Facebook is not new, and neither is the idea that if you have a business, you need a Facebook page. Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform around, with 1.56 billion daily active users. Globally, the average user spends almost an hour per day on Facebook. That’s a lot of potential time users could look at your brand!

So, how can you use Facebook to benefit your business? Facebook Pages are the “gateway” for businesses to market to users. A Facebook Page is very similar to a personal profile but allows users to “like” the business, brand, cause, or organization. Then, fans receive updates from the page on their feed, while the business can collect audience insights, chat with potential customers, and raise brand awareness. 

How to Set Up a Facebook Page

Let’s start at the very beginning and walk through the setup process of creating a Facebook page for your business. 

1. Create a Page

The (obvious) first step is to create your businesses’ profile page. To get started, go https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/, choose Business or Brand, and categorize it appropriately. Choose the name and URL for your page wisely! Now, let’s get started!

2. Add Photos

The next step to give your Facebook profile an identity is to add a profile picture. This will serve as the primary visual for your page, appearing in search results and alongside any of your content. Choose a photo that is 180 x 180 pixels. Your image will need to be square or they will prompt you to crop it. Your profile picture is your first impression, so be sure to choose something immediately recognizable, like your logo. 

Next, add a cover photo. The cover photo is the large, horizontal image that spans the top of your page. You can update it often based on specials, campaigns, or seasons. The official dimensions of a cover photo are 851 x 315 pixels. However, if your photo is not exact, you’ll have the option to drag to reposition the photo. Finally, be sure to press “Save” when you are finished.

3. Add A Description

Next, you need a description to let your audience know what your business is all about. Click “Add a Short Description” under “Welcome to Your New Page” to get started. Add one to two sentences about your business. This description will appear both on your Page and in search results, so keep it descriptive and show your brand’s personality.

4. Create A Username for Your Page

Your last step on the welcome menu is to create a username for your Page. Your username will appear in your custom Facebook URL to help people easily find and remember your Page. You have 50 characters of space to use.

5. Add a CTA (Call To Action)

In December 2014, Facebook introduced a feature to allow pages to include a call-to-action button at the top of the page. To create one, click “+ Add a Button” below your cover photo. You can choose from an array of choices depending on what you want your customer to do. You can lead the CTA to your homepage, Messenger, a landing page, a video, and many other places.

6. Verify Your Page

Have you ever noticed a tiny gray or blue check-mark next to the names of some businesses and brands? Depending on how you categorized your page, you could be eligible for a verification badge. A blue badge means Facebook has confirmed an authentic page for a public figure, media company, or brand. On the other hand, a gray badge means Facebook has confirmed an authentic page for a business or organization. A verification badge is not necessary, but it adds a sense of authority to your page and business. 

To ensure you’re eligible, confirm that your page has a profile picture and cover photo. Go to “Settings” > “General”. There you’ll find “Page Verification” where you can enter your publicly listed phone number, country, and language. You’ll receive a call with a verification code.

How To Get Likes

You want your Facebook page to be successful. To do this, you need likes. A “like” is how a user intentionally sees updates from your business in their News Feed.

Avoid Buying Likes

Buying likes may seem like a quick and easy way to make your business look credible. Beware of this. Where do these likes come from? Companies that sell likes usually use click farms, fake accounts, and even compromised accounts to reach a promised number. That means it’s unlikely that the users who like your page will ever actually engage with your content. 

The Facebook algorithm looks at engagement rates, not your number of fans. Over time, the number of fans with the lack of likes and comments can prevent your content from being seen. Additionally, Facebook monitors this type of behavior. Because of this, your page could get shut down without warning. 

So What’s The Right Way To Get Likes?

If you have taken the time to fill out the “About” section of your page thoroughly, this should happen naturally. Don’t overstuff it with keywords, but include an overview of what your business offers, proper categories, and a link back to your website. Here are some other great ways to promote your Facebook page. 

1. Share it with your network.

If you’re building a Page from scratch, consider sharing it with people you’re already connected to on Facebook. From your page’s main screen, check out the section titled “Know friends who might like your Page?” As you choose contacts, be cautious about over-promoting to people you know won’t be interested. Spammy Facebook marketing does more harm than good.

2. Invite your colleagues to like your page. 

Encourage them to share it with their own Facebook friends or include the unique link in their email signatures. Employees in departments like sales, customer service, or HR who consistently email people outside your business are often a great fit.

3. Be active!

The best way to gain page likes is to build an engaging community. Post helpful or entertaining content that your followers will want to like and share. Respond to messages quickly and interact with comments on your posts. Have you ever noticed some Pages have a green badge saying they’re “very responsive to messages”? If you’ve received a 90% response rate and an average response time of under 15 minutes over the last seven days, you too can earn this badge.

4. Share your page through your website.

Promoting your page doesn’t end on Facebook. Include social media follow buttons on your website and blog to make it easy for your audience to connect with you on Facebook.

5. Share your page with your customers and email contacts. 

There are many creative ways to let your customers know you have a Facebook presence. Place a Facebook sticker with your Page’s name in the front window or include the custom URL on your receipts. Ecommerce businesses can do likewise. Don’t forget a Page link in your email marketing, whether it’s receipts, product suggestions, content updates, or customer service messages.

6. Promote your page on other social media channels.

Sharing your page from your other social media accounts is another option, but be sure that you do it sparingly. You don’t want to annoy the Twitter or LinkedIn audience you’ve worked so hard to build.

Final Thoughts

We’ve only scratched the surface of what you can do with a Facebook business account. Stay tuned for so much more! If you are ready to get a Facebook strategy for your business, give us a call today at 314-537-7974.

The post Starting A Facebook Page For Your Business appeared first on Razor Sharp Digital.

In late June 2021, Facebook announced Live Audio Rooms and Podcasts. A new feature that up until recently was only available to select public figures and select Facebook groups. This particular addition to the social media giant app was introduced to offer the ability for creators to spread their message and expand their footprint. 

It’s no secret that the rise of audio and podcasts has fueled the craze behind allowing creators of all walks of life to forge stronger awareness around their brand. For instance, 51% of Americans who listened to podcasts were women and 49% were men. That’s quite the hype around audio podcasts. Is Facebook too late to the audio podcasting game though? Is there any benefit to using the Facebook Live Audio Rooms and Podcasts in effort to expand your brand footprint?

Source: Facebook

Facebook still remains in the Top 5 social media networks in the world. Leveraging its brand equity and authority in the social media space is definitely a viable approach.

Why Facebook Live Audio Rooms Are Beneficial

Facebook has invested a significant amount of time and effort in ensuring that its latest feature delivers a powerful experience. Live Audio Rooms are visible directly at the top in the Facebook mobile app. Precisely in an area where a vast majority of visitors interact with the most. You can either jump into a pre-existing live audio room that another user/friend has created or create one of your own.

How to Join an Existing Live Audio Room

• Look under the status update section.
• See if there is an existing Facebook Live Audio room in progress and simply tap it on your iOS or Android device.
• Take part in the conversation.

How to Create Your Own Facebook Audio Room

• Look for the ‘Audio & Video Rooms’ box located directly beneath the status update section on your iOS or Android device. If you don’t see one there, chances are the Facebook Live Audio Room feature isn’t available for you just yet.
• Click/tap the blue ‘Create’ button.
• Follow instructions to create your own room.

The new Facebook Live Audio Rooms feature is equally beneficial for creators and brands. A vast majority of small businesses specifically have turned their personal Facebook profile as a way to expand their visibility. This is mainly due to the continuously declining or practically non-existent organic reach of Facebook Business Pages. So, as a creator, you can forge new conversations and build new relationships using audio. As a small business, you can do the same by leveraging your personal Facebook profile.

Facebook Podcasts – What You Should Know

The likes of Apple Podcasts and Spotify have longed for dominating the audio podcasting space. Apple Podcasts, formerly known as iTunes, has dominated the on-demand audio and audio podcasting space in North America specifically for a very long time. Facebook is attempting to take a stab at the audio podcasting game by forging a stake in the game for itself.

Source: Facebook

How are podcasts different from live audio rooms, you might ask? Live audio rooms are a great way for real-time audio, perhaps even streaming a live podcast episode where you can interact with a live audience. The new podcasts are different in a way that they provide a more true audio podcasting experience. 

• Every podcaster has their own independent podcast page. 
• Each podcast allows fans to interact with it by following and subscribing to it.
• When new podcast episodes are available, fans will be notified of it.
• You can listen to a podcast episode in the background while in the mobile app.
• Fans can further interact with the podcast and episode through commentary and a real-time conversation.

The new Facebook Podcasts seem to be a truly full blown interactive experience. Unlike traditional podcasts, it will provide listeners with a way to engage. This is great for creators where they can acquire real-time feedback and carry a conversation with their fans. Getting to a podcast is simply a matter of utilizing the search feature and then finding a podcast of your choice. 

Facebook has announced that in late 2021 they will roll out additional features such as captions and audio snippets. The captions feature will allow podcasters to caption each episode of their podcast. This is a great feature given that 90% of audio and video is engaged while on mute for at least the first 10 seconds or so before a user unmutes the media. The audio snippets will be short clips where a podcast creator can create a teaser of an individual episode and able to share it with their audience. 

Have you subscribed to our CEO’s podcast The RAS Project? It is currently being tested through Facebook Live Audio Rooms and hopefully soon available through Facebook Podcasts.

Will you be using Facebook Live Audio Rooms and Facebook Podcasts to expand your brand’s footprint?

The post Spreading Your Message Using Facebook Live Audio Rooms & Podcasts appeared first on Razor Sharp Digital.

Facebook IS invading your privacy. Hardcore. Even when you’re not using the platform on your desktop, tablet, or mobile device it is continuously collecting data that it later uses for marketing and advertising purposes.
 
A recent article by Wired magazine deconstructs the hype around Facebook’s usage of the microphone in smartphone devices and calls it complete bullshit. Well, but is it?
 
A couple of weeks ago I introduced some 24+ Hot Wheels cars to my 20 month old son Hudson. Apparently they had been collecting dust in my parents basement since around the early 2000’s. Rare collection you ask? No, I wish and if that was the case they would’ve probably been unloaded on eBay for some cash if that was the case.
 
After picking up the bag of Hot Wheels cars from my parents house I ended up bringing them to my house so my son can start digging into them. I typically carry my iPhone around just about everywhere (yes, even in the toilet to kill some time) and this time was no exception. I entered our living room, set my iPhone on the couch (some 3′-5′ feet away from where I was standing with my son) and opened the bag of Hot Wheels so my son could play on the living room floor.
 
Now, what happened after this point was truly baffling to me.
 
A good portion of my Hot Wheels cars were from an early The Fast & the Furious (2001) collection. Way before it turned into the massively successful saga with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and the rest of the crew. So, here we are (my son and I) sitting on the living floor and I’m chatting about the Hot Wheels F&F toys while playing with him. Chatting as in verbally sharing with my 20 month old son who by the way can absolutely comprehend my words but incapable (yet) to respond. During this time my iPhone is sitting approximately 3′-5′ feet away from us on the couch.
 
Our play time eventually came to an end (bummer). Before returning to my smartphone I grabbed my laptop to continue working on some things and ended up on Facebook there out of all places. As I began to scan through my news feed on the right-hand side out of nowhere Sponsored ads from Amazon for The Fast & the Furious Hot Wheels collection suddenly appeared. A shocker is probably an understatement.
 
I stared at the ad placement for about 30 seconds without scanning further down my news feed. It was evident to me instantly that something wasn’t right.
 
How did Facebook know that I was interested in The Fast & the Furious Hot Wheels car collection? The only way that it would’ve known this is by eavesdropping on my conversation with my son through my smartphone’s microphone and the fact that the app runs in background.
 
I’m quite baffled. Before making any further assumptions though I performed additional research to see what others are experiencing.

Is It Technologically Possible for Facebook to Eavesdrop On You?

Yes, it is but they are most definitely not eavesdropping on you. Here is why.

• Facebook would need to engage in a 24/7/365 continuous call between your smartphone and someone at FB or perhaps a terminal/computer. This is highly unlikely but definitely not impossible.
• An average voice-over-internet call takes 24 kbps @ 3 kbps of total data used. Therefore racking up 130 mbs of data per day, per user.
• There are roughly 150 millions daily active users on Facebook racking up about 20 petabytes worth of daily data.
• Facebook’s entire data storage is around 300 petabytes with a daily data intake of about 600 terabytes. Still a ton.
• Facebook would need up to 33 times more data intake in order to digest phone audio.
• If Facebook was eavesdropping on your phone calls from a smartphone you would most definitely notice it. How? Your phone would come to a screeching halt due to immense data consumption.

 
NOTE: The information in the bullet points above was acquired from Wired Magazine who previously reported a similar story.
 
So, how did Facebook know about The Fast & the Furious car collection I was toying around with my son? Technologically i seems impossible because of all the factors mentioned above. Is it that the technology used simply can not be extrapolated to the average human being due to its sophisticated nature?
 
The Amazon Echo and its rival Google Home are equipped with sophisticated technology that can learn about your lifestyle on-the-fly, adapt, and serve the right information based on your interest. How is that possible though? Is Facebook using a similar technology to pinpoint your likes and interests? Voice-to-text and speech recognition are definitely no longer considered as new pieces of technology. The Amazon Echo and Google Home depict specific keywords designated within their database in order to adhere better towards the needs of humans. Same principle, more or less that Facebook utilizes on its users in order market products and services to them.
 

Exploitation?

After deeper research it turns out that Facebook does not need to rudely solicit you in order to understand your online behavior. It already has a more sophisticated way of doing it through what is referred as ‘data onboarding’. This is the same technology that other social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter utilize to monitor your online and offline activity. Data Onboarding in a nutshell pertains to the ability to transfer offline data online and be used primarily for marketing purposes. Before you ever laid a finger on the Facebook app it already knew your likes, dislikes, interests, sex, age, and probably a lot of other things that are probably considered as a breach of privacy.
 
Online privacy? There really isn’t such thing anymore. As consumers we have in most cases given up our emphasis on our privacy for the sake of access, personalization, and experience. As I explained above the entire process of data onboarding pertains to transfer of offline documents about you to an online environment. Some of that information is sold to multiple entities and eventually turns into your online reputation. Of course with your input and permission. where asked or required.

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