Seniors and Social Media
By Frankie Rodriquez There are many new folks participating in social media platforms and they’re not kids who are getting their first computers. Senior members of our communities are increasingly online. In fact, 2012 was the first year that at least half of Americans over the age of 65 used the Internet. Our senior neighbors and family are slow to come online because of several reasons. The technology, more specifically, the speed and frequency of changes in technology can be overwhelming when you were not born into the age of two thumb communication. As I’m typing this, I’m trying to...
read moreFacebook – Highlighting Posts by Others
Imagine that someone posts something great onto your Facebook Business Page. Maybe it’s a great compliment, or maybe they talk about what wonderful service they got from one of your staff members. It might even be something that they share on your wall that’s just worth passing on to your Fans. There’s an easy way to make sure that post shows up to all of your Fans and doesn’t get hidden off to the side, and this video will walk you through the process. In the video, I demonstrate how to do this as a “Highlighted” post, which means that the post will span the entire width of my...
read moreFacebook Networking
One of the lesser-used features of Facebook is the ability to do some business-to-business (B2B) networking with it. Most business owners feel fairly satisfied if they have their business Page up and running smoothly, but stopping there is limiting the power of Facebook. Just like you would find it helpful to attend networking events as a business leader in real life, Facebook networking can be a valuable type of mutually beneficial interaction for business users once you realize how easy it is to do. The first step in Facebook B2B networking is to determine the businesses that you would like...
read moreWhat Does Facebook Graph Search Mean to Your Facebook Business Page?
Social media marketing is an ever-changing field. In part, that’s because social networks are constantly updating features, and so business owners and marketers must stay in a constant learning mode. Facebook’s Graph Search is an excellent case in point. The service hasn’t even been rolled out to all Facebook users yet, and there is much wide-spread speculation about how powerful it’s going to be. Facebook has said, in fact, that they expect Graph Search to be something that they will update many times over the next few years, so what is a business owner to do? Pay attention. That is...
read moreFacebook Graph Search – 3 Things To Do Now
Facebook Graph Search has been dominating social media news this week. It may or may not continue to do so, but it’s important to understand how it affects you – whether you’re using Facebook for business OR personal use. This one is an across-the-board change, and every Facebook user needs to understand a few things about it. Graph Search, once it’s out of its Beta version, is the way folks will do a Search on Facebook. It will access Facebook information only, not information found on other sites or on the Internet at large. It will let you search across all of the actions and...
read more3 Effective Uses for Promoted Posts
Promoted Posts on Facebook have been around long enough now that most marketers and social media consultants have experimented with them in a variety of ways. As a business owner, whether you’re trying to do your own social media marketing, you have a team of marketing staffers, or you have outsourced your social media, there are a few things you’ll want to understand about Promoted Posts. Specifically, how can you maximize them for your Facebook business page? What Is a Promoted Post? First, let’s review what a Promoted Post is on Facebook. Every time you post a status update, share a...
read moreHas Facebook Gone “Pay to Play” for Business?
There’s a rumor going around on Facebook again…yes, again…If I only had a dime for every Facebook rumor… As with all rumors, there is some truth in it, but only some. You’ve probably seen this post by now, but essentially it says that in order to have your posts seen, you have to pay for them. Here’s a screen shot of a business page that posted this message earlier this week – one of at least 6 or 7 of these that we’ve seen: What IS true about this message? It is true that your posts are not seen by all of your Fans. That’s also true for your personal Facebook posts,...
read moreSocial Media – Trends and Tips to Try
This week I had the opportunity to share with a group of professional business women on the subject of new trends in social media. Honestly, the last few weeks have seen quite a few changes, and so it was quite a jam-packed presentation – most of this and then some in 20 minutes! By way of a recap and review, here are some of the highlights from the last few weeks of “new” features, listed by social media network, with the reasons you might want to add this network to your marketing, and things to try if you do: (We know this is a LOT of information, so let us know if you have...
read moreFacebook Tagging Etiquette
One of the wonderful things about Facebook is that it’s meant to be social. Often, that shows up in the form of Facebook “tags.” A tag is when you link your post or image to another person’s Facebook account. The post you’ve made shows up on both your wall and their wall, and so more folks will see the post. Or, at a minimum, the person you’ve tagged will definitely see the post and get a notification about it as well. Both status updates and pictures can be tagged. But what is the etiquette around this tool. Just because you can do something with Facebook, does that mean it’s...
read moreWebsite Down?
There is no question that having your website go down is a serious heart-stopper for the business owner. If you were one of the countless website affected by the GoDaddy hack today, you know what I’m talking about. We were one of those sites, and the temptation was to panic. Hours and hours of hard work on design, blog writing, graphics to enhance the site, etc., and it was all gone in an instant. So what’s a business owner to do? Well, it depends. The image and Tweet below are what we did. In a matter of a minute or two, the image below went out to all of our Twitter Followers, our...
read more5 Favorite FREE Tools for Social Media Marketing
There are lots of tools out there to stay on top of social media marketing. Everyone has their favorites. New gadgets and gizmos come out all the time, too, so what we like today may be old news tomorrow. So, with some hesitation knowing that this post could be stale before it goes live, here are just a few of our favorite free tools for staying active with social media. (There are other good ones that have fees, and all of these below have Upgraded fee-based options, but we are only addressing free services here.) 1. Hootsuite/Social Oomph – Both of these services have free options as long...
read moreSocial Media Marketing In 15 Minutes Per Day
Business owners may feel that social media marketing is a giant black hole in which employees and staff get sucked into, never to return. There is no question that this can happen if time isn’t managed. Social media is fun, it’s entertaining, and it wouldn’t absorb the attention of millions if it weren’t engaging. However, the business owner usually has one purpose in mind for social media marketing – promoting the business, not playing games. So the question becomes how you can engage in social media marketing for your business without it taking time away from other important...
read moreTop 3 Things I Love About Facebook
Facebook can be a very powerful social media platform for the business owner if used in conjunction with specific goals. It’s also the dominant social media platform, and there are lots of folks using it, but for marketing, some aspects of Facebook truly shine. As we’ve mentioned before, one consideration is that business owners may want to create a presence on Facebook in order to secure and protect their business name, but there are other reasons for using, and loving this network. Here are just a few, in reverse order: 1. Engaging – Let’s face it. When we go to a party or...
read moreThe Difference Between a Facebook Strategy and a Google+ Strategy
For the business owner, marketing with social media has its challenges. Among the questions that face you in your marketing, is how to best use the different social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. – to promote your business and your services. There are many reasons to be active on all of the major platforms, but in this article, we want to address specific differences in marketing strategies on Facebook versus Google+. This is not about SEO. This is about content marketing. Yes, SEO is a part of an overall marketing strategy, but that’s where we want to make...
read moreSocial Media Day Wrap Up
We had a great event in Fort Bend County, TX this weekend! We celebrated Social Media Day along with hundreds of other cities across the globe. The event, sponsored originally by Mashable, Inc. was in its third year, and it proves to be bigger every year! Our event was attended by about 30 folks from a variety of businesses, some who use social media for business, and some who were just curious. The group reflected a good broad-spectrum of interests and knowledge, and we had a fun time together. In addition to some good networking opportunities, our Fort Bend County group broke into smaller...
read moreFacebook vs. LinkedIn
Today I had the opportunity to gather with others at the Houston Website Designers Seminar, held at the Art Institute of Houston. The topic was Internet Marketing, and the five speakers gave short presentations on marketing & branding trends, logo design, website design, mobile marketing, and of course, social media. My topic was “Facebook v. LinkedIn” from the perspective of marketing, and below, I’ve shared the presentation as well as key points from my notes. If you have any questions about this information, please Contact Us. Facebook v LinkedIn...
read moreShould I Create a Facebook Page for My Business?
Today, a question was posed in a networking group that put me on my soapbox again. Essentially, the question was, “Should I create a Facebook page for my business if I don’t want to have to promote “Likes,” and I may not even update the page that often?” I realize I may be a bit more passionate about this than many, but here are some thoughts on this question. Short answer? Yes. You should. Long answer? Keep reading… Business pages on Facebook are public, not private. All of the content is open for viewing, unless the owner has added a “gate” to one of the secondary apps. The...
read moreImplications of Recent Facebook Changes
Most likely, if you have a business Facebook account, you’ve seen the recent changes on Facebook. “Recent” of course, is a relative word, because Facebook has been rolling out almost constant changes since the turn of the calendar this year. One of them, however, released very quietly last week, is big. Not only does it open up an “old wound” surrounding the issue of Edgerank, but it has an even more subtle effect on how page Admins interact with their Facebook audience. What “life-changing” update was this you might ask? As of last week, Facebook has created the software within...
read moreFriday Flick – New Facebook Feature
Some say it’s because they have to “prove themselves” to their investors, and some say this is just the beginning of the changes, but it’s been a busy week at Facebook. There have been several changes, some subtle and some not so much, that you may want to look into. One of them is a new feature that is great news for business/brand page owners. In essence, your Fans can “overwrite” the Facebook algorithm by indicating that they do want your posts showing up in their News Feed. If you’re a social media user, this is also good news because you can...
read moreFriday Flick – Cover Photo Tricks
Sometimes you may need a creative burst when it comes to your Facebook Cover Photo. Some folks are suggesting that you update your Cover Photo every week! That’s a lot of branding and creative imagery! Why not highlight your Fans some of those times? This week’s Friday Flick is a quick trick on how you can do just that. Check out this video, and then take note of the comment below it. One thing to note, though, is that you want to make sure you use a good tool to take your screen shot. There are lots of them out there – Snagit, Snippet – and others,...
read more“Would You Rather?”
Have you ever played that game, “Would You Rather?” Two choices are presented to you, usually of a similarly difficult nature, and you are supposed to decide which you would prefer. For example, “Would you rather die in a tornado or a hurricane?” Social media presents this challenge to the business owner every day – two difficult choices. How you respond to them in action, not just in your published motto, can make or break your social media marketing. “Would you rather build a business on authenticity or gimmicks?” Through social media, the business leader has the opportunity...
read moreTo Automate Posts or Not?
Having heard all of the arguments for and against, and based on some of my own experimentation, whether or not you automate posts through social media still gets answered with, “It depends.” So, focusing on the 4 major platforms, let’s look at some of the variables. The “Pros,” or reasons for using 3rd party software for auto-posting to the various platforms all include three factors. Automated posting saves time, it allows you access to more in-depth analytics than might be available through the platform itself, and it allows you to consistently take advantage of your...
read moreFacebook vs Twitter for Marketing
Many business owners, particularly small business owners, ask me this question often. Which social media platform should I use to promote my business, Facebook or Twitter? Sometimes they are asking this because they are trying to focus on one platform at a time in order to maximize their in-house staff. Other times, they’re asking this because they are looking to hire new help or outsource their marketing, and they want to keep the costs down. Either way, more and more businesses are incorporating social media marketing into their daily activities, and this question comes up...
read moreWarning: This Is a Social Media Rant!
Yes, I do actually read the tweets of those that I follow on Twitter. Yes, I do actually care about the Fans on my Facebook page and whether or not my topics are interesting for them to engage with. Yes, I realize that this means I may or may not have huge numbers of Followers or Fans, but those with whom I engage have offered something of value to me, and I am trying to return the favor. That is in fact, one of the core values of Polka Dot Impressions. Thus, when I saw the tweet below, I was shocked. I get it. Numbers sell. It’s like sex in movies and scandal in the music industry. Many...
read moreWhat’s Behind the Curtain?
Okay, Facebook users, I’m going to date myself with this one. As a small child, I have memories of a television show that I watched with my mother as she ironed. Remember the show “Let’s Make a Deal” with Monty Hall? No, maybe not. Essentially, folks would play games and make trades, or gamble on a particular “curtain” to be opened up. Behind the curtain would be treasures or tricks, but the game went on, always for a chance to win something really exciting behind the curtain. Everyone had a good time, and no chickens were harmed in the process – although, “I’ll give you $50...
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