Today I have seen some really great examples of people utilizing facebook as a marketing tool.

It is snowing in Christchurch, so heavily that we had to shovel our driveway to get car out today (something I have never had to do). Once the wall of snow was shifted I was then faced with the issue of figuring out where I could go to get a coffee, as a lot of businesses were closed due to the snow.

This is were facebook came in.

Today was not the best day for my coffee machine to break… and needless to say, without my morning coffee I am not terribly productive.

I logged into facebook today and was pleased to see coffee culture doing a FABULOUS Job of updating its customers about their hours and which stores were open and which stores were closed.

Why is this important you ask?

Well within a few seconds of logging into facebook I found information that was relevant to me about a product I wanted. This meant I was able to avoid waisting my time walking to my local store, and came up with a solution, to drive to one of the stores that was open in Riccarton (good thing I own a 4WD and snow chains).

If I had not seen this post I probably would have assumed no stores were open and they would have lost a sale.

How can updating your customers on facebook help you business?

What if all your customers assumed you were not open and did not come in? How many sales have you lost?

By updating your facebook page you can ensure your business does not lose customers. It also means Less P!$$ed off customers driving to your store only to find you are shut then complaining to you next time they visit.

More customers at your open stores and more money coming in.

Facebook is a great way to instantly let your customers know what is happening in your business.

Why do you need this?

• Fast – Message is distributed instantly.
• Targeted – Everyone is already on facebook so know need to get them to “open and email” or “login” to something to read your message.
• Viral – If it is something they find interested or relevant customers can share your business information with their friends.
• Avoid Spam Filters – People do not always read email promotions and newsletters, facebook presents information to people in a away that is less invasive and they can choose wether they veiw your page to learn more or not without feeling “spammed”.

Interested in facebook marketing? Talk to me today about how your business could be utiziling a facebook page to communicate with your customers.

When you someone mentions Oamaru I think heritage buildings, penny farthings and penguins…

Growing up in Oamaru I never associate this this small seaside town with technology and online marketing… this all changed in over the last few weeks.

I can almost hear you ask “How?”

How It All Began:

I was on facebook and noticed a few of my friends becoming a fan of the “Oamaru Wine and Food Festival”… so curiously I clicked on this group and what I saw was really quite marvelous….

Facebook Groups:

In front of me was a group about the Oamaru Wine and Food Festival which told me the time, date, address, where to buy tickets, ticket costs and showed heaps of great feedback from previous years. I had toyed with the idea of going back to visit my home town for this even so I decide to become a fan of the group.

Facebook Events:

From there I received an invitation to the wine and food festival from the group telling me more about this event, what wineries would be there, which musicians (Gin Wigmore and a Freddy Mercury Impersonator) this all sounded great so i decided to RSVP yes to the event.

Notes and Updates:

From then on I could see any updates for this even and they even sent me a friendly reminder to buy a ticket before they sold out (the ended up putting on an extra 500 tickets because the demand was so high).

The Big Day:

Sunday the 21st of February rolled around and I trotted off to the Oamaru Gardens with a few friends and joined the thousands of people who had attended the event for a day of sun, music, good wine and food.

I thought this was a fantastic way to promote an event and keep customers updated and the best thing is now that I have joined they can keep me posted about next year. Good Work Oamaru!