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russellt
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Post by russellt »

COYS wrote: swamp of banality
+1

I think I have an attitude problem.

With this attitude, how can I possibly make this work?

Serious question: if you had limited time to invest as part of getting a business up on its feet, would you a) create and publish stuff on a FB business page or b) write a blog linked to your business website?
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aasta
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Post by aasta »

We have a FB business page but rarely use it and have never had a booking thorugh it...eventhough we have over 500 likes...the entire concept of this social media business is not something I quite understand...although, I do enjoy being informed about what such organizations as Slow Food, Greenpeace, etc are up to...
aasta
nealh
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Post by nealh »

russellt wrote:Serious question: if you had limited time to invest as part of getting a business up on its feet, would you a) create and publish stuff on a FB business page or b) write a blog linked to your business website?
I think option b would be the better option. Couple of reasons... with your blog you own the content whereas FB I think own what you put on a page (but I could be wrong on this point!). Also a blog would help with SEO on your web site, potentially driving more traffic to it.

I tend to use FB to post a short snippet of 'interesting' stuff... a photo or something that has happened in the local area. A blog post for me is longer... a report about a restaurant or visitor attraction for example.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

russellt wrote:
COYS wrote: swamp of banality
+1

I think I have an attitude problem.

With this attitude, how can I possibly make this work?

Serious question: if you had limited time to invest as part of getting a business up on its feet, would you a) create and publish stuff on a FB business page or b) write a blog linked to your business website?
Both, in an ideal world. But I'm beginning to think this FB 'business' malarkey is likely to end up as little more than a link to our website.
I wouldn't expect to do much in the way of actual business on such a public platform anyway & if I'm absolutely honest, I find the whole 'like me' & pseudo 'friend' culture a bit childish which was why I was loathe to get involved on a personal level.
Seems bizarre that business & individual platforms are essentially one & the same.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
russellt
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Post by russellt »

COYS wrote:
Both, in an ideal world.
Thanks COYS/nealh/aasta.

Yes, it's a question of where to focus limited time. My instinct is to focus more on a blog - but I could spend a lot of time writing 'interesting' stuff pretty much to myself if my marketing/SEO flops.

FB offers the complete opposite - banality in extremis, but to potentially billions of people, most of whom are probably completely uninterested.

Anyone out there with something really positive to say about FB business?
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GRL
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Post by GRL »

I have had enquiries and one booking directly through FB - and many repeat bookings that are greatly helped by keeping in touch with past guests on FB. I also get referrals from my FB page to my website.

In today's climate of of scammers offering properties that don't exist a FB page (and other social media) can help confirm your credibility.

At a minimum level, if you find it too difficult to visit FB regularly you can schedule several posts to go out one a day for say a week ... although as you build up followers who may comment on your posts or send you private messages it is better to reply fairly quickly. For any social media to work you do need to work at it as is isn't called social without good reason. Follow other FB pages, add comments and share posts relevant to your location.

Now I am sure there are many owners out there who simply place a few ads on big sites, never touch social media and get enough bookings .... but the likes of FB can help get those extra few bookings.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

I'm willing to give it a bash but my expectations are limited considering what I've learned so far (not much)
I kind of get the networking scenario as a concept but can't really grasp the big picture as a business benefit if its all just jumbled in with millions of 'look what I'm eating/drinking/wearing/doing' pages.
As said, user numbers are huge & at least some of those are also interested in independent travel etc. so it can't hurt to run it in tandem with other avenues although I can see it being very time consuming for the novices among us.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
nealh
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Post by nealh »

I think Rosie sums up the benefits pretty well... FB is just another string to your bow in becoming less dependent on the likes of OD, TA or ABB. I think the level of success is probably proportional to the amount of effort you are willing to put in.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

Sage advice Rosie & encouraging to see it works for some.
I think it's a good point re:credibility, that was one of my original reasons for considering it. However I myself, keep my business & personal life strictly separate & that is probably not ideal in FB world.
I managed to amass some 500 'followers' on a twitter feed for the business once. Of all those, maybe 15 were/are actually people I either know, are other local owners or have stayed with us. The rest? a random mix of all sorts who in all likelihood have little or no interest in my occasional, short ramblings or photos. My point being that following & followers for the sake of numbers bears little fruit & FB seems very numbers focused at first.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Nigel Goodwin
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

This link seems to be good at explaining the basics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_D3fqzkwac
Essar
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Post by Essar »

Have to agree with COYS the whole facebum/twatter/instagran crap is childish, he said being adultish!

I have set it up, looked at for a bit, wrote some banial crap about holiday lets, felt stupid and stopped. I got 43 likes, when I did a promotion or some such thing, from lots of people in South Korea and one woman from Vanuatu who offered to marry me as long as I wore a grass skirt in bed. I set up a Gazette newspaper that takes lots of news from all sorts of feeds and it publishes the feeds onto my twatter account - trouble is I don't remember where I set it up and can't stop it.

I like computing and IT, I like my Smartphone but other than using the camera for a few photos of family when I remember to do it, and using it as a phone I don't do much else with it. Oh I do send the odd text but insist on writing out all the words in full with punctuation - takes for ever but I can understand it, r8.

Being anti-social myself I think there should be an anti-facebook facebook, then we don't have to join for it to succeed - incidentally, "what's it all for?"
"Write something, even if it's just a suicide note"
"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise"
"As for my amnesia, I've had it as long as I can remember"
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Lets Go To Puglia
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Post by Lets Go To Puglia »

Rosie wrote:I have had enquiries and one booking directly through FB - and many repeat bookings that are greatly helped by keeping in touch with past guests on FB. I also get referrals from my FB page to my website.

In today's climate of of scammers offering properties that don't exist a FB page (and other social media) can help confirm your credibility.

At a minimum level, if you find it too difficult to visit FB regularly you can schedule several posts to go out one a day for say a week ... although as you build up followers who may comment on your posts or send you private messages it is better to reply fairly quickly. For any social media to work you do need to work at it as is isn't called social without good reason. Follow other FB pages, add comments and share posts relevant to your location.

Now I am sure there are many owners out there who simply place a few ads on big sites, never touch social media and get enough bookings .... but the likes of FB can help get those extra few bookings.
+1 especially to keeping in touch with past guests, who usually return!
Ciao, Debbie

Puglia Holiday Villas Facebook Page
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It's not the things you did you look back on and regret it's the things you didn't do!
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Lets Go To Puglia
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Post by Lets Go To Puglia »

I'm in the both camp ... it at all possible.

When you write a blog post, pop onto your Facebook page and post a snippet of the info with a link. You get the best of both worlds, Facebook page is active and you are (hopefully) driving traffic to your blog.

Depending on how your blog is built / hosted you can automate links to Facebook, Google+, Twitter and other such sites
Ciao, Debbie

Puglia Holiday Villas Facebook Page
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It's not the things you did you look back on and regret it's the things you didn't do!
russellt
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Post by russellt »

Essar wrote: as long as I wore a grass skirt in bed.
haha. Cheered me up after my golf got cancelled due to fog this morning.
Lets Go To Puglia wrote: You get the best of both worlds
Yup. Just need to work out the 'how' now. (and whether I can be bothered - oops, there's that attitude problem again)

It doesn't sound as if there's a resounding reason to go full-on FB. But another channel for the blog?..... perhaps.

thanks all.
Web: https://yofftoo.com/property/esmes-cottage
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COYS
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Post by COYS »

russellt wrote:
Essar wrote: as long as I wore a grass skirt in bed.
haha. Cheered me up after my golf got cancelled due to fog this morning.
Lets Go To Puglia wrote: You get the best of both worlds
Yup. Just need to work out the 'how' now. (and whether I can be bothered - oops, there's that attitude problem again)

It doesn't sound as if there's a resounding reason to go full-on FB. But another channel for the blog?..... perhaps.

thanks all.
That gave me a good chuckle Essar. Eerily familiar though (apart from the marriage proposal as yet!) & whilst I will persevere for now, I can't see myself ever fully embracing it no matter how many tutorials tell me I must. Unfortunately, I find it all a bit cringeworthy & the whole 'befriend me/like me/follow me/stalk me' scenario rather tragic. May be why my kids call me Billy NoMates!

As for the blog russellt, well that's another can of worms that I just can't quite get yet either. I love to write & I love to read but there can be absolutely nothing original left that hasn't been blogged to death already. So that would mean yet more mundane musings (from me anyway) just to generate FB posts?
This seems like a self generating circle of the same old stuff. My head hurts again.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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