Facebook’s ‘Nearby’ Expands Reach

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I’ve always thought that the ‘Nearby’ feature of Facebook was fairly pointless. Evidently, the folks at Facebook agreed to an extent and have found a way to improve the feature and turn it into a “search and discovery tool”.

In addition to seeing where your friends have checked-in, you’ll be able to see businesses that are close to you, which actually makes the name ‘Nearby’ make much more sense.

If you’re a business owner, this is fantastic news as it creates a new way to bring in customers. ‘Nearby’ draws from the Facebook database, however, so you’ll not only need to have a page for your business, but you’ll also want to make sure it is updated and has an established audience.

This incarnation of ‘Nearby’ will start out solely as a mobile feature and, honestly, probably works better that way. Be sure to read Search Engine Land’s article on the subject to get specific advice from Facebook about how to maximize your page’s visibility through ‘Nearby’.

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Latin American Government Utilizing Social Media

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Here’s an interesting story coming out of Latin America. Municipal governments are making themselves more transparent and more accessible to citizens thanks to social media.

In Luis Moreno’s article in The Atlantic, he describes the landscape in Mexico City, where the city’s mayor has made a considerable effort to respond to complaints by his constituents on Twitter. In fact, social media is being utilized in similar fashion all over Latin America’s burdgeoning cities with the most economic growth.

For politicians, there is an inherent risk in being able to hear citizens’ complaints but being unable or unwilling to act, but there is also a reward to reap for fixing a reported problem. For those citizens, they experience a new way to participate in government and help their community.

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Tips For Job Seekers Using Social Media

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I’ve discussed ways to use social media in your job search before. Not surprisingly, the tips for creating a successful social media profile for job seekers are not so different from the tips for small business owners.

Jane Turkewitz has a list of suggestions at iMediaConnection, but I’ll summarize for you here.

Just like a small business owner, job seekers should use Facebook and Twitter to make themselves sound like an expert. Be a part of the conversation and maybe someone will take notice. Also, target the people you want to be in business with, in this case, the people you want to work for and track their social media activity. Chances are, they’ll post something about job openings.

Don’t be desperate and overbearing. Your message gets glossed over if people are bombarded with it and you alienate the people you are trying to reach. Also, make sure you have contact info posted on your profiles so interested parties can easily reach you.

You should always remember that you can’t expect social media to find a job for you. You can’t simply tweet out a link to your resume, then sit back and wait. You have to be proactive, but social media can be a great tool for your arsenal.

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Don’t Let Social Media Ruin Your Rep

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Maintaining an entertaining and engaging social media presence can be great for your business. Unfortunately, there are a lot of potential missteps that can also severely hurt your business.

Lewis Howes has a full list of what to avoid on social media at Entrepreneur, but here are the highlights.

Mostly, just use common sense. Post things that are interesting and grab people’s attention, but never even flirt with the line and post possibly objectionable or offensive material. The idea is not to alienate any portion of your audience. That includes staying out of possibly damaging photos.

Basically, once you connect your business to your social media profile, it is no longer yours for personal use. You are representing your business and your brand, so be smart and conduct yourself as you would with your most important clients watching.

Also, be active. Reply to those that take the time to reach out to you and reach out to others. Give credit, comment, promote and generally be a part of the social media scene. Your profile isn’t attracting anyone just sitting there, it has to be doing something.

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App Center Could Soon Allow Ads

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Facebook recently made it possible for users to search specifically in its App Center. You can search by an app’s title or by generic keyword. Josh Constine of TechCrunch suggests that this could open the door for ads within the App Center.

Though there is currently no results page, just a drop down menu after a search, Facebook could easily add sponsored results similar to what Google has already been doing with AdWords. Ads for apps related to the user’s search could appear at the top of the current drop down format, or as full-on entries in a results page.

App Center is not only set-up for ads to easily be included, but it also already has the audience. After only 2 months of operation, it boasted more than 150-million monthly users and that number was up to 220-million at the beginning of October.

App Center has “qualified leads, ample traffic, a model proven by Google, and a huge base of developers/advertisers”. All that’s left is to actually make the ads a reality. 

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Luxury Brands: Breaking All the Rules For Social Media

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Mostly, I use this space to talk about concerns and tips for small to medium business owners. But today, let’s look at how the other half lives, so to speak.

When it comes to so-called luxury brands, which means companies who sell very expensive things that you don’t really need, all the rules and tips for social media marketing don’t apply.

Unmetric recently published their Luxury Fashion report to shed some light on how well-known labels like Dior, Burberry and Louis Vitton conduct themselves online. Erika Morphy has more on that at Forbes. What I learned is that those luxury brands don’t need to follow the rules.

You’re told to interact with your audience and make your business’s page a community. Some luxury brands don’t allow any consumers to even comment on their Facebook page and most others won’t respond. Some brands won’t even respond to tweets.

So let this give you something to shoot for. Become a globally recognized force in your industry and you won’t have to try anymore to maintain a profitable social media presence.

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10 Ways Social Media Can Produce a Career After College

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If you’re a college student, you’re using some form of social media. I say that with the utmost confidence because you’re reading this, so you know how to use the Internet.

However, the way you use social media should change the closer you get to graduation. Your profile can’t all be about last night’s kegger or foam party. Employers are not as impressed as they should be by that.

So, follow these 10 tips, as initially suggested by Meagan Cook at Business2Community.

1. Be you

I’m not suggesting you abandon all fun aspects of your life in order to showcase your employable attributes. You still need to come across as a real, multi-dimensional person. Just don’t eliminate yourself from contention for a job with questionable statements or pictures.

2. Connect with the pros

Just because you’re still in school doesn’t mean you can’t connect with those working in your desired field. Use Twitter to retweet them or ask them questions. Use LinkedIn to network with them and get career advice. The more familiar they are with your name and background, the better chance they’ll think of you after graduation.

3. Hunt for jobs

Follow recruiters on Twitter and respond to possible opportunities. Even if you aren’t quite qualified, you can ask for any similar internship or entry-level openings.

4. Ask questions

You can strike up a conversation with those already working in your industry by asking them about what you’re learning. You’re not trying to argue with them, but you’re also not a ‘yes man’. Have an intelligent discussion.

5. Speak English

Or, more accurately, don’t speak in text lingo. It doesn’t paint you as an intelligent, employable person. Typing out full words and correct spelling may be hard, but it’s way easier than unemployment.

6.  It’s not always about you

Sure, you are hoping your social media presence helps you get a job. But, you can’t always talk about your accomplishments. Give credit to others when applicable. It makes you seem less selfish, more well-rounded and increases your chance to get mentioned by others.

7. Show-off

When you have a chance, showcase your expertise in proper forums. Establish yourself as a knowledgable, credible source.

8. Don’t work blue

You don’t have to pretend you’re in church all the time, but there’s no need for explitives in social media. You’ve got time to think of something more clever and something that employers won’t object to.

9. Plant seeds

The earlier you start the process, the better off you’ll be. You want to be able to allow the process to work, not rush it along. Gradually build yourself up and establish a presence in your field.

10. Stay in the discussion

Even if you aren’t knowledgable about a specific subject, you can still be a part of the conversation. Showing a readiness to learn is important so ask questions.

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Get The Most Out Of Facebook Ads

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Facebook Paid Ads are a great way to spread the word about your business. They also help drive people to your company’s Facebook page, where you can share content and your messages at no cost. Why wouldn’t you want a captive audience of consumers who actively seek out your message? Well, Mona Elesseily, of Search Engine Land, has five ways to get them by effectively utilizing Facebook Ads.

1. Target your target

Be as specific as possible when using targeting features. Instead of limiting your ads to ‘only men’ or ‘only under 30’, narrow it down further by using education level, specific interests or workplace. The idea is to make a user feel as if your ad is speaking directly to him or her.

2. Use effective goals

While I think using ads to drive users to your fan page is a great idea, you need to set specific goals and track your progress to get the most from your effort. Exactly how many fans do you want to add each month? Exactly what demographic do you want to see improved growth from?

If you’re the type who wants to see their Facebook fans turn into conversions, you can set goals for that too. For every 50 fans on Facebook, how many conversions do you want to see?

Set specific, trackable goals, then be sure to follow up and tweak your strategies to discover what works and what isn’t worth your time and money.

3. Grab users’ attention

Put yourself in a typical Facebook user’s shoes. Your eyes aren’t focused on the sidebar where the ads are located. You are reading your friends status updates and looking at their latest pictures.

In order to steer their eyes away from their timeline, you’ll need bold colors. You can try using a colored border for your ad, but I tend to think this has been done so much, users are starting to tune it out.

Images of celebrities, especially female celebs, still tend to get a few looks, however.

Once you have a user’s attention, be sure to give them a reason to click on your ad. Put an immediacy to your ad with phrases like ‘Act now’ in order to take advantage of a specific, limited-time offer or special.

4. Images plus text

An ideal ad combines a brightly colored, eye-catching image with big, bold font that is easy to read. Again, the message should compell users to act.

5. Don’t get stale

I mentioned users tuneing out, or glossing over ad styles they’ve grown accustomed to, so take that lesson to heart. Change your ads often so users don’t get so used to seeing them that they stop even noticing.

You don’t necessarily have to reinvent your ad on a weekly basis. Instead, change details like color of your logo, font or just a different image.

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Fake Facebook Profiles Affect Hundreds of Facebook Users

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Imagine taking up the cause of a young boy with cancer only to discover that the boy never existed. That’s the reality of hundreds of Facebook users after a recent scam concocted by a Florida restaraunt owner was brought to light.

As Melanie Eversley reports for USA Today, Cindy Choi, 28, created the profile of ‘Kevin San Roman’, a boy living in Spain with leukemia. She also created a profile for his younger brother, ‘Lucas’.

Choi is most likely suffering from a version of Munchausen Syndrome, which makes her motive the attention and sympathy garnered from her false personas.

Though many young girls were “online girlfriends” with the fake profiles, Choi reportedly never met up with any of them. It appears as if playing on the sympathies of others was Choi’s only real wrong doing.

This is certainly not an isolated case. There have been a number of similar stories exposed recently and one would imagine there are currently other scams that continue on Facebook. Hopefully, stories like these make users more wary of who they put their trust in.

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House Crashers Busted Via Facebook

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Last summer, a South Carolina family took a vacation to New York. They returned home to a house that appeared to have been untouched in their absence. The truth, as they would come to find out thanks to Facebook, was that their children’s classmates had broken in and thrown a party while they were away.

The story was reported by The Today Show and you can watch their report here. The family evidently only discovered evidence of the party when pictures surfaced on Facebook. The father says he didn’t recognize the kids, but he did recognize their surroundings.

Though the incident took place months ago, police consider it an open investigation and are using photo tagging to identify suspects.

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