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Facebook Newsfeed Update: Posts Get More Timely

By Cassie Witt on September 22, 2014

Facebook has updated its newsfeed again. But this time, it’s looking at posts in your newsfeed in a different way. Most of Facebook’s newsfeed updates revolve around what type of content shows up there. This time, however, Facebook is focusing on the timing of that content. Here’s an example. Let’s say that one of your friends graduates. They post their obligatory parent/graduate picture. It gets a ton of likes, comments, and shares within the first couple of hours. It might continue to get more engagement throughout the day and into the next. Sometimes, the engagement goes a little further, but not much. This particular post was very popular in and shortly after that moment, but not really later on. In other words, the timeliness of user’s behavior is starting to factor into how often and when Facebook shows posts in your newsfeed.

Don’t Screw it Up!

Okay, marketers, I know we all like shiny new things. We love to hear about the latest ways we can squeeze just a little bit more out of something than we could before. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just remember that this is not meant to be used all the time. You may get more eyeballs on your content, but it might not be the right eyeballs. Your goal isn’t to always increase the Reach of your Facebook Page, but to always increase the engagement of those people who really care about your business.

Tweet This: You may get more eyeballs on your content, but it might not be the right eyeballs

As a marketer you have the power to connect people with your brand in ways they wouldn’t have before. Use your power responsibly, and you’ll be more effective at your job.

Here’s How I Would Use It

First of all, this blog post is about a trending topic. So it’s likely to get more views because it’s about a recent news story. It’s also about a Facebook newsfeed change, which tends to throw marketers and social media managers into a frenzy. However, it is also very much apart of my brand and my target audience. Since I’m trying to reach marketers and social media managers with my content, it’s likely to be seen by those people. Remember this rule when you’re using this tactic on your own Facebook Page.

20 Ways You Can Get More Likes On Your Facebook Page

By Cassie Witt on August 28, 2014

29625110_s — Copyright: designsoliman / 123RF Stock Photo

Think it’s hard to get more Facebook Likes? Try out these twenty tactics to get more likes on your Facebook Page for life.

Add a “Like” button to your website.
Put your Facebook Page link on your business card.
Put a QR code (pointing to your Facebook Page) on any printed advertisement.
Interact with another page on Facebook (while logged into your Page).
Post more content on your Facebook Page.
Embed a Facebook post on your blog or website.
Put a “follow” button at the top of every website page.
Put a “follow” button at the bottom of every blog post.
Add a Facebook share button to every blog post and website page.
Share your Facebook Page content to your personal Facebook profile.
Add your Facebook Page link to your invoices (especially if you send them by email).
Add a paragraph about what fans will get if they like your Page (i.e. coupons, free tips, updates on new products or services) to the about section.
Write a post that’s controversial.
Use Facebook ads to get more Likes to your Page.
Add a “follow” button to your marketing emails.
Add a link to your Facebook Page to the signature of your emails.
Share your Facebook link on your other social media sites.
Promote or “boost” a post from your Facebook Page. Bonus points if you promote a post that got a lot of engagement.
Add a “Like” box to your website or blog.
Promote a Facebook post that did well, by linking to it on your other social media networks.

Why Voice is So Important in Your Social Media Plan

By Cassie Witt on August 27, 2014

Your voice matters. I can’t say that enough. In fact, let me say it again. Your. Voice. Matters. When you separate out the words like that, it not only looks more important, it sounds different. There’s a reason for this. Each word means something all by itself. Let’s tackle them one by one to get a deeper meaning.

Your.

This is an obvious word, but does bare a deeper look. First of all your voice will be different than anyone else’s. I think this should go without saying, but sometimes saying it helps us to understand that each of us has something unique to say. Let’s look at an example. We have two different business owners: Steve and Bob. Steve and Bob are the same age. They both grew up in the same small town. They went to the same school, and they had (for the most part) the same friends. They graduated in the same year and went to the same college in a neighboring city. Early on, they both realized that they loved to cook. So, when they got out of college they both started restaurants. But Steve and Bob are different people. Steve’s family life was not so great. He had a brother and a sister, and a mother and father who fought a lot. So, he learned to cook at an early age because that was his job and it was how he kept his family together. Bob is an only child. His parents were like a dream come true. In fact, they are his best friends. Bob learned to cook from his uncle who was a chef and used to visit in between trips around the world. Bob was fascinated by the dishes his uncle prepared, which were often exotic. Bob grew up trying to imitate the dishes his uncle would create during his visits. Steve’s necessity in cooking grew into a love of providing food to bring people closer together. Bob’s love of cooking grew into a passion for introducing exotic food to his small town. Can you start to see how each of these two men would not only open a different kind of restaurant but how they might have a completely different opinion on what to serve in those restaurants? Now imagine what each of these men’s blogs would be about. Do you think they would be different? Do you think they might even cover different subjects? Maybe Steve would write about his own budding family and how he is teaching his children to cook and prepare meals in a family setting. Maybe Bob would showcase a different meal he’s prepared each week.

The point is that each person is different for many different reasons. And that’s a good thing, because that means that content written by each person would not be a carbon-copy of someone else’s. Can you imagine what it would be like if you landed on a blog about cooking and found that it was almost exactly like another blog that you read about cooking? How boring and annoying would that be?

Find out what sets you apart or makes you different, and then put that into whatever you write.

Voice.

Voice itself is important because voice, sometimes even more than opinion, is what sets you apart from someone else. This can be influenced by opinion, but is more to do with your writing style and the words you use. I write in a more conversational tone. Someone else might write in a more formal one. Even if we wrote an article about the same subject, it would read in a completely different way because we used different words. You should choose a voice that feels comfortable to you when you write. If you like to tell jokes, then make sure you put jokes in your writing. It will make it much easier to produce content because it comes more naturally to you. Whatever you do, make sure your voice is consistent. That doesn’t mean that you can’t deviate occasionally. What it does mean is that your content will be recognizable to people across different platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, your blog). It also means that someone who is used to reading what you write does not have to work as hard to understand what you’re saying. When you remove that obstacle, it makes reading much more enjoyable and they will be more likely to come back for more.

Matters.

Your voice does matter. What you say matters. The way you say it matters. And if you want to do something that matters, then using your unique voice to talk about it is the only way to connect with people. You don’t have to change the world to do something that matters. You just need to do something that matters to you. Once you know what that is, making sure that it shows up in your writing is key. In other words, write whatever you are passionate about. Writing about things that matter to you will also make the writing easier, because you already know and are excited about the subject. People also connect better with someone who writes passionately about a subject, because they can read that in your writing.

How Can You Apply This to Your Social Media Plan?

There is nothing better you can do for your social media plan than to find your unique voice and subject matter. It is one of the main things that will make you stand out from your competitors. Just posting is not enough you have to stand out. Use these three steps below to create content for your social media plan and you’ll see results.

1. Find your.

Figure out what makes you different. Write those facts down and use that angle to make what you say unique to you.

2. Your Voice.

Choose a voice that you’re comfortable with. You don’t need to win a Pulitzer with your voice. That would be awesome, though, right? You just need to find a voice that fits you and your audience.

3. What Matters.

Even with their similarities, the two men in the example above had different things that mattered to them. It’s part of what would set their different content apart. Find out what matters to you and make sure you write about it.

I’d like to know your results.

If you will or have implemented these steps, let me know what your results are in the comments below.

20 Questions You Must Answer to Make your Next Facebook Contest a Success!

By Cassie Witt on June 26, 2014

23198176_s — Copyright: kasahasa / 123RF Stock Photo

Contests are one of those marketing endeavors that can take a lot of work. There are several details that you need to get sorted out before you can even launch your contest! I’ve found that the easiest way to get all these details sorted out is to form them into questions, and then answer them. By doing that, you’ll have a clear picture of what you need to know and how that information impacts the success of your contest.

Below are 20 of the top questions I ask when planning a contest. There are more than this, and sometimes even more sub-questions that popup once you start answering these questions. But these 20 questions will get you started.

To make the list easier to digest, I’ve broken them up into four different sections.

Planning Phase

As they say “if you fail to plan, then plan to fail”! This is even more true for a contest, where you will (hopefully) have lots of people that you’re interacting with. Not figuring out a detail now can cause lots of stress and mean comments later.

What is the start date?

Obviously you need to know this so you know when to launch your contest. But not knowing this can lead to confusion for anyone who wants to enter the contest and can cause problems with your marketing.

What is the end date?

Again, another obvious question, but it is important to get this information down before you start your contest.

Will there be any restrictions on who can enter?

This question is a little bit more advanced. If you’re dealing with a brick and mortar business that has only one or a few local locations, you’ll want to make sure that people understand if they can enter or not. Also, if you’re awarding a prize that is meant for a certain age-group, you’ll want to restrict the age of the person who enters by putting it in your official rules and maybe even adding a box on your form that people can enter their age into. A little note on the age restriction. Most states only allow people 18 years and older to enter a contest. So, if your prize is meant for a younger crowd, you’ll want to make sure that parents know they should enter on their child’s behalf.

What does someone need to do to enter?

Most states also have rules governing what someone has to do to enter so that your contest is not in violation. For instance, you’ll want to find out if someone needs to do more than just give you their email address to enter. If so, then you need to build that requirement into your contest. Keep in mind, though, that the more you ask someone to do to enter, the less likely they are to enter.

What are the contest rules for the states I’m running my contest in?

And speaking of rules, if you are running a contest in multiple states (even if it’s online) or a national contest, you really want to know which states are going to give you the most trouble with their requirements. Some states have fairly lax rules regarding contests while others are very strict. You might even consider making residents from those trouble states not eligible for entry.

What is the prize?

This question, too, may seem like it deserves a “duh” answer, but choosing the correct prize can influence the success of your contest. A prize that’s worth little will not motivate people to enter. A prize that has nothing to do with your business might not create the brand recognition you’re looking to achieve. And a prize that you have to pay for on your own (as opposed to partnering with another business who’s offering part or all of the prize) and you have a lot more up-front cost added to your contest.

When are you awarding the prize?

Knowing when you’re awarding the prize is good to know, especially if it will take you a while to go through the results of the contest. You will want to build some padding into your award date to make sure that you have time to go through the results. This is especially true if your contest is a content-submission contest where people submit photos, videos, or other types of content.

How are you awarding the prize?

This question ties in with what you are awarding. If it’s a physical product are you going to ship it or will the winner pick it up at your location or somewhere else? How will you send it to them if it’s a digital product or will you need to setup a download link if it’s a very large piece of digital content?

How will you contact the winner?

You need to know the answer to this question because you will want to ask for that information on your contest form and make it a requirement in order to enter the contest. If you don’t, you’ll be left with no way to really contact the winner.

Marketing Phase

Once you have all the main details for your contest sorted out, you will need to tackle the marketing side. Below are the most important questions to ask to put together a good marketing plan.

What are your marketing assets?

Your marketing assets include more than just your website. It can include printed pieces such as flyers, tv or radio spots, social media sites, your cashiers or sales people, any pay per click ads you run, and any other thing that you use to communicate with the public. All of these need to go on a list of your marketing assets and then you need to plan how to use that asset to promote your contest. Each asset will have it’s own strengths and weaknesses in communication, so you will want to note those as well. For instance, a website is a really great place to put a link directly to your contest page, but a radio ad is not.

Do you have other companies, websites, or social media sites that will help promote this?

I love this question because it is one of those questions that people often overlook. You probably partner with other businesses on fundraisers and other events. But did you ever consider asking them to help promote your contest? Some companies will not be willing to do it unless you sweeten the pot with a similar offer to them, or unless you’re giving away one of their prizes. Still, partnering with another company or website can help you to extend your reach beyond what you can do on your own.

When will you start marketing?

The date you start marketing your contest will most likely not be the date that you will launch your contest. You can use your website, social media sites, and even your email and text marketing lists to drop hints and tease about what your giving away and when the contest will start. This creates anticipation in your audience that will make them want to watch for more updates.

How often will you market?

You need to know, also, how often you will use your marketing assets to put your marketing messages out. In the world of newspapers, radios, and tv ads this will affect your budget. In the digital world, it could affect how well your audience responds to the contest. Social media sites present the biggest chance to annoy your audience. If you post too much about your contest on Facebook, for example, you can receive nasty comments and your fans may even unlike your Page. But if you don’t post enough, you won’t get as many entries. So, experimenting with your posting can help determine the frequency you need to post on social media sites.

Will you need any graphics made?

Contests don’t market themselves. In order to get the word out, you might need to hire a graphic designer to create flyers, a poster, your web graphics, or even your contest page. Keep this in mind when you’re planning your marketing, so you can allocate time and money to the project.

Who is responsible for overseeing the marketing?

If you already have a marketing manager, then this question is pretty simple to answer. But if you don’t, then you’ll want to choose someone who is detail-oriented and organized.

Who is responsible for executing the marketing?

In addition to someone who is making sure that all the moving parts are in place, you want to make sure that you have someone who knows how to actually get your marketing out there, such as posting flyers in your store location, getting the graphics up on your website, and posting to Facebook. This person may or may not be the same person who is overseeing the marketing.

Contest Phase

The contest phase can seem like it doesn’t need a lot of attention. But it is during this phase when you need to be extra vigilant. If something goes wrong with your contest (and believe me it can) you’ll want to make sure that you (or whoever is running the contest) are not out of touch.

Who will watch and answer questions and comments?

The first question you want to answer is who will watch and answer questions and comments. This person may need to work after hours in order to answer these questions or comments so make sure that this is communicated.

How will you handle bugs and issues that pop-up?

I have run a ton of Facebook contests and there were only a few that went off without a hitch. Sometimes the problem was tiny and didn’t really interrupt the contest, while other times, we needed to revamp the contest on the fly. Since we’re talking about running a contest in the digital space, your problems could range

After the Contest Phase

After the contest, can also seem like a time when you don’t need to do much work to make your contest a success. After all, it’s over, right? Not quite. You can harness the lingering excitement that happens during that time period after you finish a contest. Check out these last two questions to answer to find out how.

How will you say “Congratulations” to the winner?

This question is related to the above question about how you will contact the winner. However, it is more about how you will capture the “congratulations” moment. That’s an important moment to the winner, and could also be an important moment to share with your fans and your customers. When you have the chance, try to get the winner to come in and accept the prize so that you can get a picture of that person accepting the prize. Don’t forget to post that picture to your Facebook Page, other social media sites, and somewhere in your location.

Can you use any information or content in your future marketing?

The last question to ask is can you use any of the information that you’ve obtained from the contest in your future marketing. Some of the basic customer information you’ve captured can be used in your marketing. You do have to be careful about any emails or cell phone numbers you’ve captured, though. There’s some very strict rules about whether you can use them in future marketing. Make sure you know the rules before you ask for and use this information. If you’ve also asked people to submit pictures, videos, or other content, you might want to use these in your future marketing. However, you’ll want to make sure you get someone’s permission to use the content. Sometimes this can be as easy as adding that permission release into your official rules.

To make your contest a success, just ask 20 questions!

Team 3 Media’s New Direction

By Cassie Witt on December 1, 2013

Recently, I’ve been struggling with my business and making it grow. The problems I was having stem mostly from the model of business I had. I was basically one woman trying to act as an agency who managed the online marketing for my clients. Obviously, this was not working well. Not only was it unmanageable from a time and money stand-point, it was also slowly driving me insane. I’ve had plans to change this for a while, but I haven’t had the time or the cushion of money needed to take the business in a different direction. Now I do.

The Offer

The company that sends me most of my social media and email business, Online Marketing Giant, called me out of the blue a couple weeks ago. Chris, the President of the company has long been a friend and business colleague. He even used to be my boss at my old evil Corporate job. So, it’s safe to say that we know each other pretty well.

Still, it was a bit unexpected when he called and said that they’d like to meet about bringing me onto their team full-time. We’ve had a pretty good partnership up to this point, and I wasn’t looking to change it.

Their offer was to bring me on as a full-time project manager over their social media department. We had a meeting last week and I accepted. I’m actually pretty excited about this change for a couple of reasons.

It gives me a much better steady pay base.
I will be able to help more clients by focusing on planning the campaigns and using the resources of the company to fulfill those plans.

What Does This Mean for Team 3 Media?

It certainly doesn’t mean that I’m done with it. However, it does mean that I can now safely ditch the old model of businesss I had. I can, also, focus on the model of business that I’ve been dreaming about having, but haven’t had enough time to work on. That model is the “content-based business”.

Team 3 Media: A Content-Based Business

A Content-Based Business is a model of business that creates content at its core. Some of these business types rely on their traffic and ads to fuel them with money. Or they use their traffic to sell affiliate products. Or they use their traffic to sell their own content. It is the last version of this business model which I’m shooting for.

I don’t expect that I will be able to make a full-time living off this business model for a while. And that was part of my motivation in accepting this new job. It will give me time to develop this business without needing to worry about my bills being paid.

The Content

Among other things that I have planned is a series of ebooks (free and paid). If you’ve read about my “31 Days to An Awesome Facebook Page” then you’ll know what I’m talking about. That book is still definitely a part of the plan. Though, I’m delaying the launch to make sure that I get it right.

So, when can you expect to see the new content? I’m planning on launching my first free ebook in January: “7 Steps to a Successful Facebook Contest”. Until then, I’ll be working on that and some blog posts, so I can kick off 2014 right.

To My Clients

If you are or were a client of mine, you’ll be hearing this from me personally. And to any future clients, I am still available for work. You can now find me at Online Marketing Giant: cassie@onlinemarketinggiant.com.