Digital HI™ Technology, SEO, Search Magnet Local™, Social Media and Digital Marketing

Tag Archives: social media optimization

Social Media and Facebook Changes

Higher Images Social Media

Social Media is Changing.  Again.

We are all aware of the importance of interacting with your current and potential customers through social media. But, there are also downsides. As you probably know, Facebook has implemented the “Timeline” look for fan

Running 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels high, it is undoubtedly your first – and easiest – opportunity to make an impression on visitors; use it wisely. The most noticeable change is the cover photo – you know, the giant picture that is the first thing you see when you land on a fan page. It’s a huge piece of real estate, and the most important piece of real estate in in your Facebook and social media efforts.

Also, Facebook has now shared the “rules” for the cover photo, and they seemingly negate all that is good about owning the valuable piece of real estate on your page:

  • No information about purchasing.
  • No contact information. At all. No phone numbers, no website information, no email addresses.
  • No types of Facebook action requests. No more arrows pointing to the “Like Us” button. No “Like Us” to learn more.

In other words, you may include how many calls to action? None. Zero. All Facebook Action Requests and Calls to Action in general are banned.

Pages: 1 2

Social Media 2012

Social Media is Changing

Happy New Year from the team at Higher Images!  With each New Year comes change, and 2012 is no exception!  This week, we will be discussing the major changes in progress, and on the way, on the Social Media front – specifically Facebook.  Some changes are good, and some are a bit confusing…

social media changesThe first major change many of you may notice on your social media Facebook profile (not fan pages – yet), is the implementation of the “timeline” layout.  Some of us here at Higher Images love it, some not so much (several of us have been testing it out for weeks).  The pros and cons, as we see them, are:

Pros

  • Easy navigation
  • A snapshot view of a profile
  • The ability to easily get to old posts and photos
  • The option to hide photos and/or posts from profile viewers, without deleting them permanently

Cons

  • Perfect for stalkers – want to see what someone was doing four years ago?  Click on any given year, and you can see it all
  • Yet another major change that users have no control over
  • No announcement that this change was coming, unless you knew where to look
  • The expectation that once users get accustomed to using the new layout, the Facebook powers-that-be will do another complete revamp, and throw us all for a loop once again
  • Finding that perfect “landscape” layout photo to use as your cover photo isn’t as easy as it seems.  While you can reposition the picture within the frame, too small of a photo becomes blurry and distorted, while too large of a photo won’t fit within the “confines” of the frame.

As it stands now, Facebook is keeping quiet as to whether or not Fan Pages will also have the timeline layout, but it seems that it would be inevitable.  It would seem, based on the features available for profile users, the timeline (or something similar) would be a benefit to fan page users.

Another social media change that will be completed by February is the elimination of FBML (landing) pages on fan pages.  This is particularly important to business owners who utilize FBML pages as the default landing page for those who do not yet “like” the page.  While Facebook isn’t eliminating these pages entirely, they will soon be “hidden away” within a community tab on the side bar. In other words, if you want your visitors to see the page, they have to go and look for it.

social media confusionThe decline of the “Like” impact is something that Facebook has been hinting about for some time.  In the past, a brand’s success on Facebook was determined by the number of “Likes” or fans.

However, there is a shift in this, as Facebook wants to focus more on quality, instead of quantity.  In other words, simply having fans isn’t going to get your brand out there.  Engaging content, shares and “buzz” about your business is what’s more important.

As of this time, we are researching alternate methods of promoting businesses and brands across social spaces, including Google+ pages.  As we learn more about these changes, available alternatives and ways we are able to better your brand visibility, we will share with you!

If you have any questions about your current social media efforts, and how your social media marketing may change, please contact Higher Images at 412-203-1996.

A Commitment To Social Media Marketing Follow Through

We have been bad, very bad to tell you the truth.  It all started last November when we started to launch our own branded portal called the Web Marketing Console.  We put all of our extra time and effort into building it out and neglected our blog.  It is actually quite funny that we did this, because we really could have written nearly 8,000 posts about how our  Social Media Marketing really took off.   Here is the first post we have had in a while, but we have picked up a fairly large amount of social media clients in the past seven months so it is only fair that we write about what we tell every new client.  You may think you know how to use Social Media for your business, but it’s more common than not that you have no idea.

Let’s face it, just about everyone now has at least HEARD about Facebook and Twitter.  Most people that we talk to still don’t really understand how to use  them to actually create business… but people have at least heard the term “social media marketing” being kicked around the office in marketing meetings.   The one example that I can think of was a company that really wanted to start their social media marketing off with a bang.  They figured that all they had to do was put their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube logo on their home page and website visitors would be so eager to become their “fans, followers, or in some cases clients” that they never thought about the cardinal rule in Social Media Marketing for businesses- What’s in it for the person they are trying to reach?  Why would someone spend the time reading your posts, tweets, or status updates if they bought a washing machine from you a year ago?  The answer is that they wouldn’t and that is where most businesses fail at social media.

You need to be able to have a conversation with someone online without coming across as a pitchy salesperson.  Giving a fan, follower, reader, or anyone interested in your business personal attention and time is something that is critical to being successful in your social media marketing approach.   Instead of pimping out your business at every opportunity, offer them a tip or something that can generally improve their experience with your product or service.  If you are marketing a mattress store then give them tips on how to sleep better or what types of mattresses may help people with allergies.  If you are an electrician, offer people energy saving tips and ways to help lower their electric bill.   If you feel comfortable having a conversation with your friends and fans, then social media can be a great way for you to connect with not only your current customers, but also people who will take an interest in your product or service.   We’ll leave you with a screenshot from a company we worked with to develop their social media marketing strategy and they continue to be successful almost a year later (and 10,000 more fans on Facebook as well)

Social Media Marketing Company Pittsburgh

One of Higher Images Highly Satisfies Social Media Clients.