The Social Media Medicine

How do you see Social Media. Is it a compulsory evil for you? Or a pleasant get away? Is it healthy addiction for you or a painful one? Does it make you feel good or remorse? Do you use it to keep a watch over certain Profiles? Or do you make new friends? Social Media if used sensibly an bring you good emotional support as well. 

Like any other things being addicted to it could be a little detrimental though. However if your attachment to this Platform is in reasonable limits then good for you! Having said this - who is to set the limits? Well it is simple - a feeling of self respect and goodness is your measuring tool. If you do not neglect other things then it is good amount of intake of Social Media.

Social Media Platform can work as anti - stress. It can be good therapeutic. Many a times your mind moves away from the problem that could be bogging you.   With many persons willing to help via Social Media, who knows your problem can get solved!

Social Media can be a great space to establish your skill sets. You can share your feelings and get people to talk and share on similar subjects of interest. You can ask for advice. Your can share your expertise. You can establish yourself and build credibility for yourself, your Brand, your Business. 

If you are representing an organisation on Social Media then it is a good idea to check out how to go about handling your Page. 

Having said all this you do need to take care on how much and what kind of information you share. There is always crime waiting to take place. Unfortunately Social Media is utilized in a negative manner as well. People stay anonymous and mess around with other persons. This ofcourse is detrimental. 

What do you think?

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

How To Plan Your Social Media

Social Media should be a part of your Marketing Plan. Social Media is not to be seen as an  isolated one - off case. You need to be sure on how exactly you will use the Social Media Platforms like Facebook and others. Just the way your Marketing Plan would have a set of tactical steps for action, your Social Media is to have an action plan as well. The most worrying situation is when Business houses set up the Facebook Page and then they do not keep the Page active. This leaves a bad impression for the Brand and Business. Add to this the Page is open for Spammers. 

Social Media Specialist: Working on Social Media requires expertise in many Marketing functions. For instance the person handling your Facebook Page is to be aware of the Brand Personality and how should the Brand Behave on the Social Media Platform. It is critical to understand the Brand Print and Personality. This will then be useful to know what kind of execution you will do on the Social Media Platform. The tone of voice is to be culled out from the Brand Personality. The person also needs to be sensitive to the pulse of the Consumer and other Stake-Holders. They need to understand how best Customer Care is rendered. They need to have the maturity on handling real time Comments.

Negative Comments Crises Management: While we all are certain and anxious that our Customers are happy with our products and services, we also know that there would be some issues which would end up being a deterrent to Customer Satisfaction efforts.  It is important that once you know the Brand Personality you have an agreed Crises Management written mandate. Crises in terms of unforeseen incident with your Business and Brand. Crises also means Negative Comments. The reason being that while you are in an open space of the internet there are Customers who can voice their opinion and suggestions. This not only comes to you but also goes to other Existing Customers and Future Customers as well. Any negative publicity needs to b e understood in a matured manner and not be responded due to anger. Practically all Brands see Negative Comments. It is a good idea to have Escalation Matrix. When you receive a query from your customer who is connected on your Page / Blog / Site what will you do if that query was not thought of previously. You need to have a person in the Company at your Client's side who can answer you almost 24/7. Your tackling of Negative Comments should be in line with your brand personality.

Monitor And Listening: It is important that you have a well constructed Monitoring System in place. This will keep you on top of the various Comments going out in the World Wide Web. It would be great if you have an alert system to send you an alert whenever your Business / Brand is mentions in the OnLine World. 

Pre-decide On Key Performance Indicators: KPI or Key Performance Indicators are important. Many a times when important personnel from the Brand / Business side are not clear on what happens in the Social Media atmosphere  It is sometimes the main cause of Social Media endeavors being left half way, people loosing interest, the steam goes out and the top management puts these efforts in the side line. Have your performance indicators well laid out. Let them be realistic and let them be such that they contribute towards the marketing and business goals. For instance having lots of followers and fans should not be a blind criteria, how much are they engaging and involving with your Page is important. 

On-Page SEO: It may not be essential to know technology in order to do SEO. Yes, there are specialists who can do off - page SEO which is done via programming, script writing, coding and in the edit HTML formats. However with limited knowledge of programming you need to be aware of where all you can work to ensure that the various search engines throw up your page when your target audience do their search.

Key-Word: One of the main reasons for your Page to come up ahead on Search Engines like Google.com is selecting the right KeyWords. This is critical. Before you post your first comment / information you need to decide and be sure of what are your Key-Words. This would emit from doing Key-Word research of your category, competitors and what your Brand is to personify and identify with. Add to this be realistic and think in terms of your target audience. What would they type in search engines is essential that you know. 

Page Philosophy: While you have your Brand Philosophy in tact you will also need to decide on what is your Page Differentiation and Philosophy. It is important that you pre-decide on the reason as to 'why should people join your Page'. Is it that they will receive exclusive offers, or a launch preview etc.

Consumer Mind-Set: You need to understand what your customer thinks about your category, brand, competitors, online as a medium and the particular Social Media Site that you plan to establish your brand / business in. For instance there are customers in certain part of the world who will not use Social Media to talk with certain categories where they feel it is best to meet the relationship officer. So you need to understand your customer's usage and attitude towards the Social Media Sites. Add to this there are various reasons as to why a person could have joined your Facebook Page for instance. The reason could be as  simple as they want a response to a specific problem with regards to your product / service. Since they may have not received a good and satisfying reply from your Costume Care persons they have joined your Page to ask you. 

Adaptability To Change As Per Feed-Back From The Measuring And Monitoring Tools: Rules and plans should be pre-decided, however they are not to be rigid. You need to change your plan of action if required. If feedback via your Monitoring Method throws up the fact that changes are required then do so. 

Competitor Study: You need to be aware on what others are doing. Both, Direct Competitor and Notional as well. Who is your competitor, what is their offline and online activity is all important to be well understood. And yes what are they doing on Social Media Sites is crucial for you to keep updated with constantly. Also keep in mind that your Posts will be one of the many Posts that come onto your Audiences Feed. So you are not only fighting with Competitors but also other Posts.

Understand The Social Media Site's Functionality and Its Perception As well: It is best to really know the functions of the Social Media Platforms that you take up. To use them optimally is the best way to get results.

Acquisition: It is necessary that you plan how and from where your target audience should flow into your Page. You need to have your Social Media URL on each and every communication - OnLine and OffLine.

Retention: How will you nurture and limit the attrition is also vital. This if done well then your existing Audience will become your Brand Ambassadors. 

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Interaction Is The Core Of Your Social Media Efforts

Many a times you may have wondered as to where does Social Media lead us. 

Since your Target Audience is on Social Media you too are trying to understand the Social Platform. However whatever be your goals - the end and means are 'Interaction'.

Interaction is the communication between your Community Members and your Page. The whole story and truth is in this.  

It is good Interaction that will lead to amazing relationship between your Community Members and Your Page. Thereby you will be able to enhance the value that your Brand and Business brings to them. Add to this in turn they will be great Brand Ambassadors for you.

Interaction is the main instrument to measure where you are in your Customer's Life, what do they think and perceive of you. Do they have problems with you, your product and your service. It is due to appropriate Interaction that you will be able to tackle a Negative Comment and so on. 

What is your take?

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

How To Make The Best Of Facebook For Your Business And Brand - Social Media

Facebook has turned out to be one of the most critical and ultimate destinations for most Business and Brands. Since practically all are on this same Facebook Platform  it ends up being important. Infact it has almost substituted the other contact details mentioned on visiting cards. The unfortunate part is that not all Business and Brands are active although they have created their Facebook Page. 

If you have created the Facebook Page then see to it that you are active on it each week. It is great if you can attend to it atleast four times a week. A Page that is not attended to might attract spammers. It is also very significant that you are not bothered about your own Business and Brand.

Additionally you should also monitor your Page. You need to encourage interaction of your Facebook Page Members. The advantage of interaction cannot be underestimated. The more the interaction towards your Posts from your Community Members the more Facebook algorithms would understand that your Posts and Pages are popular and people value them. This then leads to Facebook throwing up your Page when someone searches.

Respond. When there is a comment put up, please see to it that you respond as soon as possible. Do not assume that the person will be ok with a late reply. 

Utilize the Posts broadcast well. Posts which contain Photos and Text will be much more liked by Facebook. Facebook algorithms are prepared to 'like and read' the Posts with Text along with Photos.

Do not be robotic. Remember that you are talking and communicating with Humans. Hence it is imperative that you communicate naturally. This does not mean that you move away and think of slang language only. However it is critical that you 'talk' and not render instructions. 

Brand Tone and Brand Personality are very important. It is essential to understand the Brand Personality and then start your first Post. Facebook is an ideal space where you can actually demonstrate your Brand Behavior. 

Facebook is made to share - since you are looking at Facebook you might as well request your existing Community Members to share the Posts etc. Do not make this blatant. However you can request for a quick share. This enables your Facebook Page go viral and have many more persons look at it. 

Content is the king and shall remain the king. You need to build your content in a manner such that it is valuable to your Community Member. Remember it is not about you it is about the Members. 

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

What Factors Matter For Your OnLine Reputation - Social Media

Your Online Reputation consists of a number of factors. The only way to get hold of them is to be regular on checking them. It is essential to know what is your reputation looking like and what people would be thinking / perceiving about you. In recent times your OnLine Reputation matters as much as your OffLine Reputation matter. It does not matter in what walk of like you are - you need to be clear on how you are projected.

Your OnLine Reputation consists of:

• Comments: Comments that you put on various Forums which are your industry based, Blogs, Social Media Sites, WebSites and so on. This means you need to keep attention to not only what you Post as comment but also the Sites on which you Post your comment. 
• Content: Content is another section that you need to take care on. What write, how you project your personality is important.
• Blogs: Blogs are essential to project your academic and experience based knowledge. This is another essential way in which you can portray your worth. You will not find an opportunity to tell people how sound your knowledge , with a Blog you can.
• Press Release: It is a good practice to share what you are doing with Press Persons OnLine. If your articles is News Worthy then the Press Persons will release the same in their OnLine world.
• Competitors: It is a good Idea to join your Competitors so that you are aware on what is taking place. Ofcourse keep in mind that they too will join your OnLine spaces.
• Social Media: It is a good idea to have your presence on a Social Media Page. what you need to know here is that you are to not go rampant on all Social Media Sites. The reason being is that if you are on many Social Media Sites then you will eventually end up Posting similar matter across. Hence you duplicating the content will end up being an irritation to your Community Members.  

Your turn! Share your key methods!

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Facebook Graph Search - Social Media

Facebook has recently announced that they are getting into 'improvised search'. This is called 'Graph Search'. 

You will have noticed so far that Facebook already has search enabled - this you will see on your Facebook Personal Profile Home Page top side. Now there is much more user-friendly search data to look into. This means that the search algorithms will now look at what the Facebook Audience likes and interacts with. 

Thereby you will get results based on what your Friends have Liked in addition to the typical search results that you had so far. This means that your search results could be different from my search results. Thus they are Personalized Results. Having said this, it is not restricted / limited to what friends like. It enhances and throws up to you regular results plus recognized results. 

This kind of search is a little different from your existing searches. It recognizes the phrases that you key into your search box and matches it with what your friends like. 

Currently this entire search engine is in its introductions stage and hence you will be given results based on photos, people, places and interests. Soon it will roll onto Posts and what your Network writes and shares as well. So before you get into a hotel you will know if your friends also liked it or not. 

Do you see the two level search? One is finding the hotel the other is knowing if your Friends recommend it! 

Interesting?

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

How To Increase Your Facebook Page Post's EdgeRank - Social Media

Ever wondered if your Facebook Posts are reaching all of your Facebook Page Members? The fact is that though your Facebook Page may have lots of 'Likes' your Posts may not be reaching most of them. Yes 'most' of them. The reason is EdgeRank. While Google's search algorithms are well kept secrets Facebook is transparent about the algorithms that it uses for Posts of Pages to appear on the Feeds of the Fans / Community Members.

In short you need to combat EdgeRank in a good and ethical way.

Here is how you can improve your Facebook Page Post's EdgeRank:

• First thing first, you will need to have consistent content that is relevant to your Facebook Page Members. You need to know and understand what is it that your Members are seeking from your Facebook Page. The reason why they have joined your Facebook Page.
• Next is the most critical substance: Images. Your Posts should have most of the time Photos. It is proven time and again that the human brain picks up images much faster. This means that it not only notices but also interprets and gets a little more retention in the mind. Add to this it has an eye stopper impact. So when people scroll down their Facebook Home Page Feeds they tend to look at images a little more.
• Posting Image Album is a good idea so that the space occupied in the Facebook Home Page Feed ends up being a little more. Plus it has a reason for your Members to check out each Photo.
• Your Photos need to have a good story to it and a little good execution as well. The Photo quality matters as well.
• You can upload Audio/Video as well. Remember to have the Thumbnail well done up. It is important that you have  a Thumbnail and not a black box.
• Ask A Question. Many a times there are people who join a certain Brand / Business to gain information and knowledge. They are the most likely ones to answer.
• Use Fill In The Blanks. This is another great interaction tool.
• Remember that most of the persons will be viewing your Posts on their Mobile Devices. So be careful of the structure and length of your Posts.
• When your Members Comment on your Posts you need to answer. You are to encourage interaction.
• You can have Contest and Games. This is good, however please note that this is extremely delicate. Facebook could ban your Page if you go against their rule. Facebook has its own rules and guidelines on what you are allowed to do and what will get your Brand / Business Page banned. The rules are not too difficult to understand however they end up making you ask what then can you do. Banning of your Page can be a little troublesome for you, reason being that you may find it difficult to get your Page back.

If the above is done on a consistent basis only then you will be progressing towards improving your EdgeRank. In this way your Facebook Page Posts will be more visible on Facebook Home Page Feeds of your Members.  Thereby you get more exposure and will have good Acquisition, Retention and Bonding with your Members.

Interesting read:
Why Do People 'Like' And 'UnLike' On Facebook? - Social Media
Benefits Of 'Like' On Facebook- Social Media

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.
Please Visit Blog:   Social Media Network Online
  http://pervarakapadiaatmoney.blogspot.com/

How To Spread Your Facebook Page URL And Twitter Handle - Social Media

Incase your Facebook Page and your Tweets from your Twitter is not being spread around or heard well, then, here are couple of spaces where you can add your Facebook Page URL and your Twitter Handle:

• Insert on your EMail below your Signature
• Put the Twitter Handle on your Facebook Page in the About Section
• Put the Facebook URL on your Twitter Page in the Description Section
• Sparingly mention your Handle and Facebook URL when you write your LinkedIn Credential Part
• Incorporate the two on your Visiting Card 
• Incorporate them on all your Offline and Online Communications like advertisements, Press Releases Etc
• Place them in the most visible position on your WebSite and Blog
• Place them as Signature on your SMS and when you send out EMails from your Cell Phones
• It would be great if you can generate  a Q R  Code as well
• Have them as Signature in your Forums as well
• Write a Blog Post for them mentioning what people will find if they join them
• Request your existing Network to share and spread them

Your Turn, add to this List!

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

The Momentum And Ripple Effect In Social Media

There are several reason why Social Media is attempted by Brands and Business Houses. In order to build a Relation with the Audience, Social Media is usually built into the Marketing Strategy. The desired result could be many. While working on Social Media Pages like Facebook have you noticed when do your Members really start to Interact with your Posts?

You may have initiated your Social Media Page from its initial concept stages. Is it that the moment you did your first Post there were responses from all of your Members? Not most of the time.

Getting responses and having your Members interacting with your Posts is all got to do with the science and logic of Momentum. The term Momentum signifies a gradual movement. The term further means that it has a self multiplying effect either in circular or linear method. It gets affected by external and internal matter. It also has a ripple effect. Easy? Lets add to this: If the velocity is huge then the Momentum will not come to an immediate stop; you can gradually end it though.

Translation into Social Media - Momentum Effect:
When you start with your Members they may not respond and interact immediately. Interaction takes time. It needs a lot of time, energy and thinking investment. It is only when your Page Posts are seen a lot [not being nuisance though] you will notice that your Members participate with you / your Posts. The reason could be familiarity. The reason is also when they see how the other Members who interact are treated well by your page then they feel confident and get encouragement to interact. 
Translation into Social Media - Ripple Effect: As the Momentum gets more velocity there will be little Ripples taking place in the form of the Network of your Members start to notice your Page Posts. This Ripple effect ends up getting you more Likes and hence more Members onto your Page.

What do you think of the Momentum and the Ripple Effect? Your turn.


I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

How To Use Frequency As Your Tool In Social Media

Do you consider Frequency as your important tool to get interaction from your Members in Social Media? Well consider this:

You Posted great matter on your Facebook Brand / Business Page. However it did not reach to all or most of your Members. Reason of not reaching could be plenty. Some of the reasons to not reach could be:

• You have Posted when your Members were a little busy.
• You have Posted when your Members are not near Facebook.
• Members have already blocked you as they are tired, thankfully they have not as yet un-subscribed.
• Facebook EdgeRank.

What do you do? How do you try to get yourself visible.

In Social Media we tend to have a very fine line between repetition and nuisance. You will need to find out where exactly to stop. Frequency can be a great tool in Social Media. However repeat in a way that you do not become a nuisance for your Members.

There are two ways of looking at Frequency:

• Frequency would be the time period or the gap time between two New Posts.
• Frequency is also the time period or the gap between two Posts that are same.
  

Would you consider Frequency as a good point to look at. The healthy mix of Posting of new Content and repeating an existing Content could be a good way to go about.

Having said this, Content is to be good, relevant and making sense to your Members. This along with a good healthy Frequency should do the magic.

You may want to read:

• How To Decide The Frequency Of Your Posts On Social Media
• Appropriate Networking Scenario - Social Media

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Facelift Of Facebook

Have you noticed the new Facebook Pages? What is your take on them? Have you already adjusted or are still wondering on what is to be done?

Facebook has brought in some good innovative Functions apart from the new Design element. Post March 30, 2012 all Pages have got upgraded to the new Design and Layout.

Apart from many other changes, shared below are couple of functions that could be great for Persons and Brands having Social Presence on Facebook.

• Messages To Pages: Though a Page cannot send out Private Messages. Individuals who have Subscribed to Pages can send a Private Message to Pages. After this the Page can then write back the reply which will come as Private Message to that Person. This definitely holds a good plus point for persons who would not want to Post their questions upfront on the Page's Public Space. This is good incase of exchanges contact information such as Cell Numbers and EMail ids so that the right people are connected and Spam is avoided.
• HighLight the Posts on your Page: This is amazing feature. If you have Posted something and you would like people's attention onto that particular Post you can highlight the Post. Along side your Posts on top right hand you will notice a 'Star'. If you hover your mouse on this you will be able to read the words 'Highlight'. This when clicked that particular Post will re-size and become widescreen. This works great when you want people scrolling your Page to see. 
• Pin to Top: This is another great feature brought in by Facebook. Any Post that you may want to bring upfront you can do this by clicking on 'Pin To Top'. You will find this along side your Posts on top right hand. Click on the 'Edit Or Remove' and there you will find the 'Pin To Top'.
  

Do share what are your favorite features on the new Facebook Layout.

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Does Social Media Have Bleak Future?

Social Media was a big riddle sometime back. It still remains a little riddle for many people. There are many questions that you will come across while dealing with the Social Media Plan. There will be questions when you will be executing your Social Media Plan as well.

The persons who are already in the Social Media field will be able to sharpen their skill and increase their experience. As time goes by there will be many Service Providers joining the Social Media wagon. Similarly the demand will also grow. There will be many more Organizations looking at capturing their Target Audience. Apart from the Organizations there will be many more Freelance Professionals who will be utilizing the Social Media Platform. Small Business will enter and test the waters as well.

With the increase in requirement the Social Media Professionals will require to hand hold their Clients. Training will be required. As many would not like to be in the dark on what will take place and how things would be done. The various persons at the Client side will require a quick course on what Social Media is and what it is not.

There will be many divisions involved like the Creative, Technical, Data Analytic and Content Management personnel. The team will require to work in tandem with the Marketing Plan. Your entire Social Media execution is to bring alive the Brand Personality.

With an increase in the supply and demand the Companies will be asking for ROI. Given that ROI is always crucial one will have to decide on what kind of ROI is required. The measuring is to be on realistic methods. There cannot always be same formula for all Social Media efforts. One needs to know what they are looking for and what they are seeking from the Social Media venture. It is critical to jot down the desirable call to action.

There will be many more Consumers / Customers seeking to join Pages on the Social Media Platforms. Thus the Social Media Platform will soon be more into Customer Service. On this Platform Consumers / Customers will seek information and news. 

With Consumers / Customers increasingly dependent on the Social Media Page CRM [Customer Retention Management] Programmes will be able to run. The core mode of operation would ofcourse be elsewhere as CRM needs lot more technical and data support. However a part of CRM will absorb the Social Media constituent.

If handled well your Social Media venture could become an amazing source of Customer testimonials. A good word from your Consumers / Customers can always be used to showcase.

All this will bring about a much better clarity on Consumer Insights. Consumer Insights is the driver of all activities. This will come across with a better perspective.

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Points You Need To Know When Planning A Social Media Contest

You know that you need to have relevant persons on your Social Media Page of your Brand / Business. When you have relevant persons you can hope to have results towards your Marketing Plan. You also know that the relevant persons need to be given good quality information and encourage them to participate with you in your Conversations. One of the ways in which you can create excitement, involvement and a look forward to what you Post is by conducting Contests.
You could read this:
Nurturing Your Community - Social Media

Contests are one of the many ways of creating a little rush towards your Social Media Page. However you need to remember that Contests have many rules and conditions. These rules and conditions apply from the area / jurisdiction of the place from where the contests are held, as well as they are governed by the place your registered office is and they are also governed by the Social Media Platform on which the Contest is run. This is so that the Customers are protected and they know where exactly they are to approach in case of a scam. This means that when you run a Contest on Social Media Platform you need to take care of the rules of the Social Media Platform as well.
You could read this:
What Makes Your Facebook Page Get Banned - Social Media
What Makes Your Facebook Page Get Banned - Social Media 

Apart from the laws, rules and regulations you should know about the various requirements and the risks that come with the Social Media Platform. Many a times mistakes take place due non awareness towards various terminologies. For instance people think that the two words namely Sweepstakes and Contest are interchangeably. This is not true. They are separate and the rules governing them would be different to some extent. The term Sweepstakes refers to promotion in which prizes are awarded based on a chance, whereas when you run a Contest the awards and prizes are given based on skill. Add to this different states and regions have their own interpretation and hence have customized rules.

Social Media Platforms also have different rules for Contests hence you should be aware and be sure on what steps you are taking. What you may have on Facebook for instance would be a little different on Google+.

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Get Traffic And Retain Them On Google+ For Social Media

Google+ is one more feather in your cap on the Social Media front. The question is how should you get more Traffic to your Google+ Page? Also what should you do so that they do not 'Un-friend' you.

Here are a couple of points that you might want to work towards so that your Google+ Pages have a good Traffic flow which you can retain as well:

• Remember to update your Profile Page. Have an appropriate image and proper Bio-Data. Use Keywords wisely and sparingly.
• Have Content that matters. Make your Content SEO based. Google+ gives a good opportunity to write in-depth Posts. This is a great opportunity to put your thoughts across. 
• Make it a point to have your Google+ Link across all your other outlets and Customer Touch-Points. Mention your Links on your Blog, Site, other Social Media Platforms, Offline Communication like Press Ads., Hoardings and so on. Have your Link mentioned in the retail stores that you might have.
•  If you have a Blog it would be great if you can write a quick Post about your Google+ Page. The way you went about creating it, what can be found on your Page and so on.
• Utilize the Google Direct Connect. Linking from that page to your website and vice versa. Have the Google+ Badge on your Site and Blog. This way you are informing Google of your Page's relevancy and authenticity.
• You can suggest to your existing Audience to share your Page in their Network.
• Use Circles appropriately and utilize the HangOuts well.
  

How do you attract and retain your Google+ Traffic?

Do read: Acquisition, Retention, And Building Loyalty In Social Media
My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

For Your Social Media Should You Be On Facebook Or Google+

Google+ is the most talked about Social Media Platform today. There are questions like will Facebook do anything to face the Google+ syndrome that all are going though. Currently Facebook is being compared to Google+.

Google brought out the Google+ Pages for Brands and Business Houses. The question most likely asked is if you are already on Facebook then why should you be on Google+. The answer is simple if your Target Audience is on Google+ then you need to be there as well.

All the answers will not emerge today. As we use the two platforms we will start to realize the difference. There are some definite functional differences that you will experience on the two platforms. 

There is no harm in being on both the Social Media Platforms. What do you think?

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Prepare Your Client For Social Media

Your Clients need to be prepared for the Social Media that you are proposing to do for them. Social Media is a relatively new zone and hence it is best to bring your Client up to speed with what you perhaps are thinking of doing with their Business / Brand on the Social Media Platforms.

By sharing with them your thought process you will be able to reduce their anxiety and and not make them feel that you are working in isolation. You will need to plan with them on what you will be doing. Working on Social Media could leave you a little exasperated if later on the Client may turn around and state that they too could have done similar matter. They may want to know what you have brought to the table - what value you have brought for the money they have spent. They are right when they want to know what you have done. Hence you will need to do the below so that both, you and your Clients are on the same Page. Here are some of the pointers that you and your Client need to be specific about:

• Inform them what Posts are, how do they take place, why should you Post and so on. Brief them that while it may be easy the continuity and consistency is what takes time and hence you step in. Educate them and share with them the details.
  
• You will need to clearly define the objectives of the Social Media Campaign before you start. This will need to be integrated into their complete Marketing effort. It is important that all know what is required, how this will take place and what probable results are to be expected.
  
• Understand the Brief well. You need to take care of the Brand Personality, the Competitors, Target Audience and so on. Understand the tone of voice that you are to apply. SEO and Keywords are to be discussed in depth as well.
  
• Clearly identify what are the measurable in terms of ROI. What may be ROI for one Brand may not be similar for the other. You will face the typical argument of the number of Likes versus the earnings of your Client via Facebook. One needs to consider points like while there may not see returns on immediate basis at times, the Community on Facebook is potential Customers.
  
• Do make it a point to explain and mutually agree on how your Client and their Team will be of help to you. In the eagerness of taking the project do not neglect the fact that together with the Client you and your task will see success.
  

Put yourself on the other side and see how best you can help your Clients to understand and enhance the Social Media Campaign. 

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Facebook Tracks Your Online Journey - Social Media

Unlike Google, Facebook does not always share how they track users in the online world. However this time they have shared a little on what their modus operandi is to track various users. 

Here it is:

Facebook identifies two types of users:

• It uses different tracking methodology for persons who have signed in and are using their accounts.
• And a different one for persons who have logged-off and are non-members.

The modus operandi:
When you arrive on any Facebook Page for the first time it delivers cookies in your browser. If you do sign-in for the Facebook account, it inserts two types of cookies. Incase you do not set up the account then it inserts only one of the two cookies.
The tracking starts off almost immediately. When you visit any Website or Blog that has the Facebook Plugin your visit is recorded since the cookies which are already installed initiate the recording. The individual details of your computer, IP address etc are recorded. The date time etc are also recorded.
The log that records your past 90 days of activity are kept. Activities older than 90 days are deleted.

If you are logged into your Facebook account, then your name, your email address, your friends and all of the other data in your Facebook profile get recorded. 

Data about web searches and browsing habits could be used to figure out political affiliations, religious beliefs, or health issues about consumers.

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Quick SEO Tips For Google+ On Social Media

With Google bringing out the Google+ Business Pages it is clearly understood by many that you will have a heads up on the Google Search aspect. While there is no such certainty what perhaps you need to do is take care of your SEO when you are working on your Google+ Brand / Business Pages.

What you need to look at and pay extra attention to is:

• When you Post on Google+ make it a point to have the Public Visibility on. This option will be visible to you in your Conversation / Post section when you type your Post. When you make your Post Public you are informing the algorithms on the Google Search Engine that your Post is open to being indexed.
  
• Your Circles in Google+ also hold a very huge cue on your Post being indexed. While you do need to have the Public Visibility it is a good idea to have your Circles also marked onto your Posts. The reason being that when your Post gets on the feed of your Circle Members there is a huge chance of their interaction as well. When they interact it increases your chances of being indexed and thereby your rank goes higher up on Google Search.
• It goes without saying that your Google+ Profile needs to be complete with the right usage of Keywords.
• Using direct Links from the source is always better than having URL Shortners. 
  
• Participate in conversations in Google+. This is again a criteria that increases your authenticity. Use of the right Keyword and no spam is the requirement that Google Search drives towards.
  

Good read:

• Search Engines Technical Limitations - Social Media
• What Affects The Search Engines - Social Media
• Interacting With Search On Search Engines - Social Media
• Precaution While Working On Link Building - Social Media

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Google+ Can Remove Your Contests - Social Media

Google Plus does not allow any kind of Contests to be run on their Google+ Brand / Business Pages. It states that any kind of contests, sweepstakes, offers, coupons or other such promotions cannot be run directly on your Google+ Page.

The way out? Well you are allowed to share the Links to the various types of Contests on your Google+ Brand / Business Pages. This is ofcourse while you clearly mention that Google is in no way a part or responsible about the contests, sweepstakes, offers, coupons or other such promotions that you may share. 

Note: Google holds the right to remove your Promotion Content from Google+ Page for any reason.

Play safe: As long as you have clearly mentioned that Google and all of its group is not responsible for your contests, sweepstakes, offers, coupons or other such promotions, and that you / your company is solely responsible for the entire contests, sweepstakes, offers, coupons or other such promotions then you perhaps are a little safe.

If anyone Flags your Page then again you can stand a chance of Google taking action.
There are Five audiences that can flag you and get you banned:

• Google has one of the greatest algorithms which can easily recognize your Content and can with ease know that you are going against their rules
• By Community Members of your Page
• By your Personal Profile Page Network
• By Other Pages where you join and may spam
  
• By Members of the other Pages where you have joined and are spamming

Simply put do not have the action of any kind with regards to your contests, sweepstakes, offers, coupons or other such promotions be taken on Google+ Brand / Business Pages.

Bottom line is that Google+ / Google should not be involved directly or indirectly in whatever you do. It is your liability. Simply put if there is winner involved, if there is give away monetary non-monetary then you need to follow the rules tightly. Promotions that are leading people to take action on your or their Google+ Page calls for Google to cut you out.

For more information follow the Post written for Facebook rules. It will enable you to understand what you should not do on any Social Media Platform. What Makes Your Facebook Page Get Banned - Social Media

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

The New GMail Look - Social Media

GMail has recently rolled out the new look. This is available to everyone. You can revert back to your previous look of GMail if you wish to. This option of reverting back is temporarily. Later on your GMail will be having the new look.

There are a couple of new functions / changes that the New Look of GMail brings with it:

• You can re-size your Gmail. This means that you can have a condensed or a free look of the same. This works well for people using mobile hardware. Now the new GMail fits into your window size. If you have touch screen then the New Look re-sizes to fit well for ease of read and use. 
• A much cleaner version has come on board. 
• You have the Chat and Labels adjustable. You can size them as per your usage. Labels are moved to the top as a Tab for ease of use. 
• You can select images. This is similar to the previous GMail. The difference is that they are high definition for impact level. They are easy on the eyes. 
• When you view your Emails you will notice that they have been redesigned, making it feel more like a conversation. The people included in the conversation can be found on the right, appearing just as they would in GChat with their status. This way you get the actual feel of conversation.

I work as Freelance Social Media Network Online Professional. My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

Social Media Spammer

Social Media is an amazing space. Here you will find folks who promise a huge Fan Following for you. No doubt there are people who can do this however there are people who merely are scamming around and / or having bots. The result is that your Page / Blog Site has an overnight fame and then it eventually vanishes. The whole idea of Social Media is to grow slowly and chronologically and then to sustain this. The rush to achieve more people in a short span of time is understandable however keep a lookout for people who can give you false promises.

Here are some people that you may want to check in a little more detail before you give your project to them:

• You could be promised that they will get you a great following. One of the most simple method for you is to check their own Social Media Page and see the following that they have. If they can get you 5000 people then why do they on their own Page have very few following? You need to get a clarity here.
• It would be great if you could request references and know what people have to say. Today with LinkedIn and such other platform it is easy to request for references the question is why has your expert not got any.
• Social Media requires a strategy. This is part of the whole strategy. Strategy depends on individual case. Strategy comes from understanding Mindset of Target Audience, Competitors, the Product Category and the Brand.  Hence being sold on a package does not really hold good. If there are ready made packages then how do you say that there is strategy in this.
• Beware of people who at the first instinct say that you need to be present on many Social Media platform. Ask them what is important to spread thinly or to go deep.
• It is always a good feeling to have lots of Followers and Fans. The question here is how many are your core real target is important. The question here is quantity or quality?
• If they claim that they will get you your Competitor Community Members in a month's time you need to perhaps be afraid. You could get banned.
• Being active on Social Media is different from generating leads and Business.
• If you are being promised of viral spread be very careful. Id it a 20 minute of fame only that you are being promised?
• Social Media is an extension of your Brand Personality. If people do not take time out to understand your Brand and its environment then how will they Post / Behave as per your Brand Personality?
• If you are being told that more the number of Fans and Followers - this will create more sales. You need to re-think did this person understand your Business?
• If your person has not asked on who your Target Audience is and what is your Market then you need to re-think; is this the right person to handle your Social Media?
• If they are starting without having a mutual agreement on how will they tackle negative comments then you need to know that you are not in safe hands.
  
• If your person has no clue on how to monitor your Social Media then you need ask the person for a format they follow.
  
• It is important that your Social Media personnel has had a good discussion with you on Keywords and SEO.
  

What are you pointers - share them here.

Good to read:

• Should You Buy Facebook Fans? - Social Media
• Social Media - Get Me 1500 Fans On Facebook
• Planning and handling the Social Media requirements: http://goo.gl/65bCQ
• What are the Social Media uses for your brand and marketing objectives?: http://goo.gl/IDvFr
• Community Management on Social Media sites like Facebook is not just about having a Fan / Business Page set up: http://goo.gl/WgqSK
• A note on how to measure your Social Media efforts: http://goo.gl/uRv12
• Segregating Your Community Members: http://goo.gl/3y49u
• Measuring Your Customer In Social Media: http://goo.gl/EjAHQ
• A note on Types Of Your Audience Personalities in Social Media: http://goo.gl/vrYUd
• How To Decide The Frequency Of Your Posts On Social Media: http://goo.gl/wM2fL
• A note on Acquisition, Retention, And Building Loyalty In Social Media: http://goo.gl/NvTlg
• You Will Receive 3000+ Followers Guaranteed, Just Buy The Package - Social Media

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.

What Makes Your Facebook Page Get Banned - Social Media

Do you work a lot on Facebook to sell your Brand / Business? This is well appreciated since this is strong platform to get into Community Engagement mode. Add to this most people seem to be on Facebook. What's more is that Search Engines do like Facebook.

Facebook has its own rules and guidelines on what you are allowed to do and what will get your Brand / Business Page banned. The rules are not too difficult to understand however they end up making you ask what then can you do. Banning of your Page can be a little troublesome for you, reason being that you may find it difficult to get your Page back.

There are Five audiences that can flag you and get you banned:

• Facebook algorithms recognizing your footprints on Facebook as going against their rules
• By Community Members of your Page
• By your Personal Profile Page Network
• By Other Pages where you join
• By Members of the other Pages where you have joined

Below is what you should avoid and what you could do on your Facebook Brand / Business Page:

• On and From your Brand / Business and Profile Page:
• As much you may be tempted do not send out unnecessary and too many newsletters. This is a space where even if Facebook does not ban you - your Community Members will flag you and unsubscribe from your Page.
• Posting too many marketing Links will get you flagged by Facebook. This is done so that Brand and Business Pages do not turn out to be a nuisance to people. Your Community Members have joined you for various reasons - 99% of the time they have not joined you to be bombarded with sales messages.
• Posting too often the same Link will immediate tell the algorithms at Facebook that here is spammer.
• Sending out requests to join via 'Invite Friends' button leaves you very much in the hate list of your Network and Facebook as well.
• Copy and pasting the same information around.
• Your Page for the Brand or Business should be created from your Personal Profile Page not from a pseudo name or corporate name. This Profile Page should be real and not fictitious. In other words you should be traced in the real world if required. Naturally this does not mean you give out too much Personal information that can cause crime.
• You can have multiple Pages for your different Brands and Business all of them should be from that one original real Personal Profile Page.
• You cannot have multiple Profile Pages.
• Do no go on making friends spree from your Personal Profile Page.
• Do not Post Copy-write matter. If you do the give the credit line. Do not claim it as your own in any manner whatsoever. This means that - your not claiming and not giving it a credit line either can be misunderstood as your matter / content is also wrong.
• Your Brand and Business Page name should be real and not general qualifiers like for instance Pizzas. Your campaign name and/or regional or demographic qualifiers are acceptable

• Using your Page as the 'Use Facebook as Page':
• This is great function that Facebook has brought in. However use this wisely.
• Posting your link all over gets you not only on the hit list of Facebook but also by other Pages and Community Members of other Pages.
• Giving unnecessary comment and not adding value to the other Pages that you seem to be trampling on will make your own page get flagged. You will be recognized as spammer by the other Pages and their Community Members as well.
• Copy and Pasting the same information around all Pages that you have joined.

• Running Promotions / Contests / Sweepstakes / Discounts / Offers etc on your Facebook Page:
• Promotions that are leading people to take action on your or their Facebook Page calls for Facebook to cut you out. Examples are:
• Click like and join us and get / win ....
• Post a comment and get / win ....
• Tag the photos and get / win ....
• Get members and get / win .....
• Click like on this Post and get / win ....
• Upload a photo on our Wall and get / win ....
• The 100th Fan will get / win ....
• Mention this Page on your Wall and get / win ....
• Etc
• Promotions should have a open disclosure that in no way Facebook is responsible for the same - its logic, deliverables, content and so on.
• You cannot use any of the Facebook functionality as a voting mechanism
• For instance like and vote your voice
• You cannot notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook Messages, Chat, or Posts on Profiles (timelines) or Pages.
• If you wish to interact / collect any information then you need to have an application for this. The application developed needs to comply to Facebook rules for applications and developers. This means that judging entries, notifying winners, collecting entries, conducting a competition etc all need an application.
• You can randomly select a Community Member - this means that there was no contest or competition etc.
• For third party applications you can get them ready made online or create your own. Both ways the application and the developer needs to comply with the general and special rules of Facebook. Special rules are made for developers to adhere to.
• A simple way to go about is have your contest, competition or discounts and offers run on your Blog or Site. You are allowed to give the Link as a Post. Announce that this is in no way is endorsed, sponsored, administered or associated with or by Facebook.
  

• If you do collect information from users, then you need to take their consent, and make it very clear that it is you and not Facebook who is collecting their information, and post a privacy policy explaining what information you wish to collect and how you plan to use it.
• Use applications wherein the developers have met with the Facebook terms and conditions meant for developers.
• Any Third party advertisements on Pages are very strictly prohibited. Ads or commercial content on Pages must comply with Facebook Advertising Guideline.
• And finally: Facebook has the right to amend / change the rules anytime.
  

The rules are simple. Are they not? Still need more information?
Bottom line is that Facebook should not be involved directly or indirectly in whatever you do. It is your liability. Simply put if there is winner involved, if there is give away monetary non-monetary then you need to follow the rules tightly.

My Business Page is on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pervarakapadia Do join me.