I couldn't make it for the live sessions but I have been slowly catching up on this series using the webinar videos.
Each webinar went for around 30 minutes - an initial presentation of 10 minutes, then a series of answers to pre-received questions. There was generally one host and two presenters/subject experts from Facebook. Although it was very business focussed, there were some new tips for me that I thought could translate well to Libraries.
Topics and presentation dates were:
November 1st 2011 Why Facebook for Business?
November 2nd 2011 Connect to people with your Facebook Page
November 8th 2011 Spread the word with Ads
November 9th 2011 Let your customers do the talking with Sponsored Stories
November 15th 2011 Maximize your efforts with Insights and Optimization
November 16th 2011 Make your business more engaging with social technology
So, some tips and thoughts :
Facebook is (as they say over and over) about connecting people with things they care about. So it's a prime tool for libraries.
There's a lot of inexpensive ways of getting started. Don't ignore the obvious - ensure the page details are properly completed. Connect your physical location with your virtual location by including Facebook (and any other social media/virtual addresses) on stationery, library cards, check out slips etc. Engage people by asking questions and posting things of interest to them. Don't post too often though. Make your content interesting and relevant and people will share, and your numbers will grow organically.
Once you have a core group of people, look at Facebook ads. Although this is more relevant for businesses, Libraries (and other non-profits) may find that Facebook's low entry fees (and ability to target very locally) mean that using adverts judicially is worthwhile - even if it is only to raise awareness of a specific program or event. There are different kinds of ads available. The detail of this changes regularly as Facebook are continually working on new ways of tweaking what's available to suit advertisers whilst ensuring that their revenue stream continues! Page Managers can trial the different ads and get a feel for the financial impact that they might have, without committing to a big upfront amount.
Once you have the basics in place and you are interacting with your customers, it's time to look at the analytics, and tweak your offerings. There are quite a range of tools (and again, these are evolving as Facebook constantly trials improvements) available to Page Managers, and with a little bit of playing around, these can be very powerful.
Social Plugins were also discussed - Facebook provides a range that can easily be popped onto your other sites to increase your social reach and make it easy for connections to be made.
Nothing life shattering in here, but a good basic foundation for those new to using Facebook as a marketing tool.
So, some tips and thoughts :
Facebook is (as they say over and over) about connecting people with things they care about. So it's a prime tool for libraries.
There's a lot of inexpensive ways of getting started. Don't ignore the obvious - ensure the page details are properly completed. Connect your physical location with your virtual location by including Facebook (and any other social media/virtual addresses) on stationery, library cards, check out slips etc. Engage people by asking questions and posting things of interest to them. Don't post too often though. Make your content interesting and relevant and people will share, and your numbers will grow organically.
Once you have a core group of people, look at Facebook ads. Although this is more relevant for businesses, Libraries (and other non-profits) may find that Facebook's low entry fees (and ability to target very locally) mean that using adverts judicially is worthwhile - even if it is only to raise awareness of a specific program or event. There are different kinds of ads available. The detail of this changes regularly as Facebook are continually working on new ways of tweaking what's available to suit advertisers whilst ensuring that their revenue stream continues! Page Managers can trial the different ads and get a feel for the financial impact that they might have, without committing to a big upfront amount.
Once you have the basics in place and you are interacting with your customers, it's time to look at the analytics, and tweak your offerings. There are quite a range of tools (and again, these are evolving as Facebook constantly trials improvements) available to Page Managers, and with a little bit of playing around, these can be very powerful.
Social Plugins were also discussed - Facebook provides a range that can easily be popped onto your other sites to increase your social reach and make it easy for connections to be made.
Nothing life shattering in here, but a good basic foundation for those new to using Facebook as a marketing tool.
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