Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’
Is Facebook Affecting Our Happiness?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on January 17th, 2012
The Huffington Post published a thought-provoking article on th
e growing role Facebook is playing in our life and what the adverse effects or real-life consequences are.
You can read the entire post here. Here are our key takeaways from this post:
- Facebook’s explosive rate of growth and recent product releases focus on one goal: encouraging more sharing.
- Behind the liking, commenting, sharing and posting, there seem to be strong hints of jealousy, anxiety and even depression.
- Facebook is fundamentally altering our daily sense of well being in both our personal and work lives.
- It’s creating a den of comparison: users have a strong bias toward sharing positive milestones, and avoid mentioning the more humdrum, negative parts of their lives. This magnifies a culture of competition and comparison.
- Comparing ourselves to others is a key driver of unhappiness: as we judge the entirety of our own lives against the top 1 percent of our friends’ lives, we’re setting impossible standards for ourselves, making us more miserable than ever.
- Because of our fragmented time, hundreds of millions of people are less “present” where they are. Constant “tabbing” between real-life tasks and Facebook provides constant distractions that lead to late and poor-quality output.
- Perhaps the biggest: a decline of close, real-life relationships. As Facebook adds new features such as video chat, it is fast becoming a viable substitute for meetings, relationship-building, and even family get-togethers. People are missing opportunities to interact more deeply than Facebook could ever accommodate.
Do you feel sucked in by these negative impacts? How do you avoid these traps? Quit cold turkey? Limit your time with set schedules? Avoid gossip and online Negative Nancies? Let us know by sharing on OUR Facebook page, or if you’ve already quit, feel free to comment below 
Will Social Media Play a Role in the 2012 Election?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on January 12th, 2012
According to a recent study by Digitas, six in ten social media users expect candidates to have a social media presence. Facebook has definitely had influence: Barack Obama’s fan page has 23 million likes, the most liked politician on Facebook.
The same study also revealed that four in ten social media users think they will use it to help decide who to vote for in 2012. That’s 38 percent of American social media users.
John F. Kennedy is considered the first television President; next year’s victor could very well be determined by the impact of Facebook and Twitter.
Eighty-eight percent of adults who use social media are registered voters – no other medium can compete with those numbers. Candidates should take advantage of this reach by inviting them to join the conversation about who will be our nation’s next President.
Has Social Media swayed you in a popular, public opinion? Will you use it to gain insight in the upcoming campaigns? Do you think it’s a positive move or will it unnecessarily complicate things?
Why Isn’t My Facebook Community Growing?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on December 20th, 2011
Are you wondering why your Facebook Page’s community isn’t growing faster and why people aren’t engaging?
Growing a community is harder on a Facebook Page than on other forms of social media. The level of engagement and result of your efforts must be tied to a goal for you to fully understand how to leverage Facebook for your audience.
What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to generate traffic from your Facebook Page to your website? Are you using the Page as a hub for your online strategy? What do you want your fans (likers?) to get out of the experience? It’s important to know your objectives before you can really analyze what’s not going the way you pictured it.
Here are the top seven reasons your page may not be taking off:
1. Are You Promoting It?
Do you have like boxes on your blog and website? Do you display a Facebook badge on your site? Is it in your signature? Do you have any promotions or announcements in your other forms of advertising that mention your Facebook page?
2. Are You Updating Regularly?
Frequency builds momentum. This doesn’t mean 8-12 posts a day, but you should have a plan and stick to it. By starting with 2 to 3 posts each day, you can observe how people react and make adjustments along the way.
3. Is the Content You Post Engaging Enough?
If your audience isn’t encouraged to participate it won’t. You have to post questions and openly ask for opinions. Picture your page as a Q&A forum in which you share your knowledge and expertise in your field to solve problems. Posting links and “how to” updates are just a small piece of the puzzle. People will stop paying attention to broadcasts – they need something fun to make them think and get them juiced up.
4. Do You Use a Variety of Media?
Facebook makes it easy to post photos, videos, comic strips, notes, and more. Your audience needs variety to keep their interest. Mix it up a bit.
5. Do You Customize?
Do you have a landing page or welcome tab for first-time visitors? While Facebook doesn’t offer a great many ways to stand out from the crowd, this is one place where you can really shine.
You can have a welcome video, run a promotion, integrate a sign up form with your email list, or just make some really fun graphics to enhance your users’ experience and leave a great first impression!
6. Do You Answer Posts?
This may seem like a no-brainer, but once people comment you really need to be present to turn the comment into a live conversation. Even if you don’t agree with or know how to answer the comment, say something. Engage. Converse. It is key if you want to build loyalty in your present audience.
7. Do You Look at Your Analytics?
By paying attention to who is frequenting your page and what they click on the most, you’ll be able to make decisions and actually see how testing different approaches can impact the outcome. Facebook is not about you, it’s about delivering a better experience to your audience.
By putting in a little time and effort, you can understand who is engaging, what types of content drive the most conversation, what times and days are best for your posts, and more.
What about you? What actions make a difference on your Facebook page?
Are Retail Brands Easier to Like on Facebook?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on December 6th, 2011
According to a Crowd Science survey, branded Facebook pages had the lowest number of “likes” (9% of users). The most popular reasons for “liking” a page tied between showing support and finding the content valuable, both at 28%.
Online buyers showed they were more inclined to “like” a retail page based on the presence of coupons and promo codes—not a surprising response from users who shop online. More than half also considered the customer service aspect of a retail Facebook page to be important, showing that those who “like” brands also like sharing experiences, whether positive or negative.
Content is king, but remember Social Media users are not seeking friendship from brands or retailers. The best focus for retailers is being on social networks to answer questions, provide customer service support and broadcast promotions, which translate into fairly instant and measurable results.
Should this worry you if you are not a retail business? Not necessarily!
For brands and service-oriented businesses, the gains from Social Media appear in the form of trust, loyalty, and expertise. Companies may not see immediate sales of big ticket services but word of mouth, valuable content and consistent messages eventually turn “likers” and their communities into dream clients.
Top 7 Social Networking Sites for Real Estate
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Real Estate Trends, Social Media on October 6th, 2011
Here are the top seven social networking sites that benefit anyone in the Real Estate industry.
1. Facebook
Now reaching 800 million active users, Facebook is one of the easiest ways of finding prospective customers within any given area. For real estate you can target very specific groups according to your business needs and reach your prospective customers where they already are.
572 members in the Atlanta area are using Merchant Circle’s free marketing tools to find new local customers. You can link up with other local businesses, create special deals, and fill your profile with influential reviews.
3. Trulia
Trulia is an all-in-one real estate site that’s jam-packed with the most useful and timely information on homes for sale, apartments for rent, neighborhoods, markets and trends to help you figure out exactly what, where and when to buy. You can also follow popular real estate blogs and get advice and opinions from local experts on Trulia Voices.
4. ActiveRain
ActiveRain is one of the few networking sites that are exclusively meant for real estate professionals. Join 214,063 professionals on the world’s largest real estate network — it is still free.
RealTown is a resource for a wide variety of real estate related articles from industry experts, syndicated columnists, Real Estate magazines, vendors and members. It is an internet portal that features everything real estate. Developed back in 1995, RealTown is one of the oldest and most respected communities in the real estate industry.
Realtors are beginning to leverage the power of Linkedin.com for their business. The growth of the site’s traffic and user base coupled with opportunities to join Groups, engage in Q&A’s, and broadcast information makes Linkedin an absolute necessity to any Realtor.
Zillow is a free online real estate site where you can search for homes for sale, find home prices, see home values, view recently sold homes, and check mortgage rates.
Bonus: Google +
Not quite in the top tools list yet, Google+ offers a steady concentration of traffic from affluent demographics that could create the perfect conditions for luxury marketers.
How about you? What are your favorite real estate social networks?
Facebook: Big Brother Has Arrived
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on October 5th, 2011
USA Today recently reported that Facebook has touched a nerve with a broad range of critics upset about the social network’s latest batch of online sharing technology.
Experts shared their views on Timeline, a feature that maps everything a user has ever done on Facebook, and several “Open Graph” applications designed to broadcast a user’s surfing patterns and Web interests to friends and friends of friends.
These changes automated a great deal of the information sharing process, whereas users have previously had the option to manually manage their privacy. Consumers are definitely worried that they can no longer control their online reputations.
The article goes on to state that Timeline and the new Open Graph apps are intended to make it easier for users to share music and other content with their friends, according to Facebook.
We are hearing that users are feeling extremely vulnerable and violated, while security experts are very concerned. Crime gangs and phishers are handed victims’ information on a silver platter, making it easier to obtain valuable information about an individual and even infect their computers with viruses. Not to mention the spam that will most likely pop up in the way Twitter users have seen.
Facebook claims to be technologically advanced enough to flag suspicious behavior… hmmm. What do you think? Are you worried about the NWF (New World Facebook)? Do you think more people will abandon their daily addiction and migrate over to Google +?
How Do You Get More Social Mentions?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Social Media on September 28th, 2011
When you write a great blog post, are you disappointed to see only a few comments? Do you get only a handful of retweets when you put it on Twitter? Are people on Facebook even acknowledging your post?
An interesting statistic:
Web site pages displaying the Twitter share button get seven times the social media mentions compared with those that do not, according to a study released by The BrightEdge SocialShare Analysis report.
This company randomly selected 4 million tweets, determining if they carried shared information and then analyzing whether the content was shared using tools, buttons, links or other methods. It was quickly identified that buttons drive mentions through social media.
Twitter’s not the only proof: Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ also gained increases in mentions. However, the social share space is still dominated by the two biggest players. About 50.3% of the world’s largest sites have a “Like” button that links to their Facebook pages.
Google+ only sits on about 8.1%, and LinkedIn remains unchanged at 4.0% according to BrightEdge.
In general, the social share buttons work because they make it very easy for people to share your content in one click. That’s important in today’s instant gratification digital world. This statistic doesn’t necessarily span across all generations, however; although 32% of boomers said they use a social networking site on a typical day, they are still reluctant to click on the Facebook “Like” or Twitter share buttons, especially women aged 50 and up.
What about you? Do you share a great blog post using social share buttons? Has your social mention score risen since you put them on your own website?
Why Do You Need Testimonials?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on August 30th, 2011
Word of mouth is the oldest and most tried-and-true form of advertising. Why? Because it works! A potential client hears positive reviews about your services from someone they trust and they will even cast aside inconveniences to hire you. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth advertising reaches a very limited set of people. How do you broaden your reach and get your message out there?
Enter the testimonial.
Think about your purchasing habits – do you still blindly buy products and services or do you read reviews, ask your Facebook and Twitter network, or put a post in a forum or LinkedIn group asking if anyone has ever used them before?
Testimonials work because they nurture trust. Potential clients know that you’re only going to say positive things about your products and services. They want to be convinced by hearing from someone who has actually tried them. Prospective clients and customers have no reason to trust you, but they do trust their peers. This is called “social proof”.
Make sure your testimonial is believable! A testimonial that sounds fake will destroy trust rather than build it.
Testimonials must be real and valid. This is non-negotiable if you want to be authentic in your business. If you can, include the full name, location and a photo of the person giving the testimonial. Include their business or organization if it is relevant.
Also be sure your testimonial specifically answers any objections, doubts and fears your potential client may have before they have a chance to voice them.
How do you get testimonials?
Keep your ears and eyes open: write down any fleeting comments from a happy client as soon as possible after hearing them. Grab quotes from emails your clients send you, and make sure you ask permission to publish it from the sender.
Ask clients for feedback; it sounds like you want honest comments rather than sugary, fluffy praise.
What do you do with them?
Testimonials can be placed on your website, on your quotes and invoices, in print ads, sales letters, direct mail, or on your Blog. You can even highlight a “success” story of one of your satisfied clients and make them the star of your post!
How do you personally use testimonials in your purchasing decisions? Where do they fall in your decision-making process?
How Real Estate Agents Are Using Social Media
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Real Estate Trends, Social Media on July 13th, 2011
More and more agents are turning to Social Media to help sell homes.
In fact, more than half of the National Association of Realtors‘ member agents reported using social networking sites last year, compared with a little more than a third in 2009. Nearly two-thirds have a website and 1 in 10 has a Blog.
Even though online listings have been around for quite some time, many agents still prefer the in-person approach, as business has traditionally been done using agent-to-agent referrals. They are now starting to go where their clients already are: on Social Media.
Last year, 89% of buyers surfed the Web to find a house, while only 45% attended open houses and 36% looked at print ads, according to the National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.
In order to make his online efforts pay off, agents must write about things that draw readers and not just regurgitate listings. Blog posts should focus on the town agents are selling in – interesting things that people will talk about and share.
When prospective buyers or sellers are looking for an agent, your blog makes it clear that you know the market, making you trustworthy and credible. It’s content, not self-promotion that attracts clients. Agents should not be afraid to have a personal take on area information.
In addition to Blogging, agents should not neglect Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Craigslist. Google AdWords campaigns are great for targeting buyers in the area, and MLS listings can be complemented using Realtor.com, Trulia, and Zillow.
Also new to the Real Estate market are the use of quick-response codes on for-sale signs so people can pull up to a house, aim a smartphone at the sign and download details right away.
Agents, are you using Social Media to its fullest to expand your business? Which mediums or channels work best for you? We’d love to hear about your struggles and successes, so feel free to comment below or post on our Facebook page to share your stories!
Foreclosure Gone Social?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Real Estate Trends on June 22nd, 2011
I read this interesting article today and had to share my opinion!
The article reads, “With roughly 4 million foreclosures in the pipeline in this country, some legal experts say it’s just a matter of time until lenders win the right to serve foreclosure documents through the giant social network.”
Seriously? I have seen Facebook used to gather relevant information on a prospective employee, client, or collecting a debt… but never as a vehicle to serve legal information.
Reportedly, a couple in Australia was identified on Facebook using names and birthdates and served foreclosure notices. The right was upheld because the couple did not enable privacy protection on their account (reconsidering your own privacy settings now?) and the frequency of posts was used to determine that they indeed, would receive the notification.
That’s a stretch, don’t you agree? We help clients have a consistent presence over social media daily, which includes monitoring and responding to comments; what’s to guarantee anyone would see something this time sensitive and important over social media??
Do you think it’s appropriate to use social networks to find people and deliver legal papers to them via the network?
Email is currently not considered by courts to be a safe or reliable way to deliver legal notices due to spam possibilities and the fact that people don’t always open every email they receive. So why is Facebook different? And how can a judge decide whether or not you will see a legal notice based on how many days you’ve been active posting updates?
If this is the future of Facebook, I think we’re going to see the level of participation decline rapidly.
We’d love to hear your comments below – after you’re back from changing your privacy settings on your Facebook page!
