#1 Reason to Customize Your Facebook Fan Page

Posted on July 30th, 2010 by

This post was originally seen on www.socialmediabeast.wordpress.com.

We had the good fortune of meeting with a high-level exec from Facebook Chicago office yesterday. He was extremely informative and compelling. Sure, that’s his job, but the numbers and facts he shared with us resonate.

Facebook membership is just eclipsing the 500 million mark, with over 60% of members in the US. As he reported, if you exclude babies and kids who aren’t yet computer literate and elderly folks on the other end of the age scale,  1 in 3 American’s are using Facebook. This is an astounding number and compelling for those in business that remain skeptical. As we have been saying for some time, fish where the fish are! Consumers are embracing Facebook at an astounding rate and in astounding numbers. They are talking about everything from baby diapers to where to stay in Puerto Rico. Most importantly, we go on Facebook for referrals and recommendations from friends. Don’t you want to have a presence there in the ever more powerful word-of-mouth arena?

The Faebook Page for business can be an incredibly powerful tool. It’s important to consider customizing that page and using it as a companion to your website’s homepage. Some business’s are even moving toward using the fan page as an alternative to their website since the reach can be enormous. Remember, your website is static while Facebook is dynamic and in real-time. And, consumers “opt in” to it, so your posts are greeting with enthusiasm, rather than dread, as with many advertisements.

A great resource for better understanding the tools and tricks of the fan page is on one of Facebook’s blogs I follow.

Have you gotten creative with your Facebook page? Please share any clever tricks you’ve put in place.

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Promote with Video

Posted on June 30th, 2010 by

This post was originally seen on www.socialmediabeast.com and is written by Laura Levy.

Ok, so you can finally tell me I haven’t been completely off-track shooting, posting, distributing and preaching the word about web video for the past five years. Check out the latest comScore numbers…

-183 million US Internet users watched online video (that’s in May, 2010 alone!), up from 178 million in April, 2010

-US viewers clicked on 14.6 billion YouTube videos, May 2010

-The total number of videos viewed per US Internet user surpassed 100 videos per viewer for the first time, now reaching 101.2 vids per viewer

-After YouTube, Hulu ranks #2 in the web video portal race, serving up 1.2 billion videos

-84.8% or total US Internet users opted to view videos online this month of May 2010.

The barrier to entry into web video, from production, editing, converting, uploading and sharing has been practically eliminated. What more does a firm need to know, outside of the above, to get going on crafting a clever, simple yet engaging web video platform and player. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s here to stay.  Watch a short clip we just finished for our client Tavern at the Park. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get more tips, strategies and updates on the state of social media.

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CP Convention and Trade Show a Success

Posted on April 30th, 2010 by

Hundreds of concierge,  professionals and professional networkers came out to the Crystal Ballroom at Navy Pier on Tuesday afternoon, for the 9th Annual Concierge Preferred Convention and Tradeshow.  The event provided the perfect opportunity for attendees to become immersed in some of the businesses that have become, or remained, extremely popular with locals and visitors alike. About 100 exhibitors represented area restaurants, attractions, retail and service businesses, all of which were handing out generous samples which meant every guest left with a full stomach and a full bag of swag! Most restaurants also paired creative cocktails with their bites, creating an almost party-like atmosphere.

But it was time to get down to business too. The seats were filled for the CP Buzz! sessions that took place throughout the day, which included valuable social media marketing information from Laura Levy of Social Media Beast. Most of the CP team was on-site to chat it up with the attendees too, including President and Publisher Tim O’Malley (pictured below), VP of Sales and Advertising, Jim Gilligan and Director of Content and Editorial, Kelly Williams.

The National Concierge Association held its annual silent auction and raffle, showcasing exciting events, attractions and dining experiences around town. All proceeds went directly to the Chicago Chapter of the NCA. The festivities didn’t end with the trade show at 7 p.m. An after-party took place at Howl at the Moon, where attendees flashed their badges to receive access to an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres.

A special thanks to all the participating exhibitors and volunteers from the Chicago Office of Tourism Chicago Greeters for making the trade show such a success!

Photos courtesy of Jeff Brown, All Events Photography. To view more photos from the Trade Show, visit Concierge Preferred on Facebook!

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