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15th August 2013, Page 17
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FACEBOOK TIPS

How social media can boost your business

Face value

From Britcom to Keltruck, savvy used truck dealers are using Facebook to reach their customers and grow their business WI), us. James Clark

It's no surprise that many truck dealers have an active presence on Facebook — after all, it is the world's biggest social network and the second most popular website in the UK (after Google). However, unlike other social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook makes a clear distinction between business and personal use. Here are our top 10 tips for using However, unlike other social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook makes a clear distinction between business and personal use. Here are our top 10 tips for using Facebook for business, drawing examples from the dealers who are getting it right. KELTRUCK 1. Use a page, not a personal profile Your business isn't a person, so it doesn't need a personal Facebook profile. Instead, it needs a Facebook page. As well as keeping you on the right side of the Facebook T&Cs, this opens up lots of additional options — for example, one page can be managed by more than one admin. To create a new Facebook page, log on to your actiatk personal Facebook account then go to facebook. —77 corn/pages/create! albes celebrate 35 yeas of business with five new Scarnab 2. Get the look Give your Facebook page maximum impact by adding a striking cover image — the dimensions for this are 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels high You will also need a profile picture that is at least 180 pixels square. Britcom Trucks (www.facebook.com/ Give your Facebook page maximum impact by adding a striking cover image — the dimensions for this are 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels high You will also need a profile picture that is at least 180 pixels square. Britcom Trucks (www.facebook.com/

BritcomTrucks) uses its logo as the profile picture and a line-up of tractor units for its cover image. While you're at it, make sure you fill in the page's description too. 3. Claim your name By default, your new Facebook page will have an

unwieldy address that contains a string of numbers. Give it a more memorable URL by going to Edit Page, Edit Settings, Page Info, Page Address. Your new page address will probably reflect your company name (Intercounty Truck & Van opted for www.facebook.com/ IntercountyMB) but it doesn't have to (A&M Commercials chose www.facebook.com/TruckExporters). 4. Invite the world

You've created your Facebook page, styled it up and chosen an address — now you need to build an audience. The small 'cog' icon in the top right lets you swap between using Facebook as yourself and using Facebook as your page. Make sure you are using Facebook as yourself, navigate to your page, and you will find an 'Invite Friends' option in the admin panel near the top. Send an invitation to your colleagues and contacts to give your new page the best possible start. 5. Spread the love with 'Likes'

While using Facebook as your page, it is worthwhile 'Liking' other pages belonging to customers, suppliers, or other players in the road transport industry. Hidden in your page settings is the option to choose up to five pages as 'Featured Likes', which means they will always be promoted on your page. CM's Facebook page (www. facebook.com/conunercialmotor), for example, has the Commercial Motor Live and Biglorryblog pages as 'Featured Likes'.

While using Facebook as your page, it is worthwhile 'Liking' other pages belonging to customers, suppliers, or other players in the road transport industry. Hidden in your page settings is the option to choose up to five pages as 'Featured Likes', which means they will always be promoted on your page. CM's Facebook page (www. facebook.com/conunercialmotor), for example, has the Commercial Motor Live and Biglorryblog pages as 'Featured Likes'. 6. Utilise your website Another easy way to raise the profile of your page is by linking to it on your website. Most modern website designs incorporate social media icons on every page. This doesn't have to be

intrusive — Maritime Transport, for example, includes an icon and a link in its site footer (see www.secondhandtrucks.co.uk).

intrusive — Maritime Transport, for example, includes an icon and a link in its site footer (see www.secondhandtrucks.co.uk). 7. Keep your page updated A neglected page is worse than no page at all, so keep yours updated with a regular stream of content into the timeline. This could be company news or the latest stock for sale (www.facebookcom/TruckExporters is a good example of the latter). Adding this manually is time-consuming, so

consider using a Facebook app such as RSS Graffiti that will automatically post content from an RSS feed. 8. Don't forget photos

Another way to keep users coming back to your page is by adding photos, which can be posted to your timeline individually or as an album. These photos, along with any past and present cover images, will then be available to visitors in your page's photo stream — the link to this is near the top of the page, alongside the description. Independent Scania dealer Keltruck (www.facebook.com/ Keltruck) has made good use of this feature, creating photo albums from this year's Truckfest South West and Throckmorton Air Show, among other events. 9. Boost your posts Facebook offers several little-known options to raise the profile of individual status updates on your page, from 'Pin to Top' to 'Highlight' (which causes the update to double in

width). These are both free, while a third option, 'Boost Post', enables you to target a specific audience — for example by location — for as little as £3. These options can all be found by clicking on the top right of any status update. 10. Add apps Apps aren't just there to feed content into your timeline — they can also add functionality to the page. Thomas Hardie Commercials, for example, has tied its social media together by adding a YouTube app and a Pinterest app (www.facebook.com/ThomasHardieCommercialsLtd). Each app appears as a separate tab in the 'Favourites' section of the page, just below the timeline. The place to find apps is the Facebook App Center (www.facebook. com/appcenter/), but be aware that not all apps are suitable for pages. If you are proficient in HTML, you can even build your own apps — Keltruck, for example, has an 'email newsletter signup' app, while A&M Commercials has a 'Stock List' app. • KNOW THE JARGON

Bamboozled by buzzwords? Terrified by terminology? Let our jargon-buster help you out.

• Facebook Page: businesses and brands on Facebook have a 'page' rather than a personal account. Pages can be managed by more than one 'admin'.

• Cover image: the wide image that appears along the top of a Facebook page.

• Facebook app: apps add features and functionality to a Facebook page. Many are free.

• Featured Likes: your Facebook page can have up to five other pages as 'Featured Likes', which means these pages will always be featured on yours.

• Boost Post: in effect, this is a form of Facebook advertising. With Boost Post, you pay for a chosen post to reach a much wider audience.


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