We all understand that Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in Australia. However, recently some of our clients have expressed their frustration with their ‘Facebook business pages’. The key frustration is that their business page just doesn’t seem to be driving traffic and generating leads and there is little engagement. Lots of time and energy going in but not too many results.Why are small business owners getting these results?Let’s take a closer look at why there might be a lack of engagement on Facebook business pages. Let’s also explore how you might be able to work smarter and use Facebook more effectively and discuss some of the common pitfalls to avoid when it comes to using Facebook for Small Business Marketing.Understanding how Facebook worksFacebook determines what people see in their “news feed” based on an algorithm. It’s a mathematical formula used by Facebook to determine what to show people who are Facebook users. Facebook focuses on the posts that people ‘like and engage with’ most. Therefore, if people like, share or comment on a post from a particular Facebook page, Facebook believes that this information is more relevant to the person because they are spending more time ‘engaging’ with that content. As a result, more content from that page is placed into the person’s news feed.Facebook Small Business MarketingFacebook is a “social” media tool and therefore will always favour content posted by friends, family and social connections over business content. Business content usually doesn’t get the same traction as personal content and often requires a ‘boost’ so that the content can get in front of people. In general, business content gets seen by very few of the people who have liked your business page, these days you need to use paid Facebook advertising to get in front of your audience.Business content on FacebookUltimately, like any other business, Facebook is a commercial entity and needs to make money and profits to satisfy stakeholders and investors. As many of you may have already realised, Facebook knows it’s worth and understands that it can be an effective digital marketing tool, that gives business owners access to a large world-wide audience and prospective customers! Facebook also understands that business owners are willing to pay to access new customers and reach new audiences and therefore has tapped into this market.Boosting Posts & Paid promotionsOne way to get more people to see your posts or news items is to pay so that you can ‘boost’ your post. Remember ‘organic reach’ which is not paid for, is very limited on Facebook nowadays particularly for business pages. Therefore, to get in front of your target audience you really need to consider boosting your posts or running paid advertising campaigns or promotions to increase reach and engagement.How can I get some traction without paying?There are a few ways, at the time of writing this article, but they take more effort.Facebook LIVEFacebook “Live” which is a newer feature that Facebook has introduced, allows users to run live video streaming events. This is a fun and engaging way to reach your audience but you need to be comfortable in front of a camera and ready to answer questions and comments as there is also live interaction features that lets you know what’s on your customers’ minds. It’s not for the faint hearted but gets better cut through and larger reach.Facebook GroupsFacebook groups are different to Business pages and seem to be able to achieve more organic reach. Facebook groups are online forums that allow for small groups to communicate they generally focus on a topic of interest and are there to allow people that share common interest to interact and share knowledge, opinions and ideas. People can join groups that are often administered or moderated by one of more Facebook users. It could be a group that centres around a common cause or an activity such as mountain bike riding or photography, or it could even be centred around supporting others who are in a similar life stage or have similar circumstances such as a single parents group or an Autism Parents network or a group specific to small business owners.With so many different options on Facebook it’s sometimes difficult to determine what is the best option to go with or sometimes even where to start.Keep in mind…Don’t create a personal profile for your small business.Some new business owners and entrepreneurs create personal profiles for their businesses and brands, instead of creating a relevant Facebook Business Page or group. This is not ideal as it puts your business at a disadvantage. This is because Facebook business pages offer you a host of content creation tools, paid promotional opportunities, and analytics that are linked to a Facebook Business Page and will not be available to you if you set up a personal page.Use Calls to ActionOnce you’ve set up your business page, use a Call to action to get visitors to engage further with your business or brand. Is Facebook a referral source but you ultimately want to get visitors over to your e-commerce store or website? What do you want them to do when they get to your Facebook page? Call to actions are buttons with text on them like “Watch Video,” “Sign Up,” or “Book Now” these buttons can be customized or can include a (URL) web link to a ticketing page or e-commerce site.Use your resourcesGet help or use online resources, if you are unsure of where to start with Facebook, jump online and check out Facebook’s help centre. There is plenty of information for advertisers as well as tips and helpful videos you can watch. If you run a small business, are time poor and just want to find out how to improve your marketing reach or how to use Facebook more effectively, consider getting in touch with an agency that offers small business marketing services. Best of luck with your marketing.
Top Tips for Marketing Your Home Based Business
Starting a home based business is not a very difficult proposition but what matters most is marketing your business if you want to succeed in a competitive environment. Marketing is an ongoing process and you should ensure that your home based business and your image is in the limelight all the time.No business can succeed unless you create sufficient awareness and get people talking about your product and services. The strategies given below will help you in your endeavor to succeed.1. Word of mouth is one of the best forms of promoting your business. As soon as you start working from home, pass the word round to your friends, colleagues and acquaintances about your new business and the quality products you offer. This news will spread around the community much faster than you ever dreamt about. Jeff Bezos the founder of Amazon places great emphasis on this-”If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.”2. However small your home business might be an online presence is essential today. It is important that you have a professional looking website for your business. A well designed website will make your business appear big, professional and organized. Having a website has several advantages such as free advertisement for your products, informing customers about changes in products, information about specials, promotions and discounts available.3. Put the URL of your website, your home based business address and your telephone number on all printed matter that goes out of your business such as letters, envelopes, labels, faxes and invoices. This is an easy way of advertising your business and keeping your image in the public eye constantly.4. Advertising in the local media can play a vital role in promoting your home business. Small classified ads do not cost much money. These ads will certainly create awareness about your business in the local community. Send out regular press releases. Get the local press interested in your home based business and get them to write a news story how it benefits the local community. This will without doubt give your business a great boost. If you have the necessary funds, marketing your products through the radio can be even more effective.5. An inexpensive method of marketing your work at home business is by distributing Flyers. Flyers are easy to produce and in fact can be produced by you in your computer.Provide all the details of your business in brief including the address and URL. Similarly attractive and well designed Brochures are great marketing tools. These can be prepared and placed in clubs, libraries and supermarkets where people gather.6. One of the best marketing tools often ignored or overlooked by most new business entrepreneurs is the Business Card. A business card projects your image and credibility. Whenever you meet people at seminars, trade fairs, conferences and other functions, take the opportunity to exchange cards with them. They are influential people who can be very useful in promoting your business in several ways.Marketing your home based business has to be viewed in the right perspective and your success will be greatly dependent on how efficiently you handle this most important aspect of your business.
How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?
I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.
A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.
So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?
The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.
I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.
Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?
Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.
A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.
But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.
So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.
They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.
But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.
But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.
But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.
And it cost them.
Learning Points
The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.