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greenoak
06-07-2011, 08:15 AM
i used to read 2 blogs pretty regularly....both on my subjects and now i dont....i see them on facebook and kind of forgot about their blogs..... now i get a smaller experience of them , kind of a diluted experience....but i dont seem to care enough to go to their blogs.... .. i wish i knew them well enough to see how thier blogs are doing now.... in my field...women and decorating.... about everyone is on facebook...and there are only so many online hours in the day ...
i never signed up to get their blogs automatically...so maybe im different...
this might be a bad sign...

tylerhutchinson
06-07-2011, 10:36 PM
I disagree, I use Facebook to promote my blogs and I get hits on my company website and blogs via facebook and Linkden. I guess it depends on your business. Micro-blogging, ie status updates on Facebook and twitter will never replace full blogs.

I do agree it is easier to keep track of people on facebook via updates, but I am not sure if it is damaging blog viewership.

greenoak
06-07-2011, 11:12 PM
im not sure either....but its lowered my viewership of some blogs...
my facebook is very local and closely connected with my actual customers.these customers were never my blog readers as far as i can tell........my blog mainly drew a more national audience, thru my fields related forums ...i have over 1500 followers on the facebook and under 50 on my blog..... they arent working together for me... sometimes i do put links on the facebook to the blog..maybe 4 or 5 go to it.....
.. i have put a lot more effort in my blog, and i like it so much!!!! ....but the numbers and face to face interaction about our facebook in the store have sure gotten my attention.... its really a great tool for our store....
i think lots of the ideas that work for an internet business or mostly online business might not be quite as right for a local store like us... this is all so new ......

Patrysha
06-07-2011, 11:43 PM
I've been working websites for small local business for going on 9 years now...just because something doesn't work for you and your business does not mean that these things don't work, period. Just that you haven't mastered how to use those tools for your specific target market.

There are certain things you have to do to get maximum benefit out of any medium...whether it's print, radio, web or whatever...

Of course, as someone who keeps up to date with things I'm actively involved in social media too and encourage my clients to be. But they've got other things in place too...it's not an all or nothing thing...

Facebook/Twitter and so on...they aren't hurting blogs or websites...they're providing a very powerful platform to spread messages quickly and economically to just the perfect target market for any brand. Once you've identified them, you can find them...and that's pretty powerful.

But then again...so is search.

I'm rambling.

I had a point, but I lost it somewhere...

Steve B
06-08-2011, 06:22 AM
In my experience, I've not met a single man that goes on Facebook. But, it seems that every single female I know uses it regularly. Are there any statistics on the demographics of FB users?

Blessed
06-08-2011, 08:20 AM
After a 30 second web search I came across this website: CheckFacebook (http://www.checkfacebook.com/) - that gives their take on the question. According to them a little over 68% of the American population is on Facebook - with 55ish% of them being women and 45ish% being men. The male/female break is the same as what I've heard before.

greenoak
06-08-2011, 09:14 AM
steve thats basically what i find in my business facebook pool of 1580 fans......the men in my statistics are about 10%%.... ...on a marketing for local business level , which is where my interest is, .if i were advising a company selling to women i would push facebook if i were selling bass boats or golf hats or harbor freight i wouldnt bother..... my customers are mainly homeowners and people over 35....not college men.........
. its a wonderful thing....i think a business has to really look hard at their demographics before deciding where to put their energies....
the facebook insight spreadsheet is a great tool....ours shows we have 88% female fans..and tells us the ages and location ......which meshes perfectly with our view of our customers...where its mostly women picking out merchandise for their homes and maybe showing it to their husbands, if its a big purchase......it fits our business like a glove...
i know it might feel odd for you , if you are like my dh, but the women pet owners would probably love to see you on facebook!!! you could give hints and show cute pictures..... or do you do that already? it would probably be a good fit...if you had the time and inclination...

Patrysha
06-08-2011, 10:15 AM
Hmmm....I know an outfitting company (hunting and photography of big game and birds) that's wiping up (filling up all their hunts) through FB...male dominated and male geared...

Blessed
06-08-2011, 10:47 AM
I too know several men who are on Facebook. My experience is that they use it differently than women do - but they are still there.

greenoak
06-08-2011, 01:03 PM
id love to see the hunters facebook site.... do they really interact on it?

Patrysha
06-08-2011, 02:17 PM
It's a group, not a fanpage at BlueSky Outfitting | Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=92349563198) Most of the interaction in this particular group goes on beyond the pages of Facebook. The responders message and call rather than posting to the main group...at least most of the time. The point is never how it looks, but how it works. Guys don't need a lot of extra blah, blah that girls do. Yeah, it's sexist, but it's true.

greenoak
06-08-2011, 05:36 PM
thanks patrysha....did you realize that just one guy has posted since december..?..
this isnt an issue to me, but it keeps popping up, i have no doubt that for a business like mine the facts point to its all about women.....and im pretty sure im reading my market right...since it very serious to me..and im totally paying attention...
i can change if i see the facts say i should...

Patrysha
06-08-2011, 06:24 PM
Nope, don't really pay much attention other than the fact his son in law came to me a few months ago and thanked me for the tips he'd learned because they'd helped his father in law's business. I had seen that he had the group and joined it early on (they're from the same town as I used to live), and sent along some advice via email, but didn't see evidence that it was working for them...but evidently it has been...just not where everyone can see it...

I was only mentioning it all because someone said that it was only effective for women geared business...and there are cases that show that it's not...

tylerhutchinson
06-08-2011, 11:41 PM
In my experience, I've not met a single man that goes on Facebook. But, it seems that every single female I know uses it regularly. Are there any statistics on the demographics of FB users?

This is one site I used to pull statistics. Per this (which is pulled directly from facebook statistics there are more men than females.

Facebook Demographics Revisited (http://socialmediatoday.com/kenburbary/276356/facebook-demographics-revisited-2011-statistics)

greenoak
06-09-2011, 08:33 AM
thanks tyler.... i wonder if there is a regional difference? im in the rust belt /bible belt rural indiana....
my target group is between 35 and 65...which is still mostly women on your chart, but im suprised at all the men......
my dh is a very mainstream male..and totally tekkie......he does golf, public service, sports etc etc....and he doesnt see buddies on it.....he would have said about exactly what steve said.....or maybe his friends are on but mainly with their families...thats another great thing about facebook ...connecting with far away relatives..
whatever...if you are a local business and think your demographics uses facebook i would sure go for it!!!! its such a great tool...

Paper Shredder Clay
06-13-2011, 01:17 PM
I seldom use Facebook. I make use of RSS feeds. I subscribe to blogs' RSS in Google Reader and use a app to read them.

Harold Mansfield
06-14-2011, 02:47 PM
I'm a man and I'm on Facebook everyday.

tylerhutchinson
06-14-2011, 08:58 PM
Have you looked into pay per click advertising? They are those annoying little ads on the sides. Sometimes if you have no other plan for growing your facebook you can try it. The good thing with it is that you can target people by age, sex, profession, region, and many other areas. This may help you get that niche that you are missing!!

Other then that use other advertisement that reaches your demographic and link your facebook to it. If someone sees another site or advertisement, and then see your Facebook URL they may take a look at it! I have done this with companies with hard to reach demographics on Facebook and it seemed to increase their "likes".