#Hashtags Will Change The Way You Use Facebook

Love them or hate them, #hashtags have been enabled on Facebook and they are here to stay.

Nearly half of Facebook users cruise the site via their smartphones, so as of right now- they can't utilize the feature.

But mark my words- once the social network giant gives smartphone users the ability to click on a #hastag and see what it does....the game will change.

In case you are still unfamiliar with exactly what a hashtag is or what it does- you are not alone.  Hashtags were first introduced on another network you may have heard of- a site called Twitter.  When typing the "#" symbol directly in front of a specific word or phrase containing no spaces, the phrase becomes a clickable link.

Here is how it appears on Twitter.  As you can see below, the word hashtag turned red because I added the number sign in front of it.

 After I submitted the tweet, I clicked on the hashtag and search engine like results appeared.

Think of hashtags as a way of googling through your Facebook friends conversations.  If you want to know whose watching Mad Men, Facebook is finally going to make it easier to find them.

How to Ruin Your Business on Facebook

By: Mary Ellen Bost

The lights are on...but is anybody home?

No matter how good or bad business is for you right now- the easiest way to kiss it goodbye is to abandon your Facebook page.  

Your customers are your meal ticket.  Respect them.  If they post a question, concern or a complaint on your wall- it is imperative to REPLY!

I grew up going to Shoney's Restaurants - but if you take a look at their Facebook page- it seems as though there is some major trouble in the kitchen.

The "Recent Posts By Others" section is filled with complaint after complaint after complaint.     

But their biggest mistake?  Shoney's has not responded to ANY user comments in at least two months.

Yet, their last status update was on Mother's Day.  So, the lights are on and someone is home- but they're completely ignoring their customers.  

It's time to shape up Shoney's.  Don't go out this way!  

See Shoney's Facebook Page HERE

How to Disable Nested Comments on Your Facebook Page

By: Mary Ellen BostOwner, Savvy Social Media Marketing

 Just recently- Facebook launched a major new feature for Fan Pages called the "Reply Button.”  (Pictured Right)  Amongst a few things-, the feature gives Facebookers the ability to reply directly to a Fan's Comment.  

With the reply feature enabled - users have the choice between posting a comment under the main thread...or reply directly to a specific comment (known as "Nested Comments".  The ability to reply directly to a comment is something that Facebook Page managers have been wanting for some time.  

However, when the feature is enabled- comments do not appear in chronological order of the time that they are posted.  And therin lies the confusion.  See below.

According to Facebook, an algorithm of sorts determine which comments will appear first, second...last and so on.  Here is how it was explained it on the Facebook Blog:

"Conversation threads are re-ordered by relevance to viewers, and may appear differently to each person based on their connections, specifically:

• Positive Feedback: the amount of positive feedback based on the total number of Likes and Replies in a conversation thread, which includes Likes or Replies by the Page owner.
• Connections: connections to participants in a thread may move the conversation higher. For example, conversations with Comments left by friends may appear at the top.
• Negative Feedback: the total number of spam reports in a thread, as well as marks-as-spam made by the Page owner.  We also may down-rank comments made by frequent spammers."

In other words- to the average reader- there is no real rhyme or reason where a particular comment will appear.  Moreover, it can be downright messy and confusing.

Regardless of what you think- if you have enabled the "reply button" to your Facebook Page and need to disable it...here is the quick trick to do so.

Identifying Your Marketing Strategy

By: Mary Ellen Bost

Owner, Savvy Social Media Marketing

As we move into 2013, the role of social media marketing has become an even more popular way to engage and communicate with current and potential customers.

Regardless of what particular marketing avenues you choose to conquer, before you head to battle, you need a plan of action. You have to determine your company's marketing strategy. And in order to do so, there are certain things a company MUST CLEARLY define about themselves, their customers and competitors. As it will be this information that you rely upon when determining your overall strategy. 

For those of you who already have a brand strategy- hopefully this post can give you a few ideas to make it stronger and more effective.

A little background: around the time I began my career in advertising, I hit the stage where all of my friends started getting engaged and getting married.  So, that meant throwing wedding showers, bachelorette parties and not too long after- baby showers.  

I was always (happily) in charge of creating all of the party invitations.  Looking back- I can definitely see how creating all of those invitations may have influenced the ways I help clients identify their target audiences, the best advertising mediums to reach those customers as well as the types of messages that would resonate best with customers.

Everyone knows that when you are making party invitations- you have to provide the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and the How.  Answer those questions and you have given each invitee all of the information they need to decide if the want to attend, where and when it is, etc etc..

Asking and answering those same questions in relation to your business, can also help you create your marketing campaign.  How?  I will explain below. 

The "Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How" of Marketing 

1. WHO?
WHO are the people who need to know about your business?  WHO is your target audience?  
If your phone were to ring right now- ideally, who would it be?  Describe them.  By answering the question above, you are clearly identifying individuals who, if become customers- will increase your bottom line. This obviously also applies to former, new, current &prospective customers. Basically, your target audience and demographics.

2. WHAT?

WHAT message do you want to send to them?  WHAT do you need them to know about your business?  WHAT products or services do you have?

And furthermore,  WHAT do your CUSTOMERS WANT? 

3. WHEN?

WHEN is your busiest season?  Your slowest?  What times of the year do you need to focus on attracting new customers.  Identifying these factors on your calendar.  It will help you plan your marketing budget and schedule.

4. WHY?
Why should a customer choose to do business WITH YOU over your competitors? This is not something that you have to say in any advertisements…but you need to know how and why you are better than your competitors. Period. And if you are lagging behind them- what can you do in-house to change that?

5. WHERE?
WHERE are they advertising and reaching their customers? WHERE are they located? Would doing business with you be more convenient? Or Vice Versa?

6. HOW?
HOW are they advertising? How is their business? How are they treating customers? KNOW your competition. I guarantee they know you and are capitalizing on your shortcomings.

It is crucial to know how you measure up to the people who are competing for the same customers. If you are not doing this, you are doing a major disservice to yourself and to your customers.

Answering these questions won’t create a marketing strategy for you out of thin air. But it will however, help you identify your goals and determine what information you need to focus on sending out to the public.

Cheers!