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plan to fail
Many businesses jump straight into Facebook. I understand why. Youve heard about the fantastic results you can achieve and want to get started right away. There are so many reasons why a strategy can ensure your success on Facebook. However, they all boil down to the fact that a Facebook strategy provides...
- have you ever really thought about what you are trying to achieve? A clearly defined goal gives your
Focus
top tip
Developing a strategy isnt necessarily a solitary exercise. Invite key team members into the action. Youll be surprised by some of their ideas!
Facebook Strategy
A Facebook strategy is a plan of action. It outlines what you want to acheive and how you will achieve it. It is very similar to any type of marketing strategy.
Dont have tim e for a strategy? TH INK AGAIN. This is the most valuable thing you can do to en sure Facebook succ ess.
Time issue?
ho his Go on ed leave. T d ur exten y gives yo ng eg strat n everythi -i o stand ed know t g. e n they n ings runni th keep
Proactive or reactive?
Get on the fron t foot. Know what yo ure doing and when youre doing it .
Background
Setting the scene
Part One
Let me guess...you dont think you need to bother putting together a background. After all, its your company, you already know everything you need right? Dont ignore the importance of the background. Its worth doing for two reasons: 1. It makes you sit back and take stock. Youll look at your company more objectively than usual. Youll think about where youre at, how you got there and, in doing so, start to understand where you want to be. 2. You may not always be the one executing this plan. Think about it...what if you go on holiday or what if your business grows so much that you want to hire someone else to manage your social media presence? Taking the time to construct a background helps ensures your helper has all the information they need to perform the role correctly.
How to start:
To write your background simply answer the following questions. When did your business begin and why did you decide to start your business? How many employees did you have when the business first began and how many employees do you have now? Discuss any major milestones i.e. significant challenges, growth spurts or achievements.
Then move onto discussing your Facebook specific background. When did you first establish a fan page on Facebook and why did you decide you needed to? Why have you decided to develop this strategic plan i.e. have you been underwhelmed by the results so far or you are trying to launch a new campaign?
Here is an example - please note this company is purely ficitious Catwalk Shoes was established in February 2009 in response to a gap in the local Brisbane market for premium quality designer shoes sold at affordable prices. When the business first began the team consisted of two partners. Catwalk Shoes now has a team of five, this includes founding partners, buyers and a website manager. Major milestones in the business include receiving a Small Business Award for Brisbanes inner city suburbs and a partner being recognised as the runner up in the Brisbane Business Womens Awards. Catwalk Shoes established a Facebook fan page in January 2011 in an effort to communicate with our customers more frequently and in a more cost effective way. Our Facebook presence has contributed to our growth. Our fan count has reached 345, however we still believe this resource could be used for greater impact. In November this year Catwalk Shoes will launch a VIP Members Club, with the aim of increasing repeat purchases and grow our customer based through referrals. We believe Facebook should be integral to launching and managing the Club.
ture When did you la back a nd rea st sit lly look your b at us your ch iness? This is a far you nce. See how ve com e where you wa and nt to g o.
Big pi
Part Two
Remem ting goal b describ er your goal es wha t trying to achie you are ve from marke tin doesnt g actions and n refer to ecessarily Facebo ok.
Marke
To increase repeat sales by successfully launching a VIP Members Club. (Catwalk Shoes - from Background example)
There is a temptation to get too specific when writing your strategic goal. Dont rush. We will create more specific goals during the Objectives section of this strategy.
Here are some other examples to help you start thinking about your own: To increase sales by showcasing the companys fifth anniversary. To increase donations by showcasing upcoming medical research plans. To increase brand awareness by establishing a reputation as an industry leader. Try to sit back and look at what you are trying to achieve from a big picture perspective.
SWOT Analysis
Taking stock - inside and out
Part Three
When was the last time you really sat down and took a good look at your company. When did you last take stock of your achievements and how far youve come? When did you last think about what is it that you do well - what makes your business work? Do you know what it is you need to work on to further develop your business? The SWOT Analysis is a discussion of your strengths, weaknesses and any external opportunities and threats that could impact your business.
STRENGTHS Only firm to offer 24 hour contact number Personalised customer service Some of the most affordable prices in the market
WEAKNESSES Complaints regarding complexity of online check out Low repeat purchase numbers Not the widest range of products available
THREATS Competitors, specifically new players copying our formula Changes to import legislation increasing the cost of business
Part Four
Now its time to identify the key messages that your Facebook campaign will focus on. Firstly, lets look at what your key competitive advantage is. A key competitive advantage is just marketing-speak for the reason your customers choose you above the competition. Its what is unique about your business.
Not sure how to identify what your competitive advantage is? Start by answering these questions:
What is the one reason customers choose you over the competition? What do you offer that none of your competitors do? What can you do that none of your competitors can do?
Remember that you can only have one key competitive advantage. Dont try to crunch all your stengths into one statement. Your strengths will become additional key messages that support your competitive advantage. To define your key competitive advantage think of the one reason you would give to potential customers to choose you over the competition. Here are some examples to help you: Catwalk Shoes - 24-hour access to premium womens shoes up to 30% cheaper than leading competitors Bill Carnivore - Australias only bill analysis and savings service Diaper Express - diapers sold at 20% cheaper than competitors that are delivered to your door Better Business Solutions - most experienced local team in high impact development solutions
You ca n one ke only have y com petitiv advan e ta up wit ge. Follow it h a list o messa ges ab f key out yo other ur streng ths.
Top ti p
Now, lets move on to key messages. These are secondary to your competitive advantage. Key messages can include things like: Quick turnaround Personalised service Wide variety of products or services Highly experienced team
Target Market
Who is your audience?
Part Five
In this section of your Facebook Strategy well look at who you are trying to speak to. It could be more than one type of audience. No doubt your existing Facebook fans will be one of your target markets. Or if on of your goals is to grow your fan base then your target market and how you communicate with them will be different. Most importantly, find out everything you can about your target market. In lieu of hiring a research company to do the work for you there are a few things you can do yourself. Customer database - if you have an existing customer database then you may already have access to valuable information such as their sex, age, geographic location, occupation and interests. Facebook insights - if you have an existing Facebook fan page check your Insights. Click View Insights on the right hand menu of your page. Then select Users from the left hand menu. This will help you with demographic information.
Dig a little deeper by looking into what other pages your fans like. To do this go to your fan count which is listed on the left hand side below your profile image. Click Like this under the number of fans you have. A list of your fans will appear. Try clicking a few of their names, depending on their privacy settings you might be able to get a look at what other pages they like. See what these pages do that you could possibly learn from.
Your target market description should look something like this: PRIMARY TARGET MARKET: Women aged between 20 and 35 years who work or reside in inner city Brisbane. These women range from young professionals seeking high end work shoes and footwear for special events to full time mothers who dont have time to go to shoe stores. SECONDARY TARGET MARKET: Women aged between 25 - 50 years who reside in small rural communities across Queensland. These women dont have access to high end, brand name shoes where they live and as such purchase online.
Objectives
Facebook specific goals
Part Six
You already know the overall goal youre striving towards. Now in this section of your strategy well put together Facebook specific, shorter term goals. These goals are important because they are measurable, have specific timelines and will help ignite your ambition to keep getting results. Timelines and Evaluation Objective timelines will depend on how long your implementation period is. How long do you want this plan to last for? Generally speaking I find that 6 months is a good timeframe. It should be no longer than 12 months. While Facebook Insights makes it easy to evaluate your progress on a weekly or even daily basis, a great rule is to make the 3, 6 and 12 month marks time for a more indepth reflection on how you are progressing. The best advice I can give you when developing objectives is to be as specific as possible. Include percentages or figures you wish to achieve, when you want to achieve it by and if it isnt immediately obvious, how you will evaluate if it has been achieved. Here are some example objectives to help you: Reach 200 fans within three months. Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months. Increase Monthly Active Users (number of people [fans and non-fans] who have viewed or interacted with your fan page) by 400% in six months. Increase click-throughs to website sales page by 50% in six months. To be measured through website analytics.
The m ecific or you ca e specific n be w ith you object r iv it will b es, the easie r e progre to see your ss.
Get sp
Evaluation
Its important. It inspires you to keep going and gives you the opportunity to change your approach if required.
Create out timin g o or goa bjectives ls for 3 ,6 even 1 2 mon or th the da te you s from will begin ex srateg ecuting you y. r
Its ab
Tactics
The steps to success
Part Seven
Tactics are the actions you will take to achieve your objectives and overall goal. To help keep your focus list your tactics underneath your objectives. Be specific, thinking about how often you will execute each tactics. Understand that you may not want to draft three months worth of posts. It is more practical to discuss what sort of posts and practise and possibly pen with a few examples for yourself. Here are some examples:
To be executed in the first week. There are great applications out there that allow you to develop a Welcome Page. I used FanPage Engine which allows you to create multiple tabs or pages. However if youre on a budget try an application like Static HTML. 2. External promotion of Facebook presence Register for a vanity url at www.facebook.com/ username. This will make it easier to publicise your fan page on non electronic formats such as brochures. Publicise your new fan page by any means available to you: Ezine Flyer Include in brochures Include on business cards Include on website
Be sure that any electronic formats such as the ezine include a working url to your fan page (welcome page). Ezine and website executed within two weeks. Remainder within one month.
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Tactics
The steps to success
Examples continued:
Part Seven
ebook promo s tional guidel in your p es or find age de let withou t any w ed arning .
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Tactics
The steps to success
Examples continued:
Part Seven
Be sure to make it as easy as possible for people to like your Facebook fan page. Ask people in the seminar to log onto Facebook via their smart phones and like you during your presentation. Or hand out small flyers with a Quick Response (QR) Tag on it that when scanned with a smart phone automatically likes your fan page. Investigate speaking/blogging opportunities - plan calendar of events by the second week of November.
Objectives: Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months and Increase Monthly Active Users by 400% in six months.
1. Questions Ask questions that prompt feedback and responses. For example: Whats your Summer staple shoe - the wedge or the sandle? How much do you think Bill Carnivore has saved its clients so far this year: a) $80,000, b) 123,000 c) $800,000 To be executed a maximum of twice each week. 2. Ask to Like or Share Prompt your fans to like or share one of your posts. For example: Did you know that more than 500 million people engage with Facebook through external websites? CLICK LIKE if your website is linked with your Facebook page. Click like if you feel like ripping your bills in half. Only 2% of people that like your page will every return to engage with your posts. Click share if this scares you! To be executed a maximum of twice each week.
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People /20 rule w entert ant to be ained. Keep 80% o fy indust our posts ry rela te Make 20% o d. f them just ab out fu n!
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Tactics
The steps to success
Examples continued:
Part Seven
Objectives: Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months and Increase Monthly Active Users by 400% in six months
3. Fill in the blank or add a caption Give readers other opportunities to engage by asking them to fill in the blank or add a caption to an image youve taken at one of your events. For example: Example for Catwalk Shoes: FILL IN THE BLANK: My favourite celebrity style icon is ______ Example for Recruitment Agency: FILL IN THE BLANK: When I was little and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, _____________ Execute once every two weeks.
Pages w or mo ith 500 fans re ach iev 3 time s as m e uc involv ement h th those with le an ss fans .
4. Did you know... Give your fans interesting facts and statistics that they will be likely to share with others. Begin each with Did you know... For example: Did you know that only 8% of Facebook fan pages are equipped with commerce facilties? Did you know that you can look new-season hot in premium brand shoes, but only pay half the price? Execute once every two weeks. 5. Themes Create regular themes that your fans can look forward to. For example: Marketing Monday Saturday Special Free Stuff Friday Execute a maximum of two per week. 6. News and tips Keep your members up to date with the latest industry news. Ask your fans for their opinion on the news update. A great way to save time searching for industry specific news is to set up Google Alerts or subscribe to industry blogs or news forums. Or give fans a tip and ask them to like the tip if they plan to use it. For example: Click this link to find out how changes to franchise legislation can affect your business. Click here to access todays free webinar on optimising your website for search engines. Get more wear out of your favourite dress! Change the entire look by swapping fabulous accessories. Execute up to four times a week.
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Tactics
The steps to success
Examples continued:
Part Seven
Objectives: Increase Post Feedback by 80% in three months and Increase Monthly Active Users by 400% in six months
7. Poll of the Week Ask your fans to vote in a poll that runs for a week. Post voting updates every day. Then announce the answer at the end of the week. For example: Vote for shoe of the week Youre the designer - ask fans to choose between two shoe designs. The design that gets the most votes will go into fabrication.
8. Competition Run a competition aimed at engaging fans. It may also have the added benefit of attracting new fans. Some of the best engagement-targeted competitions Ive seen are about launches. For example some authors ask their fans to take photos of themselves promoting the launch of their upcoming book. Fans upload photos of themselves holding signs with the book name and author in interesting places. Be creative. Here are some other examples: Tell us in 50 words or less why you love Catwalk Shoes to win a $300 voucher. Post a meal time photo to enter your child in the Baby Bibs Messiest Eater Competition and you could win a years worth of baby food. Execute in the fourth month.
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Tactics
The steps to success
Examples continued:
Part Seven
Objective: Increase click-throughs to website sales page by 50% in six months. To be measured through website analytics.
1. Seasonal catalogues Showcase products/services seasonally. Ensure links to each specific product on the website sales page are activated on images and prices. This can be achieved through Photo Albums, however if youd like to upload a hmtl active pdf you could look at using a service such as Scribed. 2. New product launch Create anticipation in the lead up to new products, giving users hints about their benefits. Then launch the product on a Facebook post, complete with links back to your sales page. 3. Product of the week Showcase a product that youd like to push that week in images and posts with active links to your website sales page. 4. Sales and promotions Promote specials, sales and deals on Facebook with an active link to your website. FanPageEngine makes a great Facebook application that allows you to run deals from your Facebook page. Offer a product at a special discount price for the next hour or prompt people to buy by restricting the number of products sold i.e. Only 50 available so get in quick. Click here to find out more about this application. 5. Website reference in fan page information Include a reference not only to your website but also to the sales section of your website in the information section of your profile. This will also help your search engine optimisation efforts.
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Test A d
Includ s page of y le y the sa on as man e t websi you can. sk ts as pos et to a t forg lick here. Don e to c peopl
fans Make your fa ns fee loved l by discou offering nts or sales that a re availab only le to th em.
Rewar d
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Timeline
Put actions in one place
Part Eight
A timeline is a great tool for keeping you on track. The timeline includes a list of tactics or tasks that need to be executed, when they should be executed and whose responsibility it is to do it. I find it useful to create a timeline in Excel Spreadsheet, print it and hang it infront of your desk. Here is an example of a timeline that includes all the example tactics discussed in this e-manual.
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If youre still having trouble creating your own Facebook Strategy post a question on the Written in Pink fan page, send me an email at kimpink@writteninpink.com.au or give me a call on (07) 3102 5644.
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