If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business. - B.C. Forbes

Why We Like, Share or Comment on Facebook

We enjoy looking at our Facebook feeds. We can catch up on what family and friends are doing. We can post information about our small business’ products or services. Research has shown people have physiological reactions, such as pupil dilation, as an indication of happiness when they are browsing their Facebook page. Facebook taps the brain’s pleasure center.

According to Facebook, “Like” is a way to give positive feedback or to connect with things you care about. Research shows that 44% of Facebook users “like” content posted by their friends at least once a day, with 29% doing so several times per day.

Why we “Like”

It’s a quick and easy way to connect. It is also a way to affirm something about ourselves. Studies of more than 58,000 people show that based on someone’s likes, you can figure out whether that person is:

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      White or African American with 95% accuracy

·         Gay or straight with 88% accuracy

·         Democrat or Republican with 85% accuracy

·         Male or Female with 93% accuracy

·         Age with 75% accuracy

A “like” is a way to express virtual empathy. We also “like” posts because it’s practical or because we will get something in return. A Syncapse study found that most people “like” a brand based on practical reasons, such as getting coupons or updates from the brand.

Why We “Comment”

We comment on posts because we have something to say. It is more satisfying to comment or receive comments compared to likes. Studies have shown that personal messages are more satisfying to receivers than the one-click communication of likes.

Why We “Post” Status Updates

This is how often people update their status on Facebook:

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      10% change or update their status on a daily basis

·         4% update their status several times per day

·         25% say they never change or update their own Facebook status

Why do we post status updates? One reason is that posting relieves loneliness. A study found that when students updated their Facebook statuses more often they reported lower levels of loneliness.

What Stops Us From Posting?

We stop posting because of self-censorship. Researchers at Facebook conducted a study on self-censorship (posts you write and never actually publish). Over 17 days, they tracked the activity of 3.9 million users. 71% of users typed out at least one status or comment and decided not to submit it. On average, users changed their mind about 4.52 statuses and 3.2 comments.

Why We Share

A poll by Ipsos offers finding from around the globe about why people share. Here are their findings:

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      61% share interesting things

·         43% share important things

·         43% share funny things

·         37% let others know what they believe in and who they really are

·         22% let others know what they’re doing

·         20% add to a thread or conversations

·         10% show they’re in the know

How often do you post on Facebook and why do you share?

Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed. - Peter Drucker

Colors by Gender

People associate gender by colors. Aren’t baby girls brought home in pink blankets while baby boys are wrapped in blue ones? Yes, there are no specific rules about what colors are feminine and masculine. Studies have been conducted over the past 70 years that draw some generalizations. Let’s take a look at what one study says about color and gender.

Joe Hallock conducted a study in 2003 in which he compared color preferences among various demographics from 22 countries. 57% of the men said blue was their favorite color, while 35% of the women said it was their favorite.  Why is blue so popular? Blue is associated with clean water, clear skies, authority, truth, and tranquility – making it a favorite among all age groups and genders.

What was interesting in this study is that 0% of men listed purple as their favorite color while 23% of female respondents chose it as their favorite. This was the most notable gender difference in color preference.

The least favorite color for men at 27% was brown. The least favorite color for women was orange with 33% disliking this color. In this study, male and female participants disliked many of the same colors. Interestingly, the least favorite colors were very similar to the colors the participants considered cheap or inexpensive.

Do you have a favorite color? What is it?

Launching a Social Media Campaign

Here are some tips to use when launching your social media campaign.

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. - Max de Pree

A Social Media Strategy You Can Use for Your Small Business

 The best social media strategy to market your small business isn’t complicated. All you need to do is strategically carve out a few minutes each day. This will allow you to build your brand, get your message out, interact with customers and potential customers and make more sales.

Your Daily Action Plan

Every 2-3 hours during your workday, spend 10-15 minutes on the social media platform of your choice. If your business primarily uses Facebook and Twitter, alternate between the two of them. For example, you can spend 10 minutes on Facebook at 9:50 a.m. and at 12:30 p.m., you spend 10 minutes on Twitter.

If you are likely to get pulled into the social media platform you are checking and posting on, set a timer so you only spend the 10 or 15 minutes necessary to post and respond.

Using this action plan allows you to shop up on each platform throughout the day and it doesn’t take over your workday.

How to Make it Work

While you’re there, interact with your fans and other people posting. Be yourself and show your personality. Join groups. Promote others. Be active in local business online groups. Let people get to know you. It’s all about building trust.

You’ll find you will be building relationships and getting to know your customers better.

What is your social media strategy?

In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different. - Coco Chanel

Marketing Plan

In this video, you will learn the four essential topics that must be covered in your marketing plan before you move forward with any marketing activities.

Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch. - Tim Berners-Lee