The Starting Gate

Twitter and sales: How to cash in on your own Twitter platform

By Susan Linning

Yeah, we’re tweeting.  Day and night, night and day.  Great for marketing. Great for reaching out to current and potential customers/clients.  Great for brand building.  But can Twitter increase my sales?

You know that social media platforms (including Twitter) can be a valuable marketing tool and a wonderful outlet for connecting with current customers or potential business. The question becomes: How do I turn the Twitter conversation into a real one, complete with the potential for making a sale or closing a deal?

Facebook, as you’ve likely discovered, is not a “build it and they will come” platform.  Twitter, on the other hand, is extremely useful for seeking out a customer base, developing sales leads, finding vendors and suppliers, etc.  Scourge the Twitter platform for colleagues in your industry, those who
might be interested in your products or services and individuals or businesses that would be ideal clients/customers or service providers. Begin building your online community.  By “retweeting” others’ posts, you get noticed and you build a valuable source of content for your own followers.  It’s an ideal way to network and connect with others.  

The latest feature from Twitter is Twitter Ads, which were recently released to all United States users.  Now, you can advertise your business or promote specific tweets, much like you can do on Facebook.  Read more about this process here, and consider investing in Twitter ads as a part of your overall social media strategy.

There are a number of online, third party tools and sites that can help you easily manage your Twitter account, follow and unfollow other users, and build a relevant, meaningful following. One such tool is ManageFlitter, an online application that - with a few clicks of the mouse - helps users manage and navigate the Twitterverse.

The free version of ManageFlitter enables users to follow or unfollow up to 100 users a day (a helpful feature for users attempting to grow a fan base via the “follow/unfollow” method). However, the paid version of the site is well worth the investment. For as little as $12/month, users can sign up for ManageFlitter features such as “PowerPost,” which sends out scheduled tweets at the times they’re most likely to be seen by the most users possible. The paid version of ManageFlitter also includes basic analytical tools, which can be helpful when assessing the overall impact of your Twitter campaigns.

Remember that Twitter and the other social media platforms are all about the soft sell and taking your time to develop online relationships and trust.  Be patient and inform, educate and entertain people first, later you can sell them your newest concept, product line or event.  

This great article via Hubspot examines some top tips in finding sales leads and prospects on the popular social site. Some great advice! View the full article here and tweet on!

Susan Linning is president of ECHO SOCIAL MEDIA + MARKETING of Miami, which develops and executes social media and integrated marketing strategies, creating custom content and maintaining pages on social media platforms. ECHO also provides blogging and copy-writing services.

Read Susan Linning's recent guest post on blogging here, her post on Pinterest here, her post on her top 5 social media tips here and her post on the social media hustle here. 

 

7 ways Google Hangouts can connect you to your customers

By Tasha Cunningham

There is a social network out there that is quickly outpacing the growth of Twitter and if you don’t have a presence on it, you are missing out on potential customer engagement, revenue and exposure for your business. In existence for just two years, Google + is on track to surpass Twitter as the No. 2 most popular social network, behind Facebook according to GlobalWebIndex, a London-based internet analytics company. GlobalWebIndex reports that Google + has 359 million active users. That’s 33 percent more than the 269 million users the social network had at the end of June 2012.

As a small business owner, you probably haven’t had time to explore the ins and outs of this growing social network just yet. You might want to make time because there is a free feature of Google + that you have to try at least once. It’s called Google Hangouts. Hangouts are video chats that you can have with friends, relatives and colleagues over the Internet free. It’s akin to Skype in the way it functions.

If you’ve got Google +, you simply need to log in to your account and click “Start a Hangout”. From there, you get a series of prompts that take you through the steps you need to get schedule and start your Hangout. Be sure to check out Hangouts on Air, a feature that gives you the opportunity to broadcast your Hangout to others on your YouTube channel, on Google + or on your website.      

      And while it has got a lot of pros, Google + does have its cons. One of which, is that you’ve got to have a Google ID to use it. That also means that for people to join your Hangout, they’ve got to have one too. And the more apps you add to your Hangout, the slower your connection speed, resulting in lag time.

So how you use Google Hangouts to market your small business? Here are seven ways to help you get started.

•  Hold a product demonstration.

Use Google Hangouts to hold a demonstration of your product and how to best use it. Offer to hangout one-on-one with anyone who wants more information. You can invite up to nine people to hang out with you at once. Take your nine best customers and give them an exclusive look at your new product.

•  Use Google Capture.

Capture is a new app that allows you to take photographs of a Google Hangout in progress. It’s a great way to share moments with those who couldn’t be there to see it for themselves.

•  Provide customer support.

Use Google Hangouts to provide face-to-face customer service support. This gives your customers the opportunity to connect with you to discuss their problem from the comfort of their home or office.

•  Host an online launch party for a product.

When you launch a new product, use Google Hangouts to give people who can’t be there to host an online launch party. For customers who can’t attend or people who live in other countries, it’s a way to be a party of the action.

•  Create a sponsored Hangout.

While there are currently no ads on Google Hangouts, there are creative ways to make money hosting a one. In April, Glamour magazine recently launched a week-long series of Hangouts that incorporated chats with celebrities and readers alike. They strategically placed new products from major brands like L’Oreal and Pantene. Each brand sponsored the Hangout that their product was featured in. Think about teaming up with other companies to create a Hangout that can result in revenue for all involved.

•  Create a standing Hangout.

Let your customers know that every week at a certain time you’ll be hosting a hangout just to connect with your customers. You could tie into a weekly promotion. For example, you could give out a password or online coupon code during the Hangout and when customers use it, they receive their reward. Be sure to check out the website Google Plus Hangouts ( www.gphangouts.com) to see what other permanent hangouts are happening related to your industry.

•  Join other Hangouts to promote yours.

Spend time checking out other Hangouts and promote your own while you’re at it. Try to find Hangouts in your industry and be a vocal participate. At the end, when it’s time to sign off, take a second to plug your Hangout as well.

Want more information on Google Hangouts? Check out  http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394118/7-ways-google-hangouts-can-connect.html#storylink=cpy

SFIMA offering peer-to-peer forum next week

The South Florida Interactive Marketing Association will open the microphone at its April 11 educational meeting, allowing digital marketers tom discuss the hot topics and prevailing business issues they face today. Last year, the potential impact of Pinterest and Google+ was on everyone's mind. Did these social media channels live up to the hype and promise? How have companies
fared with Facebook for Brands? If email didn't die, how has it changed? Now in its fifth year, the peer-to-peer forum provides attendees a platform to ask, answer, learn and engage with one another.

This year's forum will address mobile marketing and communications, online reputation management, user experience and customer journeys, web analytics and more. Any attendee may ask any question and have it answered by an expert in the room. All opinions, ideas and experiences that enhance learning and spark discussion are welcome. Last year, Carnival Cruise Lines, Citrix, Yelp.com, Office Depot and other companies were present. The forum takes place Thursday, April 11 at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach. Networking runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15
p.m. The discussion happens from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event is free for SFIMA members. Non-members pay $39 in advance, $49 at the door. To register, visit http://bit.ly/WWRtgy.

 

Shark Daymond John kicks off global EO conference on Miami Beach

Photo by Peter Andrew Bosch of The Miami Herald.

By Nancy Dahlberg, ndahlberg@miamiherald.com

Shark Tank star Daymond John parlayed his passion for hip-hop and entrepreneurship to go from waiting tables to founding and growing FUBU, a $4 billion urban fashion empire.

But as John told nearly 400 entrepreneurs in a Fontainebleau ballroom Wednesday night, there is no such thing as an overnight success. His phenomenal entrepreneurial journey took more than a decade and included plenty of roadblocks and detours. Speaking for more than an hour, the entrepreneur who also stars in the popular ABC business reality show kicked off Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s global four-day conference called University, which continues through Saturday in Miami Beach.

“For two years we had 10 T-shirts, and for two years we would go out and put a T-shirt on a rapper [doing a video] and then he would give it back,’’ John said of FUBU’s early days. “We got on a lot of videos. We were perceived as a big company and I was still working at Red Lobster.”

Russell Simmons, LL Cool J and John’s mom figured prominently in his story, along with a Las Vegas trade show. Lacking the money to exhibit or even get into the show, John and his friends set up their products in their hotel room five miles away, then snuck into the show and convinced some fairgoers to check them out.

“Out of that little hotel room we wrote $300,000 in orders. ... Then it hit me, I have to make $300,000 worth of clothes and I don’t have any money,” he said. Twenty-seven bank loan rejections later, his mother took out a $120,000 second mortgage on her house. He moved in 10 industrial sewing machines.

“As entrepreneurs, we don’t do our homework. I didn’t have financial intelligence; I was blinded by the potential. ... The factory was cranking but what started killing me was the float. I thought I was about to go bankrupt.”

The turning point: Through a “need financing” ad placed by his mom, Samsung Textile Division provided financing as long as he would sell $5 million in three years. He ended up selling $30 million in three months. When LL Cool J appeared in a Gap commercial wearing a FUBU cap, sales shot to $350 million.

“We were on our way, there was no stopping us,” said John, who has owned property in Miami Beach and visits often.

Shark Tank, the show in which the “sharks” evaluate entrepreneurs’ pitches and sometimes invest their own funds into the ventures, is now in its 4th season. What you see on TV is just a sliver of the grilling the entrepreneurs get on Shark Tank, John told the audience. That was confirmed by Yuan Yung, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization member from Texas who appeared on Shark Tank a month ago to pitch his custom sushi shop How Do You Roll? — and received a deal from Shark Kevin O’Leary.

“As entrepreneurs, we are pitching all the time,” said John, who has written books on branding. “The only way we are successful at pitching is to pitch what’s in it for the person we are pitching to. ... If you watch the show, you know what the sharks want.”

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization conference — which also included other speakers and workshops, including an event at the Miami Freedom Tower Thursday night — continues Friday with a speech by Manny Medina, founder of Terremark.

EO is a global organization with 8,000-members from more than 40 countries. All members must own businesses that bring in at least $1 million in revenue. The local EO chapter, EO South Florida, partners with universities and community organizations on entrepreneurship-related projects, hosts an accelerator program for promising small businesses under $1 million in revenue and holds an entrepreneurship contest for college students, said Dr. Mark Sanna, CEO of Breakthrough Coaching and president of EO South Florida.

The 150-member EO South Florida, the global group’s fourth-largest chapter, has been planning the annual conference for more than two years, said Aaron Lee, president of Illuminati Studios and an EO South Florida board member. Entrepreneurs from 27 countries — including Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia and Australia — are attending this week.

Earlier in the day Wednesday, EO co-sponsored a BritWeek Visits Miami event with UK Trade & Investment about tech entrepreneurship, in which a panel of local and British experts discussed successes in London’s “Tech City” and explored ways to continue building a tech hub here. “It’s an exciting time to showcase entrepreneurship in Miami,” said Lee, who organized the lunchtime event for EO South Florida. (More about this event tomorrow in Starting Gate)

For social media campaigns that "pop," learn from pop culture

By Susan Linning

We’re going to let you in on a little secret about social media marketing: Facebook fans and Twitter followers are spoiled! They want information that is interesting and relevant to them. In other words: Boring, repetitive posts from businesses engaging in shameless self-promotion just aren’t going to cut it.

In a world and society that revolves largely around reality TV shows, celebrity antics and YouTube sensations, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends when constructing a social media marketing strategy.  Whether you love it or hate it, pop culture is here to stay – and it’s a lot more likely that your fans, followers and target audience will perk up and pay attention if you’re tuned in.

Did you know that the 2013 Oscars generated a whopping 8.9 million tweets and 66.5 million Facebook interactions? Did your company/brand take advantage of the opportunity to align itself with something that happened on Oscar night?  If not, you missed out on a terrific way to reel in fans and followers and to engage a community of people that was already high on Oscar craziness.     

Like most aspects of Internet marketing, there’s a right way to do it… and a very wrong way. Don’t
become one of these marketing laughingstocks. Be tasteful, witty, and relevant with your updates and campaigns! In other words, don’t pull a Seth MacFarlane (yes, there were plenty who enjoyed him, but he definitely caught some heat!).

Tying in pop culture and current events with your social media efforts requires a degree of finesse. Try to find connections between your brand, product or services and the latest, greatest trending topics; but be aware when you’re stretching for relevance. Get creative with your efforts, and don’t be afraid to use humor.

Missed out on the Oscars, the Super Bowl and the State of the Union address? Some upcoming events and opportunities to keep in mind: St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, Usher and Shakira debut as judges on The Voice, YouTube phenomena and Internet memes (what’s a “meme,” you ask? Learn more here).

See examples of how some wildly successful brands have used pop culture in their online marketing efforts via SocialMediaToday.com.

Susan Linning is president of ECHO SOCIAL MEDIA + MARKETING of Miami, which develops and executes social media and integrated marketing strategies, creating custom content and maintaining pages on social media platforms. ECHO also provides blogging and copy-writing services.

Read Susan Linning's recent guest post on blogging here, her post on Pinterest here, her post on her top 5 social media tips here and her post on the social media hustle here. 

 (Photo of Seth MacFarlane is by Getty Images.)

Small Business Forum packed with advice

BY INA PAIVA CORDLE

Do your research, be sure to network, pick partners who have complementary skills and make sure your product is amazing.

Starting or growing a business can be daunting for an entrepreneur. So have a plan, give only a sliver of your business away to investors, know how much money you need and how you will spend it, and demonstrate your passion when searching for capital.

Experts doled out that advice and more at The Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum on Thursday at Florida International University.

About 100 attendees — budding entrepreneurs, small-business owners and others — gleaned tips and inspiration during a series of panel discussions.

Matt Kuttler, co-president of ReStockIt.com, started three businesses with his business partner, who started as his high school friend.

“The background is trust,” he said, advising entrepreneurs to choose someone with similar values, and to ask themselves: “Can I work with this person? Can I respect them?” In that way, though they have had disagreements, “Ultimately, the mutual respect brings us back,” Kuttler said

Before founding ReStockIt.com, which the partners sold four months ago to a Baltimore company, Kuttler did lots of research and networked with everyone he could, asking questions.

Know what you want and what you don’t want when searching for a venture, he counseled. For example, if you don’t want to work nights and weekends, don’t start a restaurant. And be aware that even though you can have a thriving personal life, you will always be thinking of your business.

Alberto Perlman, chief executive and co-founder of Zumba Fitness, energized attendees with his tale of starting and growing the Miami business, which combines exercise with entertainment. Zumba classes are now found in 140,000 locations in 186 countries, and the company has sold 12 million DVDs.

“One of the biggest business lessons of Zumba,” said Perlman, the keynote speaker, “is that the product has to be magical. It has to be amazing.”

Other lessons he offered: only give investors or licensees “a sliver of the business” —only what they need. Always “give people more value than what they are paying for.” And spend the money to hire “A” players.

To find financing for a small business or start-up, get help putting together a business plan and a loan application from organizations like SCORE and Partners for Self Employment, their executives said.

Marjorie Weber, Miami-Dade chapter chair of SCORE, advised being careful not to borrow short term if your needs are long term.

And when you are asked, “ ‘How much do you need,’ never answer with ‘How much can you give me,’ ” said Cornell Crews Jr., program director at Partners for Self Employment. “Always know how much you need and how you are going to spend it.”

When pitching to potential investors, do your homework to see what they are interested in, and make a good first impression, said Darius G. Nevin, co-founder of G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early-state investment company.

“Image matters,” he said.

To present your business, frame it in terms of a problem and a solution, said Melissa Krinzman, founder and managing director of Venture Architects.

“If you don’t have a problem you are solving for your customer, you don’t really have a business,” she said.

What’s more, show your passion and commitment, said Boris Hirmas Said, chairman of Tres Mares.

“I love clever ideas; I love clever people,” he said.

And find someone who believes in you, because the road ahead may be bumpy, he said. “You don’t want people to pull the plug on you.”

Finally, expert coaches critiqued entrepreneurs’ pitches so they could shine.

Among the tips: begin with a provocative sentence to explain why your business solves a problem. Go from ‘why’ to ‘what’ to ‘how,’ to ‘who,’ and always ask for something — like an investment or advice. Also, offer what experience you and your team have in your field.

Speak directly into the microphone and take your hands out of your pocket.

“Showing your hands shows you have nothing to hide,” said Michelle Villalobos of Mivista Consulting.

And share your passion, said David Suarez of Interactive Training Solutions.

“If you can make your audience feel what you are feeling,” he said, “you have done most of your job.”

(Photos, by Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz, show Alberto Perlman of Zumba Fitness, top, and the panel of financing experts, from left, Marjorie Weber of SCORE Miami-Dade, Darius G. Nevin of G3 Capital Partners, Cornell Crews Jr. of Partnership for Self-Employment, Carlos Alzate of JPMorgan Chase, and Boris Hirmas Said of Tres Mares and FIU entrepreneur in residence. The panel was moderated by Melissa Krinzman of Venture Architects.)

 See related post here.

 

More tips and resources for social commerce

By Tasha Cunningham, tasha@bizbytes101.com

If you read my column in this week’s Business Monday section or here, you now understand the enormous potential of social commerce. While social commerce may be a new marketing frontier for small business owners, the good news is there resources out there that can help you navigate the ins and outs of it. Here are five of them you can start exploring right now!

1. The Inside Social Commerce Blog - Damon Brown, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Facebook Marketing writes a blog about social commerce with great tips and advice for business owners. Check it out here - http://www.insidesocialcommerce.net/

2.       Social Commerce Today – Stay in the know about the latest trends in social commerce by subscribing to this daily e-newsletter. Check it out here – www.socialcommercetoday.com
 
3.       The Social Commerce Handbook – This book, written by Paul Marsden, who also writes the Social Commerce Today e-newsletter, is an insightful resource guide that will teach you how to monetize your social media efforts.  Get it here - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15854804-the-social-commerce-handbook
 
4.       TechCrunch Social – This blog, brought to you by the folks at TechCrunch, is a must-read for social commerce newcomers. Subscribe to their RSS feed here - http://techcrunch.com/rssfeeds/
 
5.       The Brand Builder Blog – This blog features timely articles about building your brand online including ideas on how to increase your return on investment using social media. Check it out here - http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/
 

 

3 strategies to help your business with social commerce

By Tasha Cunningham, tasha@bizbytes101.com

In 2010, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said that if he had to guess, social commerce will be the next to blow up. And quite literally, in just over two years, it has. Simply put, social commerce is an offshoot of e-commerce, except that it’s driven by social media and other online tools.

Social commerce involves using social media, product reviews and social influencers to showcase your products and services in ways that will entice consumers to buy. And let’s face it, in today’s ever-changing digital world, consumers are increasingly choosing to spend their hard-earned money online. So much so that according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, retailers racked up an astounding $57 billion in online sales in the third quarter of 2012. The predictions for social commerce are also astonishing with Booz & Company, a global strategy firm, predicting it will generate over $30 billion in revenue by 2015. While this is great news for small business owners looking to attract the avid online shopper, finding effective ways to do it is often difficult.

According to a recent survey conducted by AWeber, a Pennsylvania-based e-mail marketing firm, nearly 25% of the small businesses reported spending four or more hours each week on e-mail marketing. More than 27% reported spending four or more hours marketing on Facebook alone. For those small businesses that use their company website as a marketing tool, nearly 34% said they spend four or more hours every week working on their website. For small businesses that reported maintaining a blog, nearly 30% of small business owners said they spend four or more hours a week doing it.

And who exactly is spending this precious time? 88% of the small businesses survey reported that it’s the owner or CEO that handles the marketing function within the company. After all, the average small business owner wears several hats, not just that of the CEO.  Small business owners also function as bookkeepers, marketing directors and social media strategists. With all that work to do, there is often little time left to devote to the important business on engaging the online consumer.

To help you get started, BizBytes has prepared a list of strategies you can use today. With a mix of easy-to-use apps and tips on how to showcase your products online, these strategies can help you save time and money in your quest for social commerce success.

1. THE APPS HAVE IT. Social commerce applications such as Chirpify are making it even easier for consumers to purchase products and services on social networks like Twitter, for example. Chirpify works by turning your tweets into transactions. This enables consumers and businesses to buy products that interest, sell the things they create and even donate to their favorite causes on Twitter. For small business owners, the Chirpify process is easy. First, log on to www.chirpify.com and create an account. Next, create and tweet your offer with an engaging product image. Shoppers on Twitter who are interesting in buying your product simply reply to your tweet with the word 'buy.' Finally, once the customer is registered with Chirpify, their transaction is automatically processed and the order is fulfilled. Customers can connect a payment source such as their PayPal account or credit card to Chirpify so that the money to pay for their transaction is automatically deducted when they shop. There are also applications like Chirpify that also work for Facebook. Check out 8^th Bridge Graphite here – www.8thbridge.com
2. CURATE A COLLECTION. To make your products visually appealing, curate a collection of your best merchandise and display it on your company website, Facebook, Twitter and other social
   networks. Use engaging images that will catch a consumer’s eye. Create a prominent place on your homepage to promote the collection. Take it a step further by getting one of your most loyal customers to do the curating for you.
   
3. TURN YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE INTO A STOREFRONT. Wouldn’t you love to be able to turn your Facebook page into a storefront for your products and services? Sound impossible? It’s not as hard as you think with apps like Storefront Social that basically do it all for you. While Storefront Social isn’t free, it is cost-effective and pricing is based on the number of products in your storefront. For example, 15 products will run you about $5 a month, while showcasing 1,000 products or more will cost roughly $30 a month. Check out Storefront Social here - http://storefrontsocial.com/. You can also explore apps like ShopTab – www.shoptab.com to compare features and prices.

See more tips for social commerce here.

Take the hassle out of the social media hustle

By Susan Linning 

Let’s face it: running a small business is a job that has you constantly wondering, “why are there only 24 hours in a day?!” If you’re a small business owner, incorporating a marketing strategy into your already-hectic schedule may seem overwhelming.

Social media marketing is the new face of small business marketing efforts. Not only are most of the platforms free of charge (perfect for small businesses with little to no marketing budget), but social media also enables a two-way conversation that’s conducive to many small businesses’ customer service goals. Social media is a wonderful way to create an online community and reach out to potential new clients and customers.

So, how much time should you be spending on social media marketing? This helpful infographic by Hubspot examines the breakdown of social media time commitments amongst small business owners. (Below is a portion of the infographic by Hubspot) 

As you might imagine, most of us are tuned into Facebook, with visitors spending almost 7 hours per month on the social media giant (tumblr holds the #2 spot, with 1.5 hours per visitor per month spent on the site). 

Mirroring the individual social media craze, 43% of small businesses spend more than 6 hours per week on social media, focusing primarily on Facebook (90% have a presence) and Twitter (70% have a presence). Depending on the industry and the type of business, as well as where the business falls in the lifecycle (startup, expansion, mature, etc.), brands and businesses are also using Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.

To be successful at social media, it is critical that you are posting and tweeting – on a daily basis – information that is relevant, meaningful, interesting, entertaining and engaging.  Do this, and you have cracked the code: you are on your way to creating and building a solid foundation for social media success.  

And social media success = more revenues, more sales, higher brand recognition and stronger brand affiliation. And in terms of marketing dollars spent, we’re betting your social media platforms are costing you way less than any other form of advertising or marketing. So now ask yourself: what’s the reason I’m not pursuing a social media strategy?

Not in the social media game yet? We can only say it so many times: you’ve gotta be in it to win it! If you’re not a social media player, there’s a good chance that your business is missing out on valuable opportunities.

Questions? Shoot us an email at susan@echomarketingusa.com or visit us at http://www.echomarketingusa.com 

Susan Linning is president of ECHO SOCIAL MEDIA + MARKETING of Miami, which develops and executes social media and integrated marketing strategies, creating custom content and maintaining pages on social media platforms. ECHO also provides blogging and copy-writing services.

Read Susan Linning's recent guest post on blogging here, her post on Pinterest here and her post on her top 5 social media tips here.

Static tabs on Facebook = low customer engagement

By Tasha Cunningham

If you checked out my column in today’s Miami Herald, you know that social engagement tabs are likely to increase the amount of time that potential customers interact with your brand, particularly on Facebook. Tools like those from TabSite, make it easy for you to create tabs for your Facebook page that your customers can have fun while driving traffic and allowing you to get even more leverage from your Facebook page. And the best part is, you don’t need to be a programmer or having coding skills to do it! The Minnesota Timberwolves do a good job with a social engagement tab, below:

The TabSite app, and others like it, allows you to take normally static tabs on Facebook and turn them into dynamic tools that your customers can engage with. You can run promotions, sweepstakes, daily deals and share photos and other fun games to showcase your products and services. You can also post YouTube videos, create slideshows and integrate with other social media platforms.

Here is a list of social engagement tab apps that you can choose from to get you started. Each one has a guide or tutorial available at the links below.

TabSite – TabSite’s basic service is free and allows you to create two tabs that are ad-supported. They have other plans ranging from $10 to $30 that offer the ability to create more tabs that are not ad-supported. TabSite is used by a number of major brands including Microsoft and Cold Stone Creamery. Get more information here – www.TabSite.com.

 TabFusion – TabFusion isn’t free, but for $20 a year or $1.66 a month, you can use TabFusion to create social engagement tabs for your Facebook page. You also view your social engagement tabs on Flickr, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media platforms through the TabFusion app. They also provide free, unlimited customer support. Check it out at www.TabFusion.com.

FanPageEngine – This app is not free, but it costs only $4.97 a month so it can easily fit into almost any small business marketing budget. Much like TabSite and TabFusion, FanPageEngine gives you the power to customize tabs on your Facebook page and even offers a free 7-day trial. Find out more at www.FanPageEngine.com. 

Read Tasha's Business Monday column here.