Catherine, I have created a business page. How do other people find this page? Do you have to ask people to "like" you in order to get traffic to this page? I'm a bit confused about the way Facebook works.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Initially YOU have to promote the page... put a link here so we can see it, put it on your business card, on your website, send out email notices to your clients and friends.
Once the word gets out and the content is worth sharing the audience will grow.
build it and they will come.
-grampa dan
Posted by stein Saether (Member # 430) on :
tnx
Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
Going to do it.A bad year business wise made me want to work with someone else.After a month I realized not everyone is honest and I am basically unemployable as I have been self employed for too long.Going to suck it up and re invent myself.Thanks Cat!
Posted by Jon Peterman (Member # 528) on :
I've had mine for close to a year now, still not a lot of traffic but I haven't done a lot of promoting either. lately the likes have crept up as I post more things
Facebook has swallowed up a lot of Lettervillians
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Yes, it seems to have, somewhat sadly...
(edited to add that it's also connected me with a fair few like-minded people who're not on Letterville... but probably ought to be )
[ January 15, 2011, 08:34 PM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Let me know if anyone has any questions, this is pretty much what I do at my job these days - help my clients with their social media.
Posted by PatRaap (Member # 4290) on :
We created a Raap Signs page also.
Jean....you can click on Invite friends to join, and then click on your friends to invite them. I sent you an invite to "like" my page.
It is another great networking tool, just like Linked In.
Posted by Dan Antonelli (Member # 86) on :
It's all about top-of-mind advertising. Our posts here also feed our Twitter page. Keep your posts short, on topic, and professional. I try not to post more 2 or 3x a week. We're almost at 600 fans.
We also have our blog posts feeding to our Note's tab.
You can also design a custom intro page, like we have.
Posted by Bob Ficucell (Member # 1460) on :
I had my personal page first, then when I set up my business page, it linked to my personal. I don't like that. Ellen.
Posted by Nikki Goral (Member # 7844) on :
Here's ours...going to check into Dan's custom page idea...
My daughter is hooked on facebook. She is a hairdresser, and just started a "Customer of the Month" incentive for her customers that use facebook, for 50% off hair coloring.
Not sure why she's offering a discount because it seems to me, most women don't mind spending money on their hair.
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
OK, I'm just ignorant. Why is Dan's a more direct shorter link whereas everyone else's is so convoluted and long?
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Here's ours... Webb Signworks Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Glenn, He gave us his actual FB web address whereas the others used the link to the actual FB page. Does that make any sense?
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
Ummmmm....not really. Then again, I'm functioning on about 2 hours of sleep at the moment.
I hired an assistant to help with the web stuff a few months ago. I'm going to make her do it for our shop. If you don't mind, I may have her contact you.
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
One is the address that FB gives you. in other words, facebook.com/kzpurcell is mine. The other is the url that appears in your browser window that you can copy and paste.
Posted by Nikki Goral (Member # 7844) on :
A FB tutorial sounds like a good idea for a SignCraft article....any bites....anyone with a last name that starts with an "A" and ends with an "ntonelli"?
Posted by Dan Antonelli (Member # 86) on :
You cant get a custom URL until you have over 100 fans, or something like that.
Posted by Nikki Goral (Member # 7844) on :
Will it be an option when you login?
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
It took some searching, some real head scratching, and a bunch of tries before I succeeded but I managed to muddle my way through to a custom facebook URL. My personal page can now be found at www.facebook.com/imaginationcorporation.
The next step is a cool custom facebook home page like Dan Antonelli. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out... we've now passed 15,000 hits in about 10 days and are up to 4,000 per day. The traffic to our website is reflecting traffic from the facebook links on my posts. Now it just has to translate to more business...
It is an investment in time to set everything up and put up a critical mass of valuable posts. Once our custom home page is set up I will be able to ease off some hopefully and settle down to a few posts each week.
-grampa dan
Posted by Mikes Mischeif (Member # 1744) on :
How does a facebook page translate into more business unless what you sell can be sent via email? Seems like alot of effort for little return. My marketing ideas are 180 of what I read here...maybe because I'm the only one still generating leads in person.
Posted by Graham Parsons (Member # 1129) on :
I just don't get it. I understand it, but can't for the love of me understand the appeal. Likewise for Twitter - I just don't care enough about most people to want to know what they're doing every waking moment. I can't help but feel the whole "must-have-one" bit is a touch of the Emperor's Clothes.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
People frequent facebook... 400,000 million of them I hear. That's too many to be ignored.
I see it as a way to generate more traffic to our website... build awareness of the the unique sign sand features we build, promote our workshops, eventually sell ebooks and perhaps more.
I'm not in it to communicate with my friends... I prefer to either phone them or if they are close visit them in person. I'm certainly not in it to see how many 'friends' I can accumulate or to build social status.
-grampa dan
Posted by Gary Boros (Member # 8487) on :
Dan, why do you have a personal page and a business page? Do you need to have one to have the other?
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Mike, A few things, first of all, a huge amount of business mail is getting caught up in spam filters these days. Emails simply aren't reaching people.
Secondly, by sending something out on Facebook, you reach not only your target but you're also reaching THEIR friends. Their friends see your posts when they visit their pages.
Gary, you have a personal page for private interactions with friends and family and a business page for business stuff. You don't need one to have the other but it's not good to mix them.
The social media thing is like a tsunami right now. I'm blown away when I go to a website that doesn't have sm logos to link back to their pages. It's the future of marketing.
Posted by Troy & Ellen Hendricks (Member # 6687) on :
I had my personal page first, then when I set up my business page, it linked to my personal. I don't like that. Ellen.
Two years later I have 240 Likes and it has helped increase my local business a lot. I hand out my business cards to every customer to share with their friends and look at my artwork online. Now they tell me they saw something there and come to order. It's a new generation. I'm 59 years old trying to keep a step ahead.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Kimberly,, do you have experience in setting up a FB page that sells items?
Select from several items, pay with Paypal links etc?.
Posted by Terry Colley (Member # 1245) on :
MY daughter sett a page up for me at Facebook.com/Terry-Colley-Signwriter-and-Gilder/364339163677420 Seems ok for posting current stuff had a couple of jobs from it, but its early days
Posted by Gary Boros (Member # 8487) on :
This might be a little off topic but is similar in that it is related to directing traffic to a web site. I was wondering if it is worthwhile to own a large number of domains that would redirect to your website. So what I mean is if your company is 123 signs in New York, would it pay to own 123sign, 123signs, 123signnewyork, 123signsnewyork,123signny, 123signsny,signny,signsny,signnewyork,signsnewyork, and then signs... where the ...is every surrounding town, etc.? Is this something that would help your SEO or benefit you in any way?
Posted by Ellen Moser (Member # 6687) on :
I tried that... not really worth the effort. Stick with one or 2 names and just advertise those. Works for me anyway.
Posted by Gary Boros (Member # 8487) on :
Yes, but more specifically what I'm wondering is if it actually has some affect on SEO or anything else, or is it just a futile expense since it really won't work for that. I've been told that it might work if you have unique content on each domain and someone would click through to your website instead of being redirected, but I'm not sure about that either. I know very little about SEO, Facebook or any of these things but I would like to develop a few websites, which I have none presently, and I'd like to start out with a correct plan from the beginning.
Posted by Gary Boros (Member # 8487) on :
duplicate post...sorry
[ September 02, 2013, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: Gary Boros ]
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
Us too! It's a nice plac to post the latest jobs or notable items, fun projects, etc.
One thing to keep in mind when building a business page is Facebook is really trying to get business owners to pay for advertising / to promote you post to your "Likes". It use to be that your posts would go out to all of your "Likes". Now they only go out to a percentage in an effort to get you to promote your post. On your personal page, your post goes to all your friends. That said, it's still a great tool to see what others are up to, and let people know what's new on your blog, not to mention it's free. https://www.facebook.com/Streamlinestudiosinc
[ September 02, 2013, 09:54 PM: Message edited by: Rick Janzen ]
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