We recently held a free social media webinar, Social Media for Small Business and Nonprofits.
It was a great event! Over 500 people took time out of their busy schedule to learn how they can do more with their social media marketing.
Throughout the webinar, we also had a live Q&A, where attendees could have all of their questions answered. We received a ton of great social media questions!
If you have similar social media questions, these answers can help:
1. It seems like people are always missing the stuff we post on social media — will posting more frequently help us show up?
Finding the right posting frequency can feel like a bit of a balancing act. You don’t want to overwhelm people by flooding their feeds with updates from your business; but you also don’t want to risk falling off their radar either.
Here are a few rules of thumb to consider when it comes to posting frequency for each network:
Remember that these are suggested frequencies; not requirements for success. Social media is about quality, not quantity. If you’re focused on creating and sharing content that’s relevant and engaging to your audience on a regular basis, you shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the right people on social media.
Here are some additional resources to help your content show up:
Show Up in the Facebook News Feed! 8 Things that Really Work
How Facebook Decides if Your Posts Are Naughty or Nice
Find the Best Time to Post on Facebook with New Page Insights
2. On LinkedIn, is it better to have a Company Page or a personal profile? What about a LinkedIn Group?
Here’s a quick overview of the different ways you can use LinkedIn:
Profile: Similar to a resume, you add information about you and your job history. With a profile, you build a network by connecting with people who you have some personal or professional relationship with.
Company Page: A place to include information and create updates about your business and industry. With a Company Page, you are able to communicate as your business, rather than yourself.
Groups: These can be public or private, and can be created by an individual or company. It allows users to come together and talk about a specific subject on one page.
As a small business owner, you can use these features to promote your business and build your professional network. Consider using a LinkedIn Profile to connect with colleagues, employees, and other professionals in your community. With a profile, you will be able to join and create groups that are relevant to your interests and professional goals.
You can link your profile to your company page, where you can share content, post job openings, and keep people up-to-date with everything you have going on.
Check out our LinkedIn Glossary video series for more information.
3. We sometimes see people leave star ratings on our Facebook Page, but Facebook won’t let us respond or see who left it. Is there anything we can do?
If the review is showing up anonymous, that’s because the reviewer has limited public visibility in their personal Facebook settings. While this can certainly be frustrating, it shouldn’t stop you from paying attention to the reviews that are visible on your page.
By thanking reviewers for positive feedback, you will show potential fans and other people who visit your Page that you care about your customers and are committed to providing the highest level of customer service. By responding to negative feedback, you have the opportunity to resolve potential problems and improve customer relationships.
Here’s how to moderate reviews on your Facebook Page.
4. Is it OK to post the same content to each network every day? Or should we post different stuff on different sites?
It’s important that your social networks aren’t just a place for you to blast information out to your audience. People connect with you on different networks for different reasons.
The best way to figure out what type of content your audience is most interested in is to do tests. Keep an eye on your key engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares, retweets, clicks, etc). These provide insight into which type of content is working, what’s not, and what you could be doing differently to improve your strategy.
Stuck for content ideas? This cheat sheet can help.
5. What is the best way to get my Facebook fans to follow me on Twitter or Google+?
Let your Facebook fans know that you’re getting started on a new social network. It’s a great way to jumpstart your efforts on those sites and start to build your network right away.
One of the best ways to do that is just to ask. Remember that if you want people to connect with you in more places, there needs to be a compelling reason to do so. If the content you’re sharing on Twitter or Google+ is the same stuff they’ve been seeing on Facebook, they might not be interested in connecting in other places.
You should also make sure that they have the option to connect on different social networks. Give people the option when visiting your website or receiving your next newsletter or announcement, to connect with you in the places that are important to them. This will help you build a more engaged social media audience.
6. We recently changed the name of our business — is it possible to update our information on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc?
Here’s a quick breakdown for each of the top social networks:
Facebook: If less than 200 people like your Page, you can simply update your info by going to Edit Page > Update Page Info. If your fan base exceeds 200 people, you will need to submit a request to have your business name changed. Go to Edit Page > Update Page Info > Name. Here are further instructions to do both.
Twitter: On Twitter you have both a username and a name. Your username is the same thing as your Twitter handle (@username). Your name is displayed in your bio, and alongside your photo. You can update both of these, if needed, in your account settings. This will not affect your existing followers, direct messages, or @replies. Here is more information from Twitter.
LinkedIn: Only admins can change the name on a LinkedIn Company Page. To do so, click the edit button in the top right corner of your page. Based on forum discussions in the LinkedIn Help Center, it looks like the update can take a few days to show up. Here is more information from LinkedIn.
Pinterest: When logged-in you will see a pencil icon under your bio, on your Pinterest Page. That will allow you to update your company information in one simple step.
Google+: To update your business name on your Google+ page or Google+ Local Page click Edit page or Edit business information (for local pages) in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
7. We have been using a Facebook Profile but want to convert it to a Facebook Page — how can we decide what type of page to use?
Here’s what you need to know to convert your Facebook Profile to a Facebook Page.
In most instances you’ll be choosing between Company, Organization, or Institution or Local Business or Place.
The Company, Organization, or Institution Page is best if people don’t visit your location, or if your events are always in different locations. Choose Local Business or Place if people physically visit your location — for example a retail store, concert venue, spa, restaurant, or art gallery.
When you choose the Local Business or Place option, you’ll be able to take advantage of Facebook’s Location feature. The Check-In feature allows Facebook users to update their friends as to their location. This means when someone checks in at your location the information will appear on your Page, their Timeline, and their friends’ News Feed; which helps get the word out about your business or organization.
8. Would you recommend sharing the newsletters we create with Constant Contact on Facebook and other social networks?
Promoting your campaigns on social media is a great way to extend the reach of your content, and attract new readers to your email list. It can also help you overcome the challenge of coming up with engaging social media content on a regular basis.
Make sure to coordinate your social media posting schedule with the dates you plan to send out your email newsletter or announcements.
That being said, there is value in making some of your content exclusive for your email list. Much like when you’re trying to get Facebook fans to connect with you on other networks, keeping some of your content exclusive to your list will give people more of a reason to sign up.
Here are a few easy tools you can use to integrate your social media and email marketing.
Do you have other social media questions? Post them in the comments below!
Missed the webinar? We’re hosting another event next month! The webinar is Wednesday, March 19. Reserve your spot.
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