I Created a Page…Where is Everybody?!!

So you’ve set up a beautiful page for your company on Facebook or Twitter. You’ve carefully chosen the perfect photo for your avatar, written some brilliant factoids about your company’s mission statement and values, and posted your first update which you feel is truly poetic. You enjoy a moment of pure pride and satisfaction as you review the page for the 37th time.

Then it hits you. What next?!! Who is going to come and see your fabulous page. What will you post on your page next? Days pass. Your two best friends have “liked” your page and you’re now becoming so desperate you’re considering asking your kids to do the same. Where is everybody?!!

It’s a very common scenario…Facebook is littered with abandoned sites begun with enthusiasm and the best of intentions. All they needed was a little coaching. My clients invariably want to know how they are going to find people who will become their “friends”, “followers” or “likes” and what they are going to post about. This is the fun part, the brainstorming session that always involves discussions about the company’s brand attributes and marketing goals.

How can you promote your page? A contest, promotion, fundraising event or paid ads on Facebook are great places to begin especially if you sell a service or product. Once you start developing an audience, you can make a list of possible ideas for updates.

Other ideas for promoting your sites:

• promote your offline events on your social media sites
• promote your online sites through your offline marketing perhaps on your vehicles, sandwich boards, external signage and window clings at your place of business
• offer coupons that are exclusively for your online audience
• connect your social media sites to an e-mail campaign

Finally, measure your social media efforts through google analytics to make sure you’re achieving your goals. Never forget that social media may be “free” but it takes time away from other activities.

How are you promoting your business online?