3 Ways to Promote Your Brand Without Facebook

Facebook is slowly but surely adjusting its algorithm to require brands to pay for exposure to their own fans.

Recently, a blog post from Weber Shandwick mentioned that a Facebook vice president had announced that the free ride for brands is over. Frustrated by the lack of reach Facebook was allowing on the Dallas Mavericks Facebook page, owner Mark Cuban tweeted that he was looking for another alternative for the popular giant.

I've been hearing the rumblings of smaller brands talking about leaving the platform for a while now. Many don't have the budget to invest in promoted posts and Facebook ads, nor do they want to take a chance on investing in something that many claim doesn't show a measurable return.

What's a small brand to do? If you have been thinking that Facebook is not worth your time and money, here are three ways to boost your brand without it.

1. Step up your brand advocacy strategies on and offline.Most small brands thrive on word-of-mouth. Companies such as Zuberance are dedicated to the message that spending time finding and cultivating people who already love your brand has a much higher pay-off than broadcast or reach strategies.

Learn about advocacy strategies and implement the mindset into your marketing strategy. Data indicates that the vast majority of people never visit your Facebook page after they "like" you, asbrands struggle to build effective online communities on Facebook. How proactive are you at encouraging good customers to share your content?

People can talk about you to their Facebook friends whether you're on Facebook or not. You can embed a "like" button on your website to enable people to share your website content on their Facebook page. The protocol isn't drag and drop, but it's doable. Encourage loyal customers to post positive reviews about your business on third party review sites (but do not offer incentives).

2. Concentrate on making your website more advocacy- and engagement-oriented.Your website should already have a social look and feel. If it does not, there is your first disconnect. Do you have a photo gallery of customers using your products? Do you have positive customer testimonials on your website?

Make sure you temper the promotional aspect of these elements by having customers talk about how your product solved a problem for them. Have you got a video player on your website? It doesn't need to feature videos that you have produced. It could include how-to or informational videos that revolve around your product sector. You can run polls, contests, guest blogs, story-telling micro sites, and many other customer-oriented features on your website.

The more you can get people coming to your website and sharing it with others the less you need to worry about Facebook.

3. Experiment and engage more with other social media channels.If you have a walk-up storefront, have you tried geo-location social media yet such as Foursquare? Have you claimed all your online business profiles? How about adding a blog to your website? If you don't have a website, how about putting up a free "website" on a platform such as Wordpress.com or Tumblr that has the interactive look and feel of Facebook?

Do some research on other social media channels such as Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, or Google Plus. Experiment and see where you get some traction. Most of all, take some time to school yourself on engagement strategies. Even though Facebook claims to have a billion users, getting the attention of the fans you need to reach is a difficult task, and now, possibly an expensive one.

Brands have alternatives. You can be successful at creating loyal brand advocates without Facebook. Maybe it's time to consider the alternatives. Do you need Facebook to survive?

3 metode pentru a-ti promova afacerea fara Facebook

Facebook, incet dar sigur, se modifica pentru a cere firmelor plata pentru publicitate.

Recent, intr-o postare de pe un blog se mentioneaza ca un vicepresedinte de la Facebook a anuntat ca gratuitatea pentru marci se incheie. Frustrat de lipsa usurintei cu care putea ajunge pe pagina Dallas Mavericks, proprietarul Mark Cuban a postat pe tweeter ca el cauta o alternativa pentru popularul gigant.

Am tot auzit zvonuri cum ca marcile mai mici isi doresc sa paraseasca platforma. Multe dintre ele nu au bugetul necesar pentru a investi in publicitatea oferita de Facebook si nici nu doresc sa isi asume riscul de a aloca un fond in ceva care, multi afirma, nu ar oferi un schimb profitabil.

Ce ar trebui sa faca o afacere mica? Daca v-ati gandit ca Facebook nu merita timpul si banii dumneavoastra, aici gasiti 3 metode pentru a va promova afacerea fara el.

1. Imbunatatiti-va propaganda on si offlineCele mai multe mici afaceri prospera din exprimarea orala. Companii asemanatoare lui Zuberance sunt dedicate ideii ca utilizarea timpului pentru gasirea persoanelor carora deja le place afacerea dumneavoastra are o mai mare rasplata decat promovarea prin radio sau alte strategii.

Invatati despre strategii de promovare si implementati o anumita mentalitate in tehnica dumneavoastra de marketing. Datele indica faptul ca majoritatea persoanelor nu viziteaza pagina dumneavoastra de Facebook dupa ce v-au dat like, dupa cum companiile se straduiesc sa construiasca comunitati online eficiente pe Facebook. Cat de proactiv sunteti in incurajarea clientilor pentru distribuirea continutului dumneavoastra?

Oamenii pot vorbi despre dumneavoastra pe Facebook indiferent daca sunteti sau nu online. Puteti sa incorporati un buton de like pe website-ul dumneavoastra in asa fel incat oamenii sa distribuie continutul paginii pe Facebook. Procedura nu este drag & drop, dar este posibila. Incurajati clientii loiali sa posteze comentarii pozitive despre afacerea dumneavoastra.

2. Concentrati-va in imbunatatirea website-ului Siteul dumneavoastra ar trebui deja sa aiba un aspect social. Daca nu, aici este deconectare a dumneavoastra. Aveti o galerie foto cu persoanele care va utilizeaza produsele? Aveti recomandari pozitive de la clienti?

Asigurati-va ca aceasta promovare exista cu ajutorul clientilor care discuta despre cum i-a ajutat un produs/ aveti un player video pe website? Nu trebuie sa contina filmulete facute de d-voastra. Pot sa includa video-rui informative despre un anumit sector de produse. Puteti desfasura concursuri, voturi si multe alte rubrici destinate clientelei.

Cu cat aduceti mai multe persoane pe site, cu atat mai putin trebuie sa va ingrijorati de Facebook.

3.Experimentati si faceti mai multe angajamente cu alte retele mediaDaca aveti un magazin, ati incercat localizarea geografica pe siteuri de genul Foursquare? V-ati asumat toate profilele online ale afacerii? Ce spuneti de adaugarea unui blog pe website? Daca nu aveti un site, o idee ar fi sa puneti pe o platforma (Wordpress.com sau Tumblr) un website care sa fie la fel de interactiv ca si Facebook.

Faceti niste cercetari pe alte retele de socializare media cum ar fi Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest sau Google Plus. Experimentati si vedeti unde este cel mai bine. Cel mai important, faceti-va timp pentru a studia strategii de parteneriat. Chiar daca Facebook pretinde ca are un miliard de utilizatori, sa atragi atentia fanilor poate fi un lucru dificil, poate chiar scump.

Marcile au alternative. Puteti avea succes in crearea bradurilor loiale care sa pledeze in favoarea dumneavoastra, fara Facebook. Poate ca esti timpul pentru alternative. Aveti nevoie de Facebook epntru a supravietui?

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