Just Ask Betsy....The Be Visible BlogFor Easy, Actionable Tips for Managing Your Online Visibility, Subscribe!

How to Update to the New Twitter Design in 4 Easy Steps

In a surprise move a new Twitter design for all profile pages was just launched. It features a header image similar to Facebook’s Timeline cover photo. We highly recommend updating your profile to this new design for 3 reasons:

1. To make sure all of your online profiles are consistent with your branding.
2. To ensure that your Twitter profile page is as compelling as possible and will attract followers who will be interested in your content.
3. Most Important - the new Twitter design is optimized for mobile devices!

Why is Mobile so important?

• As of June 2012, Americans own 110 million smartphones.  That’s means that 1 out of every 3 American consumers are using the web on a phone (and that number does not include tablet computers such as the iPad).
• By 2015, mobile web search will eclipse desktop web searches for the first time. This means that your customer’s primary way of interacting with your brand online will be through a mobile device. If you’ve looked at your website on a smartphone or tablet recently you may have realized it’s time to create a mobile website for optimum online visibility (see Why Your Business Needs A Mobile Website).

Here’s how most Twitter profile pages appear right now:

Here’s what an updated Twitter profile page looks like:


Here’s what the new Twitter design looks like on a mobile device:

Here’s how to update your Twitter profile in 4 easy steps:

1) Log in to Twitter. (You’ll notice the new “Me” tab). Click on the gear icon on the top right, and then scroll down to “Settings.” 

2) Once in “Settings” click on “Design” to see the following screen: 

3) Scroll down to where it says “Customize Your Own.” You will see a new option for “Header.” Next to “Header” it says the recommended photo dimensions are 1200 pixels by 600 pixels. Images smaller than 600 pixels in height appear distorted and stretched so we recommend you use an image as close to the suggested dimensions as possible. 

4) Click “Change Header” and upload your chosen image. Here are some tips:

• The photo you choose should be consistent with your online branding.
• Dark colors towards the bottom of the image work better since your Twitter description will appear in white text, and your Twitter profile picture will appear in the center towards the top.
• Use the bar underneath the image to increase or decrease the size of the image:
  
  

Click “Save” and that’s it! If you’re happy with how your picture appears on your profile, you’re all set.

Don’t have the time to update the new Twitter design yourself? Be Visible will take care of it for you and do a great job. (Special rate through 10/15/12@) Interested? Contact Us.

Sources for this article: 
http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/markets-by-country/17-usa/855-mobile-devices
http://gigaom.com/2010/04/12/mary-meeker-mobile-internet-will-soon-overtake-fixed-internet/

 

We understand that social media is tough to keep up with since it is constantly changing. You may find some of our other recent tutorial-style blogs helpful to your online marketing as well: 
How To Use Facebook Offers For Business Pages
Pinterest for Business Whitepaper 
How To Use Promoted Posts To Rock Your Facebook Page

Thank you for reading Just Ask Betsy! Feel free to leave a comment below:  

How To Use Facebook Offers for Business Pages

In May of 2012, Facebook introduced a new feature for Facebook Business Pages called “Facebook Offers.”  We read a lot of articles about the success of Offers, but the feature seemed to only be available for brick and mortar retailers.

As of last week Facebook Offers became available for all Pages with 400 or more fans. So, what is a Facebook Offer?

Facebook Offers are a special type of story that works something like a coupon. It looks like this:
 
Offers may be the most viral type of content you can post and this is why:

• A special newsfeed story is created just for your offer.
• When people claim your offer the story is automatically shared with their friends in their newsfeed.
• These stories encourage more offer redemptions, more shared stories, and help you reach a bigger audience than you normally would without an offer.

Facebook research indicates businesses get 3x ROI.

Want to test a Facebook Offer? Your first Offer is free, so try it! Here’s how:

There are 3 different types of Offers:

• In Store Only
• In Store & Online
• Online Only

How to Set Up Your Facebook Offer:

1. Go to the window on your Facebook Business Page where you would normally post an update:
   
2. Click “Offer, Event +” and you’ll see the following screen. Click on "Offer": 
   
3. Choose your type of Offer:
    
4. Write a compelling headline that is less than 90 characters in length. This could be a free drink, a discount, a coupon, a donation or any number of things based on your type of business.
5. Upload a corresponding image that sensibly accompanies your offer. Keep in mind that images with one large subject work best on Facebook.
6. Set the number of claims you want to provide. 
7. Set your expiration date - the Offer can run for one day or one year – it is up to your discretion and the needs of your business:
    
8. If your offer is a product or a coupon to be scanned while in your store, create a 12 or 13 digit barcode:
    
9. Set the terms and conditions for your offer. Example: “Limit 1 Per Customer.”
    
10. There are two additional options for online Offers, entering the web address and a redemption code:
     
11. Set Your Budget - while your first Facebook Offer will be free, you’ll have to set a minimum budget to reach your fans thereafter. The number of fans your Page has determines the cost of your Offer. Here’s what the Offer looks like before the budget is set.
     
12. You’re almost done. Now click “Set Budget” and you will see a drop-down menu similar to the one you see in when you use Promoted Posts for Facebook Business Pages. You will have the option to choose how much you want to invest based upon how many of your fans (and their friends) you want to reach:
     

When a user redeems the offer, an email is sent to the address that is in his or her account, and the email contains a redemption code or the bar code that you have set up. For in-store offers, the user must bring the email to your business by printing it out or showing it to the staff on their phone.  

Has your brand or business run a Facebook Offer or have you redeemed any Facebook Offers personally? What was your experience like?

How to Use Promoted Posts to Rock Your Facebook Page

In May 2012 Facebook announced a new advertising option for brand and business Pages, the “Promoted Post”. You may have noticed that last winter Facebook significantly reduced the percentage of fans that see your Page updates. Now, when you post a status update on your Page it will be served up only to approximately 16% of your fan base.

This is very frustrating for businesses that want to use Facebook to keep their community up to date with important and timely information. Not to mention the time and in many cases, money that it took to build that community.

So, when the announcement that Page owners can now promote individual posts, I was very enthused. I had been experimenting with a “Sponsored Story” ad unit called “Page Post Ads” but it wasn’t giving me the big punch that I needed for some of my clients messaging.

Promoted Posts work like this:

Note: At this time, Promoted Posts are only available on Pages with 400 or more fan; for this example, I used a Page that has 620 fans

When In the Facebook update window, I see a “Promote” button at the bottom of the window. 

When I click on the Promote button, it expands and displays 2 options:

Option 1: To reach people who LIKE the page it will cost: 

• $5.00 to reach 420-720 fans (I would use this option; this page has only 620 fans)
• $10.00 to reach 700-1,000 fans

Option 2: To reach people who LIKE the page plus their FRIENDS, it will cost:

• $5.00 to reach 420-780 fans
• $10.00 to reach 770-1,000 fans
• $15.00 to reach 1,000-2,000 fans

(Note: the cost to promote a post is based the Page’s amount of fans)               

I have been testing Facebook Promoted Posts on Be Visible’s Page and also on some of our clients’ Pages. Here are some of the results:

 

Example 1:
Facebook Page with 620 fans
Promoted Post: To fans of the page plus their friends
Cost: $5.00
Results:

• Organic Reach: 115 people - the number of people who saw the post in their newsfeed, ticker, or on the Page’s wall (this is close to the amount of fans who would have seen the post if it had not been promoted)
• Paid Reach: 1,152 people - the number of people who saw the promoted post
  Total Reach: 1,265

 

Example 2:
Facebook Page with 1,351 fans
Promoted Post: To fans of the page plus their friends
Cost: $5.00
Results:

• Organic Reach: 278 people - the number of people who saw the post in their newsfeed, ticker, or on the Page’s wall (this is close to the amount of fans who would have seen the post if it had not been promoted)
• Paid Reach: people – 2,053 the number of people who saw the promoted post (and achieved 3 new fans, too!)
  Total Reach: 2,331

 

Example 3:
Page with 333,000 fans
Promoted Post: To fans of the page
Cost: $750.00
Results:

• Organic Reach: 48,592 people - the number of people who saw the post in their newsfeed, ticker, or on the Page’s wall (this is close to the amount of fans who would have seen the post if it had not been promoted)
• Paid Reach: 449,836 people - the number of people who saw the promoted post (which resulted in 6,772 Page post likes, 277 shares, and 177 new fans!)     
  Total Reach: 498,428

Promoted Posts are a relatively low-cost way to ensure that status updates reach the valuable fan base that page owners have worked so hard to build. And it is a way for non-fans to find out about the page from their most valued, trusted sources: their own friends!

Plus, with Promoted Posts, Facebook continues to deliver the update for up to 3-5 days, compared to the approximately 3 hours of an un-promoted post. This is significant because more of your fans will probably be visiting Facebook over the course of 5 days, compared to 3 hours.

Now, the question becomes exactly when to use promoted posts. For many of our clients, we suggest only using it for the very best or most important content. It could be a new product announcement, a contest or Facebook promotion, blog content, etc. However, in some cases, all posts should be promoted (depending upon the ad budget).

Questions about Facebook Promoted Posts? Just Ask!

(Since Promoted Posts are only available for Pages with 400 fans or more it’s a good reason to start a fan growth campaign. If you need ideas on how to grow your Facebook Page fan base, let me know.)