Welcome to the CX Blog

Guest blog by Roy Rasmussen
Co-author of Cloud Computing Simplified for Small Businesses for DMS & Associates

Most companies know Facebook can be a powerful marketing tool, but relatively few have a strategy to use it effectively. It’s common for small business owners to set up a Facebook page, let it sit without generating any revenue, and then leap to the conclusion that Facebook doesn’t work. Facebook works fine, but only when used effectively. Your best strategy is to hire an experienced, knowledgeable social media manager. If you prefer to do it yourself, or if you want to know what your social media manager is up to so you can work with them better, here are eight tips for using Facebook to connect with your customers. (more…)

Guest blog by Aaron Thuringer
Social media and marketing professional

Life is about simple truths. Here is one for you: it’s hard to grow a Facebook audience.

We all like those Facebook pages. Those pages that have millions of “Like’s,” whose posts get thousands of “Like’s” and hundreds of comments a day, those posts that get shared all over Facebook. Here’s an example from George Takei’s Facebook page:

199,340 “Like’s”? 125,156 shares? 1,409 comments? Yeah, it’s easy to chalk it up to celebrity — but George Takei was never that popular (sorry to the offended Star Trek fans). Plus, you’ve seen tons of posts like these from Facebook pages that have hundreds of thousands of “Like’s” that don’t have any real meaning. Take this page, I Love the Weekend. It has 9.8 million likes — who is running it? What does that person gain by posting to it?

It’s this type of page that can cause many people to think “It’s easy to get people to ‘Like’ your Facebook page.” I can’t blame this line of thought. If a page about loving the weekend can have 9.8 million “Like”‘s, it’s probably pretty easy for a small business’ page to get a few thousand, right?

Wrong. Growing a Facebook page organically is possible — it’s also incredibly time-consuming. It doesn’t happen because you start a page. People have to find your page. They have to be given a reason to “Like” it. The fastest way to do this is through Facebook advertising. Here’s what you need to know about Facebook ads. (more…)

Guest blog by Laura Burkey
Freelance writer

Most people have a social media profile of some sort, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or some variation. The over-sharing that occurs on these sites can be a big eye-opener for companies that are hiring. People simply don’t think before they type sometimes, which can reveal less-than-desirable details that potential employers eat up.

It’s always most cost-effective to hire the right person the first time. It might take more effort in the beginning to dig through the resumes to find that future employee, but ultimately, it’s well worth it.

Most hiring managers and human resources directors make it a habit to search these social media sites before calling potential employees for interviews or making an offer. Here are four things you can learn about a potential employee from perusing their social media sites. (more…)

Guest blog by Laura Bowers
Social Media Coordinator at The Briad Group

With more a billion active users on Facebook, it’s a no-brainer your business should have a presence on the dominant social networking site. But simply throwing up a Facebook page for your company isn’t enough – it’s important to optimize your digital presence to ensure the right leads are driven back to your business. Here are 10 common mistakes small businesses make when it comes to Facebook, as well as how to remedy them.

Mistake 1: Not creating a social media plan. Having an objective or goal for your Facebook page will save time and money, as well as assist with page management. You should determine if brand awareness, customer service, or engagement and interaction will be your page’s focus. Once that is decided, you can tailor your page and page posts to reflect that strategy. (more…)

By Amy Donohue
Owner of The Fab Social

I know as soon as I get a friend request from a business on Facebook, I know that they have no idea what they’re doing. A friend is someone you go to the movies with, have dinner with, or who gives you a shoulder to cry on. A business can’t do that, which is why it can’t be my friend.

First off, it is against the Facebook Terms and Policies for a business to have a Profile (friends). If you are using Facebook as one of your platforms for marketing your business, you really ought to read Facebook’s terms. A business needs a Page (“Like’s”) in order to comply with that. (more…)