Fan Pages, Not Profiles

Posted on June 24, 2010

Many people create a Facebook personal profile for their business. Why is that? I think because it seems easier and is more familiar for them. But below I list five reasons why you should create a Facebook Fan Page instead:

1. If you’re creating a page for your business, you want it to be public, not private. You want as many people to find it as possible. In most cases, your fan page is visible to everyone. (The exceptions
   are if you set a minimum age limit OLDER than age 13 – then people must log in.) A personal profile, on the other hand will be more private.
2. For a fan page, you want fans not friends. You want people to like your page. With a personal profile, you have to approve every friend. For a fan page, you don’t want to worry about that, you just want people to like your page. As people like your page, your page will show up on the personal profiles of their friends too; ultimately bringing you more fans.
3. You don’t want a limit on the number of fans for your page, do you? A personal profile is restricted to 5,000 friends. Better to start with a fan page and then you’ll never have to worry about that limit. Plus once you have a personal profile, you’ll have to start over to get fans for your page.
4. Two words: Search Engines. Personal profiles are, by definition, not indexed by Google and other search engines.If you have a page for your business, you’ll want it indexed by the search engines. Fan pages are always index-able by search engines.
5. One word: Advertising: You can advertise your fan page to reach more people. You can base the advertising on demographics: age, sex, profession, etc.

It may seem harder to create a fan page, but in the long run you’ll be glad you went that way to begin with. If you start with a personal profile, you’ll one day see the need to create a fan page instead.

Ten Twitter Suggestions

Posted on June 8, 2010

I might have gone as far as to call this post “Ten Twitter Rules,” but there’s probably someone on Twitter that has a different opinion on each of these. So here are some suggestions that would be rules if I ruled the world.

1. Always include a space on either side of RT, DM or any @mention. For a retweet (RT), it just helps it be recognized as a RT. For an @mention, it’s necessary so that the person you mention will know about it. But for a DM, it is critical. Consider this tweet “DM@mytruelove Let’s meet tonight after 8 – my husband won’t be home.” Without that space, the whole world can read that tweet!
2. If you’re going to mention someone in a tweet – be sure to include the @ before their handle. That way they’ll know they’ve been mentioned.
3. Be very careful with DMs, sometimes Twitter hiccups and they can show up in your timeline. Check your timeline to be sure it isn’t public. Especially important if you tend to ignore item 1 above.
4. Be sure to check your mentions on Twitter. That way you’ll know when people you aren’t following are talking to you or retweeting you.
5. If your tweet starts with a twitter handle and you want to make sure EVERYONE notices it, Add “. “ before the twitter handle. Otherwise, only people that follow you AND that first Twitter handle will see the tweet in their timeline.
6. Many Twitter apps have built in URL shorteners, use them. People are much more likely to retweet something that isn’t too long because of the URL.
7. Stick to 140 characters. Sure you can tweet longer, but not everyone wants to open their browser to read the rest of your tweet.
8. When retweeting, please shorten the tweet to keep it under 140. If your twitter client doesn’t let you know you’re over 140 characters, get one that will. I see too many RTs with only half of a link at the end because it was cut off.
9. Try to spell people’s Twitter handles right. If you have problems, check your Twitter app – some help you by having a list of everyone you follow.
10. When replying to a tweet – use Reply. To some this may sound like a no-brainer. But I see a lot of people obviously replying to someone without using the function. It can be hard to discern the meaning of your reply if even the recipient can’t tell what you’re replying to.

Those are my Twitter observations. You’re free to disagree. Let me know your thoughts.

Is there something I missed? Leave a comment.

Facebook – Mixing Business & Personal

Posted on February 9, 2010

There’s an awful lot of talk on this subject. You have a Facebook account to keep up with your friends. But you also wind up with business associates as Facebook friends. (The whole topic of the use of the word ‘friend’ by Facebook is left for another day.)

Was it just coincidence that I saw these two tweets in my twitter stream, one after the other?

From Alicia Arenas

Thank you! RT @JesusNeedsNewPR: Dear Facebook Friends: I like you, really, I do. But I do not want your Facebook Valentines.

Followed by this from BKMcDaddy Designs

A Freelancer’s Guide to Professionalism on Facebook – http://bit.ly/cPzUYs

In the Freelancer’s Guide, there are suggestions for using Facebook lists to control what you post to whom.

There are good reasons for mixing business with personal on Facebook, but it does mean you need to think carefully before you post. I had one friend (real friend, oh, and business associate) mention a problem she had recently with Facebook. Seems that an old friend posted something from the past that my friend really didn’t want made public. (Sometimes it’s true – What happens in the past, stays in the past.)

Then there’s this great advice on the Dos and Don’ts for Job Searchers on Social Media. Lettergirl has a couple of good points in there!

Lots of good advice out there. I think number one on the list is to think before you post.

BMPR December Tweetup

Posted on December 10, 2009

Yes, I’ve actually attended a number of Tweetups since July of this year. Seemed like Social Media wasn’t going away so I thought I would get involved. And, it’s been incredibly fun.

So, what is BMPR? It’s the Business, Media & Public Relations Tweetup group in San Antonio. They only started this past spring, but seems to be growing rapidly.

What happens at a Tweetup? It’s different. Aren’t many business cards passed. AND, it’s one of those rare meetings where playing with your cell phone is allowed – even encouraged. Everyone uses the hashtag #BMPR in Twitter. Even people that can’t make it can follow along with what’s happening.

They have several speakers and the topics are about social media – how a particular business uses Social Media. You can read about the speakers on The BMPR web site. The coolest part was that Sea World brought an owl and a wallaby to the meeting. They were big hits and probably never want to see phone cameras again. We’re still working out how it is that owls and wallabies are at Sea World. Are they aquatic?

If your in business in San Antonio and are using (or interested in using ) Social Media, then you should consider a BMPR Tweetup. I’ll post the invite for the next one!

Much Ado About twitter

Posted on July 20, 2009

As I mentioned earlier, I recently joined the twitter crowd. I think it’s driving my hubby crazy. All this talk of twitter and tweeting and followers – not something he’s used to. But he’s beginning to accept my (mostly harmless) addiction.

I started my twitter account on June 26th. So this is just over 3 weeks. It’s a modest start. I currently have 26 followers and am following some 38 people. Subject to change w/o much notice.

So far I’ve made a few connections and even signed up for my first Tweetup!

Then, last Thursday night we went to dinner at the Scenic Loop Cafe. When we walked in, I noticed a sign on the counter that they were on twitter. (I’m usually fairly observant and so have started seeing twitter everywhere lately.) We had a wonderful meal. Towards the end of it, I told my husband that I was going to have to tweet about it. (which may be when he began worrying about me!). In the car on the way home, I tweeted thusly, “Just leaving @ScenicLoopCafe . Delish!!” This resulted in a short twitter conversation and a bit of a connection. They’ll be at the tweetup on Tuesday.

That bit of tweeting showed me how twitter could help a business. At least for the restaurant.

I signed up for the tweetup b/c I want to know more about how I can use twitter. Having exchanged tweets with some who will be at the tweetup makes it easier for me. Easier than walking into a room where I don’t know anyone.

How has twitter helped my business? So far I’m not sure. What I’m sure of is that it will, if I just figure it out. In fact, it has gotten me a bit of work, albeit pro bono. That’s another story from Saturday afternoon where I responded that I could help out a non-profit org with their PHP/WordPress issue. You never know, a little pro bono work can help you get known by others. Time will tell.

I’ll be posting more on my twitter explorations. Stay tuned.

Do you use twitter? How has it helped you? What questions do you have regarding its use?

Do You Twitter?

Posted on July 10, 2009

Can you even talk about twitter and tweeting without giggling?

bwh Web Designs just recently joined the twitter community. So I’m still just barely more than a hatchling, but I’ve already seen the value of its use. If you like, you can follow our tweets.

Why use Twitter? The entire purpose of having a business web site is to drive people to your site. Ultimately so they will purchase your product or service. Twitter is one way to begin forming relationships with potential customers. And along the way you’ll meet new friends and learn new things. Some of them will even be useful.

As examples, yesterday I learned that Hwy 281 in San Antonio will be closed on Sunday – in the area around the Quarry. Very useful to know. I also knew, long before the news talked about it, that the Liberty Bar is moving in 2009 to S. Alamo Street.

So how does one get started? That’s where we can help. bwh Web Designs can walk you through the basics of setting it up and getting started. We can even create a custom background to coordinate with your web site.

Give us a call at 210 383 5842 today for more information!