The Nanny Nine: Fourever Funky
Many thanks to Darol, owner of Fourever Funky for doing the first Nanny Nine Darol, her husband and crew work hard to find funky, fun, FUNKALICIOUS one-of-a -kind shoes for those that like to be the center of attention.
1. How long have you been using Social Networking for your business/company?
Started on MySpace in 2006
2. Is your business using Facebook &/or Twitter?
Primarily FB which ties into Twitter. I only post on FB as I find it more user friendly and personal.
3. Facebook vs Twitter – do you like one better? If yes, why?
I like FB as I find it is easier to maneuver and it seems I can track the progress or results of the posts better. It gives more detail (such as pictures and comments) and has an overall more personal feel.
4. Do you post daily?
Yes, mainly after the work load is done. However, as I receive a new product, I will immediately give a “sneak peek” to our FB friends to get them excited to see what is new. Sometimes, there is a vast response and others no comments.
5. What is your favorite thing about Social Networking?
The response of friends and fans to the products we are selling. Also we are able to answer in a more personal forum any questions they may have. It makes it feel like there is a “real” person behind the product and
the fans love that.
6. What do you think is the biggest benefit of Social Networking?
Getting the word out about your business! Seeing the attraction of the items you are selling to someone that otherwise would have never heard of us. Checking analytics to see the scale of which the SN is contributing to the traffic and hits to our web-site.
7. How do you measure Social Networking, & explain: ROR – Return on Relationship:
We have built our relationship throughout the community and have made many aware of our web-site and the footwear we sell. This has contributed substantially to the local folks stopping by to buy something they have seen on FB. Outside the local arena, we have been able to sell more over the phone than previously without the social networking tool.
ROE – Return on Engagement:
Using our web-site analytics, we are able to see exactly where the buyer’s referring start point is and if they came from a FB link or not.
ROL – Return on Loyalty:
It’s all about the customer care you give regardless of on the web-site or a social networking platform you are on. We have acquired several repeat customers through social networking just by giving them one on one personal, heartfelt attention. We let them know when new products arrives, answer questions and get the item to them immediately. Locally, this has been a tremendous success as far as the word of mouth being our friend. We have locals call and want to bring their friend that is visiting or their co-worker, etc. to shop.
ROK – Return on Knowledge:
This is very interesting to us and has allowed us to sit back and see exactly what the customer is reacting to and what their comments are saying. We may think we have a hot selling boot in stock and it is selling well in the color gray. As we watch the response on the social network, we are now realizing this boot might move as fast if not faster than the gray if we had it in black. We take a risk, buy it in black and are not surprised when it outsells the gray 2-1. The fans know things we sometimes don’t and vice versa. They tell us on a continual basis how they never saw anything as unique as some of our products.
8. What is the best moment you’ve had on a Social Networking site?
When a lady from AUS commented on our product and we were able to continually comment back until we made a wholesale order for her. She nows buys wholesale from us every 2 weeks!
9. What is your best piece of advice to other businesses about Social Networking?
Use it!! Get a professional firm to lay out a Fan Page for you (in my case I use Social Networking Nanny) and let them train you to use it right. This includes FB and Twitter. Use it daily and schedule it in to your daily workload. Treat it as part of running the business. (I stay away from MySpace only because there is too much spam on there and I never had the traffic to my site as I do with FB.) Don’t hesitate to pay a few bucks to get a Fan Page, as it will pay for itself.