This guy can design just about anything - and we mean anything. Our web developer, Andy, is a Waterville native and graduated from BGSU in 2011. A lot has changed for this snappy developer in the past year - newly hired to Thrive in May and got married in July! He has a habit of using everyone else's garbage can but his own and often spills water on his shirt due to a "hole" in his chin. Andy also loves The Office, Ohio State and his new wife. Andy joins the Thrive team with multiple assets, including website design and development, social media, and illustration. 

With a desk right up against the office window, John spends his days editing and managing the content on Toledo.com. He is also our in house plant caretaker. When he isn't searching for the next best event going on in Toledo, John can be found soaking up some rays by his office window and snacking on crackers. If you ever want to give him some orange peanut butter crackers - he wouldn't mind at all. John enjoys board level involvement with several local non-profit organizations, including The Arts Commission, and the YMCA/JCC of Greater Toledo.

This designer can always be found with a smile and a mug full of green tea in hand. With a knack for taking an idea from inception to launch - Gwen has some serious skill. With a desk full of trinkets, a love for Starbucks coffee and a furry feline named Pixel, our design girl is pretty cool. You know you've done well when Gwen Approves!

There are plenty of assumptions that people and marketers alike have made about Facebook when it comes to connecting with customers. Some of these assumptions could be hurting a brand's marketing effort on social media. Facebook and Twitter are now places where customers gather to obtain information, vent about their concerns or problems with a brand, converse with friends and acquitances, and the list goes on. These platforms are of enormous opportunity to marketers. A constant, running forum of information that brands can use to better their products, company and employees. If you have any of the following assumptions about marketing on Facebook, or are skeptical on how well Facebook can really help your brand - we are here to help you take a different line of thinking and better your brand communication with customers.

Facebook is known to be a "daily addiction" - where people check up on news, their favorite brands, check in with friends & family etc. It is hard to tell when people will come back to check on their favorite brand pages. 

We have a guest blogger today - our Social Media gal: Emily Rippe

 

I recently had the pleasure of managing a Facebook ad campaign for a local YMCA and 12 of its branches. The campaign was inspired by a national YMCA call out and Youtube video, which features really cute children begging their parents to "BACK AWAY FROM THE SOFA" and join the Y. But there was a sense of urgency to do this--not just because the kids were so gosh darn adorable--but the sooner you joined, the better your joiner fee price would be (i.e. you are going to save money by acting fast).

Thrive worked on a full-blown online marketing strategy based off this Sooner You Join, Better The Price concept during the month of October. On the first day, the joiner fee would be $1! On the second day, $2, third day, $3 and so on until October 31st. We used Facebook ads with A/B testing to maximize the amount of forms being filled out online.

Three different groups were targeted. A general campaign strived to reach individuals and families who are not currently Y members or affiliated with any YMCA Facebook pages. The second batch of ads sought to reach YMCA members who could refer-a-friend, family member or neighbor. And a third set targeted young moms.

Since the campaign ran for an entire month, I had to keep a close eye on how each type of ad was performing. Lucky for me (and social media gurus like myself), Facebook shows general statistics including social reach, campaign reach, clicks and the amount spent each day on any particular ad. I could tell when an ad was performing and when it could be doing better.

Throughout the month, we switched out the ads a handful of times. First, we went with what the customer requested. About a week and a half in, we switched out the ads images and switched up the wording. A week later, we put more money into the ads that were making an impression.

Without giving away the tricks of the trade, I am going to discuss what I came away with from the entire process. I soon realized that keeping it simple is always the best policy. Incorporating language that Facebook users will understand is vital. Even if your offer is somewhat complicated, it's okay to use words that clearly communicate your idea and what you're offering. You can always have the fine print listed on a landing page. I also discovered that if you already have a strong branding image, like a recognizable and respected logo, there's no need to switch it up and change to something less known. And finally, the more general a message is, the more appeal it's going to have on the Facebook crowd.

Facebook ads are crucial for any mid to large sized campaign a business or agency is pursuing. There are only so many people one can reach with already existing fans. With the introduction of Facebook ads for the October Offer, we were able to help our client gain more than 100 new sales leads, increase their Facebook traffic and grow all of their pages.

Facebook pages have a few unknown features that you might want to look into in order to maximize your page. Since the forced change of Timeline for all pages and accounts, some of the major features have been changed. Many of these changes have happened without user knowledge so here are a few tips. 

What is the best day to tweet, update your Facebook page, post a blog (if you are only posting once a week) or post within any of your social media mediums? The short answer is: Tuesday.

Facebook has changed the layout of pages several times in the past year. Recently Facebook changed the settings on fan pages, with 5 new features. You can now post a promoted post on your wall, assign admin roles, schedule future posts, new insight features and the "Like" button has been redesigned to become more mobile friendly. Promoted posts are the latest buzz when it comes to Facebook - and causing some issues. You will be able to create a post and promote it for a small amount and see how many more people it reaches. With new changes to the admin section, admins should be able to efficiently manage the page and creators of the page can control how much admins have access to.