This week we put the spotlight on some very successful Facebook contests and Facebook Pages and look at what makes them great. Discover the secret recipe for a successful restaurant Page, get some inspirational ideas for your next Facebook contest and find out how the UPS Page delivers value to their fans. Read about some recent big news at AgoraPulse and get Jon Loomer’s opinion on how Facebook marketers are screwing up the latest Facebook updates.
Why not let us know what you think of this week’s Pulse? “Like” us on Facebook and leave your comments
#1 Top Facebook Pages – The UPS Story
Author: Kristi Hines for AgoraPulse
Why read this article?
This is the first in a series of blog posts where we put the spotlight on some of the most successful Facebook Pages. We want to highlight the amazing things that businesses and brands do to create quality engagement and attract loyal Facebook fans. Our focus will be on simple, cost effective ideas and actions that every business can incorporate into their strategies.
What’s the PULSE on This?
Sharing content on your Facebook Page about the features of your products and services will soon see your fans running for the hills. Telling stories from within your company is how people will come to connect with you.
If your goal is to get more engagement on your Facebook Page then try to keep your fans there. UPS used to send their fans over to their website which drove traffic, but once they started keeping the stories on Facebook their fan engagement soared.
Share the heart of your business with your fans, what human stories are happening in your company every day that people will love? This is how your brand will connect with fans and thrive on Facebook!
>>Read the full article
#2 The Best Restaurant Fan Pages in Canada
Author: Pat Parkinson, for Post Planner
Why read this article?
Restaurants are well used to being reviewed – but this is a review with a difference – it’s of their Facebook Pages! Marketing a restaurant on Facebook can be really effective when done well. Discover the essential ingredients for a successful restaurant Facebook Page
What’s the PULSE on This?
Use your cover image to engage new fans by using high quality graphics and photos. Use a caption to tell people why they should learn more about you and include a link to your website in the description.
Using a strong logo as your profile image will help to increase your brand visibility.
Make the most of your ‘About’ section and maximise what your fans can learn about you.
Apps are the perfect way to attract new fans, engage with existing fans and increase subscribers.
Post a variety of content on your Facebook Page, your own, third party, inspirational quotes and photos.
>>Read the full article
#3 Best Facebook Contests. And the nominees are…
Author: Sébastien Gendreau, AgoraPulse
Why read this article?
We have painstakingly analysed some of the best Facebook contests that we have come across since February. We have found some true gems this month. Find out what we liked about them and why.
What’s the PULSE on This?
Running an instant win campaign over 14 days is a great way to promote a product or event, particularly if your goal is to grow your fan base and reach a big audience The company in this example gained 2900 new fans!
If you want to encourage fan shares, running a photo contest is the way to go. Users are encouraged to share their entries and at the same time they are promoting your brand.
Want to capitalize on your person-to-person marketing? Running a quiz via a Facebook contest app will nurture your brand ambassadors and help you find new ones. This is also a great way to add some gasoline to your brand awareness.
>>Read the full article
#4 The Saga of Marketers Abusing Facebook Updates
Author: Jon Loomer, Jon Loomer Digital
Why read this article?
Every time that Facebook announces an update that affects the way information appears in the Newsfeed – Facebook marketers abuse it to the point that it is rendered useless. The updates are designed to improve user experience, which ultimately should help brands. Here Jon Loomer talks through some of the major updates and how brands have overused and abused them to their own detriment.
What’s the PULSE on This?
Most brands have tried to game the system by using the latest tactic to get more reach. This included the use of text updates that included links. Brands did this to get more reach for links, but the result was ugly-looking updates that users didn’t appreciate. If you need to share a link, share it as a link update and use creative copy to encourage your fans to click on that link.
Do you see many cat memes in your newsfeed? We all do, but using strong images with creative and original ideas will go further with your fans. Use images when it’s appropriate and not just to game the system.
Using a strong call to action is essential if you want to achieve your goals. Asking fans to like this or share that will not resonate with them. Get creative, speak their language and convert more actions.
Fans are going to miss some of your posts and asking them to “get notifications” is a pretty lame way to build a relationship with them. Know your audience and what they like, share more of that content to capture their imagination and improve engagement.
>>Read the full article
#5 A Guide to Understanding Facebook Reach
Author: Emeric Ernoult for Social Media Examiner
Why read this article?
Do you manage a Facebook Page? Do you want more fans to see your Facebook updates? If so you will need a thorough understanding of Facebook reach. In this article, you’ll find out what Facebook reach is, why some Pages have more visibility than others and how to improve your own Facebook Page reach.
What’s the PULSE on This?
Do you want more post or page reach? If you post often then you’ll get better post reach, but if you post less frequently you will get better page reach. Don’t forget that the life span of a post is max 3 hours, so post frequency is really important when you think about your reach goals.
Know when your fans are online and schedule your posts accordingly.
Calculating the reach effectively is not as straightforward as you may think. If you have 9500 fans and 3500 are online at 3pm, and 600 of those fans see your post your reach is actually 17% (600 out of 3500)
Engagement is a key metric, if you have low post engagement your reach will be negatively affected and the same can be said if you have high engagement and high negative feedback – the takeaway is to post highly engaging content frequently
Thinking of content is a major stumbling block for most brands and creating good content takes time and resources. Share great third party relevant content along with your own evergreen content to get more reach.
>>Read the full article
#6 And the Winner is… Agorapulse. Thanks to You!
Author: Emeric Ernoult AgoraPulse
Why read this article?
G2 Crowd has ranked Agorapulse as a top performer amongst a dozen of the world’s top social media management tools!
We are so proud of this achievement and we would like to thank you – our users and clients for making it happen and for your continued support and loyalty.
>>Read the full article
Did we leave anything out? Why not let us know what you think of this week’s roundup? “Like” us on Facebook and leave your comments and if you would like to know more about your page reach, check out our cool [free] tool
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