The quick answer might simply be “more sales”.  With sales being the end game for nearly every business it might seem challenging to think of another reason.  Of driving more sales through Facebook was as easy as taking an ad and directing it to a product page, then they would probably have 100 billion in annual revenue.

Facebook continues to release new methods that will allow you to spend your money.  They want to monetize nearly every aspect of their platform.  Not every aspect is a sure fire way to drive more sales and before you let the budget ride, consider digging deeper into the “why” of your marketing efforts.

1. Building a Community – Although the gold rush on “Likes” seems to have quieted down a bit there is no doubt that they are still valuable.  Do you have a product or service that people really like to talk about?  Do you have events that people just love to attend?  Do you have a rabid base of fans that make sure your business is constantly flooded with referrals?  If you answered yes to any of the questions than it can be worthwhile to build a fan page that harvests the community voice.  Empower your customers to share, invite them to bring their friends there, and yes your business will win with sales at the same time.
2. More Traffic for Website – Facebook provides an immense volume of traffic opportunity.  With the ability to target your prospects by their interests, demographics, and geography, it gives you a great opportunity to find the right traffic for your website.  Especially if your website is a proven conversion machine already, you might have an opportunity to unleash Facebook traffic to your website for a major benefit.  Keep in mind that you will likely need to make a few changes to keep your website Facebook friendly but a little bit of effort can go a long way.
3. Lead Generation – There is no doubt that leads will transform into sales (whether those leads are people calling your business or opting in with their email address) but is that what you are targeting?  Do you direct facebook ads to a Facebook app that empowers them to provide their name and email address?  Have you thought about what happens after someone clicks “Like”?

As Facebook continues to provide additional options for you to promote posts and will certainly expand their paid ads to the mobile platform, ask yourself HOW their marketing options fit into your current marketing plan.  Challenge yourself and your team with HOW you can monetize each aspect.  If one area of Facebook Ads isn’t a match, that’s OK too!

The better questions you ask about using Facebook Ads the better edge you will gain in reaching your next customer.

As Facebook has continued to pile on their user base past 800 million users more and more companies have determined that they must have a presence.  After all, people are spending time on their computers and mobile phones on this powerful social network, there must be business to be had there, right?

Some companies aren’t sure if there is money to be made.  Major automaker, General Motors, pulled their advertising budget of 10 million annually from Facebook.  While that amount isn’t likely to make Mark Zuckerberg sweat, it does make one ask the question of what your advertising dollars are actually doing.  Despite the fact that 100’s of millions of people are online daily, posting updates, sharing information, and wishing happy birthday it doesn’t mean there is money to be made by every company.

Have You Asked Yourself IF Your Company Really Should Be On Facebook?

Facebook is a distraction.  People are looking to keep tabs on friends, families, read interesting news stories, but they aren’t doing their research or comparative analysis there.  When you want data or to really find the “answer” to that burning question, you are going to Google.

Far too often individuals and companies jump on the latest trend without considering if it is a true match for their target market.  As click costs increase on Facebook it is going to make everyone a bit more conscious on whether or not they should launch a new ad campaign.  There will be those who shout from the roof tops that “Facebook doesn’t work” and maybe for them it didn’t.  Some may lack a good Facebook marketing strategy while others should never have been there in the first place.

There are plenty of businesses that are capitalizing on Facebook.  There are many more businesses that could capitalize on Facebook that haven’t done so yet.  Before you jump in the deep end and launch a campaign on Facebook, ask yourself the following:

• Are people happy to engage in conversation about my product or service?
• Do I have a strategy in place to share engaging content?
• Do I have an active online presence that I can leverage with Facebook?
• What do people find most interesting about what my company offers/produces?

When you can answer the above questions you will start to see if Facebook is right for you.  When you want to take a quick quiz to get an actual score on if Facebook is right for your business, please take a moment to check out a free quiz, developed by Perry Marshall that will help you determine if Facebook is the best for your marketing dollars.

Is Facebook for Me?

I noticed that an update from Red Bull landed in my news feed today. Not an unsual occurence as they tend to share some interesting updates. The one that happen to catch my attention was actually a video of R2-D2 showing Tupac instead of Princess Leia.

Now, that video is not unique to Red Bull, but they felt it was interest enough to share with their nearly 28 million fans. Bottom line is it caught my attention, and even got me to click the video (I had seen the video come up prior but had not viewed it). I thought maybe Red Bull had added a twist of sponsorship to it, but no, they just wanted to share something they felt was interesting, funny, etc.

Of course this did get me to their fan page on Facebook where you can watch videos of some of the most impressive feats by their sponsored athletes. Just 1 small link about something not even related to their brand and yet they reinforced that they are different.

Contrast Red Bull’s page with Coca-Cola’s and you will notice they are worlds apart. You won’t find Coca-Cola sharing any random video. You won’t find any over the top photos of people drinking Coke in extreme situations either.

Coca-Cola’s fan page is filled with branding images. Their marketing and advertising departments photos get well used and their commercials get a second life as well. This isn’t to say that Coca-Cola is doing something wrong. When you look at the number of comments, likes, and shares each item they share is certainly engaging.

Although Coca-Cola might want to take a note out of Red Bull’s playbook. Yes Coca-Cola is a massive company, dwarfing tiny Red Bull. Lest they forget though David did beat Goliath and that little USA Hockey Team did upset the Soviets in 1980 when no one thought it was possible.

A quick glance shows Red Bull gets nearly as many comments, likes, and shares and yet they have about 13 million fewer fans. So maybe it’s not just about the number of “Likes” that some are chasing. Maybe those interest piquing status updates can push a smaller brand against the biggest of brands.

Regardless of your size you can compete online. Sure the bigger brands have a head start, but you have the opportunity to be more nimble. You aren’t locked down by having to check with the legal department on everything you post. You can have the freedom to be bold and truly reach your target.

The question then becomes:

What will you continue share that will be unique and get people clicking?

“Passion is pushing myself when there is no one else around- just me and the road.” – Ryan Shay

My wife shared with me a set of inspirational quotes the other day.  As one who enjoys competing in triathlons and riding centuries she sent me a set of inspirational quotes mainly from athletes.  While there were some massive names on the list such as Vince Lombardi, Lance Armstrong, and more, one in particular caught my attention.

The quote from Ryan Shay stood out.  Although I ran cross-country in high-school and have always enjoyed running, the name didn’t quite ring a bell so I looked up more about him.  What I found was amazing.

While you certainly can look up his biography to find some details, there was one highlight that wasn’t part of his pro-career that I found really interesting.

“In high school he won every cross country meet he competed in following the third meet of his freshman year”

That to me speaks volumes of his quote.  Just imagine going from the age of 15 to 18 years old with not a single person beating you!  Normally athletes are pushed to harder in training when they experience moments of defeat.  Most people can remember their defeats more than the victories and they use that emotion to propel them to constantly pushing to be a champion.

For Ryan it was different, he had to push himself.  He had to have the passion to push harder because competition just wasn’t there in his area.

Often times in business we are alone.  We might be in our office making calls, we might have to hit the road to visit clients, or be in solitude while trying to figure out how to get our business to the next level.  There are many times where a business owner is alone and it’s in those moments that you often have to push yourself.  There likely isn’t anyone around you who will push you, no one will come up behind you to sneak across the finish line; it’s up to you.

Regardless of where you are at in your business, I invite you to push harder.  Dig deeper with your marketing efforts.  Push your employees, contractors, and even vendors to the next level.  Most of all look to push yourself to the next level.

It wasn’t long ago when a man that was at the top of his athletic career decided to call it quits.  He had achieved as much as anyone in the history of his sport but time had caught up with him.

As the years ticked closer to 40 surely he would no longer be able to compete with those 15+ years younger. His body could no longer stand up to the toils of being a professional.

He took 4 years off.  He dedicated his time to his charity and even his charity was changing the world.  The same passion he applied to his professional athletic career he applied to his charity, raising funds, championing the cause, and helping those in need.

Even with his charity helping one of the toughest  causes in the world, it wasn’t enough.  After 4 years he returned to his sport, his true passion.

Sadly, even with more training, more determination and massive mental discipline, he could not reach the same podium that he had reached so many times in years prior.

After less than 2 years back he decided to call it quits for good.

So, was it back to the charity?

Would he no longer be able to compete in professional athletics?

No.

He now decided, at 40 years old that he would compete in one of the toughest sports in the world.  No matter what anyone suggested he decided to tackle the endurance sport of triathlon.

With less than one year of training, he jumped into a half-ironman distance race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.2 mile run) with professionals from all over the world.

How did he fair in his first race?

He finished 2nd, but just by 42 seconds.  He now has his sights set on additional Ironman races and even competing for the world championship in Kona.

Who is he?

Lance Armstrong

After 7 Tour De France Titles, it is hard NOT to know about Lance Armstrong.

He hasn’t let Cancer beat him.  He hasn’t let people who have accused him of cheating stop him. Even after leaving his first passion of cycling he has reinvented himself to compete  professionally in an entirely new sport.

The time is now to become a champion in your business and reach the success you deserve, no matter what  anyone says or what the headlines say is “realistic”.

There is a saying that you have likely heard of and one that is constantly said in reference to Ironman Competitions, “Anything is Possible”.

No matter what the economic conditions, no matter what industry you are battling in, no matter what success or failures you have experienced recently we invite to embrace that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Like Lance, you might not win on your first efforts and it may take training that pushes you beyond your previously known limits.

To give you the edge in your journey we invite you to start our free course today OR if you just can’t wait and you want to feel what it is like to stand on the podium, call us direct today at 562-396-5633 and we will be happy to share what the first step can look like for your business.

Oh, and if you want a bit of accountability and encouragement, join us on a totally un-business related adventure with our Goal 3000.

Photo Credit: Livestrong

In the 1980’s there was a great show, the A-Team.  Former Vietnam Veterans survived as soldiers of fortune.  As the opening song goes (just before launching into a stellar set of action sequences):

“If you have a problem,

if no-one else can help,

and if you can find them,

maybe you can hire the A-Team.”

That’s quite a tall order!  Just imagine if “no-one” else could help you.  Just envision looking all over town and finding the A-Team, and then “maybe” you could hire them to solve your problem.

Even though their nemesis, Col. Decker, couldn’t seem to ever catch them, each week the new people in need were able to find them for help.  The A-Team would often face insurmountable odds to help their clients, but they always delivered, and those clients would keep spreading the word about these mysterious soldiers of fortune.

Would your customers search the Los Angeles Underground for your help?

After a prospect searched all over and you were their last bit of hope would you keep them on edge to wonder if you would help them?

It’s likely you wouldn’t make it that difficult on your customers, but the A-Team did have a few items right that when put into action will give you the edge and you won’t have to look over your solider for Col. Decker.

1. Problem Solving – The A-Team had incredible problem solving skills.  Nearly every episode featured a montage of them using cutting torches, spare parts, and anything available to beat the “bad guys”.  When you solve a problem for your customer, don’t tell them “no problem”; give them insight into HOW you solved them.  Let them know it was above and beyond what was normal because you wanted to help.
2. Exclusivity – Surviving as soldiers of fortune means they just couldn’t help everyone.  A little bit of exclusivity goes a long way!  Sure, companies like Walmart are designed to help everyone, but most businesses aren’t serving “the masses”.  Create exclusivity with your time, your services, and even the products you sell and watch as you are able to charge premium prices.
3. Reputation – If the A-Team was allowed to have a Yelp account, they would have 100’s of 5 star reviews (ok, so they were only 97 episodes, maybe they would only have 97 5 star reviews).  In today’s world we have to let others share testimonials about your business.  Make it easy for customers to share their reviews on Yelp, Google Places, Facebook and more.  Let those you have provided outstanding service for, spread your good reputation.

While we certainly hope you are never framed for a crime you didn’t commit we hope you can let the A-Team give you a few insights into improving your business.

It seems that each time Facebook makes a change to their environment there is a massive buzz around the internet.  They wouldn’t have it any other way.  Good, bad or indifferent changes are going to happen.  As changes occur instead of bemoaning what “used to be” we like to look at how we can get the most out of the latest features.

Before your eyes roll back in your head and think the latest changes will cost you thousands of dollars; think again.  While the latest changes regarding timeline may be visually stunning driving more business with the latest features won’t cost you much time or money.

To help you avoid the minutia here are the must know items about Timeline.

A New Large Cover Image to Pique Interest

When looking at the new size of an image that will top your page at 851 x 315 you might have initially thought “great, I can make it visually stunning to tell people to LIKE my page”, but think again.  The new large image is to be used for branding and should you put any reference to “Like” or “tell your friends” you just might get a heavy slap on the hand.

Be prepared to think a bit differently with your cover images.  Consider featuring products or maybe feature a testimonial on what it is like to work with you.  Creativity will win and with tight guidelines it will be essential.

Pinned Posts…You Aren’t a Victim of the Wall Any Longer

The wall is a great feature, but news can fade fast.  As a business owner you develop press releases, articles, videos and more that you want people to see for more than just a day.  With the new Pinned Post feature you can feature a story at the top of your page for up to 7 days.

Take time to feature engaging content each week (or maybe even a few times a week) that you know people will love and items that just might get people over to your website as well.

Engagement is Still the Name of the Game

One aspect that hasn’t changed is engagement.  Facebook wants more users to click content (after all they just might click some ads) and stay on their platform.  Timeline makes it easier for new people to your page to see if their friends are fans and to see if they are talking about your business.  Keep creating interest piquing content that is irresistible for customers not to share.

Whether you have already upgraded your page or you are waiting for the last minute, you can make timeline work for your business. When you want a Facebook marketing strategy you can use now start with our power-packed FREE 5 Day course on generating likes, leads, and sales.

Capture Key Moments in Photos and Share on Your Fan Page

Photos have been popular on Facebook for quite some time now.  With an estimated 100 billion+ photos stored it doesn’t look like they will be slowing down in popularity any time soon.

While the majority of photos are certainly uploaded by individuals business owners can tap into the craving everyone has for powerful imagery.  And before you think, I am not sure what I could take photos, read on to get the edge in not just “what” to do with photos, but HOW you can get the most out of each and every picture.

Photo Variety

While models on Facebook might have it the easiest (hey every photo session is a new opportunity to market themselves for the next gig) business owners get plenty of options for mixing up the photos they share.

Sparking interest with photos means sharing a variety of what is occurring in your business.  Consider taking photos of customers coming to your store, shipments ready to go out, raw materials, mail you received (yes that cool thank you note someone sent you) and more.  Share with your audience what is really going on and you will be rewarded with clicks that turn into sales.

Photo Albums

Your business fan page should be a destination for prospects and consumers to gather.  Make it easier for people to engage in your content by creating photo albums.  The ways you organize them is up to you, but consider what your audience struggles with and has a passion for as you create each album.

For example, if you are in the insurance business you might want to take photos of the small disasters you have handled for clients (i.e. that roof that leaked or that car that was nearly totaled).  Don’t just think along your product lines, although that isn’t bad either, create albums that people will want to spend their time looking through.

Those Pesky Captions

While a photo may be worth a thousand words some people don’t know what to do when they see a great photo.  Take time to write engaging captions, add a location when you can, and provide a link back to an area on your website when it relates.

Captions are one of the MOST valuable elements of uploading photos that 90%+ of business owners are still missing out on.

When you start sharing a variety of photos, create killer albums, and craft interest piquing captions you will be on your way to dominating with your Facebook marketing efforts.  Discover how you can generate leads, likes, and sales today with our free 5 Facebook marketing strategy course.

What's the Deal with Timeline?

When major changes hit Facebook, I can’t but help hear the voice of Jerry Seinfeld.  If Seinfeld was still running, surely they would have a few choice moments dedicated to Facebook.  With the internet a-buzz with all of the upcoming changes to business fan pages I can’t help but here lines like:

Timeline…why would anyone care what my business is doing?

Timeline…why can’t I tell anyone on that HUGE graphic to “like” my page?

Timeline…why did they have to change it, I liked it the way it was; change isn’t good, George doesn’t like change!

And so on.

The writing was on the wall for business pages to have a change like personal profiles.  No matter the complaints, Timeline on the personal profiles maximizes real estate on the screen allowing more room for sharing information…and a few more places to place ads.

Major Changes?

While you can read the terms and conditions or read a handful of other articles for changes (we have been digging quite a bit) there are two changes that really stand out.

Cover Photo

The most dramatic visual change is certainly the large Cover Photo graphic that you can display at the top of your page.  With large dimensions (851×315) it offers massive real estate to pique interest, grab attention, and get those who land on your page to stay longer and check out the content you are sharing.  This is one of the new marketing strategies that a business owner can use in a world where attention can be short lived.  Consider the following:

• Have a photo cover created that pushes your brand
• Have a photo cover created for each of your products/services
• Have a photo cover created for seasonal sales(just don’t include a discount…more on that in a bit)
• Have a photo cover created to highlight special events

Photo covers will certainly be one of the key items to create to keep fans engaged and help make your page more of a destination that people want to visit time and again.

Pin a Post

There is no doubt that Facebook wants you to participate with your fan page.  They want you to share content (even they recommend daily) and keep people clicking (maybe they might want a few people to click those ads).

The Pin a Post feature allows you to highlight an important story to stay at the top of the page.  It can stay there for up to 7 days.  This is a big WIN for business owners as traditionally the “wall” rotated so quickly your important announcements often had to be repeated to ensure they got the most attention.

Big No No’s?

Well if you thought that the Cover Photo was going to solve the problem of trying to get people to “like”…think again.  Facebook puts pretty tough control on what the image can include.  Here are a couple of the highlights from Facebook’s Product Guide

“Cover Photos cannot include:

• Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
• References to Facebook Features or actions, such as “Like” or “Share” or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features”

Maybe those are actually “low-lights” instead of highlights.  They certainly are limiting what you can do with your cover photo which means you will certainly need to make sure that your fan page has a landing tab that converts traffic into “likes” and leads.

Regardless of all of the changes, just as George always managed to find a job, the key elements of piquing interest and converting traffic haven’t changed.  If you haven’t had a chance already, grab our guide on Facebook marketing strategies that will help you generate leads, likes and sales regardless of the changes.

Balancing family commitments, clients, and growing your business puts an incredible demand on your time.   Combine all of these requirements with the goals of staying in shape and you have what many people say is “impossible” or that there quite simply “isn’t enough time in the day”.

For most business owners, there comes a point where they start to make a trade.  They trade more work and drop the time to work out.  Or they might even trade more work and neglect their family commitments.  Either way, when you are making trades usually something that is important gets missed or that is not a way to have long-term success.

While you might try different time management methods, time blocking, or even delegating certain activities to gain time it still may seem like there isn’t quite enough time.  Gaining time can often boil down to combining activities.

Find out How to Combine Your Work and Fitness Goals

For those who have joined us in Goal 3,000, you know it can be tough to hit your fitness goals along with all of the current demands on your time.  In order to push towards my goals for the year and still get work done, I recently ran to one of my 1 on 1 client’s.

It wasn’t easy, the client was over 9 miles away, and I knew that when I arrived, that I would be working for a number of hours straight.   At the end of that evening though I was able to log some great miles and help a client get accomplish some major milestones.

As you work hard to accomplish your goals and feel you might not have time, consider how you can combine activities to get it all done.