Facebook has just made it easier for salons to manage their Facebook pages on the move with the launch of an iPhone application dedicated to business page management.
Salon page admins can now be as active as they want on Facebook when away from their computers, while keeping any personal pages separate and ensuring their updates will appear as the brand. The new app allows notifications on new fans and on-page activity to be highlighted on login and it also sends notifications through the iPhone to notify page owners of any important activity to respond to. Apps for iPads and Android have been excluded on this release.
This application is a streamlined version of the original Facebook application that we all use for our personal Facebook pages, but with a few very neat additions, including access to the Insights area for reporting. But its main feature is that it helps page managers separate personal from professional by receiving notifications about business activity and being able to respond immediately, while allowing them to post from their iPhone as the brand, not their person. That wasn’t so easy before
I believe the move will lead even more brands to drive marketing through Facebook. It’s an interesting move because it indicates Facebook is looking for brands to become even more active on the network, making it even more important for salons that want to drive their business to get online. You don’t want to get left behind. Providing tools to page admins so they can interact constantly helps brands be more active within the community and stay abreast of their stats and content.
Some words of caution:
- Where there is more than one person managing the salon page, it is crucial to agree how ‘on-the-fly’ posts should be. It is easy to wander into spam-land.
- Don’t ignore more strategic tools like online management software in planning campaigns. This application from Facebook is great for monitoring, but really effective strategies rarely happen on the fly.
- For those with very active pages, it may be advisable to turn off notifications and simply continue to let current monitoring systems take effect. For some reason it’s a lot more irritating to get notified by phone.
Valorie Reavis is part of Linkup Marketing, an online and social media marketing specialist focusing on search engine marketing, salon email marketing programs and social media marketing for salons and spas. If you have any queries for the Linkup team check out the website www.linkupmarketing.com, email info@linkupmarketing.com, find them on facebook.com/linkupmarketing or follow them on Twitter @linkupmarketing.
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