Businesses on Facebook

Businesses are finding it more useful nowadays to promote themselves using Facebook. However, are they doing it correctly? Do the administrators of the business page know what they're doing? Maintaining and having a successful Facebook page is not easy to do. Some companies do it better than others. Let's take a look at some businesses and organizations that took a stab at using Facebook and nailed it.

UNH Manchester, what a perfect place to start. UNH Manchester is a commuter college located in Manchester which is a branch off of the bigger business, UNH in Durham. UNH Manchester's Facebook page is put together well. The cover photo is appropriate along with the default picture. The page is updated regularly and well managed. The page is easy to find when searching in the search bar. You simply write UNH Manchester and poof there it is. There is approximately 1,000 likes which is not bad considering it is a very small school. There are a numerous amount of photo albums with pictures including events from commencement to barbecues, from a day in the classroom. It is nice seeing familiar faces on the page because it makes you feel like a part of something. To me, this is a well done and managed Facebook page. It is up to date, has a lot of pictures, a lot of news and information, and reaches out to students. 

Now, lets take a stroll down the street to the Manchester Monarchs! The Manchester Monarchs are a professional hockey team in the AHL  who play out of the Verizon Wireless Arena. The Manchester Monarch's have a great Facebook page! Like the UNH Manchester page, it is very easy to search on Facebook. The picture is of the Monarch logo, which obviously is appropriate. They post events, contests, clubs, activities and so on. They have 15, 187 followers which is a decent amount of fans. They also have tons of fun photos. They have players with Max, the mascot, pictures of kids with their favorite players, and so many more. The pictures make the team looked loved because their fans are all decked out and extremely happy looking. This Facebook page is definitely done correct and is effective for their business. 

Lastly, let's go for a crazy ride. Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park in Salem NH. There Facebook page is easy to search for and pops up right away. There are 142, 781 fans. That is an excellent amount of followers I'd have to say. NH is not that big of a state, and to have that many people supporting their page is really a great accomplishment. They have updated posts regularly. They consist of updates such as Screemfest, coupons, Job Fairs, New Rides, etc. The updates however do tend to die off during the off season, which is normal, because who wants their Facebook to be bothered with a business who is not open currently. Again, lots of photos on the page. People enjoying rides, Screemfest, food, shows, and much much more! It shows that the atmosphere is fun, and that Canobie Lake is a great family place to be!

All in all, maintaining and running a Facebook page is not easy. For my project, I am aiming for only 30-60 followers. Getting people a part of your business is not the easiest thing to do and to keep them interested is even harder to do. These pages are good examples for me to know how to run an effective, successful Facebook page. 

Mission Statement

Mission Statement for Market America:

Promote a healthy lifestlye.
Bring awareness to the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Educate people about the importance of health.

this is me! :)

Facebook Fans

Getting Facebook friends is simple. You add people you know, they accept you, and you go about your life with no one really being affected . Getting Facebook fans however is a whole different story. It is almost like fishing. You need to hook, line, and sink. You need to target who exactly you want your audience to be. Depending on the business, it will vary. Then once you have decided upon your target audience you need to reel them in, like a fish. Sell your product. Get the reason out there as to why your business would interest them and why it is the best for them. 
Your Facebook business page needs to be entertaining. Nobody likes going to a Facebook page that's more plain that vanilla ice cream. You need to accessorize. Throw some rainbow sprinkles on it! Add pictures, updates, facts, give a ways, contests, jokes, etc. Whatever it takes to attract your audience and have them keep coming back for more. The more times your Facebook page is clicked, the more likely your consumers will want to use your business.
Businessinsider.com gives 6 helpful tips on how to get people to "Like" your business page. They are:
1) Make people want to click the "Like" button. 
2) Increasing the number of posts doesn't necessarily correlate to the amount of interaction on your page.
3) Promote your page but not TOO much
4) Use EdgeRank to your advantage
5) Be authentic
6) Don't sell, compel
What is meant by all this? To get people to actually hit the "Like" button, you need to talk to your customers rather than at them. Make them feel like they are being directly spoken to and are not just another face in the Facebook crowd. Also, don't just post something for the sake of posting something. It has to be relevant and relate to the business. Timing is also key. You do not want to post important information at 10pm at night. No one is going to see it nor be interested. Do not push your customers by constantly shoving your product down their throat. Throw it out there, and let them come to you.Give them a reason to want to use your business or buy your product. EdgeRank is also a good tool to have when using a Facebook business page. "EdgeRank is Facebook's own algorithm which determines which posts are viewed most frequently and at a higher priority. "If a user understands how EdgeRank works, he or she will be able benefit greatly from the algorithm. A brand can see how often its target demographic visits a page, and which times are better for posting, in order to achieve the highest response rate. With EdgeRank, a business can see which content is most engaging and which content they need to improve on." (www.businessinsider.com) And lastly, be yourself. Use one voice, and make it your own. This will make customers feel comfortable with you and create a trusted bond between business and consumer. 
Most importantly I think is to have fun with it! A serious Facebook page is never one that people visit a lot. Just because something is fun doesn't make it unprofessional. You are more likely to create more fans by being outgoing and spontaneous than boring and "business like". Facebook is about creating relationships, and to create relationships you have to be outgoing!

Sites:

• http://www.businessinsider.com/five-tips-on-optimizing-likeability-on-your-facebook-business-page-2012-6 
• https://blackboard.unh.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_19_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_137925_1%26url%3D

Internet Usage Among Age Groups & Gender

      In the two articles I read, "Older Adults & Internet Use and Pew Internet: Social Networking" I was not shocked at all with the statistics and data found. I have aunts and uncles of all different ages up on Facebook or at least with an e-mail account. Both of my parents have a Facebook and Linked In that I know of, and my aunts and uncles along with my dad's uncles have a Facebook and keep in touch with me through the social networking site. I find that with the elder age groups, they have a lot of spare time and Facebook is a fun spot to burn that time. My dad's uncle who is in his mid 60's plays games using Facebook, for example he can play Words with Friends using Facebook and I play him using my phone. None of my Grandparents however, have a Facebook, only e-mail.
     Families move and only get to see one another every so often during the year. Facebook is a great way for grandparents to watch their grand children grow. They can see photos and updates about their lives on a daily basis. A lady I work for has Facebook, but also recently got an I Pad so that she could Skype with her granddaughter. She does not like it though, and complains constantly how it is a pain in the butt to work. For me on the other hand Skype is literally the click of a button. Skype is another website I feel like older people use for means of keeping in touch and communication.
     It does not surprise me at all that people over the age of 65 drop off the spectrum for Internet use.It did surprise me however that so many elders own cell phones. My Memere has one but she is so clueless when it comes to technology. It took her a while to learn how to send texts on her phone, and it still takes her quite a bit to send the simplest of a text. I feel as if the technology is too overwhelming for them and they just don't have the patience to sit down and figure it out. I can't imagine myself in 50 years sitting down to new technology and having the patience or care in the world for that matter to learn how to use it. There comes a point where it becomes more of a hassle than a luxury.
     The reason I believe that the Internet usage numbers are going up in the older age group is because it is a part of the new world. These websites have now been brought into the work field and are a way of getting a company or product out there for the world to see. People are not retiring as young as they once did, so taking into factor that they are still working, they need to know how to use these social media websites in order to keep up with their job. It is very important.
     Lastly, when the article started discussing the use between genders and Facebook that sounded about as accurate as I believed it to be. My boyfriend is constantly telling me I spend too much time on all these sites. He never goes on his Facebook account or checks it and claims he is going to delete it because of how dumb it is. I tried to delete mine and I only lasted a month and a half. I felt like I was no longer connected with my friends and that even though I still saw them everyday that I was missing out on the virtual world friendship. It is really sad the power that these sites have on an individual. I feel like for girls it is a more enjoyable site because we are the more social gender and love gossip and taking photos and letting everyone know everything about them where men are more conserved and keep to themselves.