How to Make a Facebook Page Cover That Markets Your Business

Looking to visually market your business on Facebook?

Want quick and easy ideas to promote your product or service?

While there are countless ways to create differentiation on Facebook, your cover photo is the first thing most fans will see.

Designing a customized Facebook cover will help you instantly stand out.

Whether you’re a local, online or small business, your cover should instantly resonate with your audience. But it needs to do it in a fun, imaginative and unique way.

Ready to rev up your creative juices? Here’s how to make a Facebook cover that creatively markets your business!

Make a Facebook Cover that Markets Your Business

1. Branding

Rather than posting a random picture, reinforce your brand by choosing a photograph, style and theme that best represents your company.

Fans expect to see something that they associate with your business; something they can relate to. When a picture does not match up with the expectation, there is a sense of disconnect and disappointment.

Understand what your company represents and then determine how you can convey that both visually and emotionally. An easy way to do this is through a new tool called Relay.

If you want to create a branded Facebook cover in a matter of minutes and you’re tired of trying to remember the exact dimensions, Relay is the tool for you.

I put this one together for an upcoming event in a matter of moments!

2. Product Announcement

Ready to roll out a new product or service? Put it on the cover photo! This will entice potential customers and hold the attention of current fans.

For example:

You sell cupcakes and your latest offering is a decadent mocha caramel brownie truffle, sharing an image (or two) of this decadent dessert will leave your fans salivating and begging for more.

One of my favorite local bakeries is Sweetsalt. While they’re known for their desserts, they also make out of this world sandwiches. This short rib roll makes be my new BFF.

3. Make a Collage

If a simple Facebook cover image just is not enough, try a collage! Create a colorful collage including pictures that represent the essence of your business.

If you’re a landscaping company, share gorgeous pictures of beautifully designed front and backyards.

If you offer small business solutions, share images of your top products and services.

Novo, one of my favorite local cafe’s, uses a collage to highlight employees and behind-the scenes pics. They make fresh pasta and desserts daily and don’t miss the opportunity to share that in their Facebook cover.

4. Fan of the Day

If your fans love your business, leverage that adoration! After all, nothing beats a third-party endorsement from a raving fan.

Whether you choose a fan once a week or once a month, add them to your Facebook cover, including their picture and description for anyone visiting your page to see.

You can be sure that they will appreciate the recognition and hopefully join in the celebration by sharing the information from your page.

5. Promote an Upcoming Event

Do you have an incredibly important date coming up? Launching a new product? Opening a location in a new part of town? Rocking a new book?

Take the opportunity to tease that event!

Build excitement around your marketing campaign by incorporating it into your Facebook cover design. Just remember, create interest but don’t give everything away.

Facebook teaser campaigns can be very effective at arousing curiosity and gaining the attention of your niche market.

6. Celebrate the Holidays

Don’t be afraid to let a day be more than just a date on a calendar. Holidays are a free opportunity to create content around a topic that people are already emotionally connected to and truly care about.

For example:

Your company loves to create jobs in America. And it’s the 4th of July. What a coincidence!

Highlight the benefits of joining your company through your Facebook cover.

It may sound hokey, but paying homage to a holiday and making a connection to your business can go a long way in creating a loyal fan base.

7. Location

If you sit at the corner of a popular location in town, make sure to feature that in your cover photo.

Through proper branding, you create a powerful identifier both offline and online.

Sometimes all a brand needs is a storefront to associate with, and as your main brand positioner on Facebook, your cover image should be given plenty of attention.

8. Faces of Satisfied Customers

Having a cover photo that displays your customers enjoying your company’s products or services is a surefire advertisement method.

If you have proven to satisfy numbers of happy customers, other potential customers will be interested to see and hear from them.

Not only will this apply to one of the previous ideas listed, it will also be a great way to build immediate trust with potential customers.

9. Behind the Scenes

Add that personal touch to your cover photo by showcasing your team members or staff. Behind-the-scenes photos are a fun way to allow fans to better understand your company’s operations and services.

I relate it to watching a movie on DVD or Blu-Ray. I love seeing the behind-the-scenes shots taken while the movie was filmed. It’s intriguing to see the process of an idea born into movie magic.

While your product probably isn’t a Hollywood movie, you can be sure that what you do and how you achieve your results is still very interesting to your fans and customers.

Take this tip from Buffer who uses their cover to showcase the team. Buffer, while providing an amazing social media tool, also does an fantastic job engaging with their audience.

Who wouldn’t want to know who the people behind all that success really are?

10. Catchy Slogan

Have a catchy slogan or a quirky statement that defines your company? Proudly display that on your cover photo! It will capture the attention of anyone browsing your page and is an undeniable connection to current fans.

Old Spice is a great example of this strategy in action. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” marketing campaign was a smashing success and became a brand identifier that made a lasting impression.

Always remember that while market share may be an accountant’s best friend, mind share and the viral possibilities associated with that is a marketing department’s dream.

11. Inspire, Excite and Encourage

We all need a little inspiration now and again.

Be the one motivating and encouraging factor in a fan’s life and they will definitely remember it. Some may even become long-term customers!

It’s not hard to imagine how one simple quote, image, or combination of the two can be just the words needed to turn a bad day around.

12. Summary of Services

Is your business a startup? If so, people visiting your page may not be familiar with your services or products.

Displaying a short summary of your service offerings or highlighting specific features will give fans an at-a-glance way to quickly connect with who you are.

Your own creative confines truly are your only limitations when it comes to promoting your business through your cover image.

Final Thoughts

Are you clearly articulating what sets your business apart from the competition? Are you using your Facebook cover to tell your story?

If not, you’re missing a huge opportunity.

Determine the best ways to leverage your Facebook cover photo to create brand awareness, encourage conversation and drive traffic to your website.

So what did I miss? I would love to hear how you are using the cover photo to promote your business in the comments below!

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9 Ways to Use Facebook Groups for Business

Are you participating in Facebook groups?

Want to start one to support your business?

Facebook groups help businesses promote products, support customers and much more.

In this article I’ll share nine ways Facebook groups can benefit your business.

Discover nine ways to use facebook groups for business.

#1: Sell Products

As an alternative or addition to selling products or digital goods on your website, you’re now able to sell in Facebook groups.

Once you create a For Sale group, you’ll see an option to “sell something” in your Facebook update.

The Sell Something feature is available to members of For Sale groups on Facebook.

If you don’t yet see this option in your Facebook group, take the opportunity to learn how selling works. Also nominate your group for this feature.

#2: Supplement Video Training Courses

If your business sells a video training course, give customers who purchase it access to a private Facebook group as part of the package. They can ask questions and get supplementary material, as well as forge a bond with other customers.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone. The customer can get help and additional resources for the product they purchased. Plus, it gives your business the opportunity to forge deeper connections with their customers and promote other courses and services.

#3: Promote Chats

Those who run a regular Twitter or online chat, or even have a running discussion on their Facebook page, may want to separate it from their business. They can do so through a Facebook group. It’s a great way to promote upcoming chats and guests. Plus, you can keep the conversations focused.

MediaChat uses their public group to share more information about chat guests, offer member deals and give shout-outs.

Create a Facebook group to promote upcoming guests on regular chats.

Remember to let participants know about your Facebook group and page (if applicable) during your chat. This way you can continue to build up your group and online presence.

#4: Establish Expertise

One of the easiest ways to use Facebook groups for business is to become a resource in your field. Create a group or contribute your knowledge to one that already exists.

For example, members of the Internet Marketing Super Friends group, numbering more than 13,000, pride themselves on helping other Internet marketers. Members can ask questions about SEO, get recommendations for designers and tools and more.

Facebook groups are great platforms to share your knowledge and get noticed.

The key thing about this type of group is to be a resource without self-promotion. (Most groups like this do not tolerate promoting content of any kind.)

Use Facebook groups to be helpful and give freely of yourself. You’ll be rewarded in spades as the word gets out from other members.

#5: Collect Feedback

Want to test out new ideas on some of your existing customers? One way to do that is to start a Facebook group to use as a think-tank for your business.

Create a secret Facebook group, invite some of your best customers and openly discuss new ideas you’re thinking about implementing in your business. Then gather feedback from them.

This type of group provides a way to build stronger relationships with customers, while helping business owners collect honest feedback on what their customers might like.

#6: Provide Customer Service

Every business needs to provide a way for customers to get help. While this could be through a contact form on your website or through your Facebook page, a secret Facebook group is another option.

The reason to start a secret group, instead of a closed or public one, is because secret groups can’t be located in search or accessed via URL. Instead, members have to be invited. This gives you better control over adding new members. Plus, it protects your business in case you have disgruntled customers. (They won’t be able to access the group unless you’ve invited them.)

Facebook groups are a good way to add value to your customer relationships.

If you want to make your customer service Facebook group easy to find, create a closed group. However, be sure to state whom this group is for in the description. This will give you better control over approving and rejecting new members.

#7: Support Event Speakers

If you’re putting on a live or online conference for your business, and you want to communicate with the speakers you have lined up, consider creating a Facebook group.

Convey insider details about the event and answer additional questions new speakers might have. Plus, use the group to share any templates and files with your speakers to reduce the number of requests you receive.

This also lets you give your speakers the opportunity to network and get to know each other and build rapport prior to the event.

#8: Test New Ideas With Peers

If you have a lot of ideas and want someone to help vet them, create a Facebook mastermind group. This will help you avoid wasting too much time or money on an idea that just won’t work.

You’ll want to keep mastermind groups small and private since you’re discussing ideas for your current (or next) business, so make this a secret group.

Use a Facebook group to connect with and learn from a select set of peers. Image: Shutterstock.

Once you create this group, use it as an online meeting place to discuss ideas and get help from a few of your well-respected peers. Remember to use some of the built-in features, such as file sharing and group search, to quickly recall meeting notes. Plus, if there’s a recording, you can post that as well.

#9: Communicate With Your Team

For those whose business communicates primarily on Facebook, create a Facebook group to bring your employees together.

Create a secret internal Facebook group for your company. Then invite your employees, virtual assistants or interns to join, and use it as a means to communicate with your team. The group can be a channel for introducing new teammates, sharing company updates and more.

If you do plan to use Facebook groups internally, be sure to have a social media policyready and have your employees agree to it first. This way, the private discussions among your employees don’t end up on public social media channels.

Facebook Groups Versus Facebook Pages

Facebook groups supplement your business and your fan page. So even if you create a Facebook group, you’ll still want a Facebook page for your business.

Anything you share on your business page shows up in the news feed for fans to see. When fans engage with your content, it increases your visibility to others in their network.

However, updates from Facebook groups only show up in the news feeds of members. When a member engages with the content in a group, it doesn’t show up in their friends’ news feeds.

Once you have a Facebook group and a page, make sure they work in tandem. Actively promote your group to your fans, if it’s something they’re able to join. This way, you can leverage your group and your page at the same time.

Over to You

There lots of ways to use Facebook groups for business. They serve to strengthen communication, connections and visibility, as well as help you grow your business. Groups also help you develop new ideas and relationships with your online community.

Whether you have your own group or participate in them, it’s valuable to know how Facebook groups can help your business so utilize them to their full potential.

What do you think? How have Facebook groups helped you? Do you run a Facebook group? In what ways are you using it? What kind of Facebook group do you plan to create? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

Peer to peer photo from Shutterstock.

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8 Ways to Use Google+ Hangouts for Your Business

Do you use Google+ Hangouts?

Interested in ways to use them for your business?

Google+ Hangouts are a great way to hold group meetings, interact with customers, interview people and share your expertise.

In this article you’ll discover eight ways to use Google+ Hangouts for your business.

Discover eight ways to use Google+ Hangouts for your business.

A Quick Introduction to Google+ Hangouts

Before getting into ways to use Google+ Hangouts, here’s a quick look at the types available.

For public Google+ Hangouts, you’ll want to choose Google+ Hangouts on Air. Google+ Hangouts on Air allow you to have up to 10 hosts in a live hangout that is publicly accessible on Google+, your YouTube channel and your website. You can record hangouts directly to your YouTube channel for future use.

Get started with Google+ Hangouts on Air.

For private Google+ Hangouts, choose Google+ Video Hangouts, which allow you tohave up to 10 participants in a video chat that is accessible only to the people invited.

Get started with Google+ Video Hangouts.

You can run Google+ Hangouts from your desktop browser or by using therecommended Google apps. Try running a private Google+ Hangout with yourself and a select group of people to start with, so you can install the proper browser software and test out the controls before you go live with a hangout.

Google+ Hangout Controls & Apps

At the top of a Google+ Hangout, you see controls that (from left to right) allow you to invite people to the hangout, mute your microphone, turn off your webcam, adjust your bandwidth settings, configure your video and sound settings and end the hangout.

Google+ Hangouts top control panel.

In the left sidebar you’ll find apps that allow you to do specific things during the hangout, some of which are available only in hangouts on air, not in the video hangouts. These apps may also be ordered differently depending on which ones you choose to use or have used in the past.

Google+ left sidebar controls.

Starting at the top in the above image, you find the Group Chat app icon, which opens a chat box on the right side of your hangout. This is a great way to invite a person to interact during the hangout, even if he or she isn’t one of the 10 people in the video with you.

Next, you have the Screen Share app icon. This allows you to share your screen to show slides, live software demos and other information on your desktop.

Choose screen-sharing options for hangouts.

The Tag icon allows you to showcase links from websites of your choosing on the right side of the hangout. These can be links to your website, social profiles, landing pages and other items that your hangout attendees and viewers would need.

Showcase items from websites in your hangout.

The Q & A icon allows you to specifically start a Q&A in the hangout.

The Camera icon enables you to take a screenshot of the hangout while it’s live. You can use this feature at a specific point during the hangout to create a thumbnail image to use for your YouTube video preview. You can also use it anywhere you’re planning to promote the hangout replay.

The Video Camera icon allows you to control who is being shown during the hangout and how guests will appear when they join the hangout.

Use the Cameraman options to customize your hangout.

Use the UberConference app icon to create a conference call number that people can use to call in to the hangout if they’re unable to access the live video stream.

Give attendees the option to listen to your hangout via conference call.

The Control Room app icon allows you to quickly control which participants in the hangout are seen and heard. You can also use it to kick people out of the hangout if needed.

The Control Room allows you to mute and hide a participant’s video feed.

The Hangout Toolbox app icon triggers a box of features you can use to further enhance your hangout. In the example below, you can see how to add a lower-third banner with your name tagline or a custom overlay image so every person on the hangout is identified when they’re on video.

The Hangout Toolbox offers several options to enhance your Google+ Hangout experience.

The Effects app icon toggles special effects you can use on your video during the hangout. These are more for personal use than business use.

Use special effects in Google+ Hangouts to create a fun experience.

Finally, there’s a YouTube app icon that allows you to choose a YouTube video to stream live during your hangout.

At the bottom of your hangout (as shown below), you see additional options for starting and stopping your broadcast, as well as links to share to direct people to your hangout.

Google+ Hangouts bottom control panel.

Now that you know a little about how Google+ Hangouts work, here are a few ways to use them for your business.

#1: Upgrade Conference Calls

Want to feel more connected to remote employees, contractors, vendors and others you work with outside of your office? If you have fewer than 10 people in attendance, upgrade your conference calls from voice to video with Google+ Video Hangouts. This will increase everyone’s engagement in the meeting, as you’ll be able to see attendees’ facial expressions and gestures.

Video hangouts can be used for regular weekly meetings, brainstorming sessions and more.

#2: Present a Webinar

Ready to present a webinar to your audience, but don’t want to pay hefty fees for a webinar platform? Try Google+ Hangouts on Air. Hangouts on air allow you to use your webcam, share your screen and watch other YouTube videos live with an unlimited number of viewers. You can also record and save hangouts on air to your YouTube channel.

One feature missing from Google+ Hangouts is the ability to get attendees to register for your webinar so you can capture their email addresses. There are a few ways around this. One option is to have a registration page for your webinar that has a simple opt-in form for your email list. Require people to opt in to get a link to your webinar before it goes live.

Another option (after the live webinar is over) is to embed a replay webinar on your website, rather than publicly listing it on YouTube. All people have to do to see it is to give you their name and email address, and you send them the link to the web page on which your webinar recording is embedded.

#3: Host a Q&A Session

Want to turn hangouts into an opportunity to interact with your audience? Host informative Q&A sessions with people in your business or industry leaders.

Simply find topics that relate to your products and services (topics that people typically have lots of questions about) and create a Q&A session around them. You can have one expert or a panel of experts (up to 10) to answer people’s questions submitted prior to the event or submitted in the text chat.

#4: Interview Industry Leaders

Video interviews make great content, and they’re easy to create with Google+ Hangouts.

You can choose to record the interview with just you and your guest(s) and share it later with fans after some editing. Or you can host a hangout on air with a live interview and open the floor for viewer questions at the end.

#5: Enhance Job Recruitment

Is your business hiring? Don’t just post a job listing. Hold a hangout on air session for potential applicants letting them know more about your opportunity, how to apply, tips for applying and insights into the job they would be doing.

You can then use Google+ Hangouts during the interview process with your potential candidates. This is especially helpful if you have remote employees who need to be part of the interview process, or if you’re hiring remote employees and don’t want to make them travel to your location.

#6: Launch a Product

Launching a new product? Use Google+ Hangouts on Air to host a live product launch party.

This event has the potential to get your customers excited all across the globe. You’ll get bonus points if you can get a celebrity on board with the launch, as shown in the above hangout.

#7: Hold User-Group Meetings

Want to virtually bring together users of a specific technology or tool? Hold a weekly or monthly user-group meeting.

Groups of 10 or fewer can participate live on video, and groups larger than 10 can view and interact in the hangout chat. Google+ Hangouts make the perfect environment for virtual user-group meetings because people can share their screens for tutorials and feature reviews.

#8: Sponsor a Hangout

Don’t want to host Google+ Hangouts on your own? You can get your name on them by sponsoring them instead. Similar to podcast sponsoring, find people who regularly host Google+ Hangouts in your industry and see if they’re interested in sponsorship opportunities.

In exchange, you can ask for a few mentions of your product or service during the hangout and a link in the YouTube video description when it’s shared after the event.

What do you think? Do you use Google+ Hangouts for your business?

If so, please share your experiences and ideas in the comments!

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