Social Geek: Twice Per Week!

Last week I took a leap forward with the Social Geek Radio podcast. I will be hosting TWO shows per week.

I have recently met so many interesting marketers and franchise industry pros with fascinating stories that one show per week just isn’t enough! And I have a few other people to thank for inspiring me to take Social Geek Radio Season Nine to the next level:

THANKS to my new team at Social Joey for feeding my brain with all kinds of new ideas that are ripe for podcast discussions. The founders of Social Joey remind me that the most important thing in any business is the serve your audience and customers. I hope I am providing some value to anyone who listens.

THANKS to the three smartest digital marketers I know: Mike McDowell, Liane Caruso, and Jim Buckley. These three keep me informed (and honest!) about the latest trends in social media, digital marketing, and franchise marketing.

Mike, Liane, and Jim will be a big part of the new Social Geek Radio as regular contributors, alias The Digital Marketing All-Stars. Any success I’ve had in life or business is due to surrounding myself with the best and brightest people. I could not be more fortunate to have such great friends who are willing to jump into these conversations and keep it fun.

Lastly, THANKS to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook for always giving us something new and controversial to discuss.

Check out the latest show where we analyze last week’s Zuckerberg testimony and make some predictions on Facebook’s future!

Facebook Organic Panic

The recent changes at Facebook announced by Mark Zuckerberg have caused panic and meltdowns by some so-called social media “experts.” These one-trick marketers think it’s the end of the world for Facebook and are spreading false fear to brands. I hope your competitors listen to this insanity.

Please share this terrible advice with your competitors:

Yes, Facebook is dying. It will probably go away forever very soon.
Facebook organic reach will be so low that it’s just not worth using Facebook anymore.
Facebook ad rates will go up. So instead of advertising to grow your business in the midst of the biggest business boom in 30 years, you should pull back and start hoarding pennies.
Stop using social media altogether.
Go back to relying on direct mail ads, newspaper ads, and yellow page ads, because, sure, that’s where customers are spending time.
Also, the sky is falling! Eek!

Don’t Panic

Let your competitors lose their heads. If they’re going to pull back on Facebook due to decreased space, that’s more space for the rest of us!

I’m not sure if any of these social media “gurus” really believe Facebook is falling, are just trying to get noticed, or have a deep resentment of Facebook’s success and are looking to celebrate a decline. But make no mistake – the only failure here will be made by those not constantly adapting and capitalizing on changes in social media.

What to Do

Here are my three recommendations in dealing with these changes on Facebook:

1. Double down on Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads. Will ad rates go up? Of course they will. Facebook ads are more effective and more efficient than any other ads available today. Prepare for a year where the US economy will grow 3-4% (finally!). So yes, ad rates will go up and so will your revenue if new customers can find you and can engage with you.

2. Create even better, more sharable content. The value of organic content is no longer about hitting many current fans with a message. The real value comes from getting a few fans or customers to share your content or their experience with their friends. As per last week’s news feed changes, these shared posts by friends will dominate screens.

3. Consult a professional. Do you really want to spend your entire day navigating these increasingly complicated waters?

Christmas In July: Planning Q4 Digital Marketing Now

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of 4^th Quarter sales for retailers, restaurants, and many other small businesses or multi-location businesses. While operations and other parts of your organization have had the rest of the year mapped out since last year, your digital marketing activities may not even be finalized for back-to-school promotions, let alone holiday shopping.

In the past, too many marketers have waited until the summer was over to gear up for the holidays. But now that’s too late. It’s now Christmas in July or at least planning your digital marketing tactics for Christmas during July.

Also, is 2018 the year your big idea explodes? If next year is your “hockey stick year,” then Q4 better be solid. To get started, here are three questions to ask yourself during July:

1. What are you going to do now to have a great Q4?

What will compel customers to pay you a visit and make a purchase? Do you have a killer promotion ready to roll?

2. How are you getting people into your stores or onto your website?

Facebook (organic) posts? Forget it. Tweets? Unless your name is Donald, forget it.

You’ve got to hit large numbers of people or smaller numbers of the right people using:

Facebook ads
Pay Per Click ads
Display ads

Blog posts and other forms of content marketing are great for awareness and long term branding, but you need to guarantee traffic soon. Find what advertising and promotions work now and pour some fuel on it. And when I say fuel, I mean ad dollars.

3. Are the customers you had last year coming back, or are they buying from Amazon?

This one is very important for retailers – all boutique shops, specialty stores, chains, or franchises. We think we have a loyal base, so why would they not come back in this year

I’ll tell you why … there are an estimated 80 million Amazon Prime customers. Many of your customers are part of that. Use digital ads to reach them and give them a reason to get off their big fat lazy Amazon and come into your store!

Jobs on Facebook

Who is your company’s best recruiter? Who finds the most talented team members capable of adding to your growth and culture? It could be your HR director, sales manager, or operations chief. Or it could be Mark Zuckerberg.

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Last month saw a nice improvement in US employment numbers. 235,000 new jobs were added and they appear to be higher-paying as well as more likely full-time and permanent compared to those added in recent months and years. Some are calling it the Trump Bump. Another month like this and we’ll call it a trend. When we get to 500,000+ jobs, we’ll call it a boom.

A boom is great. A boom is welcome. But a boom will mean that exceptional candidates will be harder to find for your brand, offices, stores, service centers, franchisees, and locations. How will you bring them in?

The answer, as with many things in business in 2017, is Facebook.

Facebook Jobs

The Facebook Jobs app is slowly rolling out to business pages. If your page has the functionality now, you’ll see the Jobs tab in the recently-cleaned up apps list on the lower left side of the desktop version of your page. Desktop users will see your page’s jobs tab also on the left. Mobile users may find it in the horizontal scrolling apps on the mobile version of your page. But most users will find your job posting not by going to page (because who does that anymore!?) but by hitting the Jobs section in the mobile app where they will see compiled jobs based on their location.

So far most of the jobs I am seeing when I look at my personal Facebook app are for bartenders and food truck operators. This is supposedly only based on geography, but perhaps Facebook is targeting based on my recent posts!

Posting Your Job

If you already have the jobs function, posting is simpler than any job post you’ve even created in your life. First click that Jobs tab on the left to get started. Then click on the green Create Job box.

This takes us to a very simple “Publish a Job Post” area. Calling this “a post” is very smart and enticing; it’s fast, easy, and everyone has created a Facebook post. Like any post, give it a headline, add a photo (or default to your cover photo), put in the basics on the job and you’re done. This is so easy and fun that I think employers will create more jobs just to post more. We’ll call that the Zuck Bump…

But What About LinkedIn?

The Jobs on Facebook section is so easy to use for employers and job seekers that some have questioned the future of LinkedIn. While I support the position that Facebook is steadily replacing everything online, I think there’s plenty of opportunity for LinkedIn users for a long time to come. Some jobs – perhaps those on the higher end of the economic scale – may never appear on Facebook. And if we hit the jobs boom, employers will need to find candidates in multiple places and channels.

Deeper Political Divides in Social Media in 2017

You think 2016 was rough? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Trump. Clinton. Bernie. Obamacare. Make America Great Again. Black Lives Matter. Email servers. Putin. Benghazi. Wikileaks. Fox News. CNN. Trumpists. Snowflakes.

If you’re paying attention on Facebook, you know your friends’ opinions on many of the above subjects.

Some may think that with the election behind us and the inauguration happening this week that the heated debates are done. I think it’s just warming up.

The New (Ab)Normal

Just a few years ago, the public sharing of so much political nastiness was simply not done. At least it was not done by adults and professionals. But after the past year of raw political argument, we have lost all filters.

The incoming President of the United States has forsaken all filters including media editors and his own spokespeople in favor of instant Facebook posts and real-time Tweets. Love him or hate him, we’re now all doing the same thing.

Swapping Positions 2009 to 2017

An interesting change between those on opposite ends of the political spectrum is happening in 2017, and I don’t mean the residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There’s a role reversal happening in the poli-social space.

In the US and much of Europe, Liberals are now taking over the role of opposition to the Conservative’s new position as the establishment.

For the past 8 years, Conservatives have played the role of the rebel alliance fighting the big-government empire. Think of that timeframe: for most of the lifespan of social media, or at least the lifespan of marketing and massive use on Facebook, Republicans have been on the offense in social media messages while Democrats have had to play defense. When President Barack Obama took office in January of 2009, the Democrats also had control of the US House and the US Senate. The Republicans used social media to attack that establishment. Eventually the tide turned back in their favor.

Now with the GOP in the White House, retaining the Senate, holding the House, and growing their lead across most state governments, it’s the Democrats’ turn to go on offense. This may lead to a great frenzy of counter-culture activity on social. We could be seeing the dawn of a new of 1960s style protest movement, although it’s a sterilized digital version where you don’t actually have to leave your phone to participate.

More #FakeNews

How do some respond to news that they just don’t like? Call it Fake News. Be prepared to see about half of the content shared on social media to be called fake news by someone. Caution: the more that label is used, the less of an impact it has.

I personally plan to save the fake news moniker for so-called established news sources that publish false news and ignoring the phony sources that pop up.

More Unfriending = An Opportunity for Marketers

On my own personal Facebook account was unfriended by just one friend, but unfollowed or hidden by an untold many due during the 2016 election. Once some people start trimming their friend lists, it’s easy to continue. This could be the start for many Facebook users to scale down their list of friends to their real friends, or more likely, those who share many beliefs.

Here’s where my marketing friends (the real and the Facebook kind!) can find an opportunity in this mess —

Friends’ posts in the newsfeed rank higher than anything from brands or publishers since a June 2016 Facebook update. More unfriending means more prime real estate for your brand’s content on a fan’s newsfeed! Don’t give up on organic Facebook posts quite yet. After a divisive year, there may be a lot of holes to fill!

For more discussion on social media trends we’re spotting for 2017, check out this recent episode of Social Geek Radio with my co-host Deb Evans and special guest, my Qiigo colleague Liane Caruso!

Just Facebook and Nothing Else?

In the distant future … like 18 months from now … we may look back fondly on this year as the time when we went to places on the internet other than Facebook.

We may also get a sense of nostalgia about other apps on our phones that are not Facebook or owned by Facebook.

Will we need anything else? Maybe not. And perhaps we’re already closer than you may think to a Just Facebook world:

Facebook Entity: What It’s Replaced / Replacing:

Facebook Messenger Texting

Facebook’s What’s App Texting

Facebook Ads Advertising anywhere else

Facebook’s Instagram Snapchat

Facebook’s Workplace Slack, Instant Messaging, Your intranet

Facebook Marketplace eBay

Facebook Live Periscope, YouTube

and most importantly:

Posts from your Business Page Website for your brand

Posts from your Locations’ Pages All web pages for your entire organization

Website? What’s a Website?

If you serve up the right content to your customers in their own Facebook newsfeed, the need for them to click through to your website is minimized.

Are you trying to build traffic to your website or traffic into your business? Too many marketers have focused on web traffic for the sake of web traffic and sidestepped the obvious need to also make the cash register ring.

Some people will still click through to your site or landing page to confirm, but that’s fine. They are going to call / order / stop in / purchase anyway, so let them do so in the manner which makes them most comfortable.

The One Page That Will Still Matter: Google SERP

A similar argument may be made to grab those potential customers who search for the services you offer. If your phone number, hours, food menu, and map to your storefront are all on the Google search engine results page, do they really need to go to your website?

I’m not at all suggesting that you pull the plug on your website or ignore the need to keep it relevant. I suggest the opposite; good, fresh content on your site is more essential than ever to ensure that you show up on Google in the first place and have a full online experience for those who want more than Just Facebook.

What Should YOU Promote on Instagram or Snapchat?

Just when brands got their arms wrapped around posting good content on Facebook and Twitter, some of their audience emigrated to Instagram and Snapchat. If your customer base fits the demographic of either of these channels, ignoring them is as irresponsible as not moving your brand into Facebook five years ago.

Although Instagram is looking more and more like Facebook, and Facebook is looking more and more like Snapchat, these channels are used very differently by consumers than Facebook.

Earned & Organic

Depending on your brand and strategy, you should explore spending on some Instagram ads. I’m less bullish on paid opportunities in Snapchat for most brands so far. So, let’s focus organic / earned content.

The good news is that 60% of 13 to 34 year-olds in the US use Snapchat. That’s approximately 50 million consumers.

The better news is they are not passive; they’re engaged!

The bad news is they’re engaged only with their friends and probably don’t want to engage with your brand.

So, let’s build on that. Get your current customers to post for you – in other words, be Snapworthy!

Be Snapworthy

Even the most prolific and obnoxious social sharers only have so many snaps or posts they can do in an hour. You have a limited opportunity for them to take a picture of something in your store or say something about your brand.

This goes well beyond social media marketing. This is a challenge for all store managers, franchisees / owners, and especially local staff. You must do something to make that customer feel compelled to pull out their phone and tell a story. This won’t be due to an offer, a discount, or a coupon. It will be due to the way you made them feel.

Using this tactic on Facebook too

If the customer posts a pic to Facebook, it’s even better. Even younger demos still have a much larger friend community there than anywhere else. And, with the algorithm changes Facebook made on June 30, a user’s friends’ posts now claim higher positions in his or her newsfeed than anything else — even from news publishers. That’s bad news for traditional media, but great news for you if your customers find you interesting enough to share something that includes you!

Reaching Franchise Candidates on LinkedIn

More franchisors have asked me about using Social Media for franchise development in the past 6 weeks than in the previous 6 years.

At recent events including FranTech, Franchise Leadership and Development Conference, The Chicago Women’s Franchise Network, and Springboard, my conversations have focused on using Facebook for not only generating new leads from your consumer customer base, but also engaging with candidates further down your franchise development sales funnel using Facebook’s Custom Audience Targeting.

And often, the next question has been: “But what about LinkedIn?”

Franchisors at these events ask about improving their results in finding candidates on LinkedIn. Many tried LinkedIn early in their online marketing journey but got bad results and quickly moved on.

I suggest that LinkedIn may not be appropriate for engaging with some types of potential franchisees, just as Facebook or other channels may not work for other types of prospects.

Recommendation #1: Before jumping into any social media marketing for franchise development, look at who your candidates are and where they spend their time on social media.

The Facebook Side

If your best franchise candidates are those folks who will be operating their own store or other franchise location day-to-day, Facebook is the best place to engage. They may be customers of a current franchisee who could visualize themselves running their own shop. They have an interest – and hopefully a passion – for your brand’s type of service, work, food, or culture!

At our FLDC panel discussion, Wild Birds Unlimited exemplified this type of brand. Chief Development Officer Paul Pickett shared how individuals on Facebook can engage with a brand that shares their passion and then picture themselves as owning their own store. I would add that being a great storyteller and sharing appealing images and videos is key in developing these relationships! Facebook is the most important place to spend your development time as this is where such future owners are already spending their time.

The LinkedIn Side

If your best franchise candidates are looking for an investment or for their next franchise award, let’s look at LinkedIn. Those candidates are in “the business of business” and invest in a franchise based only on return. LinkedIn is an excellent place to share information about your franchise’s value.

On the same FLDC panel, LinkedIn success was represented by ZIPS Franchising. ZIPS Vice President Aaron Goldberg does a fantastic job communicating on LinkedIn with potential business partners who are multi-unit owners investing in franchises.

At my FranTech Roundtable on Social Media in October, many Franchisors shared with me that they burn through their LinkedIn ad budgets quickly. Unlike Facebook where your boosted posts are easy for the right prospects to consume, LinkedIn puts you in a very competitive position to get a franchise development ad viewed.

Recommendation #2: I’m currently recommending not initially buying ads on LinkedIn. Instead, use LinkedIn as the one-to-one communication tool that Twitter was meant to be. There’s no advertising cost to engage with a person as another person!

LinkedIn may not be a great place to generate a completely new lead, but it is the best place to communicate with potential business partners with whom you’re already engaged.

Recommendation #3: Use LinkedIn for franchise development via your personal profile, not your company LinkedIn page. People buy from people. The goldmine of LinkedIn for any brand is in its use by company representatives as individuals. Sure, your company page needs to be updated and appealing. But the heavy lifting needs to be done from you as a business leader.

Recommendation #4: Use these tactics every day to get to the next level with your franchise prospects on LinkedIn:

*Share relevant business articles and blog posts that would be of interest to your candidates.

*Reach out to them via LinkedIn messages and InMails. Both have a significantly higher response rate than emails.

And remember the most important thing when promoting a business to prospective buyers on social media: even when you’re not engaging with them, they’re watching you!

Post Every Day on All of Your Facebook Pages

In the presentation titled 9 Social Media Best Practices for Franchisors, the practice that is most challenging for some marketers is also my favorite:

Post Every Day on All of Your Facebook Pages.

Few argue with the value of good, regular content flowing to their fans’ newsfeeds. And, in case consumers seek and discover your page on their own, my observation is that having a page with nothing new on it in the past two weeks looks like you’re out of business.

But some marketers are challenged by this daunting daily task looming over their content calendars. The reluctance may be caused by a feeling that daily posts are too much for their fans and that it’s just too hard to produce.

Too much? No.

With today’s painfully low organic reach, your risk of overserving content to a fan is nonexistent. When only 1% to 10% of your organic posts is actually seen by your fans, your daily posts will rarely hit their news feeds once each week.

Tell any fans who think you post too often the same thing I would tell radio listeners 20 years ago, when they would call my station and complain, “You played that same Pearl Jam song yesterday at 8am and then again at 10pm!” I would respond, “You’re right. THANKS for listening so much! Let me send you a t-shirt!” They may have been an irritated listener (or more likely, one who just wanted to show they caught a perceived flaw). But, to me we had someone who was engaged and listening for 14 straight hours! Now if only they had an Arbitron ratings diary…

Too hard? No.

Posting this much can be hard. It’s especially hard if it’s in addition to your current marketing workload or job description (whatever that is). But being too hard is no longer a reason to not do something. I frequently tell friends and groups with whom I speak that it’s now okay to ignore anyone who gives the excuse of not improving because it’s too hard. They will be soon gone from their current position and will no longer block you.

Exceptions? Yes.

Are there days when you shouldn’t post at least once? Yes, but it has less to do with the quantity of posts, and more about special occasions when your content is best throttled back. See these suggestions on days to skip posting.

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