Dear Cedar Falls City Council

I wrote this letter in response to this article. I mailed out a copy to every Cedar Falls City Council Member today. I hope it opens their eyes and they look at this situation from a students perspective. 

Dear Cedar Falls City Council Member,

I’m writing you this letter today because I’m worried the Cedar Falls city council is about to make a big mistake. For the past year or so I have been following the news about the rental property situation in the city. It seems that the situation has come to a head and very soon you’ll be voting on an ordinance that will reduce the rental occupancy limit from four unrelated people to three per dwelling unit. I’m sure that you’ve heard plenty of opinions, facts, and statistics about the situation, but I’m going to be honest and tell you how it looks from a college student’s perspective.

             

First I will give you a little background on myself. I grew up in northern Iowa in small town called Britt. I graduated in 2010 and then attended Kirkwood Community College for two years before heading to UNI. In the spring I will be graduating as a double major in Communication/Public Relations and Interactive Digital Studies. While attending Kirkwood I lived in an apartment complex with hundreds of other students. Kirkwood doesn’t provide dorms so students must find their own housing. I prefer apartment style living anyway, because I don’t like the idea of sharing a bedroom and I think it forces a student to grow up. I had to learn how to cook, clean, and take care of myself. I didn’t have a cafeteria that provided my meals or an RA on duty that I could call if something was wrong. Therefore, when I moved to Cedar Falls in the summer of 2012 I knew that I didn’t want to live in a dorm.

              
For the next two years I lived on the corner of University and Olive Street, which is owned by Jeanette Geisler and her husband. These were brand new, four bedroom, two bath apartments with a garage underneath. I absolutely loved it there. Jeanette is an outstanding landlord. Whenever I had a problem she would send someone over and it would be fixed immediately. The apartment was close to campus and was a reasonable rate of $385/month plus utilities.

              
This past spring though I decided it was time to move. A couple friends and I decided to grow up a little more and move into a house. We currently live on Carlton Drive, right behind the mall in a residential area. It is a 4 bedroom, two bathroom house, with a finished basement, and an awesome back yard. My landlord is Karen Deters. Us girls range in age from 21-23 years old. We all work part-time/full-time jobs and attend school at UNI, Hawkeye, and Upper Iowa. Because we all have such different lives we didn’t want to live close to campus. We wanted a place we could call home.

              
This is why a lot of students or young professionals choose to rent homes in residential areas. They’re reaching an age where they are pursuing careers and thinking about their future rather than having a big party Friday night. Which is why if the city of Cedar Falls decides to pass this ordinance all it will do is show how ungrateful the city is to have these students living in their town.

              
Students at the University of Northern Iowa spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars in the city every year. They pay tuition, they shop at local stores, and they work at area businesses. What would Cedar Falls look like if the university didn’t exist?

             
 
And now the city council is going to tell these students that they don’t trust them enough to make their own decisions about where and whom they can live with? I may not have my degree yet, but I know from a PR point of view, that is a horrible decision.  And here’s why:

             
 Let’s say the city passes this ordinance and many of the houses and apartments that are currently four bedrooms dwellings are forced to become three bedroom. Here’s what will happen:

1.       The landlords will be forced to increase the rent. Not because they want to, but because they still have to pay the mortgage and taxes on the property. Or the tenants will be forced to take on the cost of missing that fourth tenant. For example, I currently pay $370 every month in rent. Without the rent of the fourth roommate that $370 will then be split to the three remaining roommates. $370/3 = is an extra $123 on my rent every month. Which means I will be paying around $493. I cannot afford that.

2.       The landlords will sell their properties, forcing students to look elsewhere. Some may look at the on-campus living but I guarantee a majority will look outside of city limits. They will move to Waterloo, Hudson, Evansdale, etc. Sure they will have to drive more, but they can afford it when they’re not paying $500 rent every month.

3.       Those students that you pissed off will eventually graduate. And do you think at 23 years old, fresh out of college, with a huge student loan to pay off, that they will be looking to buy a home? If they are lucky enough to get a job in Cedar Falls (which is really the area you should be worrying about) they will be looking to rent. But since your city council voted to limit the housing situation they either won’t be able to afford the rent or won’t be able to find housing. So what will they do? They will move to Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, etc. Wherever they can find a decent job with affordable housing.

The younger generation is completely different from the older generations. Back in the day people used to say I’ll go wherever I can find a job, nowadays people say I want to go live in Denver, Colorado and then I’ll worry about a job. Why? Because the younger generation is all about the experience. They want to live in a city where they can experience everything; and Cedar Falls offers that. This city has a great downtown with events, culture, and amazing restaurants. But you will throw it away if you limit the housing options. And why? All because somebody complained that a college student was throwing a party in their residential neighborhood? Well, I can guarantee that even if you limit the housing occupancy to three non-related people, they will still have a party. You could limit it to one person and they would still have a party. Parties and drunk college kids is the risk you take when living in a college town. And don’t get me wrong, I think the residents who live next to a college student who throws a party have a right to be mad. But the situation can be handled better.

              
I hope you really step back and take a look at the big picture of this issue. This ordinance will affect thousands of people including students, landlords, and residents. Do you want Cedar Falls to be known as the city who kicked out college students from their homes? Or do you want to be known as the city that came together and provided decent, affordable, off-campus housing options for students?

              
I hope this letter opened up your mind and you will consider it before you vote. If you want to express your opinions feel free to shoot me an email at whitneyjohnson@hotmail.com

Thank you 

6 Reasons Why I Love Hobo Days

I’m going to veer off the topic of social media for this post and talk about Hobo Days. For those of you who have never heard of this celebration let me inform you. Hobo Days is an annual celebration held the second weekend of August in Britt, Iowa (my hometown). It is officially called the National Hobo Convention and was started in 1900 and as far as I know the only hobo celebration in the world. Other than Hobo Day at South Dakota State University, which is where students dress as hobos for their homecoming celebration to try and scare the opposing team. Never really understood that one, but they've been doing it since 1912.

What is a hobo? 
A hobo is a migratory worker, some with a special skill or trade, others ready to work at any task, but always willing to work to make his way.

The tramp is a traveling non-worker, moving from town to town, but never willing to work for the handouts that he begs for. A bum is the lowest class, too lazy to roam around and never works.

How did Hobo Days start? 

Before I tell you how hobo days started I have to give you some background information about Tourists Union No. 63. In the mid 1800’s several hobos found they were being repeatedly kicked out of towns and off train yards because they had no visible means of employment or any money. Law enforcement was becoming stricter on enforcing vagrancy laws, and there was nothing to help the migrant hobo worker. However, if one was the member of a Union then the unemployed person would not be persecuted for vagrancy while in any city attempting to gain even a few hours of employment.

And so these few hobos drew up articles of confederation for a Tourist Union for any hobo nationwide to join and avoid persecution for vagrancy. Finding that the hobos present numbered to 63 this Union was labeled Tourist Union #63. In August of each year Tourist Union #63 held a National Hobo Convention to renew friendships, collect annual dues, sign up new members, and honor the most deserving of their union to the temporary positions for King and Queen. The convention moved to different cities each year to appease the workers, but in 1887 the members voted to hold the 1888 convention in Chicago and it stayed there for 12 years.

In 1889 three Britt men named Thomas Way, T.A. Potter, and W.E. Bradford read a report in the Chicago paper that Tourist Union No. 63 has just elected new officers. They wrote to Charles F. Noe of Sycamore, Illinois and invited him to bring the Hobo Convention to Britt. Their desire was to gain some attention for the small town to “do something different to show the world that Britt was a lively little town capable of doing anything that larger cities could do.” Noe wrote back and said he would come out to Britt and see if the grounds were large enough. He must have liked what he saw, because he agreed to hold the convention in Britt August 22nd, 1900.

Next, check out the 61 things this man learned at Hobo Days

6 Reasons Why I Love Hobo Days:

1. Hobo Days is unique. Like I said earlier, there is no other type of celebration like this in the entire world that I know of. Sometimes the residents of Britt tend to forget this. You hear people say, “there is nothing to do in Britt” or “why would anyone want to come to Britt for Hobo Days?” I absolutely hate when someone complains about Britt or Hobo Days, because in the end you’re bashing yourself. Why do people travel hundreds of miles to learn about the hobos? Because it’s interesting. It’s unique. It’s weird. It’s different. It’s no different than the world’s largest strawberry in Strawberry Point or the National Hollerin' Contest held in North Carolina. People love weird and Britt residents need to embrace it.

2. Hobo Days brings the community together. Whether you own a business on Main Street, have a float in the parade, or just walked uptown to see the crafts you were involved in Hobo Days somehow. I almost can’t describe it, but it’s the feeling of belonging to something bigger. It’s the feeling that our town can gather once a year and rally behind this celebration. We’re celebrating the hobos obviously, but at the same time we’re celebrating Britt. What this town has accomplished in the past year, how far we've come in the past 100 years, and how bright our future looks.

3. Hobo Days is humbling. Even though nowadays some people choose to live the hobo lifestyle; the idea of living free and traveling where ever the road will take you. It’s important to remember that the hobo lifestyle didn't start out that way. Hobos first appeared on the railroads after the Civil War in the 1860’s. Many discharged veterans returning home began hopping freight trains looking for work. The number of hobos dramatically increased during the Great Depression when people, who had no work, decided to start traveling to find work. It’s not that people wanted to live this way, they were forced to. It’s important to remember that today, with all our technology and money, life as we know it could come crashing down someday. I’m not saying people will be forced to travel on the train to look for work, but there is always a possibility.

4. Hobo Days is hard work. Believe it or not, the carnival and vendors don’t just randomly show up the 2nd weekend of every August because they feel like it. It’s from many hours of volunteered time that Hobo Days is able to exist. With the help of the Hobo Days Association and countless other people in the community Hobo Days had one of its greatest years to date this year. It’s important that we thank these people for their hard work to put on this great event, but it’s also important to thank the hobos. I know that sounds strange, but without them attending every year what would we celebrate? It also goes back to this great quote from Linda Hughes, the Hobo Foundation President, “We celebrate what the American hobo did for this country. They built railroad systems, they built the courthouses, they worked the fields, they did any kind of job they could find, and we honor them, and we celebrate that lifestyle.”

5. Hobo Days is Tradition. Families have a lot of traditions. For my family our traditions include eating Grandma’s apple crisp on Christmas Eve, boating in Clear Lake over the 4th, and being in Britt the second weekend in August. Other than Christmas, Hobo Days is the only time of year my family is able to regularly get together. Friday nights we walk uptown to check out the crafts, Saturday morning I ride through the parade with Miller & Sons. In the afternoon we eat, talk, and drink a few beers and then head uptown to see everyone that came home. Its tradition and I love it.

6. My Grandma is a Hobo! Yes, she really is. She never rode the rails in her younger days, but she was "knighted" as a hobo by the Hobo Queens. Hobo Days 2010 my Grandma Bettie and I attended the Hobo Ladies tea. The Hobo ladies host it for the women of Britt every year. This particular year  was special because the hobo ladies were hosting a contest. Whoever attended the tea with the most decorated walking stick would win a prize. Well, of course, my Grandma won. The prize turned out to be that the winner would become an official hobo. So all the past and present Hobo Queens gathered around her and knighted her a hobo with their walking sticks. It was all very similar to how they do it in Britain I assume. So that's how Boxcar Bettie was born.

So now you know. Now you know what Hobo Days is, why it's important, and why I love it. Thanks for reading!

Sources: http://www.hobo.com/home.html 
http://www.brittiowa.com/hobo/

Twitter: The Sarcastic Step-Child Nobody Wants to Take to Family Gatherings

What is Twitter?

Many people understand Facebook, or at least they think they do. But nowadays businesses can’t just be on Facebook. They have to tweet, pin something to a board, and create a Google+ and LinkedIn pages. It’s overwhelming. So let’s start slow.

What the hell is twitter and how do I use it? Twitter is an online social networking site. When you post something on Twitter it is considered microblogging. Instead of calling it a post like on Facebook, on Twitter you call it a “tweet.” The biggest difference between Facebook and Twitter is the size of your posts. On Facebook people can babble on forever and ever about their cat, job, or mother-in-law. I read that the character limit on Facebook is 63,206. I have never tested it out, nor should anyone. On Twitter though you are limited to 140 characters, which is why most Moms or adults could never have Twitter, because even their texts are three pages long. I almost wish my Mom did have a Twitter account though, because if she tweeted half the things that came out of her mouth she would be famous.

Linda Johnson 10:46 a.m. on 8/5/14 “Just told my co-worker I was going to open a can of whoop ass on him, and he knows I will. #SwearWord #OtherSwearWord"

Which brings me to my first and biggest point about Twitter:

1. Twitter is like the sarcastic step-child nobody wants to take to family gatherings. Why? Because people say things on Twitter they would never say on Facebook or any other social media platform. I’m not really sure why either. Maybe because of the illusions that since less people have Twitter, no one important will see it. There is also this feeling that people judge you more on Facebook versus Twitter. People are more willing to post pictures of a new boyfriend/girlfriend or a somewhat embarrassing photo of them drunk. It’s almost as if Twitter allows people to relax and be themselves without judgment.
2. Twitter is funnier. Hands down, no doubt about it, tweets are funnier than Facebook posts. Once again, I have no idea why, but Twitter is funnier. I think it goes back to this feeling of no judgment and being able to be yourself. If you don’t believe me read 21 of the most hilarious tweets of all time.
3. Because Twitter is laid-back and funnier, so are the businesses. I’ll be honest, the only time I follow a business on Twitter is because they’re funny, local, or giving out deals.

What does hashtag mean? A hashtag is a word or an unspaced phrase prefixed with the number sign ("#"). Hashtags make it possible to group such messages, since one can search for the hashtag and get the set of messages that contain it. A hashtag is only connected to a specific medium and can therefore not be linked and connected to pictures or messages from different platforms (Meaning just because you hash tagged something on Twitter doesn’t mean it will show up on Facebook).

The biggest times when hashtags come into play are events. Anytime you have an event like the #SuperBowl, #Grammys, or even TV shows like #TheVoice you will see that hashtag. Events, TV shows, movies, music artists, and anybody semi famous wants you to hashtag their name. By doing this you’re helping that event or TV show measure how many people are talking about or tweeting about them. It’s similar to word of mouth, except now you can actual measure it and collect data. The hashtag phenomenon is becoming very popular. Hashtags were mentioned in 57% of all the Super Bowl ads this year.

Twitter has had its struggles though. As of now Twitter has 271 million users, but this is nothing compared to Facebook’s 1.3 billion. For some reason, Twitter just has a hard time motivating people to actively participate. It could be the layout, the misunderstandings of “tweeting”, or maybe people just don’t have anything to say. Whatever the case may be, you will find that users of Twitter are more likely to engage with a business on Twitter versus Facebook. They are more likely to mention, retweet, or favorite brands than they are on Facebook. Why is this? For one, it is easier. To engage with a business you don’t have to go to their page, write on their wall, and then wait for feedback. With Twitter you can just tweet about a good or bad experience and the business will see it (If your tweets aren’t private). And second, I think it goes back to that judgment I was talking about earlier. If someone complains about a business on Facebook everyone will weigh in and either joins their complaint or stand up for the business and complains about the person who posted it originally. It can become very catty. With Twitter the conversation is usually between the business and the customer.

Next time, I’ll discuss the proper ways to tweet to increase engagement and all that good stuff. As for now, sign up for Twitter and start tweeting! Have fun!

How I Got a Job Without a Degree

Some of my friends and family may have noticed from a few tweets that I’ve officially become an “adult.” You’re probably wondering how this may have happened since I didn’t graduate college this past May. Two weeks ago I officially started my new job as a Social Media Coordinator for Impact Marketing & Technology in Waterloo.

How did this happen? Here’s the story of how this blog helped me get a full-time, big-girl job without a degree. It all started back in January when I started my Digital Advertising class with Matthew Wilson. I had heard from other marketing/PR students that it was a great class, and even though it would be a lot of work, I would learn something in the end. During the entire semester each student is required to write a blog about something they’re passionate about. I thought social media would be a great topic to write about. From my internships, classwork, and general research I've felt that small businesses usually don’t have the man power or money to invest in social media. Or they just plain don’t get it and can't see how it will benefit their business. So I chose to interview small businesses in the Cedar Valley who I felt were doing a great job at promoting their business through social media. If I was able to show examples of businesses doing it right, then maybe other business owners could see how it’s done. Throughout the semester I interviewed Social House, Miss Wonderful, and Life by Lisa (LBL). I also wrote posts about Facebook and how to create an engaging post.

So where did this job come from? At the beginning of March our professor sent out a job opportunity for a part-time social media coordinator at Jerry Roling Motors in Waverly & Shell Rock. I immediately applied. I had my interview on April 4th. I was encouraged to look at their websites and Facebook pages and bring any ideas, thoughts, and creativity to the interview. The interview lasted almost two hours and I actually had two separate interviews. Roling Motors has two stores so I interviewed with both General Managers separately. I was nervous to say the least. I thought both interviews went really well though and I was confident that I would get the job.

I didn't get the job. I got an email the beginning of May saying how they had hired someone for their Waverly location, but they were building a new location in Shell Rock so they would hold my resume until they were able to accommodate more employees. I was pretty bummed about it because I felt I really had that job. So I moved on. Until finals week when I got a phone call from Amy Roling, the Communication Director at Roling Motors, whom I had interviewed with a month before. She informed me that their marketing agency, Impact Marketing & Technology out of Waterloo, was looking to hire a social media coordinator and asked them for referrals. She wanted to give them my name, but wanted to make sure I was okay with it first. Of course I was okay with it!

The following week I had my first interview the owner James White. When I spoke with him on the phone I asked if I should bring anything and he told me to bring some writings pieces from my portfolio. Four out of the five pieces I took to the interview were blog posts from the past semester. Long story short…..after a couple interviews and a few long weeks of waiting, I woke up June 12th to an email with a job offer. My Dad said it was the best Father’s Day present I could give him.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from my story. I didn't just write this blog post to brag about my new job. Here is what I’m hoping you take away from my story:

1. A job opportunity can come from anywhere or anyone. I applied for a job at Roling Motors and ended up at a marketing agency. If I hadn't impressed Amy Roling during my initial interview, she never would've given Impact Marketing my name. This type of opportunity doesn't happen often, but it is possible. My advisor at Kirkwood, Rose Kodet, always told students to never burn your bridges, because you never know when might need them. Yes, Roling Motors didn't hire me, but in the end they helped me get another job.

2. Just because you don’t have a degree yet, doesn't mean you can’t get a career. I still have about 15 credit hours to finish before I get my degrees. So I will be going to school part-time and working as much as I can. Impact Marketing said upfront in the initial interview that school would be my first priority and they wanted to see me finish my degree. Many employers will see that you’re getting close to graduation and they might be willing to work with you. That being said, if you do get a full-time gig, make sure to finish that degree. That little piece of paper will be very important if that job ever falls through.

3. Experience, experience, experience. I can’t tell you enough how important experience is. During my freshman year, my Dad gave me the book All Work, No Pay by Lauren Berger. The biggest lesson I learned from the book is that I should have 4-5 internships during my college years if I want to get an awesome career someday. Well I made it to three. During my interview with Impact Marketing they asked me why I left Bill Colwell Ford (my 2nd internship) for Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (my 3rd internship). I simply told them it was because I wanted to gain more experience. I was working in the for-profit car industry so I thought I would do a total 180 and work in the non-profit tourism/agriculture industry. And if Impact Marketing had never came along then this summer I would have been looking for my fourth internship. I also was very involved with the UNI American Marketing Association this past year by being on the executive board. I know it sounds like a lot to handle. But trust me, in the long run all of that experience will pay off.

4. Every student at UNI should take Matthew Wilson’s digital advertising class. Any major from accounting to political science should take this class. Not really for the digital advertising aspect of it. Biology majors don’t need to know how to run a Google AdWords campaign, even though maybe they should. I feel that every major should take it for the self-promotion aspect of it. In this class I had to pick a topic, write multiple blogs, and then promote it myself. The success of the blog was in my hands. You’re forced in a way to put yourself out there on the internet, which can be scary at times. At first I felt like I was “bothering” people with my little blog posts asking them to read it, but then I realized all the other annoying things people put on social media and I didn't feel so bad. I was able to overcome that fear and put myself out there. And as I mentioned before 4 out of the 5 writing pieces that I took to my interview with Impact Marketing were blog posts from Matthew’s class. This blog played a big role in me getting this job (Wise words for any future UNI digital advertising students).If you’re able to communicate verbally and through your writing; any employer will want to hire you.

Before I end this post I want to thank a few people first. Thank you to Amy Roling for giving Impact Marketing my name, it worked out quite well for me. Thank you to Matthew Wilson, Kathleen Porter, Tiffany Siebel, and Blake Colwell for giving recommendations, I’m not sure what you said, but I’m assuming all good things! Thank you to my internships: Opportunity Village, Bill Colwell Ford, and Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area. Without the experience I gained from your organizations I wouldn't be where I’m at today. Thanks to the businesses that let me interview them for my blog: Social House, Miss Wonderful, and LBL. And lastly, a big thanks to my parents. Without their guidance and support I wouldn't be the person I am today. They never stopped believing in me and that’s one the best gifts parents can give their kids. Lastly, I plan to keep blogging on various topics including marketing, social media, and whatever trips my trigger! I'm really excited for the future so stay tuned! Thanks!

Bridging the Generational Gap with Social Media

Lisa Richter, Owner of Life by Lisa

You’ve seen how social media effects local bars and vintage stores, but what about women’s clothing. In May of 2013, 74% of women were users of social networking sites, compared with 62% of men (PewResearch). This is part of the reason why I feel LBL (Life by Lisa) has been so successful, women love social media. The other night I was able to sit down with Lisa Richter, the owner of LBL. Lisa lives and breathes everything fashion. She was practically born and raised in a fitting room. Lisa’s mother, Mary Lou Richter, owned Saxony in Charles City. After attending Hawkeye Community College for a year, Lisa decided to start her modeling career and moved to New York City, and then shortly thereafter she moved to Milan for five years. She learned so much about fashion and the business, which is reflected in her store. After Lisa’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and her father had a massive heart attack, she moved back home to manage her mother’s store, where she fell in love with the business aspect of fashion. In 2009, after her father passed away, she decided to take $4,000 and open her own business.

Lisa’s goal when opening LBL was to give people fashionable, affordable, goods, keeping the cost under $50. She wanted to bring the big fashion world that she worked in for so many years to the Cedar Valley. Small towns like Cedar Falls should be able to keep up with the big cities, and not have to spend a fortune. She gave the example of a jacket they had in the store, which looked very similar to a Coach jacket. The Coach brand cost $1,500; the jacket in LBL cost $35. Lisa also kept the tradition that her mother started in 1967 of selling wigs. LBL is now the largest wig retailer in Iowa.

In a mere five years, LBL has gained 4,482 likes on Facebook and 65 followers on Twitter. When I asked Lisa about her social media tactics, she stated that it was very strenuous for her. “I’m in a generational gap,” said Lisa. “I’m 38 and didn’t get my first cell phone until I was 21.” Even though Lisa finds posting to the LBL Facebook page stressful, it has definitely been working. She mentioned that Facebook is their best platform. Lisa will post a photo of a new item, along with the price, and it blows peoples mind how reasonable the prices are. Girls from all over the country will call the store asking about an item and how to get a hold of it. LBL does not have a webpage, but will hopefully have one up and running this fall. Lisa stated that there is a lot of time and money that goes into having an e-commerce presence, which is why she will be having someone manage it.

LBL sells to women of all ages. The ages range from the young teenage girls to the little old ladies looking to buy a wig. Since their audience ranges in all ages, Lisa still does print advertising and radio commercials. “People read in the winter and drive their cars in the summer, so we do print in the winter and radio in the summer,” stated Lisa. They also do a lot of advertising during the holiday season. “I would also love to do commercials, but the cost is too high and there are so many channels,” said Lisa.

The cost of traditional advertising is one of the reasons why Lisa uses social media so much. She finds that whenever she takes pictures of girls in clothes, it drives the most engagement. “People love seeing real people in the clothes, rather than a model,” said Lisa. “Girls also love having their picture taken.” People get a sense of what to expect in the store just by looking at the LBL Facebook page. Lisa always makes sure to ask a girl if she is okay with any picture being taken to be put on social media, and she hasn't had anyone say no yet. “We had an instance where a girl came in and tried on two dresses,” said Lisa. “We took pictures of her in both and posted them to our Facebook page. She bought one of the dresses, but the one that she didn't buy got 40 likes on Facebook. She came back in the next day and bought the dress.” That type of story shows the power of social media, especially on the consumer and their buying power.

Lisa is a chameleon when it comes to learning about social media. She has been to a bunch of Google meetings and seminars on social media. She mostly learns from her eyes and past experiences. She also checks out other stores Facebook pages, like Nasty Gal. She will also carry around a notebook to write down a one liner that she sees and may someday want to use in a post. Lisa is a strong believer in internships and hands on work, and believes that is the best way to learn versus a classroom setting. Lisa’s husband, Nathan, is eight years younger and helps her quite a bit with social media as well, especially Twitter. “Twitter is just hard for me to grasp, I mean I remember when faxes came out!” laughed Lisa.

Promotional items on Facebook are hit and miss for LBL. For every 1,000 likes she will send a $25 gift certificate to that person. They had a promotion over the holidays to where if you bought $100 in gift certificates you received a free $20 gift certificate, but you had to mention it. Only three people claimed that offer. She has found that the “buy one, get one” offers work a lot better. No matter what Lisa posts on Facebook, someone is bound to come in with their phone, bring up a picture and ask where that item is. “It happens on a daily basis, girls take a lot of screenshots,” commented Lisa. She also prefers direct mail pieces over email. “I personally don’t like to read emails, and I don’t want my customers to feel that way, which is why I send out coupons,” said Lisa. “Girls will remember a coupon; it’s no different than the free panty coupon that Victoria Secret’s send out.”

A big thanks to Lisa for letting me interview her. Make sure to stop by LBL located at 321 Main Street, Cedar Falls. They're open Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Comments, Likes, & Shares....Oh My!

My last post was discussing what exactly helps make a great post that people will actually like, comment, share, etc. But if anyone is like me, I want to see examples. So I've searched long and hard for a few great Facebook posts. Some met the guidelines from my last post, some did not.

My first Facebook post is from the Quinebaug Valley Veterinary Hospital, LLC out of Danielson, Connecticut. Their Facebook page is already impressive with over 1,600 likes, but this post is great. Why?

1. It's short.

2. It has a photo.

3. It asks a question at the end. 

The post had 14 likes, but the impressive part is that it had 62 comments with people guessing this dogs name. The more people comment, the more likely it will show up in their news feed to their friends, and then they will comment as well. You can see at the bottom that over 1,600 people saw this photo. Great exposure!

This is one of the simplest Facebook post I've ever seen. And I know, this is Coca-Cola, they only have 81 million fans on Facebook so it's easy for them to get shares or likes. Not exactly, people don't trust those big corporations like Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, or Target. But they do trust a small town, locally owned business. And they are way more likely to share something you post, than a corporation. Do not think that just because you are a small business that you are a underdog when it comes to social media. All Coca-Cola did was throw two pictures into a collage and tell people to share it, and over 1,500 people did. Very Simple.

What about actual local businesses in the Cedar Valley? Well here is a post from Miss Wonderful last week. They're advertising their latest furniture pieces in the store. 19 likes, 1 share, and 3 comments is not too shabby for a picture of a couch and chair. And if you remember from my blog about Miss Wonderful, Tara mentioned that once people see an item like this on their Facebook they have to come in and buy it immediately before they get "vintage regret." So yes, it is possible to actually sell your products on Facebook, but it's all about the approach. You can't seem pushy, the post must seem genuine. 

What about campaigns? One of my favorite social media campaigns are photo contests. People love sharing their lives, and other people love to look at those lives. Social House asked their fans to submit a photo of their own Halloween costume. The top three photos with the most likes received a bar tab courtesy of Social House. This is a great campaign because you then have fans promoting themselves by sharing their photo with friends. This contest received 963 likes, 8 comments, and 44 shares. Those numbers are huge for a small business. Any company could do something like this and just change the prize to fit your company.

Great Facebook posts do not take hours of planning, just a little creativity and promotion. And once again, it is all trial and error. Sometimes a post of campaign will succeed, sometimes it will flop. Just keep learning! Good Luck! Stay tuned for my next blog, an interview with the owner of LBL, Lisa Richter! 

How to Create a Great Facebook Post

After reading a few blogs from Constant Contact, Social Media Today, the Social Media Examiner, and from my personal experience, I've been able to come up with these "guidelines" as to what makes a great Facebook post. Keep in mind that these are guidelines, every business is different, and you must cater your social media to your customers. This is why you must experiment and find out what works for you business and what doesn't.

Photo from Perry Manku, Social Media & SEO Consultant
Click Here for Photo

-Keep it short. It has been proven that people don’t read anything over 140 characters. Last month on the Constant Contact Facebook page, posts with less than 140 characters received an average of 215 percent more engagement than longer posts (192 percent for the last 8 months.) When posting focus on what is the most important aspect or what will grab people’s attention that they will want to click on it. If you want to check how many characters you are at paste it into Twitter or Microsoft Word first.

-Pictures, Pictures, Pictures. Facebook has reported that photos, photo albums, and videos get 120 percent, 180 percent, and 100 percent more engagement than links and text-only posts. This is crucial. Instead of just posting a link, you need to post a photo first and then add the link. People love pictures and are more likely to engage versus links or text. Let a photo do the talking.

Tip: 403 x 403px is the perfect image size for Facebook Timeline BUT Facebook recommends that you use higher quality images that are 600 x 600px. You can always re-position a photo though to show the best part.

Tip: You can also use http://www.picmonkey.com/ to create collages and Facebook cover photos.

-Tell your fans what you want them to do. Posts that ask fans to…

Comment = 3.3x more comments

Share = 7x more shares

Like = 3x more likes
Caption this photo = 5.5x more comments
Think beyond literal calls-to-action. Try asking fans to fill-in-the-blank, give you a “thumbs up,” or answer a true or false question.

-Have conversations with your fans. To have a successful Facebook Page, it’s absolutely critical that you genuinely care about your fans. You need to comment back or respond to their tweets. The more engaged a business is with their customers, the more a customer will engage with them. 

-Post at Times Ideal for Your Fans. The optimal time to post on Facebook is between 1:00 pm and 3:00
pm, when Facebook traffic peaks. Links posted between 1 and 4 pm get the highest click-through rates, with Wednesday at 3:00 pm being the best time to post all week. Links posted before 8:00 am and after 8:00 pm are less likely to get shared. Engagement rates are 18% higher on Thursday and Friday.

-Make sure you post enough content to stay visible in the news feed without annoying your fans. The average Facebook post lifespan is 3 hours, although this varies by page. A post is considered “alive” when it’s occupying the news feed or is a Highlighted Story and receiving a continuous stream of engagement. A post is considered “dead” when its engagement stops growing more than 10% per hour.

How do you find your average post lifespan? http://edgerankchecker.com/edgerank/gopro

-Use the Right Words for Higher Engagement. Buddy Media found that action keywords like “post,” “comment,” “take,” “submit,” “like” or “tell us” are the most effective. Be direct in your request, and fans will listen. Softer-sell keywords such as “winner,” “win,” “winning” and “events” will make fans excited rather than feeling like they’re being sold to. Aggressive promotional keywords like “contest,” “promotion,” “sweepstakes” and “coupon” will turn them off.

-Ask Questions. Questions placed at the end of a post increased engagement by 15% over questions placed at the beginning. “Where,” “when” and “should” drive the highest engagement rates, with “would” generating the most likes. Avoid asking “why” questions, which have the lowest like and comment rates.

So there you have it folks, the secrets to creating great Facebook posts. I really hope that some of these tips help your small business succeed! Good Luck!