Facebook for Towers Will You Be My Friend?
by Mike Rappaport
L
ets face it; the big “F” is everywhere. I have been in contact with hundreds of towers on Facebook, sharing joys, challenges and, I’m sorry to say, sorrow as well. It’s like a big clubhouse with guys and gals from a tow show. It’s a lot of fun and there are a bunch of great Facebook groups, but how can you improve your business with Facebook? If you’re like most small business owners, you’re not investing much money or effort into social-media marketing. But given the fact that 51 percent of Facebook fans are more likely to buy from a brand they like, not engaging through social media could curtail your company’s growth.
Stay Fresh It’s easy to build and promote a Facebook for Business page. Your Business page is your “Social Website.” People do business with people they like and companies and brands they are familiar with. Your Business page should be all business. Once completed or updated to Facebook’s new Timeline format, post on a regular basis and interact with your visitors. Don’t let your page become stale. Promote your page and your presence on your trucks, business cards,
Facebook Page vs. Profile Facebook profiles are for personal use and you are only allowed one profile per user. Only profiles have the “friend” option. • Facebook pages were designed for businesses; you can create as many pages as you like. You’ll know you’re on a Facebook page if you see a “like” button.
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website, print ads and facility. Its like running an open house, you need to invite people. Post staff photos (if you dare), share challenging recoveries, salute a corporate account, post information that is local and relevant, tout your capabilities beyond a regular tow, show off your equipment, put up a video, or just say how great a day your having. Finally, if you really want to jumpstart your success, you can advertise on Facebook for less than you think. All your ad dollars are spent in reach-
ing people in your areas of service. Talk about a fast and efficient way to reach your target market.
Get Liked Daniel Lande of Daniel’s Towing was hit by a passing motorist and hospitalized, and was one of the first stories we did on American Towman TV. I found his Facebook page and started “following” him and he really gets it. As of this writing, he has more than 500 likes and posts stories of interest to the community and upbeat messages as well as photos. I found out that the
