I really enjoyed this great piece from Erica Swallow over at American Express’ OPEN forum this week that features 5 Easy Ways to Liven Up Your Facebook Stream. You are using Facebook for business, aren’t you? A good chunk of our industry is enjoying great success with Facebook and already implementing these ideas in creative ways.
Erica’s first suggestion, “showcase your customers” is an easy one - check out this fun set of photos that McCormick & Schmick’s has up from a Veteran’s Day celebration (in fact, they have quite a few photo sets up featuring customers - bravo!)
Erica’s second point: “have a sense of humor”, might be my favorite. I am still chuckling over Seafood for the Future’s April Fool’s day Facebook post, “At the request of PETA, we will no longer be serving fish at the Aquarium of the Pacific. The new bacon-based program rolls out today!” You can see for yourself that this suggestion generated a bunch of comments - and that’s what we want from a post!
Number three: “give them something to consume” means get some original content up on your page, whether you’ve created it, or your featuring the work of a colleague. If your customers know that your Facebook page is a source of original and educational content, they will be more inclined to come back to you and see you as a resource.
Suggestion number four, “ask questions” is another great way to get a conversation going on your page. The team over at the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board asks a lot of questions of the folks that visit their page - and they get a lot of answers! Not only does this improve the visibility of your page, it can help you get a real feel for what your customers want.
Erica’s final suggestions, “take us behind the curtain” is an easy way to add authenticity to your brand. What’s going on at your company that your customers don’t see every day? Take some photos of your QA department at work, showcase your employees doing what they do best but that nobody ever sees. The seafood industry is filled with mystery, so this is your chance to show the world the care and attention that you bring to work every day.
A great example of this is a photo set posted over at the Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association’s page that highlights fishermen at work, bringing their catch on board. The average consumer doesn’t normally get to see this side of the product - it’s a far cry from those bright red fillets laying in the store case. If they can’t come to your operation - bring it to them!
Happy Facebooking!
