Using the new Facebook timeline for your business

As you will now be aware, on 31st March, Facebook changed all business pages to the new timeline layout. But if you're still a bit confused on how it all works, below are some key points you need to know about the new timeline layout.

Timeline banner image
You can now include a large banner image at the top of your Facebook page to showcase your brand. However, please note that there are some strict guidelines about what you can put in the banner image. Your cover image is 851 pixels wide x 315 pixels high and can your logo, but it can't contain any call to action, 'like' instructions and it can't promote or sell a product. Eg 'like' us now to win, 50% discount etc. The banner can't be used to market your Facebook page, increase likes or market/sell a product or service.

Profile picture
The profile picture is 125 pixels wide by 125 pixels high. You can use your logo or an image as your profile picture.

Tabs
The new Timeline layout means new visitors will automatically land on your timeline. They won't first arrive at your welcome or specific landing page, as was the case previously. The new timeline gives you the option to add more tabs or apps to appear under your cover photo. The photo tab is fixed and cannot be moved, but your other tabs/apps can show up here in this panel after the photo tab and the order can also be changed.

The width of the Timeline app page has also increased to 810 pixels. If you don't change the width of your design, the design will just appear centered on the page.

Highlights
You can now highlight a post and it will display over the whole Timeline (2 columns) rather than just on one side of the Timeline. This is great for photos.

Pinning a post
The new timeline allows you to pin a post to the top of your timeline. A pinned post will stay at the top of the timeline for 7 days before it goes back to its chronological place in the Timeline. A pinned post is great if you want to promote a particular promotion/offer.

Milestones
The Milestone feature allows you to paint the story of your business throughout the years. You can use the milestones feature to celebrate major achievements, changes to your brand, products or services or functions or events.


If you would like more information on Facebook marketing or would like a facebook app design, please speak with TA Fastrack on 1300 659 289 or visit www.tafastrack.com.

How to increase engagement with your fans on Facebook

According to research, you can increase your Facebook engagement with fans just be taking the following into consideration.

• Research found that 60% of posts analysed were published between 10am and 4pm
• Brands that posted before or after business hours recorded Facebook engagement rates that were 20% higher than the average
• Research also found that the shorter the Facebook post, the more likely fans will read it
• The research also found that the less people want to be at work, the more they are on Facebook
• The highest engagement rates on Facebook occurred on Thursday and Fridays for the travel and hospitality industries
• The lowest engagement rates occurred on weekends and Wednesdays
• To drive more 'likes' or comments on your posts, ask your fans directly to 'like', 'tell' or 'comment' and this will drive the best results
• 'Liking' a post or page requires the least amount of effort, so if you tell them to do it, they will
• Simple action words such as 'like', 'take', 'submit', 'watch', 'click', 'post', 'become a fan', 'share', or 'visit' worked best
• Posts that end with a question have a 15% higher engagement rate - engage with your fans!
• Questions that start with the word 'where', 'when' or 'should' have the highest engagement rates
• Questions that start with 'why' have the lowest engagement rates
• If you're running a contest on Facebook, use words like 'event', 'winner' or 'win' for best results. Direct words like 'contest', 'coupon' or 'promotion' don't work as well. Win/winning keywords give fans something to get excited about and they don't feel like they are being sold to.

If you would like to get started with Facebook marketing, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack or call 1300 659 289.

Tips to encourage fan engagement with your Facebook business page

Below are some of our tips to boost fan interaction on your facebook business page.

• Encourage your fans to post their questions or feedback on your Facebook page. Answer their questions, thank them for their reviews and feedback. Let them know that you're listening
• Share photos and videos of your property on your page. Encourage fans to post their holiday snaps and videos on your wall.
• Ask for their feedback. For example, get your fans feedback on their thoughts on a new colour scheme for your hotel renovations, or their thoughts on a menu change for the season etc.
• Celebrate company milestones, achievements or awards. For example, the company's birthday, the 1000th guest who stayed at your hotel, staff birthdays or the total number of years employed at your company, industry awards etc
• Participate in seasonal celebrations/holidays. For example, post photos of the Christmas decorations in your office, or a Valentine's Day special etc. Add a post on your wall wishing all Mothers a Happy Mother's Day and so on
• Have fun! Ask your fans questions, use polls etc or get fans to finish the sentence or fill in the blank. For example, When I'm travelling, my favourite song on my playlist is....... 
• Play a game or post a puzzle on Facebook and get fans to respond with their answers. Eg guess where this photo was taken. 
• Runs contests, competitions, promotions 
• Share interesting content with your fans. It doesn't need to be just specials. Offer other content of interest or relevance to your fans, such as tips, whitepaper downloads, links to interesting news articles etc. 
• Offer content based on current news. Eg Did anyone watch Dancing with the stars last night? Who do you think will go? 
• Leverage events and create buzz around upcoming events. Post photos or videos after the event
• Champion a good cause. Let everyone know the charity your business supports. Post photos of your staff participating in a charity event, eg Movember
• Talk about other things besides your product. Mix it up with other content to interact with your fans and get them to talk to you.

To get started on Facebook, or if you would like more information about facebook marketing and social media management, speak to TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

10 things you should be doing on Facebook

1. Create a customised URL name for your Facebook page
If you haven't already created a customised URL for your Facebook page, make sure you do it now! To do this, just visit http://www.facebook.com/username and follow the instructions. Remember that once you confirm your URL, it cannot be changed, so make sure you choose it carefully. 


2. Embed videos 
Nothing sells your hotel, facilities, location and apartment rooms like video. Host them on Youtube and share them on your Facebook page, or upload them directly onto Facebook. Videos are also great for SEO as they will appear in search results.


3. Use Facebook insights
As an administrator of your business page, you will have access to Facebook insights, which is a powerful tool for tracking the fan growth of your facebook page. You can analyse which types of posts were the most popular and engaged fans to respond, you can also monitor fan growth and interaction, see page views and track impressions. Monitoring these key metrics will enable you to better adapt your posts and facebook marketing strategy.


4. Add your hotel on Facebook places
Encourage users to 'check-in' via Facebook places. Offer an incentive, like a free drink voucher, or discount when they check-in. Every time a facebook user checks-in, it gets promoted across their network, thus giving you extra exposure and boosting brand awareness. 


5. Use the reviews app
Facebook has a reviews app which you can add to your page and allows guests to leave their reviews of the hotel. These reviews can give new and potential clients what to expect when they stay at your property. You can also pull reviews from Tripadvisor into your page if you like.


6. Run a competition
A competition is a great way to increase fans and encourage engagement. Just remember that you will need to comply with Facebook's promotions guidelines.


7. Include a welcome page for new visitors
It's so much better for a new visitor to land on a customised welcome page instead of seeing your wall. Your Facebook welcome page can include links back to your website, photos, videos, a book now button and more.


8. Use Facebook questions
Create a poll and gather opinions about what your fans are interested in, or create a fun poll to encourage interaction. 


9. Facebook ads
You can fully customise your facebook ads to target a certain demographic, location or interest. 


10. Most importantly, allow your fans to book directly from Facebook
The average Facebook user spends over 15 hours a month on Facebook, so it makes sense for them to be able to book with your hotel directly from Facebook. You can include a book now button in your welcome page.


If you would like more information about Facebook marketing, or if you are interested in a Facebook welcome page design, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

How to improve Facebook fan engagement

Give your fans the opportunity to engage and comment
Enable the comments functionality on your wall so that fans can post content on your wall.

Ask questions
Ask your fans advice on a certain topic, get them to share their favourite tips, photos, videos, ask open ended questions, use polls and surveys and get them interacting with you!

Request feedback
Ask your fans to share their thoughts on a new product or service you are offering or about to launch. Listen to what they have to say and thank them for their feedback. Make them feel like a valued member of your community.

Start a discussion online
Use Facebook's discussions feature to get feedback on what your fans want, like or think, either about your business, a certain hot topic or industry issue. You might learn something new about your fan base, which you could use to bring your hotel to another level.

It's all about participation!
Don't just sit back and watch - get involved! You should be an active member on your page too! Join their conversations, thank them for their comments, feedback, ask questions etc.

Let us know if you have any other tips you would like to share or if there is something you tried and worked!

Learn the lingo for Facebook

Facebook provides businesses with a powerful one-to-many communication vehicle. When you update your status, the message appears on the profile of all other Facebook users who have 'liked' the business page. It's also easy to comment on fan posts, upload photos and videos and send messages directly to users to further establish relationships, answer their questions and drive loyalty.

If you are new to Facebook, we have provided some information below to help you familiarise yourself with some of the features and how it works.

• Like – a virtual thumbs-up you can give to Facebook content.
• Status –  answers the question “What’s on your mind?”- a brief update to your ‘friends’.
• Wall – shows all your latest activity including comments, photos, events, videos, and more.
• Wall Post – when people post comments to your wall.
• Friends – anyone you’re connected to on Facebook.
• Newsfeed – a stream of content that updates you on the status, likes, and posts of your friends and brands or causes you follow.
• Mobile Upload – content that comes directly from your mobile phone, like a photo.
• Tagging – identifying a person or brand in a photo or post.

Anatomy of  a personal page

1. Notifications – This bar will show the number of friends you need to approve, the number of unread messages and your unchecked notifications. Notifications let you know if someone has commented onto your Wall or commented and liked something that you’ve posted.
2. Your Post – You can post to your Wall or respond to posts that your friends have left. You are able to comment on these posts or click ‘Like’ to show that you like the comment.
3. Account Photo – Your account photo accompanies all your posts so make sure that it’s professional, identifies you and stands out.
4. Wall - The wall is the area where your friends can post questions, comments, photos and videos. The activity is public for anyone who you have approved as a friend.
5. Info Tab – Where people can find information about you. This can include everything from your education, employers and age to interests and activities.
6. Facebook Ads - Facebook sells advertising on the right side of the page. While you can’t determine what ads show up, you can purchase your own targeted ads that either drive people to your page or to any other site.
7. Friends – Facebook allows you to see how many friends you have. These are people who receive your statuses or updates in their news feed and have access to your page.
8. Post from Friend – People who you have approved to be your friend are able to post on your Wall.

TA Fastrack regularly holds marketing webinars on a range of topics, including website design, search engine optimisation, social media marketing and more, or if you would like more information on how Facebook can help your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

5 items on your website you need to also include on Facebook

Just a few years ago, your website was the most important marekting tool used to deliver relevant content about your brand, products and services to your target market. However, with the increasing popularity of Facebook, things have changed dramatically.

More and more each day, it's becoming apparent that a significant portion of the user web experience starts and ends with Facebook. If businesses want to garner the attention of consumers, they need to be in front of them where they spend most of their time - which right now is on Facebook. (According to statistics, a user spends up to 15 hours a month on Facebook).

But how far should we take this? Should we put all our marketing dollars on Facebook and forget about having a website? At this point, we recommend that businesses maintain a balance between their own web presence and their investment in Facebook. Company websites should still be left in place for the purposes of corporate communication. There are still some things that don't belong on Facebook -- and legal information happens to be one of them. But what about more creative and compelling content?

We've established a list of five items on your website that we feel would work great on Facebook. Let us know what you think.

Online fan communities

Without question, Facebook should be home to your fan community. While some might argue that it's important from a branding standpoint to provide an outlet for discussion, the sheer volume of Facebook users is enough to drive marketers to select Facebook in this case. For example, your facebook page can be used to engage with fans on new topics of discussion and fans can use the wall to declare their fandom all day, every day. This is very good for the brand. Facebook and its viral functionality make it easy for your fans to share and connect. And of course, it's no secret that peer endorsements are more influential among users than commercials or celebrity endorsements.

Photos and videos

Photos and videos hosted on your website can also be uploaded onto your Facebook page. For example, you can upload new phtoos of your room/hotel renovations on Facebook, include behind the scenes video, sneak peek videos on events held at your hotel etc.

Special offers and rewards programs

Upload your special offer and promotions on Facebook. If you have a rewards card or loyalty program, users can manage their subscriptions to rewards cards/programs through Facebook. This makes perfect sense for an audience that is already on Facebook each day.

Polls and surveys

In May, Facebook reintroduced Facebook Questions, reviving the service as a means of polling users on certain issues. Your business can use this functionality to drive more engagement among users. Eg ask questions on what fans think of your new menu, room renovations etc, or get their opinion on a topic.

Some companies are going all in

While some companies are testing the waters with Facebook and seeing what works and what is ineffective for their brand, other companies are going all out and fully integrating their products into the platform. For example, some businesses now give fans the opportunity to purchase clothes from the Facebook page, share their favorite items or suggest gift ideas to their friends via the share button. Your hotel can make it easy for fans to book accommodation straight away on Facebook.


For more tips and information about social media marketing, speak to TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.

How to Get your Hotel’s Facebook Account to Stand Out

Avoid using Facebook simply to post your promotions and packages that you already have on your website. Below are five tips on how you can stand out from the rest.

1. Your posts are boring.
Get your fans involved and ensure they feel a part of your community.  Encourage your fans to post comments, pictures and videos of their holiday or stay at your hotel. Actively engage with your customers with organized, quality content and brand new, up-to-date information about what's happenin at your hotel, the area, upcoming events etc.

2. You don’t have a social media roadmap.
If you don’t have a map, chances are you won’t make it to your destination, especially if it’s in an unfamiliar area. Outline your objectives and goals so you can coordinate your marketing efforts and cross-utilize the various social media applications that will work best for each of your targeted market segments. It is essential to know what you plan to do, how you plan to do it and, most importantly, why you are doing it in the first place. 

3. Your promotions are just like everyone else’s.
According to the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, more than 75% of marketers plan on increasing their use of Facebook in 2011. But with more than 5 million active Facebook business pages, how do you get your promotions and your page to stand out from all of the others? Avoid using Facebook simply to post your packages and promotions that you already promote on your website. Give your facebook followers special perks and discounts that they can’t get anywhere else. Eg, a free upgrade for the first 10 people that redeem the coupon using a special facebook promotion code, or a facebook only sale for one day only. Th options are endless!

4. Guests have no reason to keep you in their primary news feed.
Remember Field of Dreams and the whispered message to Kevin Costner, “If you build it, they will come.” They might come once, but will they stick around or make a repeat visit? Take a long, hard look at your business facebook page. Are the posts lively, compelling and unique? There’s nothing worse than a dull Facebook page. Take photos of staff and put them on Facebook - personalise your page and let followers know more about the people behind your business. Take photos of guests during check-in or check-out or at an event you held and tag them.

Make the most of your facebook page’s tab settings by distributing special offers and coupons or holding contests and sweepstakes (be sure to follow Facebook’s full terms and conditions). The idea of winning something is a great incentive to keep fans coming back for more, not to mention it helps to attract new fans. Reward your loyal supporters and don’t forget to remind your users to like and share.

5. Commitment! 
Your Facebook page is a daily commitment, so if you're not ready, don’t go there. If you strive for one post a day, you’re on track to creating a successful page. Watch the activity on your page and post when your followers are most active, usually between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. And don't be afraid to mix it up by posting observations, tips, travel-related topics, breaking news and, without fail, open-ended questions to get followers to join in the conversation. 

If you want to be liked, you have to be likeable. Test various approaches to determine what works best with your fan base. Show your personality, be warm and inviting and have fun with your page!

For more information on how to get your property’s Facebook page to stand out from others and drive more bookings to your website, please contact one of the marketing consultants on +61 7 3040 3588. TA Fastrack can also assist with a personalised welcome page design for your facebook page. Call us now to find out more.

3 Ways To Tap Into The Power Of Social Media

Over 75% of Internet consumers use social media in some form or other, so if you're not using it you may be missing out on a big opportunity. Getting involved doesn't have to be complicated.

Here are three things you can do to get in the game.

Start a blog
Blogs are easy to create and maintain. You can use blogspot or wordpress to set up a blog and you won't even need to consult a web developer for help! Best of all, it’s free to set up a blog account with these sites.

The key is to create high quality content that is relevant to your target audience. Keep it consistent and keep it real. Other than that, just have fun with it! Some suggestions for blog posts include:

• Industry-specific tips and insights
• Special offers or give-aways
• Analysis of recent news items
• Product tutorials
• Humorous anecdotes
• Interviews with employees, customers or partners

Start a Facebook page
Facebook is one of the most popular sites in the world (along with Google). To get started, simply create a Facebook page where you can post updates, link to your blog articles, and receive feedback from your customers. As you post relevant content and interact with customers on your Facebook page, your fan base and your revenue will grow.

Post videos on YouTube
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, a video must be worth 1,000 pictures (and 1,000,000 words)! Plus videos get priority in search engine results and allow you to show a little personality. Start with a video on your company, resort, staff members and build your video library from there.

If you implement these social media elements in your marketing, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the raving fans waiting for you.

If you would like more information about facebook marketing or how you can maximise social media for your business, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.

10 Facebook Marketing Tips For Small Businesses

Small business owners mistakenly think they need a lot of time, money and resources to get online and start using social media like Facebook. But it doesn't require a full-time social media coordinator, or much of a budget, if any to started.

The adage “keep it simple” goes a long way with Facebook. Below are ten ways for small businesses to maximize their presence on Facebook with minimum resources. 

Manage expectations
Set realistic goals for your approach to social media and you won’t be disappointed. Don’t expect to get thousands of fans within your first month of getting on Facebook. Think more along the lines of a two or three digit number. Then, when you hit something larger than you originally anticipated, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and that will give you momentum. 

Make time 
Cultivating a Facebook presence doesn’t have to be a full-time job, and it doesn't need to eat up all your free time. Try to set aside an hour a day to work on your business’s page, post updates and communicate directly with customers and fans. 

Learn as much as you can 
Take notes based on your experiences with Facebook’s pages and other business services — at the very least, write down notes about things you don’t understand so you can research them up later. You’ll find just about anything you need to know within Facebook's s official help centre. There are also other great help articles/resources on Google Search. 

Start with a small budget 
It is possible to promote your business on Facebook without spending anything via word-of-mouth and referrals. At some point you might decide to buy advertising on Facebook, but resist the temptation to overspend. If you do decide to spend on Facebook Ads, you’re better off starting out doing small test ads to see what kind of performance you get for your money, and then ramp it up when you figure out which demographics and keywords you want to target.

Create a page, not a profile
Don’t open a second account on Facebook to make a profile for your business. Not only does that go against Facebook’s rules but it also moves you one degree of separation away from the people who are already on your friend list. These folks are the first people you want to invite to become fans of your business’s page.

Post cool status updates 
Make your profile work for your page by posting witty status updates that encourage your friends to engage with your Facebook business page. Apply that same sense of wit to the goal of one post per day to your page’s wall. If you can phrase it as a question, so much the better, because that will encourage responses from your community.

Have one-on-one conversations
Send a thank you and personalised message right after someone clicks “like” on your page. Make a point of responding to messages and wall posts within 24 hours. Pay careful attention to what fans tell you on your page and try to respond to their needs. 

Don’t spam 
People have gotten pretty tired of mass messaging and excessive numbers of posts filling up news feeds — don’t contribute to this noise and fans will appreciate it. When you have something to say to your followers, put it on your wall, not in their inboxes. 

Create coupons and promotions 
Discounts for first-time customers really work toward generating repeat business. But don’t limit the promotions to the first time someone engages with your company, lest they lose interest. Periodically put special offers or promotions that they can only access as a Facebook fan in order to keep people coming back. By creating a special code for your fans, you can also track the number of bookings that come through from Facebook.

Encourage check-ins 
Get your fans to check-in when they arrive at your business. You can even give a small gift when customers check-in, for example, a voucher for their next visit, bottle of wine etc. When customers check-in, their friends and family will see the status update on their wall, which will help increase your business' exposure.


If you would like more information about facebook marketing, or if you require a facebook welcome page design for your new page, speak to one of the Marketing Consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3590.

Facebook hotel booking conversions growing, for some higher than TripAdvisor

Facebook is fast becoming more than just a customer relationship tool for many hotels, motels and resorts. Many accommodation properties are now offering fans the ability to book a room directly from the hotel's Facebook page, which is leading to incremental sales.

“Over the course of 2009, we saw the volume of direct referrals from Facebook to hotel websites grow. The conversion rate was higher for Facebook than it was for TripAdvisor and other travel review sites,” said Douglas Quinby, senior director of research for PhoCusWright, a travel research firm in Sherman, Connecticut.

"The conversion rate on direct referrals from traveler review sites to hotel supplier websites ranged from 4% to 6% in 2009, while conversion from Facebook to hotel websites was 8%," said Mr Quinby.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide has provided a booking function within a tab on Facebook for all of its brands and properties since it has been on Facebook.

“Conversion on Facebook is smaller but close to conversion on our brand websites. (Starwood’s Facebook fans) start to see other people’s experiences at the properties,” said David Godsman, VP of global Web for Starwood.

While Starwood primarily uses Facebook to “engage” with its guests, the company’s executives realize the valuable e-commerce potential on the global social-networking site. To that end, Westin Hotels & Resorts in January introduced a “Shop” tab on its properties’ Facebook pages. The shopping widget serves as a fully-contained shopping transaction, instead of working as a link from Westin’s website.

“What we are seeing now is an emergence of technology that that we didn’t see six months ago. There is an opportunity for ourselves and other hotel brands to enable these type of transactions within Facebook,” Godsman said.

If you would like to find out more about using social media, or to get a professionally designed Facebook welcome page for your hotel, which includes an overview of your products and integrates your booking button on the page, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3590.

Aussies spending more time on social networks

According to a new report from comScore, social networking now accounts for 21.9% of the total time that Australians spend on the internet - up 5.3% in 2010.

‘The State of the Internet in Australia’ report reveals that social media is playing an increasing role in consumers' daily routine online.


Visits to portals accounted for 19.7%, down nearly 10% from the previous year, while Instant Messengers accounted for 11.6% of time, down 7.7%, as both categories lost share to social networks. However, entertainment, which accounted for 9.1% of total time spent in 2009, increased 2% to 11.1%. Group-buying sites also continued to gain traction over the past year with Cudo garnering 418,000 unique visitors in
December 2010.

Will Hodgman, executive vice president at comScore, said: “2010 was dynamic year for the digital media industry in Australia. Consumers are turning to the internet with increasing frequency for a vast array of activities including entertainment, commerce, news and information and communication, as digital media
becomes embedded in the daily lives of Australians.”

The the large growth in time spent on social networking platforms also shows a huge shift in how consumers are communicating within their own networks.

This has huge implications for how businesses are trying to reach people. If they're not on sociel networks, like Facebook or Twitter, they will most likely fall behind and further out of contact with their customers.

This year, comScore expects to see continued innovation and more competition as an increasing number of brands turn to social networks in order to capture consumers’ attention.

Other results from the report showed that Microsoft Sites - such as ninemsn - led as the most-visited internet property in Australia, followed by Google Sites and Facebook.com.

In terms of top sites by total minutes spent, Facebook took the number one spot, followed by Microsoft Sites and Google Sites. The report also found that more Australians visited retail sites online compared to last year. Amazon and Apple were the the most-visited retail sites online.

To avoid getting left behind, make sure you have a facebook page set up. Email to speak to TA Fastrack on 07 3040 3590 about setting up a professionally designed and customised facebook welcome page for your business. We can assist with designing a facebook welcome page or managing social media for your business.

Looking Back on 2010

As I sit in a very crowded airport, I find myself reflecting back on this past year. For the Interactive Marketing/Search industry, 2010 was very active with mergers/acquisitions, partnerships, innovation and constant change. Although it’s been a wild ride, as we look toward 2011, advertisers should leverage the knowledge learned this past year and prepare for what’s ahead.


Here is a sampling of some of the more eventful happenings from this year:

• Google Caffeine, Instant & Preview
• Partnership between Yahoo & MSN/Bing
• Promoted Tweets
• Facebook Pages to “Like” not ‘Friend/Follow”
• LinkedIn Company Page Feature for “Products/Services”
• iPad and entry of the Tablet
• Introduction of Droid and Windows Phone
• Remarketing Ads
• Invasion of all things Mobile
• Enhanced features (extensions) in AdWords for more robust ads.

As we finish out the year and prepare 2011 marketing budgets and goals, here are the areas I predict will be on most company’s radar:

• Measuring Social Media Results and Monetization of Those Efforts
• Crafting Multi-Device, Robust Mobile Strategy Beyond Basic Visibility
• Improving on Analytics and Integration With Other Important Data
• Refining Paid Search Campaigns – More Experimentation With Other Engines, Portals, Networks, etc.
• Multi-Channel Strategy Development & Execution … Holistic Marketing
• Content Maximization for Enhanced SEO Value
• Experimentation – Multivariate Testing
• Identification of Metrics & Goals

As an incentive to companies who are looking to get a Jumpstart on 2011, we are offering 10% off any consulting program initiated by December 31, 2010. Let us help with a laser-like focus on search and interactive marketing.

Contact me for more details.

How to get your hotel's facebook account to stand out

Avoid using Facebook simply to post your room specials and packages available on your website. You need a carefully devised strategy to attract fans, rally them into action, get them to spread the word and engage them in continuous conversation and keep them coming back to your page.


According to research, there are over 11 million users from Australia that use Facebook. There are nearly 8 million monthly active users in Australia, of which, only 1 million of these are under 18 years old. The biggest segment is the 25-34 age group with 29.3%, followed by the 18-24 age group, with 28.8%. The 35+ years segment accounts for about 30% of the Australian Facebook population and is according to Nielsen Online, the fastest growing segment. The average time spent on Facebook in a given month is 8:19 hours - 7 and a half hours more than its closest rival site, YouTube.

According to Facebook, more than 30 billion pieces of content (including web links, blog posts, news stories, and photographs) are shared through the site each month.  The average Facebook user has 130 friends and is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.

With all of this activity, why are you having such a hard time getting people to “like” your business page?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Your posts are boring. And you’re doing all the talking.  
Get your customers involved and ensure they feel a part of your hotel community. Encourage your guests to post comments, pictures and videos of their stay at your hotel directly on your Facebook wall.

A successful Facebook page listens to and actively engages its customer with organized, quality content and brand new, up-to-date information from not only its administrator but also its followers. 

2. Have a social media roadmap. 
If you don’t have a map, chances are you won’t make it to your destination, especially if it’s in an unfamiliar area.  Social media works the same way.  No plan and, before you know it, you’re lost. 

Every marketing plan should have a section dedicated to social media. By outlining your objectives, you can coordinate your marketing efforts and cross-utilize the various social media applications that will work best for each of your targeted markets.  It is essential to know what you plan to do, how you plan to do it and, most importantly, why you are doing it in the first place. 

3. Your promotions are just like everyone else’s. 
There are more than 3 million active business pages on Facebook, so how do you get your promotions to stand out from all of the others?  Avoid using Facebook to just post room specials and packages that are advertised on your website. Give your followers special perks, discounts or a sneak peek that they can’t get anywhere else.  For example, get a free upgrade for the first 10 people that make a booking using a code that is only available through Facebook or have a Mid-Week Mania sale on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

4. Guests have no reason to keep you in their primary news feed. 
They might come once and check out the page, but will they stick around or make a repeat visit?  Take a good long look at your business page.  Are the posts lively, compelling, unique and timely? 

If you take photos of your followers attending events at your hotel, tag them on Facebook.  Most people have notifications that deploy an alert when they have been tagged in a photo album.  Make the most of your page’s tab settings by distributing special offers and coupons or holding contests (be sure to follow Facebook’s full terms and conditions).  The idea of winning something is a great incentive to keep your guests coming back for more, and also encourage them to refer your page to their friends and family. Reward your loyal supporters and don’t forget to remind your guests to like and share.

5. If you can’t commit, then don't set it up!
Your Facebook page is a daily commitment, so if you aren’t ready to commit to posting updates and interacting with guests on a daily basis, then don't set up a page.

According to Social Media Examiner, for most business pages, there is a direct correlation between the frequency of posts and the number of followers.  If you strive for one post per day, you’re on track to creating a successful business facebook page.  Watch the activity on your page and post when your followers are most active, which is usually between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. 

If you don’t know what to post, then mix it up with observations (for example, what you see from your room balcony, or the great weather), tips, travel-related topics, breaking news and, open-ended questions to inspire observations and feedback from your followers.   

If you want to be liked, you have to be likeable.  Test various approaches to determine what works best with your fans.  Show your personality, be warm and inviting and have fun with your page.  It will create that sense of community so essential to social networks.

If you would like to learn more about social media, how it can work for your business and for more information about social media monitoring, speak to a marketing consultant from TA Fastrack today.