Myspace.. and let’s face it, Myspace anymore is more for the music scene or the tweens looking to have their fun. The question is, how do you distinguish yourself on these sites as a professional and not as a Frat boy sharing his fun? it all comes down to how you represent yourself.

Take our fearless leader, Matt, for instance. His Facebook page is clean cut and straightforward. As is his twitter account. He does not post inappropriate pictures of himself and his messages are always geared towards business. These sites are designed for networking, so that is what you should be doing: Networking. You should be reaching out and friending/following people of similar interests and learning everything you can about them and how you can help each other in business… help each other reach the top.

To learn more about Social Media Marketing and the Importance of Networking, fill out the form on the right to watch our free video series or give us a call at 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below. To learn more about the video series, Medical Professionals should click here and Entrepreneurs should click here.

Article by Zack Zucker, Director of Operations, Turbo Social Media