Republished with permission from Online Marketing Pros Blog
Have you searched for your favorite eatery or retail shop on Facebook only to be disappointed at their presence? Instead of seeing their logo and information, you see random check-ins, a balloon icon or picture that looks something like a suitcase, and random posts asking the page to “help a buddy out” on Farmville. You shake your head in disbelief that they aren’t harnessing the power of social media and make it a point to let them know about their faux-pas the next time you visit.
Surprisingly, businesses by the hundreds are finding duplicate, triplicate, and in some cases too many Facebook pages to count, already set up and begging for content. The sad part of that is people are finding these pages and “liking” them, adding information (real or imagined), and checking in. Did you know that the public at large can create a Facebook community or Facebook Business Page for your business and not realize it? Is it important that you know these pages exist? How could this happen?
The internet has been a fantastic tool for disseminating and gathering information, but at the same time the world wide web and its simplicity of use has also made everyone a publisher. Couple this with the desire by social networks for transparency and managing your online reputation could not be more important. So how has this led to Facebook Pages gone wild?
Let me ask you this:
- Do your employees, customers, clients and competitors own an I-phone, Droid, or other smartphone?
- Do they use Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, or LinkedIn?
- Do they search on Google, Yahoo, or Bing either on their computer or smartphone?
- Do they like to give their opinion about products, services, or people?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then CONGRATULATIONS! You have the potential to find yourself or your company the proud recipient of online listings, reviews, or social media profiles and pages.
Back to the “how does this happen” question- Each time a new user signs up for Facebook or LinkedIn, they are asked a series of questions that include where they are employed or where they have gone to school. This prompts Facebook and LinkedIn to automatically set up a community page in the name of your business, company, or school if it can’t locate one.
Why? User experience. The more people have in common, the more they want to connect and TALK about their experiences. Good and bad. Do you know what they are saying about you, your business, or your brand? You’d better.
How about Google? Have you set up a Google Places account for your business? Has someone else?
Did you know that when a Google Place is set up on the internet, Facebook imports the info and sets up a Facebook Place business page? A Facebook Place page can also be set up at random when someone is using Facebook on their smartphone and wants to check in so their friends can see where they are.
You don’t have to be the business owner to set up a Google or Facebook Place. This could be an employee, customer, or worst case scenario, your competitor.
Why does this happen? Again, user experience. The more readily available the information is on the search engines and social media, the more transparency we have, which should lead to more business, right?
But what if you don’t know this online information exists? How would it impact your business and its reputation?
If you still think that online reputation management and social media management isn’t something you need to work into your marketing plan, take a moment and complete a social media analysis on your business. A quick search on Facebook or Google Places will give you a small snapshot of what you may be facing. Once that is complete, then you can search the other social media platforms, online business directories, and bookmarking sites. It is an ongoing process, so make sure you have a plan in place and check the sites often for duplicates, redundancies, and inaccuracies. A social media policy for your employees and strategic partners may not be a bad idea at this point in order to manage usage and engagement expectations.
One of the best ways to get a social media analysis is to consult with a social media management professional who can quickly and succinctly analyze your current presence and find these hidden profiles and pages. Many of them, such as Marketing Media Management, will perform an initial consultation for free.
You don’t know what you don’t know, but make no mistake, it is impacting your online reputation and social media presence. Are you ready to tame these online dragons?
Many thanks for your patience as we notified our winner of the Follow, Re-Tweet, and Win Facebook Facelift Contest. We are pleased to announce that Serenity Spa In Anchorage is the grand prize winner of a Facebook Page Facelift! Many congrats to Denise Willinger and her staff.
