Facebook Notifications: A Page Owner’s Guide

Facebook has made a lot of changes over the last 6 months but none has caused more angst to page owners than the changes they have made to their Edgerank algorithm, which affects what posts people see in their stream.

To combat the outcry from businesses and community groups who don’t like the thought of their fans missing out on important posts, Facebook have introduced notifications for pages.

This works similar to your profile’s “close friends” option, where you receive a little red notification each and every time a close friend posts something.

The tricky part for businesses on Facebook is to get their fans to opt in to receiving notifications from them - not always an easy ask.

There are two main places a fan can sign up for notifications from your page:

1. Via your Page, and
2. Via your Hover Box

The Hover Box is the informational rectangle you see when you hover over the name of a business (or person for that matter).

If someone likes your page from this information box, they have the option of clicking the “Get Notification” option. Similarly, they can do the same thing on your page itself.

Many page owners have taken to their walls, showing their fans how they can keep getting all their posts and asking them to sign up for this new notification option.

The Obvious Problem
While this is a solid strategy, the problem is that a lot of their fans won’t see this post due to the very reason they are posting it – Facebook has limited their organic reach.

One Solution
Due to this, it might be a good strategy to make a one-off spend on promoting the post so it gets maximum reach. Although there’s still no guarantee that all your fans will see it or that if they do, they will do anything about it.

To maximize the impact of this post include an image showing your fans exactly how to sign up for this notification feature. Feel free to use the one below, or create your own.

Respect & Great Content
If you do get your fans to receive notifications when you post, you need to respect this and follow these simple rules:

• Create a posting schedule and stick to it – this will allow your fans to know when and how often you post
• Don’t post too often or you will run the risk of annoying your fans with too many notifications (1 to 3 times per day is a recommended maximum)
• Post high quality content that your fans will find useful
• Attract only your Ideal Customer as fans 
• Weed out any fans that aren’t in your niche

Other Ways
Facebook is adding new features all the time, and a few of the more recent ones may help reach all of your fans.

Interest Lists
Facebook has also recently introduced Interest Lists, which allows a person to add a page or person they find interesting.

While this does not show all of a page’s posts, it does show the most recent 2 or 3 posts from any page or person in the list. If they check the list every day, this shouldn’t be a problem, unless a page posts more frequently.

Interest Lists is an interesting feature and is another (limited) way fans can keep track of their favourite pages. Although they will need to click on each list to see the posts, and they may forget to do this even if they do set one up.

Pages Feed
Finally, Facebook have also added what they are calling Pages Feed, which will allow you to see only content from the pages you like.

This does not however affect their main feed at all and will not boost the appearance of page’s posts on their feed, but it does give the user a prompt to check their favour pages.

Have you started asking your fans to get notifications from your page, and have you had much success? 

Russell Allert's passion is to help people achieve their dreams. Baked Social Media's main goal is to help small business owners grow their businesses online using social media.

Window Shopping: For Her

1. Oatmeal Milk Honey Soap, $5.00 by Rose Berry Bay

2. Linen Ruffle Handbag, $49.00 by high tea vintage

3. Bliss Candle Large Soy Rapture Asian Pear and lily, $39.95 by Bliss Candles Australia

4. Picnic Mama Skirt, $55.00 by 1 Ruby Road

5. Sweet Little Birds, $15.00 by Elements 

6. Whimsy Wrap Bracelet in Blue and Green $62 by Kuhlerful

This guide was put together by Alison from Hand-Made.com.au.

Window Shopping: For the Couple that has Everything

1. BEER ! Placemats, $35.00 by Vintage Galah

2. blocks "urban", $30.00 by m2matiz

3. AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND map cushion, $55.00 by my bearded pigeon

4. Vintage Silver Spoon Christmas Ornament / Decoration, $15.00 by me2

5. "To Brie or Not To Brie, That is not a question" linen tea towel, $24.95 by Kookery

6. Home, Sweet Home Cushion, $50.00 by Aunty Cookie

This guide was put together by Dee from Wild About Melbourne

{Promotion} Elocin Designs

Elocin Designs is the creative outlet for mixed media artist Nicole Pomeroy.  Nicole has always had a passion for painting and has dabbled in mixed media.  Her latest collection which is fantasy and fairy tales, will include a mixture of vibrant pieces with positive affirmations and also dark and mysterious pieces with depth to make you think and is made from many vintage elements, dressmaking patterns, lace, buttons, with a smattering of colour washes, paint and pencil drawings.

This artwork is created with a dark moody feel, its a representation of Little Red Riding Hood, with a focus on following your own path and listening to your instincts, even when they may lead us off the path. There is a lot of hidden detail with hand draw elements and intricate painting.

The canvas measures 40x50cm.

$220 +postage

This is a representation of Cinderella and the hopes and dreams she held, that is like all of us; dreaming for things to come and new adventures. 

This canvas measures 20x25cm.

$70 +postage

Our lives are filled with temptation and like that of Snow White, we have the choice to either succumb to that temptation or ignore it. Most times the temptation is too great to ignore. Snow is struggling with the temptation and this is represented with the blue through her face. 

This canvas measures 30x30cm

$100 +postage

To view Nicole's beautiful artwork simply head over to her Facebook page (http://facebook.com/elocin.designs)

This is a paid promotional.  To find out how you too can support the {CHA} and its efforts to assist the handmade industry please go to our Advertise Page.

Pinterest Business Accounts

Source: scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.blogspot.com via Debbie on Pinterest

If you haven't already heard Pinterest had launched Business Accounts. Yeah!!

As you know from our series earlier this year about Pinterest, we are ever so slightly addicted to Pinterest.  I have a few boards devoted to my business interestes - C Percy Designs, Handmade Cooperative and the {CHA}.  I can create a new business account for each of these ventures plus keep my personal one.  I'm loving this idea.

This post on Hubspot - Pinterest Finally Rolls Out Business Accounts: How to Set Yours Up Today (Posted by Corey Eridon) tells you all you need to know to convert to or create your Pinterest Business Account.

About the Contributor: 

Christine is a Wife and a Mum of 3.  She is the owner of C Percy Designs and the Editor of The Contemporary Handmade Alliance.  She is also the Editor of the Handmade Cooperative - Australian Handmade 4 Kids and is a little obsessed with all things crochet. 
To find out more about Christine go to her blog or follow her on Facebook.

Do you have an online Support Group?

There’s a phenomenon that occurs in our house ... I wonder if the same thing occurs at yours ?

Whenever I mention craft, blogging, or anything I see on Instagram or Pinterest my partner’s eyes glaze over and I’m quite sure there is a loud brass band playing in her head!

Thankfully, I know exactly where to go where my triumphs, concerns and questions  will be celebrated, mulled over and answered.

It’s a secret online group full of fabulous women.

We gather on a daily basis in between running a business, keeping a household clean, our families fed and being crafty in our own ways. It’s informal, positive and did I mention secret?

I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am to these women. Whenever I need help, advice, a kick up the butt or a pat on the back they are who I turn to.

Usually before I tell my partner my grand plans, I have asked these women first.

The advice and reassurance is invaluable. When gathered together for good, women truly can be an incredible force can’t they?

Of course, nothing beats a coffee with a friend in person, but in between times, catching up online can be just as good.

Do you have a network of lovely people that you can turn to ... any time of the day or night?

Further Reading: How to create a Facebook Group

Contributor
Dee Wild is passionate about all things handmade. Deanne is coordinator of the Make Craft Your Business Course and Volunteer Coordinator of Made ‘n Thornbury Craft Market. When not sewing, blogging or trawling through opshops, Deanne can be found enjoying Melbourne’s dynamic handmade and craft market scene. Or drinking red wine whilst eating great food or taking photos of red wine and great food.