Facebook page

[Mike]

Chris do you think it would help a local audience ?
What up with  Twitter also is it like FB
Doug that explane the old ladd  logos I've seen

[CreativeCanvas]

Doug that explane the old ladd logos I've seen

Ya Mike ole Conrad Ladd is a real piece of work. Wouldya bleve that cantankerous sob is still alive? Gotta be 100 yrs old. Back in his natural element these days. His son & daughter'n law have a antique furniture/art 'studio' up round Cape Cod & he's recovering furniture to this day.

For what it's worth Conrad is truly a master. Cars, boats, furniture he can do it all.

Tell ya a funny story: He walked outa the shop one day'n came right back in. Demanding to know where his "khakis" were. After determining what he really meant and locating his "car keys" we sent him on his way ...

 

[scottymc]

Scotty, how do you get people to look at and like your page.

.

Ifind it is just something else that comes up in a google search, same as ebay, google crustt and it comes up on ebay and facebook before the actual site, also if someone likes your product then there friend will look and then friends of friend and so on, costs nothing and you learn a bit doing it

[Mike]

That is a good one Doug  car keys lol   
I just moved to fl in 04 so I never ran into him you neither I've met watermans and the guy from island marine and unique kanvas king ,  And all marine  in pg.

[stitcher_guy]

Now Chris, if this were a Facebook page, I could "like" your post about how to market. I do the same types of things as you (I keep the Guerrilla Marketing and Guerrilla Advertising books handy). Mainly flyers in the summer during the show season. I always stop by the registration booth and give them four or five T-shirts and a few travel mugs as giveaways, then hit the show passing out flyers. This gets me quite a bit of exposure in my niche market.

Several several years ago I bought into the radio reps' advice that I needed to be "branded." Once I got my head out of my (there's GOT to be an upholstery term for where it was), I dropped all radio and realized that I don't have to have EVERYONE in the world knowing my name. I only need the 10 - 12 weekly customers knowing my name. And it works.

Of course, I was equally stupid with the Yellow Pages and was sucked into the yearly upgrades. Now, no radio reps are brave enough to call me or stop by the shop. And I actually had a directory rep tell me "they sent me out here because I'm new. I was warned that you cuss us out, scream at us, and threaten us." LOLOL. He was a friend of my helper, so I let him leave alive. But he was very right. It makes one feel good to have a reputation.

The questions about how do you get people to see your facebook: be active on it. Post pictures of work being done. Have witty, fun comments about the topic of your business. Make your friends want to pop onto your business page and see what you're doing. BUT, be very careful about being too cutesy, insiderish, childish, crass or personal. Remember, this page is for your business, and you are wanting to project a professional attitude. That doesn't mean you can't make it fun, but use your head. Then, just like Kevin Costner kept hearing "if you build it, they will come." Your friends have friends. Those friends have people who see their pages. A cool interior pic, or something fun going on to your shop will get interest. I personally do not add all my business people over to my private website. But most of my private website friends are on my professional page. Any e-mails or other correspondence always ends with "facebook: search / pro stitch auto" BEFORE i put up the address to my website "www.prostitchauto.com". I know that it generates more traffic and garners more interest. And as long as it stays free, might as well ride the white pony, right?

[sofadoc]

Just a few years ago on this very discussion board, everyone was extolling the greatness of having a website, and proclaiming the Yellow pages to be dead. Now, it seems as though Facebook is pushing the website out the door.

Most of my business (other than returning customers/word of mouth) still comes from the Yellow Pages.

Facebook is free.....might help......certainly can't hurt. It took me over 2 years to get one of those "round tuits" to throw a website together (still needs work). Rest assured, Facebook is on my "to do" list. 

Russ spoke about not being too "cutesy". I have a story on my website about "The Husband". My female customers love it. Some of them say it makes them both laugh and cry. The men never finish reading it. I guess it's too wordy, and no pics of fast cars, or boobs. Am I alienating my male clientele? Don't care. I'd starve to death if I had to depend on them.

[Mike]

Several several years ago I bought into the radio reps' advice that I needed to be "branded." Once I got my head out of my (there's GOT to be an upholstery term for where it was), I dropped all radio and realized that I don't have to have EVERYONE in the world knowing my name. I only need the 10 - 12 weekly customers knowing my name. And it works.

year ago with my canvas shop in new hamshire i advertised on a local station. with mouontians all aound thwe lake it was the strongest station in the area. and had many boaters out on the lake listning. i got many customwers come ion that told me they heard the add. here in florida its so flat that who knows what station someone listens to i here stains from naples to tampa  and tnow with satalite radio and i poids and pandora who listens to normal radio/. i know i dont much

[kodydog]

BUT, be very careful about being too cutesy, insiderish, childish, crass or personal.

That sounds like me.

Remember, this page is for your business, and you are wanting to project a professional attitude. That doesn't mean you can't make it fun, but use your head.

That sounds like my wife. And that's why she'll be creating the page. I think.

year ago with my canvas shop in new hamshire i advertised on a local station. with mouontians all aound thwe lake it was the strongest station in the area. and had many boaters out on the lake listning. i got many customwers come ion that told me they heard the add. here in florida its so flat that who knows what station someone listens to i here stains from naples to tampa  and tnow with satalite radio and i poids and pandora who listens to normal radio/. i know i dont much

Makes you wonder if some radio stations cover too broad an area.

[CreativeCanvas]

Once I got my head out of my (there's GOT to be an upholstery term for where it was)

Conrad Ladd would know ...

Just for gits'n shiggles think I'm gonna really get down to professionalizing(?) the new Creative Canvas facebook pg. And referring past & present customers to it. Can't hurt. (Have my own personal page to get cutesy, childish or crass on. Heh heh heh





 

[stitcher_guy]

Talking about radio advertising, I haven't done ANY in at least four years. Yet, it never fails (I've even had a couple in recent months), people see me out or they find out PRO Stitch is mine, and they tell me "Oh yeah. I hear you on the radio." lololol. NO, they DON"T. But they used to. My absolute biggest draw is the 4' x 8' sign that sits in my front yard, right along the main east/west highway going out of Taylorville. The last census the DOT took, I believe they recorded about 1,500 cars per day going past.

[Mike]

OIve got a questrion for you guys that have a facebook page for your buisness. I see on my personal page that you can make a page using yopur personal acount ot do you  just make  a seperate page.?

[Peppy]

OIve got a questrion for you guys that have a facebook page for your buisness. I see on my personal page that you can make a page using yopur personal acount ot do you  just make  a seperate page.?

Yes. Make sure it's called a page and not a group or event or something. Pages can be seen by anyone wether they 'like' you or not. Also fb gives you 'insights' about who looks at your page. 

[Mike]

peppy many of the contact on my phone  can be friends and some of my friends are canvas customers, If i made a page using my acount could theese contacts and friend bo added to the new page and  Would my personal page be seen related to the cavas page? sorry but i dont know much on this.

[Peppy]

peppy many of the contact on my phone  can be friends and some of my friends are canvas customers, If i made a page using my acount could theese contacts and friend bo added to the new page and  Would my personal page be seen related to the cavas page? sorry but i dont know much on this.

Any body who is logged into fb can see your page. If they 'like' it they will see your posts in their newsfeed. You can also share any albums with people who aren't on fb by giving them the link fb gives you. Like this one-


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.108504692552008.10957.108501562552321&type=1&l=dae4675731

There is a setting to switch to using fb as your page instead of your personal account. That way you can comment on other peoples stuff as your business. And have it completely seperate from your personal page.

[Mike]

I worded that grong peppy. People who are friends on myperdonal page will they see post or what that I post on the can as page? And can contacts on my phone ect many customers be invited to my page rather then my personal site.  Last question will people who see my canvas page see that's it's from my personal acount or keep me  annonomous ?