gabriel catalano

If you own a small business, you know it’s not always easy to figure out where you should or should not be spending your time on social media.

This is especially true for B2Bs, whose target audience on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is much different than B2Cs or nonprofit organizations. The challenge for B2Bs is figuring out how to build an engaged audience when clients and prospects are trying to do the same with their own fans and followers.

It’s not always an easy task. But a new study this week, could provide insight into which networks are driving the best results for B2Bs when it comes to attracting new leads and generating new business opportunities.

Plus, if you feel like your Facebook Page reach has been higher than usual this week, it probably has—thanks to a recent fix to Facebook Insights.

Read about these top stories and much, much more in this week’s marketing news roundup.

1. Study: Facebook Page reach rises 31% after insight bug fix

If you manage a Facebook Page, you may have noticed an alert from Facebook in the last week explaining a bug in Facebook Insights. According to Facebook, the problem which was identified last week, has affected data for reach and impressions.

This week, a new study from EdgeRank Checker found that the fix is having a bigger impact than some may have expected. According to the study, which looked at 1,000 Facebook Pages before and after the bug was fixed, there was an average increase of 31% for total reach. Other key metrics like Organic Reach and Viral Reach have also seen big improvements—up 41% and 275% respectively.

Bottom Line: While it’s only been a week since Facebook resolved the problem, these early results are a welcome sign for Facebook Page owners.

Full article here

In the last year, Facebook has taken a lot of heat over its EdgeRank algorithm. On average, each post you share on Facebook will reach less than 16% of your total fan base. For a small business that’s invested months, if not years into building that fan base, it’s understandable that you may have some frustrations when it becomes difficult to reach your target audience.

That’s why it’s so important to extend the communication you have with your audience beyond Facebook and take ownership of your contacts so you can communicate on your own terms.

Last month, I sat down with Constant Contact Social Media Specialist Danielle Cormier to find out how small businesses can keep up with all these Facebook changes. Check out what she had to say.

2. For B2Bs, Twitter gets the best social leads

A new report from Optify, shows that for B2B small businesses, Twitter is the most effective social network when it comes to generating new leads.

According to the report, which analyzed 62 million site visits, 215 million page views, and 350,000 leads in 2012, Twitter accounted for 82% of all social media-originated leads, while Facebook accounted for only 9%.

When it comes to generating traffic, it was Facebook that outperformed all social networks—with 54% of traffic coming from Facebook Pages, 32% from Twitter, and just 14% from LinkedIn.

Bottom Line: Whether you own a B2B, B2C, or run a nonprofit—picking the right social networks for your small business starts with understanding where your audience is engaging online.

While studies like these provide a helpful benchmark to work from, they should not provide a cut and dry solution to which sites you should or should not be using.

For a better idea of what each of these sites has to offer, check out our free guide, Get Started Building Your Social Media Presence.

3. Foursquare opens up to non-members

Foursquare announced this week that it will now make it easier for non-Foursquare members to access information on its site and mobile app.

With the new Share button, Foursquare will allow its current members to share links to restaurants, stores, or other locations with friends who are not currently Foursquare members.

Bottom Line: Foursquare Pages are rich with the type of information consumers rely on when making purchasing decisions. Over the last few months, Foursquare has taken steps to make that information more readily available to non-Foursquare members.

Today, it’s more important than ever to make sure the information people find on sites like Foursquare is accurate and up-to-date. This is especially true if you own a restaurant and have a menu that’s listed different locations.

Find out how one restaurant makes sure every online menu stays the same, from review sites to social networks.

Full article here