Confused by Social Media?

You aren't alone!  Although the largest growing segment of social media users is in the 35 to 44 year old range, a large number of business owners are in the dark when it comes to social media.  There is a lot out there and choosing which platform is best for you can make or break your social media program.  An experienced social media specialist can help you develop a Social Media Marketing Plan (SMP) that fits your business.


You may even be asking yourself, "Why do I need to get my business involved in social media?"  Well the answer is simple. Social media platforms like Facebook have transformed the customer service experience.  Customers go to company Facebook pages to get help with products, find information, receive support and gain access to exclusive deals and offers.  If you don't have a company Facebook page, a group of clients may start one for you and in that case you have no control over your brand messaging.  Such is the case with Verizon Wireless where an outspoken client 'squats' on the Facebook page answering questions and interacting with clients giving the impression he represents the brand when he does not.  You've worked hard to establish your brand, why hand it over to someone who may or may not have your best interest in mind?


The statistics for the growth of social media and Facebook in particular are staggering!  Take a look at this video that puts it all into perspective for you:

Do you really think you can afford to be in the dark about social media?  Let me help you develop a comprehensive SMP to get you started in social media.  I will take the time to understand your business, your clients and help you create a program to get you started.

You can contact me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialbuttereflyconsulting or e-mail me at rlegamaro at gmail.com

Resolving Vanity Name Issues

So you read my post about Securing a Vanity Name but when you tried to secure your name you found out that your name was already in use. Facebook doesn't require trademark registration or proof of ownership when requesting a Vanity URL. This means that anyone can request a Vanity URL and as long as it is not already taken they can use it. However, if you own the rights to a trade name, can use the username infringement form to contact Facebook and have your trade name retracted from the other party and released to you.

http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=username_infringement

However, you must legally own the rights to the name in order to use this form. This form will ask for your trademark registration number and you are required to acknowledge that you have the legal rights to the name. If you fill out this form and do not have the legal right to the name you could open yourself up to a potential lawsuit by the legal owner of the user/trade name.

Securing a Vanity URL

As a business entering the wide world of social media, one thing is critically important, branding! Part of that branding is securing a URL with your company. You may have noticed that when you start a page on Facebook you are not immediately given the option to customize your URL. So for example when I first started my page, my Facebook URL looked like this:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Social-Butterfly-Consulting/207823562577580

It doesn’t look good on a business card, or any other marketing materials for that matter, and no one is going to type in that long, crazy URL. However there is something you can do about it. Facebook allows business pages that have a minimum of 25 fans to secure what they call a Vanity URL. In my case that Vanity URL would be www.facebook.com/SocialButterflyConsulting. Now doesn’t that look better? So how do I get this URL you ask? Simple, first call out to your friends on your personal page, after all it’s called social NETWORKING for a reason. Put a post out there that reads something to the effect of:

Hey Friends, I just started a Facebook page for my company ACME Enterprises and I want to secure my page name (Don’t say vanity URL most people won’t know what that means)I need a minimum of 25 Fans to get my URL. Please click Like on my page: (Insert URL)

Most of your friends will answer the call to help you out and be glad to do it. Another option you have is to go to your new company page and click Share. Share the page with your friends list as well.

Also don’t be shy about asking friends with businesses to pass along the word. This strategy has a double bonus. Not only do you get to secure your URL but you also get a built in list base to start networking your product or service. Social Media etiquette says that it’s polite to like other’s business pages as well.

Once you have 25 Fans go to www.facebook.com/username , there you can select the Vanity URL you want to use and attach it to your business page. CAUTION: Once you select your Vanity URL you cannot change it! Choose wisely!

In some cases your Vanity Name may be being used by someone else, or was previously used by someone else and is no longer available. There is a solution for that. Stay tuned, in my next article I will address Resolving Vanity URL Availability.

~ Rebecca