Gielow Marketing & PR

Facebook is a wonderful way to keep up with your friends and loved ones. It is a means of sharing stories and pictures while also letting the world in on normal day-to-day  whereabouts. Facebook is also a tool for marketing, public relations and advertising. While Facebook is meant to be a positive and exciting tool, there can be times where it is abused. Many personal and business accounts make many common mistakes and don't realize how annoying, offensive and damaging it can be.

A major mistake made is assuming that what you post can only be seen by your friends. Many times individuals post a status and assume that their small group of friends will be the only people to see it, when really this is far from the truth. Facebook is all about sharing interests, so, if one of your friends "Likes" your post, it is shown on their newsfeed and their friends see it . If one of their friends shares it, it is shown on their friend's newsfeeds also, and the pattern continues. As you can see a post can easily go viral. A good rule of thumb to follow when posting on Facebook is "if you wouldn't want your grandma to see it, don't post it." By keeping this in mind, users become more mindful about what they post, that way it doesn't matter if more than their Facebook friends can see it.

Businesses also make mistakes on Facebook and don't realize it. Many businesses forget that Facebook has rules that pages must follow; such as not listing promotions in their cover photos. Another mistake commonly made by businesses is not responding to reviews, negative or positive. This can give customers the idea that the business doesn't value their opinion, which could lose potential clients. Businesses that clog newsfeeds and leave out important contact information on their profile also risk losing potential clients. Not
being able to find business hours, phone number and location is very frustrating for clients and can lead them in another direction.

One of the biggest mistakes being made by a business is creating a profile instead of a page. If people are having to request being your friend, you're doing it incorrectly. If you are not sure, call us!

Gone are the days of watching the inauguration on a fuzzy black and white television and reading the presidential address in the newspaper. Those days have been replaced with constant Twitter and Facebook updates on your cell phone while streaming the live broadcast on your tablet. Though Twitter is the more common place to update thoughts during the inauguration, Facebook is an equal competitor. For example, when the photo of President Obama being sworn in at the private White House ceremony was posted on the official 2013 Presidential Inauguration Facebook page, the response was immediate and overwhelming.
Just a day after the inauguration, the same photograph showed over 10,000 "Likes", over 6,000 "shares", and 565 comments. During the inauguration celebrations photos and updates were uploaded to the White House's official page, which not only show immediate response, but have a few people quoting from the actual telecast on their comments. This reaction is not just to posted photos, but also to clips of the inauguration. A day later, the inauguration is readily available for viewing on Facebook as well as a link to the White House webpage for further updates. The post with the YouTube clip of the president's address has over 1,000 "likes" and 389 "shares".
Some wrote comments of empowerment from the inauguration celebrations and address, while others made their arguments known against the president's continuation. This incredible ability to voice immediate opinions on historic events like the inauguration is not something your mother was able to do. It certainly is something many in my generation do not take full advantage of. It is not due to lack of interest, but rather due to lack of understanding the gift of conversation that Facebook facilitates.
Writing this post has made a student, who has a small yet decent understanding of the impact of the inauguration, take a step back and really admire the tool Facebook has become. The moral of the story is take advantage of Facebook and its conversations. Whether young or young at heart, opinions from more than just your surroundings can be heard, combated, or commented on in just one click.

In the past, it has been difficult for businesses to connect with their audience of customers and potential customers. However, Facebook offers a variety of options to allow contact with a company. These options range from instant messaging to posting questions or comments directly to the company page, but all of them are important. Of course, the traditional phone number, email address, or web page link is on each page for a person to pursue contact.
Customers no longer have to worry that if they send an email, it will get caught in the business's spam or that the email will never reach the person in pursuit. Perhaps it is something personal someone wants to know, so all they have to do is simply go to the companies Facebook page, click the messaging option, and spill their beans. Perhaps the customer wants to know something quickly. Instant messaging is just the ticket to grabbing the business's attention quickly and efficiently. It gives not only a personal touch, but also facilitates fast responses, which are much easier to handle on electronic devices such as a cell phone or tablet.
Remember the old saying from the classroom by the teacher "Always ask questions because it may be something another person in the class wanted to know?" Well that holds true to Facebook too. Phone calls or finding the web link for a business can be time consuming and frustrating. There is a guarantee of another person on the other side answering questions through Facebook, not a recording! Therefore, posting a question or comment to the Facebook page of a business lets other people in on the action to respond and to possibly see the answer to their questions.
Connecting to the audience of customers and potential customers has never been easier. Facebook provides several ways to not only speak directly to the company, but to be able to interact in conversation as well. Give it a try and see how quickly people become clients and "likes" rack up.
-Chelsi Mickler

The Presidential Inauguration made quite a splash in the twitter world, but not in the way you may think. Twitter users used #inagu2013 or #inauguration to bring the world their thoughts on everything from fashion, to President Obama's policy's. Twitter was so active, I could watch my twitter feed and receive just as much information as I would have if I were watching it on TV.

What was more interesting than the number of tweets coming in was what was being tweeted about. After the President gave his speech Twitter was buzzing with tweets regarding gay marriage and climate change. After the speech, the tweets were mostly about the Flotus dress Jason Wu designed for the First Lady, what the other stars were wearing and Beyonce's stellar performance of the national anthem.

Yesterday's tweeting really got me thinking about what is important to the country. Sure, during and after the President's speeches the majority of the tweets were politically focused, but after the tweets were directed at social issues and fashion. After last night, it seems as though we care as much about what the First Lady is wearing as we do what her husband is doing for our country. While I understand the entertaining value of what someone wears, and how they sing, let's hope in the coming days, the focus is more about policies that can improve the economy and improve our country.

-Whitney Smith

I don't need a doctor, I need Facebook:

The saying goes, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", but perhaps "a social media ad a day keeps the doctor away", is more fitting in today's social media centered world. Last week, I had the worst case of the flu ever recorded (or so it seemed), and simple Facebook ad saved me time, money and got me back on my feet.

I woke up feeling like all the life had been drained out of me, unable to find the energy to do anything, I found myself on Facebook. Being that it was Saturday, my doctor's office was closed so I was stuck sick until Monday. I decided to update my status, letting my friends know how miserably sick I was. Conveniently, a few minutes after my update, a CVS ad for Minute Clinic was displayed on the sidebar of my Facebook feed. I was under the impression Minute Clinic just did flu shots, but boy was I wrong. Long story short, I was able to see a doctor, find out I had the flu and was on my way to getting better.

So many times the power of social media is overlooked. It is more than just the ability to connect with people from all over the world; it is a means of adverting. Advertisements on social media sites are tailored to each users interest, not only by what is posted in a profile, but also what is mentioned in updates. I am sure it was no coincidence that a few minutes after I updated my status about being sick, I saw the ad for Minute Clinic. I was not the only sick person on Facebook that day, and I am certain I am not the only person that d
idn't know about the service Minute Clinic can provide. Social media is a powerful tool that impacts more than just relationships; it even has the ability to cure the flu.

By Whitney Smith