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3 Cool Tips for Facebook Business Pages

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Facebook for businesses is a proven way to get your brand noticed by an array of audiences! From CTA (call to action) buttons to advertising options, the tools and resources provided by the social media platform are endless! But, to really optimize your presence and spice up your strategy, consider these three cool tips for Facebook - that you may not know about!

Keep track of your competitor’s activity with “Pages to Watch”.

Arguably so, Pages to Watch is one of Facebook's top analytic tools. If your Page has 100 to 10,000 followers, it allows you to track the progress of up to 100 pages. With information like the number of engagements a Page received in a week and what percentage their likes are up by, the Pages to Watch tool allows you to compare your Page to other Pages even if you don't follow them!

A screenshot of Facebook insight tool, Pages to Watch.

A screenshot of Facebook's Insight tool, Pages to Watch.

This can be extremely useful when you're thinking about your Facebook strategy. You can follow Pages in your industry and measure their success week by week. If they prove to be successful, it may be worth checking out their page to see what they're doing right! In the same respect, you can see which Pages are doing poorly and check out their Page as an example of what not to do.

To add to and find your Pages to Watch section, click the Insights tab on the top of your Page and scroll to the bottom.

Turn your cover photo into a slideshow.

Most businesses get traffic coming from their posts' in the News Feed and not from their actual Facebook Page. However, you still need to optimize your Page for the users who are visiting it. One sure way to do this is by adding a slideshow to your cover photo. It allows you the opportunity to show your audience several aspects of your business. For example, sightseeing tours and charters might find it useful to showcase several tours here; a restaurant may find it a great place to show off their specials of the week or a few well-known dishes; boutiques and gift shops may find this as a great space to promote several sales or campaigns they are running; realtors could find displaying several properties here as beneficial! With a recommended image size of 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall, this is the most prominent area on your Facebook Page and is sure to draw the eye of visitors!

Why not give them more to look at?

News Feed Targeting can help you target your ideal customers.


Facebook Business Page options allow you to target specific audiences for each of your posts! Similar to Ads Manager, Facebook allows you to narrow down an audience by their interests, language, age, gender, and even their relationship status and education level! By segmenting individual page posts with these criteria, you can concentrate on the audience you think will benefit most from your post.

Create unique audiences by going to the options at the bottom of each post. Click on the Public tab and three options will appear under it: Public, Restricted Audience, and News Feed Targeting. If News Feed Targeting doesn’t appear, you need to activate this setting for your page. Click the Settings tab in the top right corner of your Page; next, click the General tab; click the Edit tab next to Audience Optimization for Posts; check the box that says, “Allow preferred audience selection and the ability to restrict the audience for your post.”; click the Save Changes tab.

A screen shot of Facebook settings.

A screenshot of General Facebook settings.

We hope you've found these three tips for Facebook useful! If you want more tips or have a follow-up question, send us an email!

Mission Statement

Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing. Photo credits: OldCityWebServices, Canva. Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.

Use Social Media for your Holiday Campaign

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Holiday Social Media Campaign

Plan your Holiday Social Media Campaign for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

Kick-start Your Holiday Social Media Campaign on Facebook

A Facebook event is the perfect way to spread the word about your campaign.

First, create an event for your Black Friday sale, Cyber Monday sale and Small Business Saturday. The event feature in Facebook provides every tool you need to spread accurate information to your audience; time, location, and description of the promotion. Whether you are a historic bed and breakfast or trendy boutique you should create a catchy title.

Holiday Social Media Campaign

Attract attention with a Facebook contest.

Get your Facebook page exposure by getting it more likes, views, and interaction with a Facebook contest. Although they don't necessarily enhance a social media campaign they do, in fact, reinforce your campaign efforts because they bring your company to the attention of the public.

Small businesses rarely participate in Facebook contests. However, contrary to popular belief, they are straightforward and easy to manage. Click here, to learn more about contests.

Follow-Up with Twitter

Hashtags

Promote your Facebook event on Twitter and decide which hashtags to use throughout your holiday social media campaign. It is important that hashtags stay the same during campaign tweets. Also, keep in mind, "tweets with one hashtag are 69% more likely to be retweeted than those with two" according to Taylor Webster, of Postcron.

Poll on Twitter

Polls are easy for followers to participate in and encourage engagement. But remember to gear your query towards your social media campaign. Example: "What will you buy your Uncle for Christmas? A) Our Rabbit foot, B) Our Custom Salt/Pepper shakers, C) Our Brand Steering wheel cover."

Mentions and Memes

Obviously, the mention of a fellow business doubles your audience because their followers see the tweet as well. But, don't overdo it and be sure it is a business you have a relationship with.

On the other hand, memes can't be overdone. In fact, you can take comfort in the fact your audience appreciates the entertainment - unless you are posting dozens of memes daily. Who makes up the majority of your clientele? Use that as a guideline for humor.

Post on Instagram

Use Stories to entice shoppers during your campaign

Since your campaign information is out on Facebook and Twitter, use stories to grab the attention of your audience because it will further focus your audiences' attention. Whether your campaign is for a Black Friday sale, or Small Business Saturday shopping, Stories offer a sneak peek at the venue and goodies they have to look forward to.

Add a Poll

We talked about the 3 new social media updates to know about a few weeks ago and the Instagram poll feature, added to the Stories section, is one of those new updates. Every call-to-action method is just as important as the next. Therefore each available method should be utilized to maximize your campaign success and even though the poll is limited to a two-answer query, it is necessary.

Photo quality is key to a successful social media campaign

Instagram is essential to your holiday social media campaign, but it will do more harm than good if you do not share quality photos. Followers get a visual of your product that leaves a lasting impression. Therefore, if a photo is blurry or includes unkeen elements; dirt, holes, garbage, or random items, it is better to not post at all. Audiences understand that quality photos are taken of quality products. Consequently, it is a good idea to use appealing backdrops and props, sharp photography and a clear message when posting.

P.S. Unlike Twitter, Instagram users love hashtags so add as many as you'd like. Remember to keep them on topic with your campaign. Include the campaign hashtags you use on Twitter.

In conclusion, it is important to stay consistent while planning your holiday social media campaign. Therefore it is important to post frequently and stick with your theme! But, if you are having difficulties planning a campaign yourself, give us a call.

Shop St. Augustine

Shop local. Shop St. Augustine.

To support the shop local movement, we have created the Shop St. Augustine campaign. Whether you are a business owner or are shopping, eating, playing, or staying in St. Augustine, using #ShopStAugustine connects you with other businesses in town and helps show everyone that St. Augustine is open for business.

 

A slim and focused website beats a cluttered website every time. More is not always better. We have seen first-hand businesses make the mistake of including irrelevant information to their website. The website eventually loses its focus and ceases to be an effective marketing tool. You pay a lot of money in SEO and other marketing tools to get customers to your website - but there is little to no action from it. Remember you have a very brief window of opportunity to capture a customer. Your website’s visitor should immediately understand what your company does and how that benefits them. Failure to do this will simply result in the visitor going to your competitor. Take an honest look at your website. It may be time for a little de-cluttering and re-focusing. We can help!

Mission Statement

Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing.
Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.
Photo credits: Old City Web Services

Balance on Social Media

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Social media accounts - they're not just a way to stay connected in our personal lives, but also in our professional lives. All too often I see companies who are missing out on opportunities because they don't invest enough time building their social media presence. Social media isn't just some extra task to hand off to an intern. It requires time, effort, and strategy to get it right.
Tips for effective social media management:
  • Define your audience.
  • Determine which platforms will effectively reach your audience.
    • You don't have to be on every platform.
  • Come up with a content creation strategy.
    • What types of content to post
    • What times are best to post
  • Don't post just to post. Quality is more important than quantity. Post with a purpose. Each post should benefit your audience.
  • Post original content. It shows you are a source of information.
  • Don't post the work of others without giving credit. This is the same thing as stealing and can have legal repercussions. Give credit where credit is due!
  • Have fun and show personality! Social media is all about community and genuine connection. Your audience wants to see the real you.
If your social media presence could use some improvement, contact us to see how we can help!
Check back with us soon for more professional input!

10 Ways to Establish Your Business

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Being a new business has its challenges, one of the biggest being establishing yourself in the community. A loyal client base and name recognition are vital to your success. Without the support of those around you, failure comes closer to becoming a reality than a fear. So, how do you make your startup stand out before it sinks?

Take advantage of free listings

This is a no brainer. Putting your company’s name out there as many ways as you can for free should be a top priority. Directory listings and community calendars are great resources for the community and an excellent way to get your name out there. This takes minimal time and effort and helps establish your business among other longstanding companies in the area.

Make sure you know your target market

Take a second to sit down and really think about who your target demographic is. Who are you marketing to and how are you doing so? Are they more likely to be on social media or flipping through the latest newspaper? Spending all the time and money in the world in marketing won't make a difference if your audience never sees it.

Utilize social media

Let’s face it. Everyone is on social media these days, and as a business, it is becoming an essential way to reach consumers. Luckily for you, social media is a free and effective way to interact with customers from all over. Depending on what your business is and the age group of people you are trying to reach, you can choose the best social media platforms to reach them.

Start a blog

Think that you shouldn’t start a blog because you’ll run out of things to talk about? What if you are a very specialized business? Not a problem. A company blog is a useful platform to produce content related to your industry. Relevant content will promote you as trusted resource for your trade. Example: Say you run a gym or are a personal trainer. You don’t have to use your blog just to talk about your services. Use your platform to talk about health advice, innovative exercises, and client transformations, etc.

Implement SEO into your website

Search engine optimization is the action of making your website rank for search keywords and phrases that pertain to your website/business. It is important to have the keywords and phrases viewers are searching for installed properly on your website. If done correctly, more people will view your website which will result in an increase in business. Search engines rank your website based on common search terms, the age of your site information, site links, and the relevance of your content.

Create your Google Business listing

Listing your business on Google will make sure your business appears easily when people are searching for you on Google. You can add pictures, and people can leave reviews which add to your credibility.

Take advantage of customer testimonials

When a customer has a good experience with you, don’t be afraid to ask what they thought of your service. Testimonials are one of the best ways to build credibility with potential clients.

Send out emails

Putting customers on an email list is a great way to reach out to them long after they've left your website or store. This gives you the opportunity to tell them about the variety of services you offer, updates from your company, and news in your industry.

Get involved in the community

How do you expect the community to know who you are if you don’t try to get to know the people in it? The more people see your name associated with the community, the more they will come to know you as a local establishment. Sponsor or participate in community events. Donate or give discounts for first-time clients. Give clients an initiative for referring customers. Give back to the community. Serving others is not only great for your staff but is also a wonderful way to get to know the locals.

Network as much as possible

Getting involved with different organizations within the community is essential. Some of your biggest allies in the business world are fellow business owners. The Chamber of Commerce should be at the top of your list for business networking. The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce’s mission states they are dedicated to improving the business environment in St. Johns County by focusing on Economic Development, Business Advocacy, Member Education, and Business Promotion. Service organizations such as United Way or Rotary are also excellent ways to get involved in the community.

How We Can Help

Here at Old City Web Services, we are dedicated to helping businesses thrive. Don’t know where to start? We offer many services that can help you out.

We can:

  • Perfect your marketing strategy to reach your target audience
  • Tune up or revamp your website
  • Write content for your company’s blog
  • Assist you with SEO and Google listings
  • Assist with print design and much more.

Go to our website, call us, or schedule a consultation with our team to see how we can help you get settled and succeed today.

Do You Know the Different Ways to Connect with People on Social Media?

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Connect with Fans, Followers or Friends?

With all the social media platforms out there it can be difficult to know all the ways to get your customers to  connect to your business social media. Here are some guidelines to follow that might shed some light on all the confusion with connecting on social media.

Facebook-

On Facebook your potential customers will be able to see all of your post by "liking" the business page. When they hit the like button on the main profile page on the right upper hand side it will send you a notification to notify you about the new "like". Since someone has liked the business page they'll now be a fan meaning any future post you make on your business Facebook, the fan will be able to see on their timeline. They can also send you a message, comment on your post or share your post as well.  Now if any one visits your business Facebook page they will also be able to see your post on your business profile as well, even if they are not a fan. Being a fan just means now they will get your updates and post on their timeline. facebook connect

Here some hints to help you remember:

Facebook likes on profile = Fans
Fans= Followers who see your post on their timelines.
Clicking the like button on the business profile = Fan.

 

Twitter-

On Twitter customers can "follow" your Tweet which means they become a "follower" and will see all your tweets on their Twitter feed. They become a follower by going to your Twitter page and clicking the follow button on the right hand side. Once they have clicked the button you will be notified that someone is now "following" your Twitter page. Your follower now has the ability to retweet your tweets, like a tweet or even send you a message. If your client has not yet followed your Twitter page the only way they can see your tweets is by going to your business page or if some they already follow retweets your tweet.Twitter Connect

Here are some helpful tips to remember: 

Followers = Friends who can see all your tweets
Retweeting= sharing to other Twitter users
Hitting the follow button on profile = Follower.

 

 

Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook!
Need help managing your Facebook or Twitter? Contact Us today so we can help!

Making Engaging Post.

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How to Write Engaging Post on Social Media

Do you notice your Social networking is starting to lose connections with clients? Not getting the interaction you thought you would be getting from clients? That might be because you're not doing enough engaging post.  An engaging post is a post in that entices your audience to engage in the post either by liking, commenting or sharing the post. Keep your business social media fresh, interesting, and engaging by having consistent variations of engaging posts. Social media should be more than simple product promotion. If you keep posting only about the services you provide instead of trying to connect and engage with your clients, you will see you social media network drop in activity. Don't think of social media as a platform to sell your product or services but a platform to network for your business. Using engaging post will help you connect and build a relationship with your audience.

Here are some ideas for engaging post:

Engaging Post

Engaging on a post on Social Media 

  • Do a competition
  • Make a funny Meme
  • Pose a Questions to your Audience
  • Post a photo and with the words"Caption This Photo"
  • Fill in the Blank Post
  • Like for this , Share for this
  • Do some Trivia
  • Use a Quote
  • Post about Holiday Wishes
  • Celebrate Your Business Milestones
  • Make a Call to Action Post
  • Do a Poll
  • Post pictures or videos of behind scenes of your business

 

If you need furthermore examples check out our Facebook and Twitter.
In any event you are unable to do your business Facebook or Twitter, then let us manage them for you contact us today!

Social Media: Why Photos & Videos?

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Using Photos on Social Media for your Business

Facebook

Example of using images as a post for Facebook

Over the years Social Media has shifted to Visual Social Media. This means photos have increased in popularity for social media. This shift happened because our society is drawn to visual content. Photos help your customers relate to your business post and they tell a story.  Users are more likely to engage and follow businesses that post more photos or videos.  For example, photos on Facebook tend to generate 53% more likes on a post than without photos. What does this mean for you business's social media?  It means using images on social networking platforms gets those clients engaged!

Overall, photos help break up content overload.  Showing your clients rather than telling is what will get you customers interested in your social network. Pictures are worth a thousand words.  For example, if you want to introduce a new product, take a picture of it and share it on your social media.  Did you hire a new team member or redecorate your office space?  Share it!  Showing will leave a bigger impact on them as well as others that are following your clients posts will see your new product, team member, etc.  All in all, images make connections and social media is all about networking.

You don't have to be an expert.  Don't be afraid - get creative with your visual content use your smart phone, camera, or clip art online.

Here are some ideas to consider using.

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Facebook

Example of using an image of Facebook.

  • Add words to a picture by either providing a contest for your customers, a daily tip or just add a quote.
  • Draw a cartoon then take a picture of it.
  • Make a graph.
  • Make a video of either the daily life at the office or how you make a certain product.
  • Use a GIF  (animations) you found.
  • Take a picture of your product and have customers give their opinion.  EX: Does this shirt look better in blue or in red?  or  What should our daily special be today? 

    Twitter Social Media

    Example of using an image on Twitter

 

 

 

Need to see some more examples?  Check out our Facebook and Twitter for more examples of using photos and videos in post.

If your business doesn't have any quality images or time to take images, we can help.  Contact us today to set up a photo shoot for your business.

 

Social Media: It’s all about the Trends.

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Social Media Trends & Businesses

Facebook Trends On Social Media

Facebook Trends Box

A trend is a pattern or general direction of developing. Social Media is filled with all kinds of trends. An example of a trend on Twitter is when you see a post using hashtags like "#TuesdayMotivation". Twitter shows you the most recent hashtag trends in a box called "Trends" located on the left-hand side of your home page. Facebook's trend box is on the right-hand side of your timeline. Using trends will keep your customers engaged in your business and help broaden your network. Trends are very important on social media but, how do you use trends to benefit your business? Here's 5 things to consider with using trends on social media for your business:

twittertrends

Twitter Trends Box on Social Media

  1. Be creative when using trends for your business. If it's "National Selfie Day",  consider taking a selfie with your product or co-workers and using that for a post.
  2. Stick with funny or happy trends."#AllLivesMatter" is an example of a serious trend. Don't get involved with serious trends because of the sensitivity of the topic or associate your business with conflicting topics.
  3. Use trends on social media to connect with customers instead of pitching your products or services.
  4. If you are having a hard time keeping up with the ever-changing trends, don't be afraid to search the latest trends on Google.
  5. Don't spam your customers. After-all,  business's don't need to use every trend out there, just use the ones that fit your business best.

 

 

Any time you don't have time to keep up with the trends, then let us do your Business's Facebook or Twitter for you!
In fact, check out our Facebook and Twitter post's to help keep up you up-to-date with the latest trends.

Picking the Right Platform for Your Business

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With so many social media platforms out there how do decide on which one is best for your business. The guide below should help with some of the confusion you might have as a business owner. Let’s take a look at all the different platforms and how they interact with people.

FacebookFacebook- Is an open environment where you have the freedom to share and connect. You can upload images, message friends, write post, create events, and share other people’s post. Having a business on Facebook you receive a business profile where you can make a post, create events and post things about your business. You also have an “About” section and some nice tools to view how well you are doing on Facebook with your customers. Facebook is for making engaging post so your customers will get involved by liking, commenting or sharing.

 

1Twitter- Is an environment where you can make quick short status post. Twitter only allows you to write something that is 140 characters, able to add hashtags and pictures. You can also “retweet” or like someone’s tweet. Instead of friends, like Facebook, you have followers who are able to see all your tweets.

 

 8Instagram- This platform you can only upload images, comment or like others images. On Instagram you can only use the app version, it does not allow you to use it on a desktop. This platform you have followers, like Twitter.

 

Pinterest- Allows users to visually share, and discover new interests by p369osting (known as 'pinning') images or videos to their own or others' boards and browsing what other users have pinned. This site is very popular with women.

LinkedIn- Is a network y963963ou can connect with other professionals. You create a personal profile and list all the place you have worked and connect with other people in varies professions. It’s kind of like a big resume connector. This platform’s focus is on the person and their professional experience rather than your business.

 

If you are still struggling with understanding or even with setting up a Social Media for your business, we are here to help. Get in contact today to get started!

Practical Social Media Tips

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Social Media can be both fun and good for business. It is a place to be a little more casual, and to let your clients - current and potential - learn a little more about you. There are things you need to know before you get started on social media though, to make sure that you make the most of the time you are spending on it, and to make the most of your customers' time.

Spend time on your profile – Don’t just open a social media account and go. Everything your business does is sending a message to your current and potential clients. Make sure your logo and branding are consistent, your message is consistent, and that you put thought into thoroughly setting up the details of each social media account.

Be useful - You want your account to speak to people. By investing yourself in new, significant content and linking to both your content and the content of other businesses in your niche that will be relevant to followers, you can expand your social media reach and establish a reputation.

Be restrained – Don’t post anything and everything that you see or hear about. If you post too often, you will become background noise instead of a relevant voice. Consider what you post and how often you post.

Add visuals – Photography and graphics attract attention, draw interest, and increase likelihood of your content being shared. Creating great visual content to go with your postings will do well for helping your social media presence as you establish yourself.

Interact/respond – If people are commenting and sharing your content, respond to them. Answer questions. Thank them for sharing your content. The more you establish yourself as a friendly, non-competitive member of the social media community, you will be treated and responded to as such and the relationships you build as a result will benefit everyone.

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We are Old City Web Services. We make it easy for small businesses to thrive online. Whether you need a professional website, help attracting more customers, or a fresh new look for your brand, we’ve got you covered. With over 20 years of experience, we specialize in simple, affordable solutions that work for businesses like yours. Let us handle the tech so you can focus on what you do best—running your business.

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