Get More Facebook Comments

It's important to create online enthusiasm about your products and services. An effective way to get people excited about your company is by letting them see how excited other people are. Facebook can help you do this.

Comments on your posts can be a very effective marketing tool. So, how do you get your fans to leave you comments? It might require some time and effort, but getting more comments and letting other people promote your business for you is very possible.

People won't comment on something that doesn't interest them. This means your posts need to be compelling and relevant. Give people something to talk about and they'll be happy to do the rest. By being aware of what topics are hot right now, and what your audience is most likely to discuss you can easily increase your Facebook post comments.

Asking people questions is a good way to get a response. You could even create an online poll. When it comes to making your products or services even better, your customers will be happy to respond to you and give you the feedback you need.

Users are more inclined to comment on pictures and videos than text based posts. They're also more inclined to post on fun topics. Don't always make it all about business. Sometimes it's okay to go off topic. It'll help your fans feel more of a personal connection to you which makes them more likely to comment on your post.

Post often and be sure to include some calls to action to get people to participate. Figure out when people are most likely to respond to your posts and focus on posting in that time frame. Make sure that you take time to respond to your fans comments as well.

Your fans are ready to comment on your posts. You need to give them the opportunity to do it. The more people that post the more your prospects will be inclined to let that positive feedback influence their decision to give your business a chance.

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Why No One is Noticing Your Content

We’ve all heard the adage over and over again that “content is king”. Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of response to something you created that you felt was really great? If so, read on to learn about the most common culprits that are involved when your content is ignored.

You Didn’t Promote It

One of the biggest reasons content falls flat is that no one reads it. It’s very much similar to the old proverb, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” In other words, you could have produced the most earth-shattering content in the world, but if you aren’t putting it in front of the right people, it’s destined to fail. Creating a great article or video is only half the battle—you need to research who your target audience is and network with them. Cultivate an open relationship and show them that you’re willing to reciprocate when it comes to sharing and commenting on content.

The Title is a Total Snore

There is a seemingly infinite amount of content out there, so in order to make yours stand out, you must craft an attention-getting, compelling headline that simply cannot be ignored. Even if the topic is not exactly exciting, you need to find a way to title your content in such a way that instantly signals to your audience that your material can’t be missed. Given how much stuff is available, people need a reason or interact with something and they look to the title for the reason. So, don’t shortchange yourself with generic, bland, unimaginative titles.

It’s All About YOU

The point of creating content is to interact with your audience so you can really get to know their needs and desires. Social media is not just another platform to use to blast your message out to the masses. Instead, your content needs to cater to the users—what’s in it for them and how will it help them to accomplish their goals? While you naturally want to broadcast your marketing, you have to do it in a way that doesn’t seem like advertising. This is where your creativity and imagination come into play; create something that has real value and adds something meaningful to the community and you will attract the attention you desire.

These are just a few reasons why your content isn’t going viral. Others include bad design/user interface, misusing social media tools and communities or targeting the wrong market. If your content isn’t performing well, take a step back and make sure you are doing everything you can to grab and keep the attention of a fickle audience without sounding like a commercial. It’s a delicate balance that can only be met through careful study and experimentation.

Putting eye-catching images and videos into long articles can break up blocks of texts and engage your readers. Check out FindYourSearch.com’s Flickr account for some inspirational images to use in your next blog.

Do You Have Bad Twitter Habits?

There’s no question that engaging in social media is an essential part of any company’s marketing strategy. Twitter is an extremely popular platform for connecting with your audience and establishing brand awareness. But, if you don’t follow the Twitter “netiquette”, you will be doing the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish and will drive people away. Keep reading to make sure you aren’t unconsciously alienating your followers.

Don’t Automate

While some people use the auto-post option to streamline their efforts, this really isn’t a good idea. The whole purpose of engaging in social media is to forge meaningful connections with your customers and bombarding them with auto-generated content is the antithesis of that. Instead, take the time to find material yourself that you feel will be of interest to your followers. Similarly, do not send mass, automated direct messages. When you automate everything, you are basically telling your followers that they are all just faceless, nameless prospects that you really don’t care about.

Be Discerning

Don’t tweet about every single article you have ever written. You will not gain the attention and recognition you seek by force-feeding your content to your audience. Instead, take some time to look through your library and pick only the cream of the crop to Tweet about. Avoid tweeting old content; the very nature of Twitter necessitates content that is extremely current and up-to-date. No one wants to hear yesterday’s news, keep your tweets fresh. Also, do not Tweet too much. If you flood someone’s Twitter feed with dozens of messages, they will unfollow you very quickly. Choose quality over quantity to ensure that your followers will be hanging on your every word.

Mind Your Formatting

Tweets consist of up to 140 characters—that’s it. So, when you tweet, be mindful of this limit and word it so it falls within these parameters. You definitely do not want to break up your messages within multiple tweets; it will be too confusing and difficult to follow. If you are going to use Twitter effectively, you must operate within its framework and learn how to write so you can leverage its microblogging format to your advantage. You also want to avoid using too many abbreviations or text chat lingo. Yes, your text real estate is limited on Twitter, but you don’t want to alienate and confuse the majority of your audience by crafting tweets that are unreadable.

Yes, getting the hang of Twitter can be a bit challenging, but with a little bit of time and effort, you will get the hang of it. Before tweeting, make sure what you’re posting is relevant, is of high quality and is something that you feel casts your business in the best light.

Build Brand Awareness Online

If you want to be successful with your business, it’s vital that people know who you are and have a positive view of your brand. There are many simple ways you can create a buzz for yourself online; the trick is to get creative and think outside of the box to do so. With all of the tools and resources that are now readily available, if you put forth a bit of time and effort, you will be able to easily garner attention to your business and brand. Read on for a few ideas.

1. Match Your Blog and Social Media Profiles to Your Website

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning. It’s essential that the design of all your online content looks the same. Find blogging software that allows you to customize your design and lets you match the URL to your own domain. For social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, to name a few, you will need to create a custom social media avatar that you can use across these sites. But, since the image dimensions vary between these sites, you will need to tweak your logo for each account. If you don’t take the time to do this, you run the risk of your logo being cut off or stretched, which will look extremely unprofessional and tarnish your brand’s image. Although you cannot completely customize your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, Twitter allows you to do so, so make sure your profile matches the look and feel of your official website.

2. Cross-Reference All Your Profiles

Once you have all of your social media profiles looking their best, you will now want to link all of them together. Make sure your website and your blog have social media icons on them so users can go to them with a simple click of their mouse button. Similarly, you will want to make sure that all of your social media accounts link to your blog and website. By doing so, not only will you make it extremely easy for people to find your information, you will also be signaling to the search engines that all of your social profiles are related to your site, thus building relevance. If you correctly link all your accounts together, your social media sites will show up when someone enters your name into a search engine and will push any negative press or reviews off the first page of the SERPs.

3. Engage Your Existing Audience and Actively Woo New Fans

Being involved in the social media sphere presents you with endless opportunities to interact with your customers and reach out to potential ones. For instance, you can create contests, quizzes and surveys and provide fun rewards and promotions for the participants. Online gaming is huge, so if it fits in well with your niche, you may want to consider creating a game. Creating videos and interactive content such as infographics that aren’t directly related to your brand but are related to your niche will also go far in promoting your brand. You may also want to consider reaching out to your fans and brand loyalists to see if they would be interested in sharing a particular piece of content with their friends and followers. This move has multiple benefits—not only will you be increasing the chance of your content going viral, you will also be engaging in an open dialogue with your customers, which is another good way to boost your brand.

The above guidelines are but a few ways you can bolster your brand’s presence and gain credibility. You are only limited by your imagination and if you dedicate yourself to finding new and innovative ways to spread the word, you are certain to be amazed by the results!

Are You Doing Anything to Build a Good Online Reputation?

When was the last time you Googled your name to see what others were saying about you online? If you haven’t done this in a while, it is a must to determine what others have to say about you or your business. Being aware of your reputation and then taking proactive steps to cultivate it is essential to your success. Even if you find that nothing has been said, this indicates you have a lack of reputation, which is not a good thing. Make 2011 the year you take control of your reputation and take active steps to ensure that when people Google you, only the positives emerge.

Actively Engage in Social Media

This point has been pounded into the ground but it really is that important. You must be proactive and set up a Twitter, Facebook and other profiles, for if you don’t, in time, others will and it most likely will not be complimentary. You really don’t want your Internet presence to be hijacked by someone who, for one reason or another, may harbor a grudge against your company. So, if you have yet to do so, the first step to take is to create social media accounts so you can control the message that’s being communicated online about your company.

Monitor What is Being Said and Respond Thoughtfully

Now that you have entered into the social arena online, it is crucial to actively listen to what is being said and, before responding to any criticism or complaints, to take plenty of time to research what happened and why. You should put twice as much effort into reading and analyzing what is being said as you do into responding to it. By taking ample time to simple “listen” to everything that’s being said, you will be able to determine the underlying issues surrounding a particular problem and come up with a solution that will bode well for the long term.

Analyze Your Weaknesses and Formulate a Plan of Action

Perhaps you have discovered a huge mistake your business recently made (it happens!) and before news gets out about your error, you need to address it online. Don’t ever try to hide anything, for your customers will find out one way or another and it is best if it is from you. By acknowledging your weakness and being upfront, you are establishing yourself as an honest and accountable enterprise that truly cares about its clientele and is willing to admit to its shortcomings. This openness and honesty is key in your being able to build a good reputation and although it may be a bit difficult, it is worth the payoff.

The key takeaway here is you must invest time and effort into building a reputation built on honesty, transparency and accountability. The masses can either sing your praises or they can destroy your brand—it is up to turn the tide in your favor. Your willingness to face customer complaints head-on and not letting stubbornness or pride lead you to make rash decisions are your biggest assets in ensuring your reputation is as good as it can be.

Foursquare: The Ball is in Your Court!

Since its launch in March 2009, Foursquare has been able to reach one million users in just over a year of existence. The phenomenon of location based social check-in is poised to forever change the way businesses and consumers interact with one another. This leading player in the space is being called the Twitter of 2010. With its game-like quality, it encourages users to explore their neighborhoods with their smartphones by offering rewards and incentives for people who “check in” to various places of business. These rewards can range from simple Foursquare badges to actual coupons, specials, and interactive contests and promotions. So not only is checking in a fun and easy way for users to share their lives with friends, it also offers them tangible (and intangible) rewards for doing so!

While there is no denying the incentive for the customer to check in, the business also reaps many benefits from participating in this new social media service. It is no secret cell phones are everywhere nowadays; it has become an uncommon experience to see someone NOT using one. There is no denying there is an ample audience for this type of communication and, by recognizing and harnessing the power of social media, a company can use Foursquare to easily and quickly give their businesses a big boost.

By making sure your place of business has an up-to-date presence on Foursquare and encouraging your customers to check in, it is simple to get a good “word-of-mouth” campaign going. In embracing this social media trend, you’ll be able to better directly interact with your customers. In turn, by offering their feedback, the customers are then able to provide you with invaluable information they may have not been able to receive otherwise. It’s truly beneficial to everyone!

Foursquare is ingenious because although it is a social media phenomenon with the addictive quality of a Facebook game, is also an extremely smart and simple way for businesses and consumers to better connect. No matter your industry, you can’t afford to discount the power the Internet has to make or break reputations. As a businesses owner, it’s wise to embrace this new way of communication and use your imagination to see how far you can take it.

Engage on Facebook for Greater Returns

It can be tempting as a business to create a Facebook page and never visit again, but this ignores the true power of Facebook to market your business and connect with your customers. A recent article on Web.com discusses the importance of engagement with fans in order to build followers and influence. Fans of a business on Facebook are probably some of the most loyal it has, and engaging them will cement this brand loyalty and a positive perception of the business.

So how does one go about engaging fans? Remaining active is the most important thing you can do. Updating regularly is critical, even if these updates are pulled from your Twitter or blog feeds. Be careful the conversation is not one-sided, however. It’s very important to monitor the activity on your page and respond promptly to comments, questions, and complaints. No one likes talking to a brick wall, and that’s exactly what your company will appear to be if you do not respond to viewers. Of course it never hurts to offer incentives for engagement, either, such as contests, free gifts, or discounts for your Facebook followers.

Follow these tips and you’ll no doubt see a marked increase in loyal customers generated from the company Facebook account.