Facebook 101:Getting Started on Social Media's Powerhouse

In this installment of our Powering Productivity series, we’re taking a close look at starting a social media campaign on Facebook - even if you don't have a lot of time or expreince with social media. Here, we’ll show you how to better clear this obstacle by taking advantage of resources already at your disposal, while aiming to provide students with the course materials needed to be successful.

We’ll cover:

• How to start a Facebook page• Guidelines for the frequency of your posts and managing comments • Way to marketi your presence

The College Store Magazine recently published an in-depth look at the key struggles facing bookstore managers just like you. In, “Seven Up: The Collegiate Retailing Industry’s Top Issues Reveal Challenges, Changes and Choices,” Cindy Ruckman discusses the student expereince and role played by the campus store:

One of the easiest ways to help students simplify their lives and reduce stress? Connect with them via a Facebook page. It doesn’t need to be complicated as long as it’s relevant and informative.

Even if you think that you lack the time, or if social media is a mystery to you, take heart in knowing that there are simple ways that you can interact with students and other important audiences, such as alumni, faculty and the campus community.

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“… [students] are looking for ways to simplify their life and reduce the stress of their academic pursuits. Stu-dents who are among the first in their family to attend college may require a little extra TLC in an unfamiliar environment. College stores fulfill that role by providing goods and services — and a friendly face — to help students better manage their time and daily respon-sibilities so they can focus on classwork. Students need a break now and then to recharge their mental and physical batteries; the store can assist with that too. Campus stores are also central to school spirit, offering many ways for students to express their pride and affiliation.”

For the profile image:

• Your school’s logo or mascot is a good choice. Stuffed animals, hats or drinkware are too.

• Because this image is so much smaller than the cover image, close- ups work better than complicated or distant visuals.

Want some inspiration for cover and profile images?

Check out other campus stores’ Facebook pages for ideas.

PONDER THIS:Facebook now has more active users than China’s entire population — about

1.4 billion. * Additionally, Facebook remains the most-used platform among millennials, with nearly all college students (88%) using the social media channel.**

*Sprout Social blog, 17 Powerful Facebook Stats for Marketers and Advertisers, June 20, 2015

**Harvard IOP blog, How Millennials Use Social Media, April 2015

Here is what you can do today to change tomorrow.

First things first. Let’s look at how to set up your store’s page and then begin developing a content plan.

Set up your store’s page. Facebook advises following these steps:

1. Go to facebook.com/pages/create. 2. Click to choose a page category. Select a more specific category from the dropdown menu and complete the information. 3. Click Get Started and follow the on-screen instructions.

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For the cover image:

• Choose an exterior image of your store or a great window display (just watch for glare) so that people will recognize your store when they “land” on your page.

• Alternatively, you can show a general merchandise offering, such as a T-shirt featuring your school’s name. A horizontal logo works best.

• If you choose to show an image that features people who aren’t bookstore employees, get signed release forms.

• Regardless of what image you choose, always make sure that it represents the store well.

Customize your profile by uploading a cover image (the big image across the top) and profile image (the smaller one near the posts), keeping the following pointers in mind.

Develop an overall content plan.

This may seem overwhelming, but if you separate the task into chunks and engage employees and students to help, it’s easier than it sounds. In fact, marketing, communication or journalism students are often eager for experienc-es like this in exchange for a reference and examples to include in their portfo-lios.

First, consider each audience and decide what you want them to know. For example, you’ll probably want to tell students about course materials programs, sales, in-store events, new merchandise, promotions and more. They look to your store to provide the goods and services that help them better manage their responsibilities, but they also see the campus store as a fun place that’s central to school spirit. So think of the content you’ll present within that context — that your store is critical to their success and it’s a place where students can purchase things that allow them to lighten up and express them-selves.

Now move on to your next audience. For example, what do faculty members want to know about? What do you want them to know about? When? What do staff members want to know and what do you want to tell them? How about alumni?

Plan ahead maybe a quarter at a time or a semester so you know in general what you want to say and when, and so your plan is more manageable.

Also define the tone you’d like to set with each audience. Is it rather light-hearted most of the time? More pro-fessional and business-like? Determine what you think will resonate based on what you know about your audience and the image you’d like to project.

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So you’ve set up your Facebook page, and your calendar is populated. Now what?

1. Start posting — and do so about once a day at various times.This frequency engages your followers, keeps the store top of mind, allows you to promote your store’s offerings and helps grow your audience. Get creative with your verbiage and imagery, but above all, always make sure that your posts are valuable, because that’s what keeps your followers coming back for more.

For example, alumni will appreciate knowing about the extended hours during homecoming weekend. Faculty will find value in learning about important order-ing deadlines.

Whenever possible, your posts should address your audience — as in, “Hey, Panthers, show your pride! All T-shirts are 20% off today, in-store only.”

Posts should also include an image and a call to action such as, “We’re open till 8 pm. What are you waiting for?!”

Another example: “Have textbooks you want to sell? We’re hosting the Great Buyback Event the week of May 10. Show up at the store anytime between 7:30 am and 7:30 pm with your books and get cash in return. See you then!” Maybe include an image from a previous event of a student holding cash or a map of exactly where in your store the event will be held.

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2. Respond to comments.Use the same voice and tone on all your posts. Be friendly, helpful and re-spectful and allow a personality to emerge. When you receive questions or concerns, people expect responsiveness, so treat comments like you would treat phone calls: respond promptly, professionally and provide an answer (these replies also educate the rest of your audience). If issues escalate, consider asking the person to call you directly. And when people post compli-mentary remarks, say thanks! Engage in fun banter from time to time as well, as long as it’s consistent with the image you’d like to portray. Monitor your page a few times a day so that you can display your attentiveness to your followers and your commitment to customer service.

3. Connect with other departments and organizations on campus. In the Facebook world, etiquette says that pages (the people behind the pag-es and brands, actually) tend to help each other by sharing content with their followers. So identify groups, departments and organizations in which you’d like to foster a relationship and “like” their pages. Their posts will now appear in your store’s news feed. If you think your audiences would find value in some of their posts, share them. It’s common that those groups that you “liked” will “like” your page back, so they’ll receive your posts in their news feeds — and they’ll probably share some of your posts with their followers, further widening your reach. This give and take will help you both grow.

4. Market your presence. Making your page irresistible with news that matters to your audience — such as reminders about book buy-backs — is a great start toward building a following. But you’ll still need to promote your presence. Here are some ways to do that:

• Put up in-store signage to encourage people to like your page.

• Ask your employees to connect and share the page with their friends.

• Require your clerks to mention your page to every customer as each checks out.

• Offer a small gift, such as a branded yo-yo, color-changing pencil or keychain, to people who like your page before they physically leave your store.

• Insert cool bag stuffers with your page’s name and an invitation to connect. Tell your shoppers what they’ll get by following your store. For example, let them know that they’ll be the first to find out about in-store events, such as sales, book buy-backs and more, and when new items have arrived and more.

• If any of your employees have any downtime, position them in good places around campus to hand out your bag stuffers.

Where to Start with Content

Here are a few clever ideas that add life to your posts and are easy to accomplish.

Ask your student employees to try on a new arrival hoodie and snap a picture. Caption it, “These just in and probably won’t last long!”

Around 3 pm, post a photo of your snack aisle and ask, “Hungry? We’ve got what you crave.”

Near mid-terms, talk up the study aids that’ll take some of students’ stress away.

Ask readers to comment on their favorite items in the store.

Welcome visiting groups. Include their photo, especially if they popped in for a little shopping.

Promote special events, either in your store or on campus.

Ready for Facebook? Of course you are!

With some thoughtful planning regarding which audiences you’d like to reach and with what content, creating a Facebook presence isn’t hard. Neither is keeping it going, as long as you stick to your plan and have some fun. After all, it’s called “social” media for a reason. Enjoy the experi-ence — and more engaged audiences as a result.

Want more Follett insights? Check out our resource center at [insert url].

PONDER THIS:The Pew Research Center reports that 72% of online adults use Face-book, and 82% of online adults ages 18 to 29 use Facebook. Of the vari-ous social media platforms, including Twitter and Pinterest, Facebook has the most engaged users, with 70% logging on daily, and 43% who do so several times a day.*

*“The Demographics of Social Media Users,” Pew Research Center, August 19, 2015

*Follett fall 2016 course materials sales data

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