Monday, June 25, 2012

Facebook Posts for Business

You can now post your Facebook content for a more convenient time for your audience. By clicking on the clock icon on the bottom of your post box you can choose the best time and date for your posts.

And what time is optimal for your posts? This takes a little of experimentation and a review of your Facebook metrics. You'll want to time your posts so that your post appears at the top of your customer's news feed. So the best time to post really depends on what you're posting and who your customer is. If you are posting to a younger crowd who is likely to be online between 11PM-12AM then you might try a post at that time.

But if your customers are likely to be early risers a post at 7AM to 9AM may get you better results. And whatever time is best for your business, it's now easier to tweak and schedule with the new Facebook timer.      

Monday, June 18, 2012

Checking up on Four Square

What is Four Square? It's an app that is growing with popularity that allows users to check in at local businesses. Why would a user check in? To tell their friends where they are, what they're doing, the meal they might be having, their favorite coffee. And users also get rewarded by earning badges, becoming a mayor, becoming experts.

If you own a business and have a web presence you probably are already part of Foursquare. But, like most sites where your business listing shows you need to claim your business on Foursquare before you can interact with your customers and receive demographics regarding those customers.

You can also set up specials to reward customers for checking in with your business. Customers who check in reward your business with word of mouth recommendations that often get shared across Facebook and Twitter accounts.

And the best thing about this is that all it costs is the time to set it up, claiming your business, and setting up the special. For more information click here.  

Monday, June 11, 2012

Integration of Social Media and Website

Search engines continually evolve and it is never so apparent when you search for something online and then receive a blanket of ads for something you were trying to get rid of; not something you were interested in purchasing.

For example, I recently was investigating the worth of a cash drawer that a customer wanted to unload. Several week later I still receive ads for websites that sell cash drawers. They follow me from search engines, to game sites, to Facebook.

Then there are the times when the ads are truly helpful---searching for a hard to find item and you are suddenly helped by one of those Facebook side items---directed to a website that has exactly what you are looking for at a great price.

And this is an example of why you should make sure that your Facebook page, Twitter, Pin It, and any other social media leads your customer to your website. If I find you on Facebook and your website is lost in your timeline, I leave without paying you a visit. The best use of Facebook has the company website right there at the top.  And be sure to make it easy for people to share what you offer online and pass the word on about just how great you are.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Product not as Described

If you're planning on selling on eBay then you need to know that eBay can and will hold your funds from a sale sooner or later. Your funds will be held even though your shipping costs have been paid out of your own pocket. And even if you are in the right and even though your customer has not contacted you regarding the problem or issue first.

Most customers don't realize that filing a claim with eBay freezes funds in the sellers eBay account. A customer who has difficulty using a product will file a claim stating the "product is not as described." EBay then freezes the money and sends an email to the seller stating that the matter should be resolved. This leaves the seller out the cost of shipping and without the product in the interim.

The more detailed and complicated your product, the more likely you will receive this type of claim against your eBay store. A customer receives the product, can't get it to work properly, and files the claim without contacting the store for help first because they feel more protected through eBay.

The faster the issue is resolved the better---eBay doesn't release your money until the issue is resolved and eBay reserves the right to arbitrate. You'll then receive a letter stating the good news that your seller rating was not affected and your funds are released.