Week 12B Hitting that Budget

With that in mind, what sort of advertising could your business use, and how often should you use ads? 

 

Businesses who do nothing but ads really annoy me. I think putting ads up once or twice a week should be sufficient. Of course, if I find my schedule more free I might advertise more. If my schedule is full, I would put advertising on hold. 

 

 

Explain the different kinds of FaceBook advertising is available and which ones you might try for your business. 

 

 

 I feel that this business is so new, that I would do well to simply promote the page and share it with friends. There is no website and I don't have anything set up. That's OK, because I can start generating interest while I get everything else going.

 

Be sure to include your reasoning behind your choice, timing and budget you feel would have the most impact and generate the best results.

 

When I do get the website up, I will go in the direction of guiding people to the website. My budget is exactly zero, but if I had a normal income, I might dedicate $20 a day. I would do ads, but also make interesting posts and boost them. During the first year, I would put all my profit right back into advertising, adding more budget until I reach a point where I am just occupied enough without overloading my schedule.

Week 15B: Viewpoints

Has your viewpoint of social media changed?

I was very familiar with some platforms so those didn't change much. However, I was fascinated with platforms like Google+ and Linked-in. I am more convinced than ever that old styles of advertising like newspapers, flyers, etc. are fading into the past. I feel like there is so much more to learn in this field because it is always changing.

Do you have a better understanding of how to use it successfully to develop a business?

I know a few people that are starting out a business and I have heartily recommended this class. It takes a student through the process of setting up all the social media for a business. Not only the set up, but how to make ads and analyzing the metrics.

Learning about YouTube was very interesting. I found out how to start an account and load up videos. I do understand more about the differences between Instagram and Pinterest. I am also fascinated to see where platforms like Snapchat will go in the next few years.

Did you find social media for businesses, services and products you want to use yourself?

I don't have any money at all. We barely keep a roof over our heads. Food is hard to keep stocked, so no, I don't have any interest in anything but bare survival at this point. If I ever had any money in the future, I might pay more attention to this sort of thing, but for now, I am so broke, I cannot allow myself to desire anything but education.

I do appreciate a few people who reached out to me on facebook, offering to help me get started in the industry. They were very supportive and helpful.

Week 15A: Big Plans for the Future

• Which ones integrate best with the type of business you have created?

 I think Facebook & Twitter will be the best social media for diy4biz. Facebook has the older business owners who may be looking to improve their online presence. Twitter may have younger people who are looking for advice while starting a business.

• Which have you enjoyed using the most? The enthusiasm or lack there of for a type of media is often shared along with the posts we write. This class gave you an opportunity to experiment with a variety of them. Now you can focus in on what seems the most effective ones to use.

 I have been using Facebook and Twitter so long that they are no longer fresh for me. I did make a video about social media and loaded it up on YouTube. Because this was so unique, I liked it alot.

• Which work best on a daily use pattern?

 I use Hootsuite so I can post to all my pages daily. I do like the conversational aspect of
Facebook.

• Which can you still use effectively on a much less frequent time schedule?

I do intend to make more YouTube videos, but this takes time. I also want to explore Squarespace, since the reach may be better. 

• How much time do you think your business should spend on social media marketing and why?

I can do all my posting in a few minutes per day, but to really connect with people may take 20 minutes or so per day.

• In your blog, please explain why you chose the tools you did, and how you might use them to use and test a strategy over the next six months.

I googled the name of my business to see how it ranked on google. I could also do topical searches and find where my business ranks. I do like the Facebook analytics, so I should watch those, but Hootsuite also gives great analytics. 

• Plot out a rough draft plan of the next month of content across the sites you’ve chosen, and how you hope they might grow or sustain your business. Be as detailed as possible, including daily or weekly time requirements to meet the goals.

I can schedule a weeks' worth of content in about an hour a week on Hootsuite. Since it is the Holiday season, I might make some posts about handling stressful times. Then, after Christmas, and especially into the new year, I could make posts about using analytics to look back at the last year and plan for the next year. I also want to make another video, maybe once a month. All this would be to grow the brand and get more recognition.

Week 14: Changes All Around

Search Engine Optimization - it's not just for your website anymore. I remember when it was all about your website keywords. Then google started looking at your content. Then things changed, then things changed, then...

Don't panic, all we need to do is adjust.
It's that easy.

So,  I have now set up a page for my pretend business, diy4biz, on my regular website. I also set up a Facebook page and a Twitter page for diy4biz. This has been going on for about 3 months now. As you can see below, google found theFacebook page, the Twitter page and the page I made as a test on my website. There is even a comment listed from this very blog! Thank you, Quiet Woman, whoever you are.

This is truly amazing. Really, there isn't that much content on any of these pages. In the past, this kind of results would have taken a long time. Now, we only need to include thoughtful content, keeping analytics in mind as we write, and google will lead people to our doors.

Or website, or Twitter page, or...

Now let's zero in on Facebook and see what they have noticed. My instructor recommends that we concentrate on three main metrics.

• Page Views
• Engagement
• Conversations

Page Views:



Engagements:   Looks like a couple of posts got some interest.




Conversations:  Well this is sad, but here it is.