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| Huma Gruaz |
According to Huma Gruaz, president and CEO of Alpaytac Inc., there are simple ways to make your Facebook page an essential part of your business and a key aspect of your overall digital PR strategy. In the following Q&A, she discusses increasing Facebook likes, driving engagement and the ways in which Facebook and Twitter content strategies should differ—themes she will expand upon at PR News’ Digital PR Summit on Oct. 5 in New York City.
PR News: What are some of the best ways to get people to like your Facebook page?
Huma Gruaz: Commonly, Facebook users want to know why they will benefit from liking your page. Here are a few motivators to get people to like your page, and to keep them there for a long time: Offer incentives/reward loyal fans; post engaging content; interact with fans to let them you that you care; ask questions and encourage feedback; have contests and sweepstakes that are exciting and original; do not over-promote yourself on your Facebook page; and respond to customer service issues.
PR News: What are the fundamental differences between proven Facebook and Twitter content strategies?
Gruaz: Facebook content should be a mix of links to blog posts, questions, pictures and video. Certain types of content (such as pictures and videos) can be seen and played directly in someone’s News Feed. To maximize your Twitter presence, common practices for a successful strategy include having a decent and attractive profile, posting tweets that contain valuable and interesting information, retweeting and being a hospitable voice to your followers. Twitter is a constant stream of information, so not everyone is going to catch every tweet. If you are only tweeting once or twice a day you are not reaching most of your audience. On Facebook, the News Feed is similar to the main Twitter stream with one exception: It’s usually a much slower-moving stream. If you post too much, users will likely “unlike” or hide your page.
PR News: Can you share any strategies for B2B companies to engage their audience on Facebook?
Gruaz: Ask questions. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. There’s a reason many social media B2B blog posts end with a question. Make it a habit to end status updates by asking your followers what they think about a particular article, industry trend or new product.
PR News: What's one key tip you'll offer at PR News' Digital PR Summit on Oct. 5?
Gruaz: Treat social media just as you would a social function in real life. Don’t approach it as an opportunity to sell; use it to build relationships and trust. Ask questions, be engaging, be present and have fun, yet never forget to be strategic and fully integrated to all the other social media as well as PR platforms.
Attend PR News’ Digital PR Summit on Oct. 5 in New York City and learn from digital PR leaders like Huma Gruaz.