10 Facebook Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

Today, hotels cannot ignore the impact of Facebook on their business. In this sense, social media in general, takes a place more and more important in a marketing and communication strategy. But, some small business owners think they do not have enough time, money or other resources to be present on social networks like Facebook, so they do not dare to create a Facebook's page. 

This article gives and explains 10 ways for these small businesses to maximize their presence on Facebook with minimum resources.

• Manage expectations: It is essential to set goals when we start on social media, but these goals need to be realistic. For example, a small business cannot expect to have more than one thousand fans in only one month, but it can be realistic to set the goal to have more than one hundred fans in one month

•  Make time: Have a Facebook’s page is not enough, it is essential to updates at least once by day our Facebook’s page with comments, status, pictures, videos,... We need to take the time to do this every day. 

• Learn as much as we can: In order to use sufficiently our Facebook’s page, it is important to read as much we can on the site help center.

• Start with a small budget: The advantage of Facebook, and several other social networks is that to promote our business is free. However, in order to be more sufficient and to maximize our presence, it can be better to buy advertising, but it is essential to start to do this with a small budget. 

•  Create a page, not a profile: With a Facebook’s page we can have more fans and followers than with a profile.

•   Post cool status updates: It can be comments, videos, pictures...Our Facebook’s page is not a marketing brochure but it is a new way to communicate with our clients and fans.

• Have one on one conversation: It can be by responding at a fan’s comment, by thanking and welcoming the new fans...

•  Do not spam : People do not like this.

•  Create coupons and promotions : It can be special facebook's promotions, it is essential to attract more fans.

• Encourage check-ins.

This article is very interesting and can be a great help for small businesses which think they do not have all the necessary resources to be present on social networks. These ways are for Facebook, but I think that the majority of these can be valid for the other social networks such as Twitter…

 This article shows that the small business owners can be present and can profit to the impact of social media like the big businesses...it is harder for the small businesses but with these ten ways and with motivation they can have the same benefits or higher benefits than the big businesses. On social media, I think the importance is not the size of the business but its way to use Facebook, to use these social networks.

Finally, for me there are others ways that we can give to the small businesses to maximize their presences on Facebook, on social media, like to be more confident and transparent with their fans and followers. 

And you, do you have any additional advise to help the small businesses to profit of the social media’s impact?

 
 

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Comment on Camille's article - Gogobot, the Facebook of the travel industry?

This article is very interesting. I think that Gogobot, a new social travel site, is a very good tool and help for the users.

I totally agree with Camille, today, the majority of travelers prefer to book everything on internet when they prepare their vacation. They do not use Travel Agencies, and, they need to collect some information before to choose their destination, their hotel... and it can be difficult to do this alone. In this sense, you can find some reviews and comments on TripAdvisor for example, but you do not know the sources, the persons who wrote these reviews, so you can have difficulties in believe these comments. The principal advantage of Gogobot, is the fact that this site gather information of our friends on Facebook and of our followers on Twitter, so when you need some information about a specific destination, a hotel...Gogobot can give you these information, and you know their sources (your friends and followers).
I think that it is easier to believe the comments and feedbacks of the people whom one knows. There is more facility to be in a relationship of trust and of sharing of information.

To conclude, Gogobot is a good idea for the travel industry.

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Final exam Social Media Resolutions

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Five Steps to maximize your hotel's social media results.

Today, I chose the article "Five steps to maximize your hotel's social media results" which is very interesting.

In our sector, like in many others, the use of social networks is very important. Indeed, even if all the hotels cannot have the same presence online, it is essential for each hotel to be present at least on two social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

In order to maximize the results, this article explains us that there are five principal steps to follow:

1. Put your on-staff experts to work => It is important to proposes at your fans and followers interesting and enriching posts, posts of quality. For that, it will be write by a person who is an expert on the topic. For example, if you want to write a post on the best restaurants around your hotel, your concierge will be the most expert on this topic.
2. More Social media online offers => It can be a specific rate code that you give only to your fans and followers on the social networks. With this step we can show at your fans and followers their importance for you.
3. Someone to really take a big part Foursquare / Facebook place leap => It is like an influencer, and you recompense this fan in order to encourage him to be a good influencer for your hotel.
4. Cross Promotion
5. Fewer minutias => It is primordial to write an interesting post. It cas be to present a futur event, it can be on your actuality, on your community...

Today, you cannot ignore social media in your marketing strategy. It is a new way to communicate with your community, and people search that when they search a hotel. Indeed, they want a hotel in which staff communicate with visitors, customers; a hotel in which the social, the communication take an important place. You can prove this only if you are present on social networks.


So, have an active presence on social networks, by writing interesting and diversified posts, answering all the questions of your fans and followers as often as     you can, talking in a friendly way...and you will   maximize your hotel's social media results!!
      

Measuring Social Influence : Klout

• How the tool can be used to increase brand awareness?

-       Klout allows the brand to find influencers based on topic or hashtag

-       Help your brand to understand your influencers’ network  value

-       Be focus on people recommendation and not advertisements

• How the hotel can be used to create service differentiation - for influencers?

-       A free week-end for 2 pax for the most important influencer

-       Discounts

-       Loyalties

-       Special amenities

-       A package to use all services of the hotel (spa, room service, fitness center, etc…)

• How the tool can be used to impact revenue?

-       Target important influencers and their community

-       Communicate we them to get more influencers

-       Use service differentiation for influencers

• Why this tool is better than others, mentioned in the article?

-       Focus and specified on Tweeter and Facebook

-       Use 35 variables of those social medias measuring True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score

-       Real analysis of what is said about your brand, not only a grade