by Chris Barnard | Mar 26, 2019 | Facebook
Facebook Reviews Are Now Recommendations
Back in August of 2018 Facebook announced several changes rolling out to business pages, with the reviews to recommendations change being one of the most discussed.
Facebook Business Pages have always been able to feature ratings and reviews from your customers, and people could always leave you a review.
So what’s changed?
Those reviews are now recommendations.
Reviews don’t exist in a 1-5 number rating anymore, now it’s more of a richer, personal experience.
Although the numerical star rating system is still displayed on your Facebook Page, that’s only for reviews & ratings you accrued before the change to Recommendations. (more…)
by Chris Barnard | Mar 7, 2019 | Google+
Google+ Is Done
Back in October of 2018 Google announced it was “sunsetting“ Google+ – their failed experiment of a social media platform – for consumers.
Despite how local businesses used Google+ or didn’t, the bottom line is that if you ever used it, whether personal or as your business, you’ll want to be aware of some things.
What Was Google Plus?
Google+ was Google’s failed attempt at a social media platform to rival Facebook.
It was originally the social component of what was then named Google+ Local and has since split from the Google+ package into the standalone Google My Business.
Confused again?
Good, then you’re getting Google. Don’t worry, the history lesson doesn’t matter. (more…)
by Chris Barnard | Jan 24, 2019 | Google My Business
UPDATED 1/24/2021.
What Are Google Posts?
Google Posts are a new way to market to customers & prospective customers (people searching for your products and.or services on Google) through your Google My Business listing.
Google Posts are offers, content, events, or highlights about your business published – via Google My Business (not Google+…more on that later) – which post directly to Google Search & Google Maps.
According to Google, posting through Google My Business lets you publish your events, products, and services directly to Google Search and Maps.
By creating posts, you can place timely, action-oriented content in front of customers & prospective customers when they find your business listing on Google or Google Maps.
Where Will People See Your Google Posts?
When you publish a Post to your Google My Business listing, your post will be seen on:
- Your Google My Business listing.
- Google search engine results – in your Knowledge Panel.
- On your Google Maps listing.
Here’s an example of what Posts inside the Knowledge Panel looks like on search: (more…)
by Chris Barnard | Jan 8, 2019 | Digital Marketing
Social Media for Local Businesses: What Are The Costs?
The costs of social media marketing for any local business are directly tied to the ROI you receive from social media marketing.
The ROI of social media for your local business can be substantial, but so can the effort and costs of properly managing your social media presence.
Whether you have a big budget or a small one, there are several options available to business owners poised to hashtag your way to social media success.
But before we examine the costs of social media marketing, let’s again review what your goals should be, or moreover which goals will deliver you the best return on investment. (more…)
by Chris Barnard | Sep 4, 2018 | Facebook
Facebook Marketing for Local Businesses
Facebook is one of – if not the – most popular social media platforms used by businesses of all sizes, local, regional, national, & interplanetary.
NASA, Elon Musk, Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, & the USAF all have Facebook pages.
And so does the local car wash, your favorite burger joint, and most local businesses.
Your Facebook Business Page helps you promote and share exactly what it is about your business that has your customers happy to visit, return, review, & refer.
Despite recent updates to the News Feed, Facebook remains an essential marketing avenue & citation for every local business.
According to the Pew Research Center,
Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) now report that they are Facebook users, and roughly three-quarters of those users (74%) access Facebook on a daily basis.
Facebook isn’t going anywhere, and your business needs to make it an integral part of your digital marketing stack.
So let’s start at the beginning, call it OCD or whatever, but I think that there’s no reason to waste time & money posting great content, promoting an event, or advertising if your Facebook page isn’t optimized in the first place.
Use this resource to make sure you’ve categorized your Facebook Business Page correctly, and taken care to optimize every factor possible so you can maximize your return on investment. (more…)
