Facebook. Love it or hate it, it has become a staple in the way Mom Businesses market their products and services. Its free, you reach people who are interested in what you are selling and its pretty easy to attract new fans and turn them into customers.
But, Facebook frequently changes the rules of how you can use it. Recent changes have taken a toll on the bottom line of many a Mom Business. About six weeks or so ago, Facebook became your gatekeeper of information, sifting through all of the updates and deciding which ones are most important to you. Why they felt the need to do this is beyond me, but they thought it would make the site better. Its their site - they can do whatever they want. And that is the problem with relying to heavily on Facebook for your marketing.
The New Facebook
Over the past couple of days, I have seen some threads on Facebook between Mom Business owners talking about how the recent changes have really hurt their business. Because their updates and photos are not showing up feeds like the used to, customers simply forget about them. I follow thousands of business on Facebook. There is no way that I could remember to stop by each of those pages everyday to see what new items are available. Facebook has decided, supposedly by following my habits on FB and determining which pages are most important to me, what pages I am truly interested in. The problem is, I do visit lots of pages each day - and regardless if I like their posts or leave comments, it doesn't seem to impact what is showing up in my feed.
The Old Facebook
For a long time, the best way to show your importance in social networking were your numbers. Sad to say, but I could ramble off my Facebook, Twitter and Google Rankings better than I could tell you my kids birthdates (In my defense, I have 4 kids). Now - those numbers are meaningless - because you don't know how many of those folks are truly getting your updates. There is simply no way to know if the site with 10,000 fans really has 10,000 engaged fans or just a bunch of likes because you had a contest.
Giveaways, Facebook Shoutout Programs (paying for Facebook mentions), liking ladders and other traditional ways Mom Businesses used to grow their sites don't work anymore. Because a like doesn't mean the same thing it used to. Especially Facebook Shoutout Programs... When you pay for plugs on someone else's Facebook page, who do you think is following those pages? Not customers, that's for sure. The answer is Moms just like you, trying to market their business. Your likes go up - but your sales don't follow. Somebody made some money - usually the folks selling the shout out, not you.
So, What's A Mom Business To Do?
I think the changes on Facebook serve as an important reminder/lesson on Marketing in general. NEVER put all of your eggs in one basket. If you have relied on Facebook for marketing, you have made a mistake. As with any business, Mom Businesses need a Marketing plan, even if its one you write on the back of your 1st grader's homework. It should be about where and how you will market your Mom Business. Facebook should play a roll in your marketing efforts - but it should not be the only way you market your business. Here are some other things you need to be doing:
*Newsletters - Turn your customers and social media fans into subscribers of your newsletter. Offer incentives like discounts or gift with purchase to encourage sign ups. Once you get a good list, take a measured approach to how you use your list. Do not overwhelm your subscribers with constant emails. Rather pick a day and stick with it. Maybe it's the 1st day of each month, or an email each Sunday. Make sure each has good information and something new to share to keep your subscribers engaged and so they will look forward to seeing what is inside. Don't have a newsletter yet? MailChimp and Constant Contact are two great, no cost/low cost services that can help you get started.
* Other Social Media Platforms - Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn should all be part of your social media strategy. While Facebook maybe your favorite place to connect with shoppers - you should not ignore these social networking platforms either.
* Good ol' Fashioned Advertising. Yes, I know. It costs money. And sometimes, what you get in return doesn't give you a return on your investment. However, you must look at advertising as a way to get your name out there. Not just as a numbers game. An ad on a website that caters to your target market, will make you top of mind to shoppers and other business owners alike. Not to mention, it will help with your SEO. (We are working on coming up with a list of websites we recommend you advertise on. If you have suggestions and success stories, email us!)
* SEO - Search Engine Optimization. When someone searches for your keywords - where does your business pop up on Google's search engine? If you aren't on the top 30 or so then you need to up your SEO. When someone does a Google search, they don't go back more than 2 or 3 pages to see what Google comes up with. SEO helps you get to the front of the listings. All those social media sites help, ads help, back links from other sites help, being mentioned on websites helps... every back link helps your site climb in the Google Rankings.
* Local craft shows - I have talked with many businesses who wanted to get off the craft show circuit and thought Facebook was the way to do it. For awhile, it was. However, it is my belief that if you make something, a craft show is a great way to connect and sell. Make sure you are handing out business cards or flyers and encouraging folks to sign up for your newsletters etc.
*Online Showcases - Etsy, Paper-N-Stitch and The Mommy Shops (yes, this is my plug) are great additions to your marketing line up. The shoppers who come to these sites are looking to shop small businesses. Showcasing your products on these sites is another helpful tool in the tool box. In the case of ETSY, it is becoming overwhelmed with shops in my opinion. Again, you shouldn't rely on Etsy to bring you all of your business. I have talked to Etsy Shop Owners who are having the same problem with Etsy as they are on Facebook. So many pages, you just get lost in the shuffle.
Facebook Shops
I have been a little concerned about the growing number of businesses I see using Facebook as their shop. These are businesses that don't have a website, don't want to pay the fees on Etsy and use Facebook as their shop. I really think those businesses are doing themselves a disservice. You are setting up shop on a page you have NO CONTROL over. The fate of your business is in someone else's hands. The hours, days and months that you have spent setting up your Facebook page and growing your fanbase can be wiped out in a single moment should Facebook not like what you are doing (so many businesses lost their pages a couple of months ago when Facebook cracked down on giveaways and shout out programs).
I truly believe businesses need their own website. While this may sound like a daunting and expensive task - it does not have to be that way. There are so many low cost sites that allow you to build your own site for free, or at a low cost without having to know code. We have a list of those sites, so just email us if you are interested.
Its Their Site - They Can Do With It As They Wish
All the complaining I have seen about the new Facebook changes, the comments, etc, etc... just reminds us of this one important thing: Its Facebook's site. They can do with it as they wish. If they decide to charge for business pages, they can. If they don't like what you are doing on their site, they can shut you down. If they decide they don't want business pages anymore - they can wipe them all out in the click of a button.
Keep this in mind as you put together your Marketing Plan.
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