facebook for bermudian businesses: a starter kit
Whatever the size of your business, you might be thinking of having a presence on Facebook. It can be a daunting thought! What if people say mean things? What if I'm too busy to update it? What if people don't follow me or don't like what I say? What if I can't think of anything to post?
facebook facts
Whether you use Facebook personally or not, it's worth knowing that there are 26,560 adults in Bermuda on Facebook (about 50% of the population in case you're reading this and you're not from Bermuda!). Want to advertise to people over 40? You'll reach 13,720. (See below to find out how to get this information.)
Facebook is the number 2 site worldwide, next only to Google. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third most populated country in the world (after China & India)... and Bermuda absolutely loves it! Keeping in touch with friends is of course the primary reason for people using it, but they are interested in local businesses too.
why should I bother?
Well, as you can see, Bermuda is using Facebook. If people are researching your business online, their first stop is likely to be Google to see if they can find you there. Failing that (if you don't have a website or your website isn't optimised for Google to find it), there's Bermuda Yellow Pages or the emoo directory perhaps.
But people are also searching for businesses on Facebook. Facebook allows you to promote your business in whatever way you want to, rather than just a listing. You can update it with special offers, promotions, events, daily specials or just things you like. So people can find you, can find out more about you and what you're up to.
If you're not there, you won't be found and your competitor might be.
And if you think people don't use the internet to research local businesses here, then you'd be mistaken. Have you noticed that the telephone rings less and people prefer to email these days? So they're also looking online - reading Bernews instead of picking up the Royal Gazette? In fact, lots of people even find out their news from Facebook.
what if people say mean things?
In a way, this is the beauty of Facebook because people can say whatever they like about your business if they want to. And it gives you the opportunity to hear these things - good or bad - and to respond to them appropriately. Most dissatisfied customers walk out without saying anything. Facebook gives them the opportunity to complain to their friends and the good news is that you get to hear about it so you can do something about it!
1. Respond promptly, apologise or ask to hear more about it
2. If you'd rather not have the detailed conversation openly you can let the customer know that you'll inbox them (send a Facebook message) but you're letting everyone else know you're listening
3. Get to the bottom of the complaint, try to resolve it
4. Offer them compensation if you can
This gives them another positive story to tell their friends so you've turned a bad situation into a great one!
what if I'm too busy or I don't know what to write?
If you can't commit to updating your Facebook page, then why not speak to us about helping you out. If you're not going to update your page, then it looks bad when people go to your page and see that you have one but haven't posted anything for a year!
how do I get people to like me?
There are lots of ways we can help with this, from setting up Facebook advertising, to competition ideas to helping spread the word via other means. Some pages and companies will naturally take off more than others but we can help you get a good following no matter what your business is.
ok, so how do you get those numbers?
OK, here's how to find the magic!
1. You'll need a personal Facebook account so go and set one up. Go on!
2. Then go to the bottom of the page and hit the word 'Advertising' (in between 'About' and 'Create a Page')
3. Click on the green button in the top right (don't worry, you don't have to actually create an ad or pay for anything)
4. Next just pretend you want to set something up
a. Click Destination > External URL
b. URL > why not put www.aardvark.bm (we won't mind)
c. Title > Aardvark are awesome
d. Body > They really really are
e. Image > You will need to upload one before you get to the magic - just choose any photo you have on your computer
f. Click Continue
5. Now you've opened up the magical gates called 'Targeting'
6. Make sure the location is set to Bermuda
7. On the following sections, you can type in any variety of who you'd like to target
Then you can click away, to find a little bit more about your fellow Bermudians!
If you'd like to talk more about using Facebook to help your business, just drop Becks a line rebekah@aardvark.bm or call us on 295 0361.
