Apple's Awesome PR Sauce: Their Customers

Apple has THE best PR team ever!  Their customers.  

Think about all of the people you know who use Apple products.  Tons of them, right?  They don't just use the products, they're die-hard, lifelong evangelists for Apple.  Say something - anything bad about their iPhone, MacBook Air or iPad and those folks will come for you with the ETHER! 

Not only are they loyal customers, but they encourage others to do the same.  It's almost like they work for the company.  Like they own stock in Apple!  They're so serious that...Apple users will look at you funny when you say your cell phone is an Android.  And if you tell them you're still using a Blackberry???  Whoa.  They'll give you a blank stare, giggle or shake their head in disbelief.  Their passion is undeniable.  

Why?  They genuinely believe Apple products are THE best.  And that's PR at it's best!  Great PR influences people's perception of a company, product or brand.  So much that they want to share that enthusiasm with others.  So much that the cost of that product or service is secondary.  So much that they will defend that company, product or brand to the very end! 

Apple's awesome sauce is grounded in phenomenal PR.  Their reputation has created this army of supporters and customers who carry that Apple torch (proudly) through the rain, sleet or snow. 

Whether you're an Apple fan or not, you gotta respect that.  

    

So You've Asked People To 'Like' Your Facebook Page, Now What?

I have a lot of friends who are small business owners.  Unfortunately many of them haven't included social media tactics in their overall business strategy. *sigh*  But, THAT's another topic for another time.   

Back to the subject at hand... 

So...you've asked people to 'like' your new Facebook company page.  Now what?   First and most important, look at your company's business goals.  Remember: 

Social Media is Not a One-Off  =  Your social media strategy shouldn't have its own agenda.  It should align with your overall business strategy.  For example, if one of your key issues as a company is to raise the level of awareness around a new product or service, then your social media efforts should support that.  

Create An Editorial Calendar - An editorial calendar is basically a daily listing of posts that will go on your page. Relevant, consistent, engaging content is super important on Facebook.  Sure, being spontaneous is a part of social media.  But remember, you want to focus on your overall business goal(s) too.  An editorial calendar will help you do that.  It will help you stay on track.  

Keep Your Posts Short & Sweet - No one has time to sit and read a thesis about your product and whatnot.  Keep it short.  The shorter, the better. 

Add Images - A post without an image is like a cupcake with no icing.  Blah.  Content is moving fast on Facebook. People are seeing all kinds of things in their feed.  You want to grab someone's attention quickly.  Great images can do that.    

Real Time Engagement - Not only do you want to add fans to your page, but you want to interact with them too. You want to answer their questions, respond to their compliments and assist them if they have a problem.  If you can't do these things personally, hire someone who can. 

Understand & Utilize Facebook Insights - Insights is sooooo valuable!  This tool will show you who your fans are, where they live, what posts they like, what times of day they're online, etc.  Get familiar with Insights.  It will help you find out which content works best for your audience and how you can improve. 

Scheduled Posts - You can schedule posts on Facebook.  In fact, you can schedule posts up to six months in the future.  How cool is that?!  With this feature, you'll be able to post more content without being strapped to a computer all the time. 

I know this seems like a lot, but if you really want your business/brand to have a successful Facebook page, you have to take it seriously.  Start with these things first.  I think you'll be pretty impressed with your results.