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the facebook marketing book

Dan Zarrella and Alison Zarrella


Beijing Cambridge Farnham Kln Sebastopol Tokyo

The Facebook Marketing Book


byDanZarrellaandAlisonZarrella Copyright2011DanZarrellaandAlisonZarrella.PrintedinCanada. PublishedbyOReillyMedia,Inc.,1005GravensteinHighwayNorth,Sebastopol,CA95472. OReillybooksmaybepurchasedforeducational,business,orsalespromotionaluse.Onlineeditionsarealso availableformosttitles(http://my.safaribooksonline.com).Formoreinformation,contactourcorporate/institutional salesdepartment:(800)998-9938orcorporate@oreilly.com. Editor: Julie Steele Production Editor: Rachel Monaghan Production Services: Newgen North America, Inc. Copyeditor: Linda Laflamme Printing History: December2010:FirstEdition. Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthisbook,thepublisherandauthorsassumeno responsibilityforerrorsoromissions,orfordamagesresultingfromtheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein. Thisbookpresentsgeneralinformationabouttechnologyandservicesthatareconstantlychanging,andthereforeit maycontainerrorsand/orinformationthat,whileaccuratewhenitwaswritten,isnolongeraccuratebythetimeyou readit.Someoftheactivitiesdiscussedinthisbook,suchasadvertising,fundraising,andcorporatecommunications, maybesubjecttolegalrestrictions.Youruseoforrelianceontheinformationinthisbookisatyourownriskandthe authorandOReillyMedia,Inc.,disclaimresponsibilityforanyresultingdamageorexpense.Thecontentofthisbook representstheviewsoftheauthorsonly,anddoesnotrepresenttheviewsofOReillyMedia,Inc. ISBN:978-1-449-38848-5 [TM] Proofreader: Rachel Monaghan Indexer: Denise Getz Interior Designer: Ron Bilodeau Cover Designer: Monica Kamsvaag Illustrator: Robert Romano

For my mother, who showed me that you can achieve your dreams if you try hard enough. I love you, Mom, and youll be happy to know Ive finally realized the value of all those words-of-the-day. Dan For my mom, who recognized my great love of books at a young age and was always ready to listen to my next story. I love you, Mom. (Even though you still havent figured out how to upload a Facebook photo.) Alison

Contents
1. Introduction to Social Networking
. . .

1
1 3 3 5 7

WhoUsesFacebook? ImpactonTodaysMedia BigBrandsonFacebook HowYouCan(andShould)UseFacebook CreatingValuableContent

2. Facebook Profile Basics

9
11 13 15 17 31 33

TypesofPages CreatingandCustomizinga FacebookPage FacebookPageTabs PageApplications PageOptimization PromotingYourPage PageInteractions Summary

43 45 49 51 55 61 63 65
. . . . . . . . .

WhatIsaFacebookProfile? FacebookProfilesforBusiness FacebookProfileTabs SettingUpaFacebookProfile ProfileInteractions Summary

4. Facebook Group Basics

67
69 73 75 77 81 87 89 91

3. Facebook Page Basics

35
39 41

TheDifferenceBetweenaPage andaProfile WhatRequiresaFacebookPage, NotaProfile

GroupsVersusPages GroupsCanBeGoodSometimes WhenYouWantaGroup CreatingaGroup ManagingaGroup MonitoringandManagingaGroup UsingGroupstoSupplementYourPage Summary

5. Facebook Events

93
95 97 99 101 103 105 107 109

WhentoUseanEvent CreatinganEvent BreakingThroughtheClutter SendingInvites IntegratingwithaPage PromotingYourEvent EventFollow-Up Summary

BrandedPatternsandDays ExclusiveStuff CustomTabs UserApplications Summary

141 143 145 147 149

8. Developing a Facebook Content Strategy


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

151
153 163 173

6. Facebook Application Basics

111
113 113 117 121 123 125 129 129 132

CreateInherentlySocialApplications ImproveExistingSocialBehaviors LearnfromSuccess Clarity,Simplicity,andSpeed toEngagement IntegratewithViralFacebookFeatures Development ArtandCopy LaunchingandPromoting YourApplication Summary

CompetingwithOtherContent onFacebook OptimizingforBothFacebook andSearchEngines Summary

9. Cross-Promoting Content on Facebook


. . . . . . . . . . .

175
177 179 181 183 185 187 189 191 193 202

7. Customizing Your Facebook Page


PageIcon DesigningAssetsandMedia Content

133
135 137 139

LeastSharedWords MetaMentions MostSharedWords Digits LinguisticContent Video PartsofSpeech Readability SocialPlug-ins Summary

vi

10. Facebook Page Management


ExclusiveDealsforFans FrequentStatusUpdates TimelyRedesigns Promotions Monitoring Moderation Responding Advertising Summary

203
205 207 209 211 213 215 217 219 221

Budget Bidding AdStats Summary

237 239 241 242


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12. Analytics and ROI

243
245 251 255 261 262

InsightsforPage InsightsforApplications FacebookAdsAnalytics Tracking Summary

11. Advertising on Facebook


WheretoSendUsers CreativeContentDesign Targeting

223
225 225 231

Acknowledgments Index
. . . . . . . . . . . . .

263 265

vii

Figure 1-1. The number of active users on Facebook has grown tremendously over the past six years.

ChApTeR 1

Introduction to Social Networking


Atthetimeofthiswriting,Facebookreportsover500millionactiveusers(Figure1-1).Ifitwereacountry,Facebookwouldbethethirdlargestnationintheworld,laggingbehindonlyChinaandIndia.Halfof thosecitizenslogineverydaythats250millionpeopleusingthesiteonadailybasis.

Who Uses Facebook?


Originallyanetworkforselectcollegestudents,Facebookfirstexpandedintohighschools,thenlarger networks,collectingstudentsandcolleaguesacrossthecountryand,eventually,theworld.Nowyou cannotonlyidentifyyourromanticpartnerandgrowingcircleoffriends,butalsoyourparentsand siblings.YourmomisonFacebook.Yoursisteris,andyourdaughteraswell.Yourcollegeroommate, yourfirstcrush,andtheformerbestfriendyouhaventspokentoinyears.Yourgrandparentsmayeven betaggingyouinfamilyphotosyouforgotexisted.SeventypercentofFacebookusersliveoutside theUnitedStates.Thefastestgrowingsegmentofusers?Women55to65yearsold.Dependingon howyoumeasureit,FacebookeitherhasalreadysurpassedGoogleintrafficlevelsorisaboutto.The FacebookApplicationplatformalonehasbeenusedbyoveronemilliondeveloperstobuildmorethan 500,000activeapplications. Trytopinpointtheaverageuser,andyoullfindmostusersareanythingbutaverage.Typically,a Facebookuserhas130friends,isconnectedto80Pages,Groups,andEvents,andhascreated90 piecesofcontent.Whereelsecouldyoufindsomeonewhotalkstoover100peopleaday?Andthats notevenaccountingforsuperusersorinfluencerswhooftenhavethousandsoffriends.

Figure 1-2. The number of daily newspapers published in the US is down, as are their circulation numbers.
2

Impact on Todays Media


Newspapercirculationratesareindecline(Figure1-2),andmosttelevisionadsarentprofitable. Facebookhasafarlargeraudiencethanoldmedia.Thatalonehasbeenenoughtoconvincesomethat itstheperfectplacetotryanewmarketingplan.Ifyouneedmoreincentive,considerthehugeamount ofpersonalinformationthatusersgivethesiteand,therefore,advertisers.Facebookprovidesbrands withnewwaystotargetadsmoreeffectivelythaneverbefore.Thebestpart?Allofthisinformationhas beenvolunteeredbyusers.Inmanycases,theyhaveactivelyoptedintomoretargetedadvertisingby likingadsorallowingFacebooktosharetheirdatawithselectexternalsitesandpartners.

Big Brands on Facebook


Theworldslargestandmostwell-knownbrandsareleveragingFacebooktobuildengagedandprofitable communities.Coca-Colahasover11millionfansofitsPage,whileStarbucksisclosinginon13million. VitaminWaterlaunchedanextremelysuccessfulcontestonFacebooktochoosetheflavor,designthe package,andnameitsnewestdrink.Thecompanynowhas1.7millionfans.

Figure 1-3. Sprinkles Cupcakes is a good example of a small business leveraging Facebook to improve its marketing.

FurnituregiantIKEAannouncedtheopeningofanewlocationbypostingshowroomphotosto Facebook.Butitdidntstopthere.Eachiteminthephotowasupforgrabsandgivenawaytothefirst usertotagapiecewithhisorherownname.Withinhours,thousandsofpeoplewerescramblingto tagthepictures.SoftwaremakerAdobetargetedcollegestudentswithitsPhotoshoppedorNotgame, askinguserstodecidewhetheranimagehadbeenmanipulated.Sixpercentofstudentswhosawthe gameclickedonaBuyNowbutton.Topromotethelaunchofavampiremovie,Sonyrebrandedits popularVampiresapplicationandlaunchedasweepstakes.Inthreeweeks,itdrewmorethan59,000 entries.

how You Can (and Should) Use Facebook


Evensmallbrandscangetinontheaction.SprinklesCupcakes(Figure1-3)hasmorethan150,000 fansbecauseofaFacebook-onlypromotionthatraninitsstores.LuxuryhotelchainJoieDeVivre offeredasimilarFacebook-onlydiscountandbookedmorethan1,000roomsbecauseofthedeals. YourexistingandpotentialcustomersandalloftheirfriendsandfamilyarenotonlyonFacebook,but alsologginginregularlyandengagingwithcontentonthesite.Yourcompetitorsareprobablyalready there,too.IfyourenotonFacebook,youneedtoplaycatch-uptoavoidappearingoutoftouch.Ifyour competitorsarenotyetusingFacebook,youllgainmajorpointswithyouraudiencebybeingtherefirst.

Figure 1-4. Even Facebook itself has a Facebook Page.

Creating Valuable Content


Ifusedproperly,Facebookcanbeanextensionofyourbrand,helpingyoupresentthesamepersonality, tone,andvisualfaceasyouwouldinanyothermaterial.Takethetimetothinkaboutwhyyouandyour brandwanttoengageFacebookandwhatyouhopetoachievefromdoingso.Butdontstopthere. Thinkaboutyouraudience,specificallythesegmentofyouraudienceonFacebook. Facebookisahighlycompetitiveandfast-movingchannel.Eachpieceofcontentyoupostneedstobe quicklydigestibleandeasilyrecognizableinabusynewsfeed.Aboveallelse,itneedstofittheunofficial modelofaFacebookpost.Donotcopyandpastefromyourwebsiteoremailcampaign.Eachpost shouldbespecifictoyourFacebookPage.Keepitshortandtothepoint.Addmediatospicethingsup, andmakeitclearwhatactionyouwantuserstotake. Facebookmarketingcanbeamazinglycosteffective,especiallywhencomparedtotraditionalmedia alternatives,butexpecttomakeasignificanttimeinvestment.Facebookusersexpectyoutolistento theirdemands(andactuallyactonthem,notjustsaywehearyou).Theywantinterestingandregularly updatedcontent,andtheywantexclusiveoffersforbeingyourfriend. Facebookoffersavarietyoftoolsandplatformstoreachusers.MarketerscanleverageFacebookAds, applications,Pages,orEvents.EachofthesetoolsalsocontainsananalyticssystemcalledInsights thateasilyreportsonactivitylevelsanddemographics(Figure1-4).Thisbookwillwalkyouthroughallof theseandmoretohelpyoucreateeffectiveandprofitablecampaigns.

ChApTeR 2

Facebook profile Basics


AProfileisadigitalrepresentationofaFacebookusersself.Profilesareathingofprideforfrequent Facebookusersanextensionoftheirpersonalities.Profilesarehowuserssharethingswiththeirlarge andveryconnectedgroupofsocialconnections.Formarketers,theProfileiswhereitallbegins. Toreachandengagethesesociallyconnectedinfluencers,youmustknowwhattheydoandenjoyon thesite.Remember,themostvaluableFacebookusersaretheoneswhoprovidealotofinformation andhavevastconnections.Theaverageuserhas130friends;thinkaboutthepotentialofthesesuperusers.TheirProfileupkeeprequirestimeandenergytostayfresh,personal,andrelevanttofriends(and, ofcourse,tomarketerslikeyou). Intotal,usersspendover70billionminutesonFacebookpermonth.Youneedtoappreciatethe dedicationandopennessittakestocreateacompleteFacebookProfile,becausetheownersofthese Profileswillbetheonesthatspendafewofthosepreciousminuteshelpingyougainbuzz,clicks,or sales.ThebestwaytounderstandandappreciatetheseFacebookusersandtheirProfilesistocreate yourown.

Figure 2-1. You can view a variety of information on an active Facebook users Profile.
10

What Is a Facebook profile?


AFacebookProfileisthewayindividualusersrepresentthemselvesonthesite(Figure2-1).Typicallyit containsinformationabouttheusersinterests,hobbies,schoolandworkaffiliations,andphotos.Itis alsoconnectedtoanyFacebookPageshelikes,fromafavoritefootballteamtoapreferredbrandof soda,aswellasalltheotherFacebookusersheidentifiesasfriends. ManyusersarequiteopenwiththeirProfileinformation,andFacebookstronglyencouragesthis. Becausethesiteisfree,Facebooksbigmoneymakingopportunitycomesfromchargingmarketersfor therighttousethepersonaldataitsusersshare;themoredatausersfreelyprovide,themorepotentialrevenueforthesite.Someusershaveexpressedconcernoverprivacyissues,particularlyregardingFacebooksincreasinglyopenviewofpublicinformationontheirsite.Expandedprivacysettings haveallowedmanyuserstocustomizetheirinformationasforfriendsonly,butmostusers,especially youngergenerations,arehappytoshareeverydetailoftheirlives.Theyunderstandandappreciatethat thismeansamorepersonalizedsiteexperienceandenjoyconnectingwiththebrandstheyknowandlove.

11

Figure 2-2. The beginnings of a basic Facebook Profile. You will need one in order to manage a Facebook Page for marketing purposes.
12

Facebook profiles for Business


Facebooksoriginalintentionwastobeasocialnetworkforcollegestudents,andatonetimeitrequired an.eduemailaddressforregistration.Later,itexpandedtograntmembershiptohighschoolstudents, andfinallytopeopleofallages.However,keepingtruetoitsoriginsasaservicegearedtoconnecting individuals,Facebookhasalwaysmaintainedcertainrulesforbrandsandbusinesses. OnerulemanymarketersfindfrustratingisFacebooksstrongdistinctionbetweenthetypesofusers andhowitappliesthatdistinctiontoProfiles.Ifyourepresentabrandorentityotherthananindividual user,FacebooksTermsofServicestatethatyoumustsetupaFacebookPagetorepresentthatbrand, business,orpublicpersona,whateveritmaybe.Thisincludespoliticians,sportsfigures,andother celebrities;evenasindividuals,theyneedaPagefortheirveryrecognizableself.ThesePagesoffer differentchoicesthatarespecifictocompanies,suchasbusinesshours,andleaveoutmorepersonal details,suchashobbiesandinterests. Still,FacebookProfilesarethebuildingblocksofthesiteitself,andyoullneedtosetoneupbefore youcandoanythingelseonthesite,includingcreatingaPageofanykind(Figure2-2).Profiles,and thepeopletheyrepresent,arelinkedbacktoeveryactiononFacebooksothatsomeonecanbeheld accountableforeachinteractionandpieceofcontentthatappearsonthesite.

13

Figure 2-3. A basic Facebook profile has three tabs: Wall, Info, and Photos. More active users may add other custom tabs or applications.
14

Facebook profile Tabs


AFacebookProfilehasthreemaintabs:Wall,Info,andPhotos(Figure2-3).Otherapplications(orapps) canaddmore,butthesearethebasicsthateveryProfilestartswith.

Wall
TheWalltabisthestandardlandingPageforyourFacebookProfile.Thisiswherepeoplecanpost publicmessagestoyouorcommentonposts(muchlikeablog).Youcanupdateyourstatusfromthis tabandviewolderstatusupdates.AnyapplicationsyouhaveauthorizedtoposttoyourWallwillalso appearhere,suchasanRSSfeedortweetsfromTwitter.

Info
TheInfotabiswhereallofyourpersonalinformationlikes,interests,workplace,hometown,email address,andsoonisdisplayed.UnliketheWall,thereisnotmuchopportunityforinteractionbetween usershere.WhilethistabisarguablythemostbeneficialandrichininformationforFacebookmarketers, itisprobablytheleastinterestingtotheaverageuser.

photos
ThePhotostabhaslongbeenaFacebookstaple.Thistabhouseseveryphotoyouhaveuploadedor beentaggedin.EachtagcreatesalinkbacktothatusersProfile.Notethatonlypeople,andtherefore Profiles,canbetaggedinaphoto,notbrandsorPages.

15

Figure 2-4. The basic information section of a Facebook Profile is full of personal details about the user.
16

Setting Up a Facebook profile


Besidesthefactthatyouneedatleastabare-bonesProfiletosetupanymarketingeffortson Facebook,youcanalsouseyourProfileasasortofsandboxfortryingoutdifferentFacebookapplicationsandfeatures.CreatingyourownProfilewillhelpyouunderstandProfilesfromauserperspective. Youneedtoknowwhatuserssee,do,like,anddislikeonthesiteinordertoknowwhatworks(and whatdoesnt)intheworldofFacebookmarketing.

Basic Information
Ausermustprovideaname,birthdate,andemailaddresstosignupforthesite;almosteveryother pieceofinformationisoptionalorcanbehidden.Profilebasicsincludetheinformationthatrequiresvery littlethoughttofillout:gender,birthdate,hometown,andthelike.Althoughcompulsory,thebirthday andgenderfieldsmaybehiddenfrompublicviewing.

Bio and Quotations


ThenextsectionofaFacebookProfile(Figure2-4)requiresabitmorethought.Usershaveadapted theBioandFavoriteQuotationssectionsforvariouspurposes.Someuserstakeastraightforward approach,givingafewbriefsentencesaboutthemselvesfollowedbysonglyricsormoviequotes. Othersusethatspaceforinsidejokes,whileyetanothergrouptreatsitasspaceforarsum. Howsomeonechoosestofillintheseopen-endedboxesrevealsalot:language,grammar,anddepth ofinformationtellastoryoutsideofthewordsthemselves.Generally,themoreausershares,themore activesheisonthesite.Thismakesactive,openlysharingusersgoodpotentialbrandambassadors.

17

Figure 2-5. The Work and Education section can be used to create networks and provide clues about a users potential interests.
18

Work and education


AsFacebookshifteditsfocusfromexclusivelycollegestudentstoitscurrent,muchmorediverseuser base,theWorkandEducationsectionexpandedtoaccommodatethesechanges. Predictive-typedrop-downmenusallowuserstoinputasmanyschoolsasrequired,goingallthe waybacktohighschool,andtospecifyareasofconcentrationatuniversitiesorcolleges(Figure2-5). FacebookusesthisinformationtosearchforrelevantalumniPageswithinthesite. Userscanalsoinputworkexperienceinmuchthesameway,addingjobsinreversechronologicalorder asFacebookattemptstomatchthecompaniestheyhaveworkedforwithexistingPages.Thesefields areallsomeformofdrop-downmenu,withtheexceptionoftheDescriptionbox,inwhichuserscan enterhighlightsofwhatthejobentailedorthecompanyspurpose. Whilejobandeducationhistorymaybeoflittleinteresttomanyretailbrands,thissectioncanbe especiallyhelpfulifyouplantouseFacebookforrecruitingpurposes.Asmoreandmorepeopleturn toFacebookasawaytofindnewemployees,thissectionmayseeanincreaseinemphasisand functionality.

19

Figure 2-6. Likes and interests are now displayed as links to related Facebook Pages, connecting personal Profiles to brands.
20

Likes and Interests


AccordingtoFacebook,auserslikesandinterestsincludeactivities,interests,music,books,movies, andtelevisionshows.TheeaseofaddingsuchtypesofintereststhroughtheLikebuttonoftenmakes LikesandIntereststhemostrobustsectionofausersProfile(Figure2-6).Inthepast,userswereable toentertheirlikesanddislikesinafree-formmannerviaatextbox.AspartofFacebooksrecentpush toconnectProfilestoPages,usersnowindicatetheirpreferencesviatheLikebuttonandlistsofPage links;simplyclickingtheLikebuttononaPagecreatesalinkontheusersProfile.EachPagethen describesthatinterest,aswellasalistofuserswhosharethatfavoritefilm,show,orotherinterest.The juryisstilloutonwhetherthisshifttomaximumconnectivityhelpsorhurtsFacebook,theaverageuser, orPageadministratorsandmarketers. pages Theconnectivityshift,however,didimpactotheraspectsofaProfileforPageadministrators.Pagesthat wereoncedisplayedquiteprominentlyonausersProfilearenowhiddenbehindaShowOtherPages link.BackwhenusersstillfannedaPage,thosePagesenjoyedthehonorofbeingtheonlysectionof aProfiletocontainimages.NowthattheinterestssectionislinkedtoPages,Pagesthatarelikedbut notaddedtotheinterestssectionhavebeenpushedback. FacebookreasonsthataskinguserstolikeaPage,asopposedtofanit,requireslessofaconnectiontothePagessubjectmatterandincreasesinteractionwiththesite.Yetwhileusersmayendup likingmorePageswiththenewterminology,foraPagetoreceiveprominenceonaProfilerequiresa higherlevelofdedicationthaneverbefore.Sure,youcanclicktoshowotherPages,buttohaveaPage displayedfrontandcenterrequiresacommittedassertion;ausermusteditherProfile,typeaninterest, andthenconnecttoaPage.

21

Figure 2-7. Most users are open with all their information except contact info. Dont use Facebook as a way to gain email addresses; keep your marketing on Facebook, where you know your target audience is.
22

Contact Information
Last,andprobablyleastformostmarketers,isthecontactinformationsection(Figure2-7).Someusers mayfindthissectionhelpfulforsearchingandconnectingwitholdfriendsortakingFacebookcommunicationstoamoreprivatevenue,butasamarketeronFacebook,youshouldkeepyourcommunications onthesite.Still,itsusefultoknowhowtheentireProfilesectionworks,andwhatyoucanaddtoyours dependingonhowaccessibleyouwanttobetoyouraudience. Firstupisyouremailaddress,whichisrequiredtoregisterforthesite.UserscanalsoaddanIMscreen name,mobileandland-linephonenumbers,aphysicalmailingaddress,andadormresidence,aswell aslinkstoadditionalpersonalwebsitesthatfriendsmightwanttovisitsuchasablog,Twitteraccount, orLinkedInProfile.Withtheexceptionofyouremailaddress,nofieldisrequired.Theamountofinformationvisibletothepublicdiffersfrompersontoperson,butagain,generallyspeaking,youngerusers seemhappytoshareIMnamesandphonenumbers,whileoldermembersdonot. Theprivacycontrolsforthissectionaremorefinelytunedthanmost.Userscancontrolwhoseeseach individualpieceofinformation;settingsrangefromEveryone(themostpublicoption)toCustomsettingsthatallowuserstospecifyonlyafewfriendsormembersofacertainFriendList.Forexample,you coulddecidethateveryonecanviewyouremailaddress,butonlycollegeandworkfriendscanseeyour physicaladdress,andjustaselectfewworkfriendshaveaccesstoyourIMscreenname.Theseprivacy adjustmentsmakeitpossibletofilloutyourProfilecompletelyandthentailoritsappearancetoindividualsorgroupsoffriends.

23

Figure 2-8. Privacy settings are used to show more information to close friends and less to the Internet at large.
24

privacy Settings
Alongwiththeabilitytoaddandshareallthisinformationonline,Facebookalsocreatedwaystokeep somesectionsofaProfilemoreprivatethanothers.Somepeopleputupbarriersthatreflectreallife, onlyacceptingfriendstheypersonallyknow.Theeasiestwaytosharewhatyouwantwithwhomyou want,however,istouseFacebooksbuilt-inprivacysettingsandfriendlists. Asdiscussedintheprevioussection,privacysettings(Figure2-8)allowyoutocontrolwhocanseeyour contactinformation.Theyalsoallowyoutocontrolwhocanseeyourpersonalinformation,including yourbirthday,favoritequotes,interests,educationandworkinfo,andrelationshipstatus.Youcanalso determinewhoisallowedtopostonyourwall,tagyouinphotosorvideos,orviewyourProfileinboth Facebookandpublicsearchresults.Photoalbumsettingsaredeterminedonacase-by-casebasis,so youcanmakesomealbumsavailabletoallfriends,andothersjustaselectgroupofpeople.Youcan alsocontrolwhatyousharewithoutsidewebsites,aswellaswhatyourfriendscanshareaboutyou. PrivacysettingsalsoallowyoutoseewhichapplicationsarerunningonyourProfile,adjustappsettings, andblockorremoveoldappsyounolongeruseorwant.Formarketers,themoreopenapersonkeeps hisprivacysettings,themoredatayoucancollectorusefortargeting.

25

Figure 2-9. Segmenting friends into lists or groups helps users stay organized and adjust privacy settings more efficiently.
26

Friend lists and groups Tomakeadjustingprivacysettingseasier,youcansegmentyourfriendsintohandygroupsorlists (Figure2-9)andfine-tuneyoursettingsinbulk.Forexample,youmightcreatealistforworkcolleagues andallowthemfullaccesstoyourpersonalinformation,butrestrictsomephotoalbums.Justkeepin mindthatafriendssettingsaredeterminedbythemostrestrictivelisttheybelongto.So,ifyouhavea closefriendwhomyoualsoworkwith,andyouwanthimtoviewthemostopensettingsforyourProfile, youwontwanttolumphiminwithotherworkcolleagues. Youcanalsocreateexceptionstosettingstokeeponlyafewpeople(aformerboyfriendorgirlfriend, perhaps)fromseeingcertainpartsofyourProfile.JustchooseCustomizefromthePrivacySettings menuandselecttheitemsyouwanttohidefromcertainfriends.Thentypethefriendsnameandclick SaveSettingstokeepthatpieceofinformationprivate.Or,ifyoureallydontwanttobebotheredby someoneortoletapersonfindyouatall,youcanaddhertoyourblocklist.Simplyscrolltothebottom ofherProfilesleftnavigationcolumnandclickReport/Block.

27

Figure 2-10. Profile applications customize a Facebook Profiles appearance. Creating an application can be a great way to market your brand or company.
28

profile Applications
Facebookoffersamyriadofapplications.Thesecanbeusefulformarketers,becausetheyprovidea naturallyviralvehicleforspreadingawarenessofyourbrand.SomeappsaredesignedbyFacebook andhaveamorepracticalutility,suchasPhotosorNotes.Othersaremoreaboutfun,likeCokeZeros FacialProfiledopplegangerapporZyngasFarmVille.AnyonecancreateaFacebookapp,whichmeans therearealotoffunandusefulapplicationsavailable;however,thisalsomeansthatthereareplentyof abandonedappsthatneverworkedquiteright. MostappsareperfectlysafetoaddtoyourProfileorPage.However,youshoulddoalittleresearch beforeaddingappsfromlesser-knowndevelopers.Checkoutstarratingsanduserdiscussionsinthe ApplicationDirectory(Figure2-10)tomakesurethedeveloperisstillmaintainingtheapplication.You canalsoseehowmanyactiveusersanapphas,aswellaswhatsneworpopularacrossthesite. Onceyouvefoundanapplicationyoulike,clicktoaddittoyourProfileorPage,dependingontheuse andtypeofapp.SomearestrictlyforProfileuse,suchasgames,whilemorepracticalapps,likethe customtabdeveloperStaticFBML,canbeusedforPagesaswell. AsFacebookphasesouttheBoxestabofProfilesandPages,applicationsappeareitherontheir owntab,liketheStaticFBMLcustomtab,orasafunctionofaProfile,likeTwittersstatusupdater. Facebookmaintainstightcontroloverhowandwhereitemsaredisplayed,andsomeappsarefurther restrictedbytheirdevelopersforoptimumviewing.

29

Figure 2-11. A users Wall includes interactions with friends on the site (other Profiles), brands they like (Pages), posts to the Newsfeed (status updates), and applications usage.
30

profile Interactions
TherearemanywaysthatausercaninteractwithyourbrandonFacebook,fromaPagetoacustombrandedApplicationorad.However,user-to-userinteractionisactuallyalittlemorelimited,despitethe categorizationofFacebookasasocialnetwork. Facebookfriendshipsaretwo-wayconnections;thatis,ausermustrequesttofriendanotheruserand waitforapprovalbeforetheycantalkorinteractinanymeaningfulway.Oncethatconnectionhasbeen established,userscanuseFacebookChataswellasFacebooksprivatemessagingsystem(which worksmuchlikeemail).However,thefavoritemeansofcommunicationforfrequentFacebookusersis Wall posting(Figure2-11). Facebookisasitefoundedonconnectionsbutisincreasinglymovingtowardmoreopenchannelsof communication.HeavyFacebookusersfeedintothischangebymakingmanychatscompletelypublic.Wall-to-WallpostingsoftenreadlikeemailorIMexchanges,andthecommentsforstatusupdates, linkposts,orphotouploadsoftenrunwellpastasimplenote.Inaddition,themorepeoplepostor comment,themoreotherpeoplejoinin;theywanttoseewhatandwhyeveryoneiscommentingona particularphotoorarticleandjoininthefun.

31

Figure 2-12. Consider a snapshot of the average Facebook user. (Infographic by Muhammad Saleem for Mashable.com.)
32

Summary
Asyoucantell,alotgoesintoaFacebookProfile.Whatinformationyoushowandhowmuchtimeyou spendupdatingandmaintainingitisuptoyouandwilllargelydependonyourgoalsforanduseofthe Profile.ButtheProfileiswhereitallbeginsandisamajorpartofeveryusersFacebookexperience,so itsvitalthatyouthoroughlyunderstandhowProfileswork,look,andrelatetooneanother. Nomatterwhatkindofbrand,product,orserviceyouaremarketing,youneedafirmunderstanding ofyourtarget.OnFacebook,thismeansgettingbacktobasicsandworkingfromthebeginning:the FacebookProfile. AccordingtoFacebook,therearecurrentlyover500millionactiveusersonthesite,atleasthalfof whomlogineveryday(Figure2-12).Thatmeans500millionProfilesthatyoucanusetogetdataabout yourtargetaudience.Infact,thisisFacebooksbiggestsellingpoint:thesiteactively(somesayaggressively)encouragesuserstofilltheirProfileswiththetypeofinformationmarketersarealwaystryingto findallforfree.

33

ChApTeR 3

Facebook page Basics


AFacebookPageiskeytomostsocialmediamarketingstrategiesandwillmorethanlikelybethecentralpointformostofyoureffortsandpromotions.Twitterisgreatforquickupdates,buttogetthefull story,usersusuallyneedtoclickelsewhere.AFacebookPageallowsyoutoprovidebothinoneplace, whilealsoofferingfullcustomizationandavarietyofinteractions. ManybrandsuseFacebooktabsinlieuoflandingpagesontheiractualwebsites,becausetabshave morebuilt-insocialfunctionality,areeasytoupdate,andareespeciallyhelpfulforrunningcontestsand promotions.Butevenifyouforeseeofferinggiveawaysthroughtabs,youshouldstillinvestsomeserioussetuptimeinPagecustomization. BuildyourPageforsuccessthefirsttimearoundbypopulatingitwithlotsofoptimizedcontentand developingacontentstrategytokeepitfresh.Youcanspendasmuchoraslittletimeasyoucanafford updatingandmaintainingthePage,andyourtimeinputwillvaryasyourgoalsanduseofthePage fluctuate.IfyoufilloutthePagecompletelyandmakeitinterestingandengagingearlyon,however,its easiertotakesometimeofflater.

35

Figure 3-1. Facebooks official Page about Facebook Pages provides helpful hints and tips for Page administrators.
36

AsyoureadinChapter2,FacebookoutlinesstrictrulesaboutwhocanhaveaFacebookProfile.Inits earlyyears,Facebookwasaclosedsite,accessibleonlytocollegestudents;everyuserwasanindividualpersonandhadauniqueProfile.Whenthesiteopeneduptothepublic,brandswerequicktosee thepotentialforreachingpeopleinanewway.Atthattime,Facebookwasntanticipatingheavybrand participation;theFacebookAdsplatformwastheonlyrealnodtomarketingonthesite.Somarketers turnedtotheonlyoptionavailableatthetime:personalProfiles. Thisworkedforawhile,assmall,localbrandscouldflyundertheradar.Buttheupkeepofapersonal Profileforanonhumanentityisawkward;thequestionsareabitfarremovedfromanythingexcepta mascotorspokesperson.WhatwouldbetheNikeswooshsfavoritemovie? AsFacebookstartedtotakenoticeofbrandsmasqueradingaspeople,itcreatedaplaceonthesitefor them(Figure3-1),insteadofkickingthemoffforabusingtheTermsofService.Thesetermsstatethat: YouwillnotprovideanyfalsepersonalinformationonFacebookorcreateanaccountforanyone otherthanyourselfwithoutpermission. YouwillnotcreatemorethanonepersonalProfile. BeforethesiteintroducedPages,FacebooksTermsofServicealsospecifiedthatonlyrealpeople couldmaintainaProfile;technically,creatingaProfileforyourdogwasalsoagainsttherules.

37

Figure 3-2. Notice the variety of brands, public figures, and interests in the top 10 Facebook Pages by fans. (Graphic by www.website-monitoring.com.)
38

The Difference Between a page and a profile


TheeasiestwaytodeterminewhatwarrantsaPageversusaProfileistocomparetheverbsFacebook usestointeractonthesite:friendversuslike(previouslyfan).Youfriendthepeopleyouworkwith,went toschoolwith,ormetataparty.YoucantactuallyfriendyourfavoriteTVshow,collegemascot,or flavorofsoda.Butyoucanabsolutelylikethesethings;thatiswhatyouwouldsayinreallife,andthe actionyoutakeonthesite.ThetopFacebookPages(Figure3-2)exemplifythetypesofthingsthatyou wouldlike,notfriend. Thatcollegemascotraisesaninterestingquestion.Youcantreallyfriendthechickenthatdancedat footballgames(althoughyoucouldfriendtheguyinsidethecostume);however,amascotmighthavea distinctpersonality,withfavoritequotes,books,andmovies,justlikethequestionsaskedbyapersonal Profile.Andofcoursemoviestars,authors,andpoliticianshaveallthesamefavoritesastheguysitting nexttoyouonthebus,yettheyrequireaPageaswellatleastfortheirpublicpersona.

39

Figure 3-3. The Facebook Page Directory provides another look at some of the top Facebook Pages.
40

Hereagain,takingahardlookattheverbuseonthesitewillhelp.Yourenotgoingtoactuallybecome friendswiththepresident.Sure,hehasfriendsandmaykeepaprivateProfileforreal-lifefriends,but thegreaterpubliccanonlylikehimonFacebook.Publicfigures,suchasmusicians,actors,politicians, sportsstars,andotherpeoplewithfamousnamesorfacesneedtocreateaPageforpublicconsumption,eventhoughtheyare,ofcourse,individualswhocouldalsohaveapersonalProfile. Thebottomline?IfyourethinkingaboutdoinganytypeofmarketingonFacebook,youneedtocreate aPage.AstheFacebookPageDirectory(Figure3-3)shows,alltypesofbrandsaredoingit.

What Requires a Facebook page, Not a profile


StillconfusedbetweenwhoneedsaProfileandwhatgetsaPage?Table3-1offersasimplecategorizationofthetypesofPagesandtheiruses. Brands Sportsteams Products Nonprofits Websites Services Services Stores Restaurants Barsandclubs Organizations People Politicians Governmentofficials Celebrities/ publicfigures Stuff Music Places TVshows Movies Games

Table 3-1. A simpler way to think about the many types and categories of Facebook Pages.

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Figure 3-4. This first step to creating a Facebook Page is found at http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages.
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Types of pages
FacebookseparatesPagesinto17categoriesandmanysubcategories,ofwhichthefourmost c ommonare: Brands Services People Stuff TheFacebookPagesetupprocess(Figure3-4)willguideyouthroughchoosingtherightoneforyour needs. ItsbestnottogettoohunguponthelabelyouchooseforthePage;fewpeoplewilleverseeitanyway.ItisdisplayednexttoyournameandthenumberofconnectionsonthesearchPage,butgenerally userswillalreadyknowwhatyoudoandaresimplytryingtofindyourPage.OncetheyclickLikefor yourPage,yourchosencategoryisoflittleornoconsequencetothem. Yourchoiceofcategorydoesmattertothesetupanddisplayofyourinformation,however.Different categoriesaskdifferenttypesofquestionsanddisplaydifferentamountsofinformation.Clickaround andtryafewcategoriesduringsetup;youcantchangeyourcategoryorPagenameonceyouhave createdthePage,sotakesometimeinthebeginningtomakesurethecategoryandinformationdisplay arewhatyouwant.

43

Figure 3-5. The back end of a Facebook Page shows all the applications used to customize and display content.
44

Creating and Customizing a Facebook page


OnceyouvechosenaPagenameandcategory,itstimetobegincustomizingyourPageandpulling inorcreatingcontent.YoudontneedtopublishyourPagerightaway,soyoucankeepithiddenwhile youplayaroundwithdesignsandapplications. Becausetherearesomanyoptionsforcustomization,fromFacebookappstocustomapplications thatyoucandesignyourself(Figure3-5),itshelpfultocreateawireframeorbasicdesignofyourPage layoutbeforeyoubegin.Youshouldalsodevelopacontentstrategyandpostingschedulethatincludes automatedfeedsfromexternalsites,likeanRSSfeedfromyourblogorTwitterpage,aswellasmanual updatesandresponsesyouposttothePageinrealtime. BysearchingtheApplicationDirectoryonFacebook,youcanfindmanyfreeapplicationswithwhichto begincustomizingyourFacebookPage.TheofficialFacebookPageaboutPages(foundathttp://www. facebook.com/FacebookPages)alsooffersmanytipsandresourcesforFacebookPageadministrators, whoaremorecommonlycalledadmins.

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Figure 3-6. Popular Facebook Pages make good use of the standard, preset tabs.
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StaticFBML,Notes,andSocialRSSarethreegreat,freeappstogetyoustarted.Withtheseyoucan quicklycustomizethelookofyourPageandstartbringinginoutsidecontentandaddingtoyourPages tabstructure(Figure3-6).Keepinmind,though,thatalong-termFacebookPagestrategyusually benefitsfromacustomapplicationormoreextensivecustomizationwithFacebookMarkupLanguage (FBML).

Static FBML
UseStaticFBMLtocreatecustomboxesortabsusingFBML(similartoHTML).Althoughdoingso requiressomecodingability,itsworththeeffort.ThisapplicationwillallowyoutodesignacustomlandingtabthattellsuserswhatyouofferandwhytheyshouldlikethePage.

Notes
AnofficialFacebookapplication,Notesallowsyoutopullinablogfeedandautomaticallyposttoyour Wall.Thishelpsyoukeepasteadystreamofcontentfromyourwebsitewithoutalwayshavingtolog intoFacebook.Youcanalsopostamanualnote,whichprovidesmoreformattingcapabilitiesthana standardstatusupdate.

Social RSS
SocialRSSisanothergoodRSSfeedappthatyoucanusetocreateafulltabdisplayofyourblogor Twitterfeed.Ifyouareafrequentblogger,thisapp(oronelikeit)isanecessity.SocialRSSenablesyou todisplayyourbloginitsowntabjustasitlooksonyoursite,asopposedtodisplayingasnippeton yourWall.

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Figure 3-7. Heres a slightly more complex usage of Facebook Page tabs.
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Facebook page Tabs


MuchlikeaFacebookProfile,aPagehasthreemaintabs:Wall,Info,andPhotos.Usinganapplication suchasFBML,youcancreateandaddcustomtabsaswell(Figure3-7).

Wall
TheWalltabisthestandardlandingpageforyourFacebookPage.Thisiswherepeoplecanpostpublic messagestoyouorcommentonposts,justlikeforablog.Youcanupdateyourstatusfromthistab andviewolderstatusupdates.AnyapplicationsyouhaveauthorizedtoposttoyourWall,suchasRSS feeds,willalsoappearhere.PagememberscanlikeorcommentonanyofthepostsonyourWallaswell.

Info
TheInfotabdisplaysallofyourcompanyorbrandinformation,suchasamissionstatementorwebsite. TheinformationavailableonthistabisdependentuponthecategoryyouhavechosenforyourPage.This tabcanalsohelpyouincreaseyourpresenceinFacebooksearches,sobethorough.

photos
ThePhotostabhaslongbeenaFacebookstaple,butitcanbeastumblingblockforPageadmins.For somebrands,itishardtocomeupwithimagesthatpeoplewillwanttoviewonFacebook.Product shotsdontworkonthissite;youneedtomakepeoplewanttoclickthroughalbums.Thereisalotto lookatonFacebook,sogetcreativewithwaystouseyourproductorhavefunwithyourbrand.

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Figure 3-8. This Facebook tab makes use of FBML to add more design elements.
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page Applications
AFacebookPageusuallycomespreloadedwithseveralFacebook-developedapplications,including Photos,Links,Notes,Discussions,Videos,andEvents.Manyoftheseexistedonthesiteevenbefore theintroductionofPagesorapplications,andsoitiseasytoforgetthattheyare,infact,Facebookdevelopedapps. Thefunctionalityoftheseappsisprettyself-explanatory:eachallowsyoutouploadorpostthecontent theyarenamedfor.Thus,theyprovidethebasicstructureofaPageandthePagemembersinteractionswithcontent.YourFacebookPagemarketingstrategyshouldgofarbeyondthesebasicapplications,however.

Custom Applications
Facebookallowsdeveloperstocreateallkindsofcustomapps.Dependingonyoursize,budget,and strategy,youmightwanttodevelopyourowncustomapplicationsforPagememberuseorsimplyto takefullcontroloftabcustomizationanddesign(Figure3-8).Readilyavailable,freeapplicationscan helpyougetupandrunningquicklyoraddmorecontent,buttheyprovidelittlecontrol.Ifsomething breaks,youmustwaitforthedevelopertofixit,andyouusuallyhaveverylittlesayinhowcontentis displayedonyourPagetabs.UsingFBMLisoneoption,butforlandingtabsorpromotions,itisbestto designyourownapplications.

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Figure 3-9. Fashion brand Diane von Furstenberg features a robust, interactive custom tab on its Page.
52

Custom User Applications


Someapplicationsaredesignedforuserinteractionandmaybeonlytangentiallyrelatedtoyourbrand. Forexample,CokeZerosFacialProfilerdoppelgangerappalloweduserstofindtheironlinetwins. BasedontheideathatCokeZerotastesthesameasregularCoke,thispopularappwasfunbutdidnt reallyconnecttheapplicationtothebrand.WhatitdiddowasallowCoketoadvertisetoacaptive audience. Zappos,ontheotherhand,createdanapplicationthatallowsuserstosharetheirfavoriteproducts fromtheonlineretailerwiththeirFacebookfriends.MarshallsusesacustomapplicationtoaskPage memberstounlocktheirshopportunityforachancetowinashoppingspree,whileTripAdvisorallows userstodisplayallthecitiestheyhavevisited.Fashion,technology,andtravelplaywellonFacebook asapplications,butgetcreativeandyoucancreateanapplicationthatisbothfunandrelevantinany industry.

Custom Tab Applications


Withacustomapplication,youcancreatetabsthatnotonlydisplaycontentanywayyouwant,but alsoincludesuchinteractiveelementsaspollsandquizzes,videoplayers,games,andemailcapture forms(Figure3-9).AcustomapplikethisisidealwhendesigningalandingtabforaFacebookpromotion.AlthoughyoucanalsouseStaticFBMLtocreatecustomtabs,itdoesnotprovidethefulllevelof customizationthatanapplicationbuilttoyourspecificationscanoffer.

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Figure 3-10. An example of poor internal Facebook search results for the T.J. Maxx brand.
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page Optimization
Tomaximizeyourreturn on investment(ROI)onFacebook,youwanttomakesureyouaregettingand keepingPagemembers(formerlycalledfans).Thisrequiresapplyingsomebasicsearch engine optimization(SEO)skillsandincludingkeywordsinyourcontent,forbothFacebookandoverallorganic searches,soyourPagecanbefoundthroughthesiteandontheInternetatlarge.

Organic Search
FacebookPagesareindexedbysearchengines.FacebookevenhasdealswithGoogleandBingtopull itssocialcontentforafeaturecalledreal-time search.YourPagewillbevisibleinsearchresults,providedyouhaveoptimizeditcorrectly,andcanevenbeviewedbypeoplewhodonothaveaFacebook account.

Facebook Search
Facebooksinternalsitesearchisnotoriouslypicky,butitisgettingbetter.Asyoumightimagine,rankingwellinaninternalFacebooksearchisevenmoreimportant(Figure3-10).Someonesearchingfor yourbranddirectlywithinFacebookknowswhatshewantsandisalmostcertaintoclickLikewhenshe reachesyourPage. WhenoptimizingyourFacebookPage,focusprimarilyonkeywordsandcontent;Facebookaddsthe nofollowattributetolinks,makingitdifficulttopassonanylinkpower.Agood,keyword-richcontent strategyshouldbeattheheartofyourPageoptimizationplan,asitwillhelpnewusersfindyouand keepoldonescomingback.Ofcourse,alsoincludealltheimportantlinkstoyoursitesothatpeople wholikeyouonFacebookcaneasilynavigatetoyourwebsite.

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Figure 3-11. Coachs keyword-rich Info tab also makes good use of the ability to add links.
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page Optimization Tips


OptimizingyourPagebeginswithsetupandcontinuesthroughoutyourFacebookmarketingstrategy. ThetipsbelowwillhelpyoustartyourPageontherightpathandenableyoutobetteroptimizelater throughcontentanddesign. pick a descriptive page name and URL. ChooseagoodPagename(usuallyyourbrandnameortagline)andencourage25peopletolike thePagequicklyinordertosecureyourvanityURL.ThisURLwillbeintheformofFacebook.com/ YourPageName,sochoosesomethingeasytorememberandcloselytiedtoyourbrand. Fill out the Info section completely. MakesureyoutakeyourtimeandchoosetherightcategoryforyourPage.Thecategoryyou chooseaffectswhatandhowmuchyoucanaddtotheInfotab.FillouttheInfosectioncompletely, andusealotofkeywords.Alsoaddallofyourrelatedwebsites,includingyourblog,onlinestore, andTwitterpage(Figure3-11). Use the About box. OneofthemostundervaluedandoverlookedfeaturesofaFacebookPageisthatlittleboxonthe left,belowthePagespicture.ProminentlydisplayedontheWalltab,thisboxisagreatplaceto addkeywordstoquicklysignalwhatyourPageisabouttobothusersandsearchengines.Plus, youcanaddaclickablelink.Justbecarefulnottoexceedtheboxs250-characterlimit. ThesetipswillhelpyouoptimizeyourPageduringsetup.Tokeepituptodate,rankinghighly,and attractingnewmembers,however,youalsoneedanongoingcontentstrategy.

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Figure 3-12. Look for multiple ways to cross-promote content, such as on a Facebook tab, Facebook Wall, and website.
58

Optimizing Through a Content Strategy


TomaintainyourrankingsanddrivenewtraffictoyourPage,youneedtoconstantlypopulatethePage withnewcontentthroughbothautomatedandmanualpostings. Cross-promote content. Gobeyondjustincludingalinktoyourwebsiteandconnectallyourwebpropertieswithautomated applicationswhereverpossible(Figure3-12).RSSfeedsfromablogorTwitter,forexample,can posttoyourWallaswellasacustomtab.Thiskeepsasteadystreamofnewcontentcomingin, withlinksbacktoyoursite,withoutalotofextraeffort. encourage engagement. Animportantpartofacontentstrategyisdrivinginteractions.EachinteractiononyourPage, whetherintheformoflikingorcommenting,functionsasavoteforyourPage.ThemoreengagementandinteractiononyourPage,thehigheritranks.Thisalsokeepsitinyourmembersnewsfeeds;astheyinteractwithnewitems,theirfriendswillseethisandbedrawntoyourPage. Keep content flowing. Themostimportantpartofacontentstrategyistokeepitgoing!NoonewillinteractwithastagnantPage,andmanywillclickUnlikeifyoudontdeliver.AnautomatedRSSfeedcanhelp,butbe suretoaddsomeFacebook-specificcontentaswell.Thisiswhereyoucanreallydriveengagement byaskingpeopletocommentonphotosaspartofapromotionorbydevelopingtimely,targeted articlesthatencouragesharing.Andaboveallelse,respondtoPagemembersonyourWall.

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Figure 3-13. A variety of promotional tactics, incentives, and continuous new content keeps the Victorias Secret Pink Page fresh and engaging.
60

promoting Your page


YouvesetupyourPageandcreatedacustomtab,andoptimizedcontentisflowing.Nowitstimeto promoteyourPageandconvincepeopletolikeit.Thebestpromotionsincorporateacombinationof paid,organic,andincentiveoffers.Trytouseallthree;justmakesureyourPageisreadytobeunveiled beforeyoustartaskingpeopletojoin. paid advertising Pureandsimple:youcouldbuyaFacebookad.Infact,Facebookhopesyouwillbecomenotjust abrand,butalsoanadvertiser.Ifyouhavealittlemoneyandwanttogainmembersquickly,this mightbeanavenuetopursue.Justdontrelyonitbyitself. Organic promotion PutlinkstoyourFacebookPageonyourwebsiteandaddthemtotheheaderorfooterofemails yousendtoyouremaillist.Betteryet,writeablogpostaboutthenewPageandsendanemailto allyoursubscribersinformingthemthatyournewFacebookPageislive.Manypeopleprobably havebeenwaitingforthis;makeaneventofthelaunch,andthenplacepermanentlinksonthesite andallfutureemailcommunications. Incentive offers Wealllovefreestuff.Offerexclusiveinformation,deals,ordiscountsjusttomembersofyour FacebookPage(Figure3-13).Addthisincentivetoyourlaunchemailorblogposttogivepeoplean evenbetterreasontoclickLike.Youdontneedtogocrazywithgiveaways,butbereadytooffer something.

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Figure 3-14. Wall posts, status updates, and user comments on the Zappos Page encourage interaction.
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page Interactions
TherearemanywaysthatuserscaninteractwithyourPage,fromtheongoingstreamofstatusupdates andpoststhatappearontheWalltomediauploadstheycancommenton.Customapplications,especiallythosedesignedforuserinteraction,alsoencourageclicking.Everyinteractionworkstoimprove yourrankingandkeepyournamehighupintheFacebookNewsfeed. Wall posts ThepreferredmeansofcommunicationforfrequentFacebookusersisWallposting,becausethese messagesarequickandeasytopost(Figure3-14).Theyarealsoopenandvisibletothepublic greatforpraise,butnotsomuchforcomplaints.Besuretorespondquicklyhere. Media comments MembersofyourPagecanviewandcommentonanythingyouuploadtothePage.Takephotosat eventstoencouragelikingandtaggingwhenpeopleseethemselves,andconsideraphotocommentcontesttogetengagementgoing,especiallyearlyon. Inbox updates ThesemessageswonthelpyourPageinteractiondirectly,butyoucanusethemtobulk-message allPagemembersandalertthemtoimportantnewuploads.Includelinkstosendmembersdirectly tothecontentyouwantthemtointeractwith. Custom applications Asyoudesignyourcustomapplication,besuretothinksocially.Provideeasywaysforusersto sharetheresultsofyourapplicationwithfriendsorinvitethemtotryitaswell.IncludeaSharebuttonatallstagesofinteractionwiththeapplicationsouserscanposttotheirWallandnewsfeed.

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Figure 3-15. Facebook hosts over 1.6 million active Pages, with a combined total of 5.3 billion Page members. (Graphic by Muhammad Saleem forMashable.com.)
64

Summary
AccordingtoFacebook,therearenearly500millionactiveFacebookusers,eachofwhomisconnectedto 60FacebookPages,Groups,andEventsonaverage.ThepopularFacebook-focusedblogAllFacebook keepsarunningtallyofthemostpopularFacebookPages,rankedbythenumberofuserswholike thesePages.Atthiswriting,thetopPageisZyngasTexasHoldemPoker,withmorethan17million userconnections,whiletheofficialPageforFacebookisapproaching10million. Obviously,Facebookisgrowingrapidly(Figure3-15),asareFacebookPages.Pagesarethekeytoyour brandsmarketingonFacebook.Whetheryourgoalsaresearchpresence,generalawareness,customer service,orsales,youneedtotakethissocialnetworkseriouslyifyouwantyourPagetosucceed. Moreandmore,FacebookusersareexpectingbrandstobeonFacebook.Theylookatthesitemuch thewaywelookedattheInternet10yearsago,andareconfusedwhentheycantfindtheirfavorite storeorcelebrity.Dontdisappointyourfanswithahalf-heartedPage.ThinkofyourFacebookPageas anextensionofyourwebsiteandputthesameamountoftimeandeffortintoit.

65

ChApTeR 4

Facebook Group Basics


FacebookGroupsareoftensetupbyfansofabrand,asisthecasewiththeextremelypopular CokebottleGroupsthatexclaimhowmuchbetterabottleisthanacan.Groupsaremuchfasterand easiertocreatethanPages,whichiswhymanyfansarequicktosetthemup,buttheyalsoofferless functionality. MostofyourFacebookmarketingeffortsshouldstemfromaFacebookPage;Pagesaretheofficialchannelforbrandstoreachconsumers,asdeterminedbyFacebook.Overall,theyoffermorefunctionalityand betteropportunitiestointeractwithmembers.Still,thereissomevalueinusingGroupsforoccasional marketingefforts.Tohelpyoumakethebestdecisionsforyourcampaign,thischapterexplainswhere Groupscamefromandexamineshowandwhenyoushouldtakeadvantageofthem.

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Figure 4-1. As this chart by All Facebook shows, Group functionality can vary greatly from that of Pages.
68

Groups Versus pages


FacebookGroupswerethefirstorganizedwayformarketerstomessagetheiraudience.Theywere quickandeasytosetupbutprovidedlittletonoengagementorcustomization.Facebookhascomea longwaysincethen,butmanydifferencesbetweenPagesandGroupsstillexist(Figure4-1). PagesaretheFacebook-preferredmethodofcorporation-to-consumerinteraction.Infact,Facebooks intentionissoclearthatwhenthesitefirstintroducedPages,FacebookitselftookontheworkofconvertingmanyofficialbrandGroupsintoPages.Bymigratingpower-playerssuchasApple,Facebook hopedthatuserswouldlearntolikePagesandquicklypreferthemtoGroups. Pagesareintendedtohelpcreaterelationshipswithcustomersorbrandevangelistsandarebetterfor long-termmessaging,whileGroupsarecenteredondiscussionsandmoretemporarytopics.Forthat veryreason,however,creatingaGroupispreferableinmanysituationstousingaPage.Groupsworkwell whenyouwanttotakequickactionaroundatime-sensitiveissue,andtheyreoftenusedtorallypeople aroundcausesorcurrentevents.TheycanalsobeeffectiveasoffshootsorsubsectionsofyourPage.

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Figure 4-2. Photo albums are very popular with Groups because they bring a more human element that Pages lack. This local Group posts photos of members at events.
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Groupswereintendedtofacilitateorganizationanddiscussionaroundaparticulartopic,andtheystill provideamoreopenspaceforsuchconversations.PageslackthepersonalaspectGroupsexcelat; joininginaGroupfeelsmorelikebelongingthanjustlikingaPagedoes(Figure4-2).Groupsarealso oftenmuchmoretargetedthanPages,whichgivesthemamoreactiveandengagedmemberbase.

More personal Messaging


Groupscanhaveanunlimitednumberofmembers,butyoucanmessagemembersonlyaslongasthe Grouphasamembershipoffewerthan5,000people.Thosemessagesareverypowerful,becauseGroup messagesaresentdirectlytomembersinboxes,justlikemessagesfromafriend.APageadmincansend onlyPageupdatesthatgotoaseparate,morehiddeninboxspecificallyforPagemessages.

Better event Management


BecauseGroupsaremaintainedbyrealpeople,theyarebettersuitedformanagingEventsandhave moreEventfunctionality,suchasmessagingattendees.Groupcontentisalsonowincludedinthe FacebookNewsfeed,somethingonceexclusivetoPages.Thisisamajorfactorinretainingmembers anddrivingengagement. Groupsarenot,however,abletocustomizeasmuchcontent,addapplications,orselectavanityURL. Thispreventsthemfromrankingashighlyinasearch.Facebookalsocontinuestomoreheavilysupport Pagesthroughpromotionwidgets,ads,anddevelopmentresourcesdedicatedtoimprovingPagesfor bothadminsandusers.

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Figure 4-3. Groups are intended to foster discussion, as this one does with technology topics.
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Groups Can Be GoodSometimes


Groupsdohavesomevalue.Theyrequickandeasytosetupgreatwhenyoureinapinch,butnot sogreatbecauseofallthespammy,discardedGroupsthatlitterFacebooksearches.Theeaseofuse forGroupsiswhatmakesthemappealing,butalsowhatmakesthemseemuntrustworthy. WhileaPagemayseemdauntingtomanage,aGroupcanbeaneasierwaytotransitionintoFacebook marketing.UnlikePages,GroupsallowtheiradminstosendoutmassinvitestojoinaGroup.Again,fast andeasybutalsoannoying.Whensomethingbighitsfast,Groupscanbegreat,butyoushouldnotuse themforanoverall,long-termmarketingstrategy. SowhenisitOKtouseaGroup?AccordingtoFacebook,GroupsandPagesservedifferentpurposes onFacebook.GroupsaremeanttofosterGroupdiscussionaroundaparticulartopicarea,whilePages allowentitiessuchaspublicfiguresandorganizationstobroadcastinformationtotheirfans.Onlythe authorizedrepresentativeoftheentitycanrunaPage(Figure4-3). FacebookhasalsostartedtoofferadditionalfunctionalityforGroups,makingthemappearmorelike PagesanddisplayingcontentintheFacebookNewsfeed.Whilethismightsoundlikegoodnewsto some,alargeGroupcanquicklybecomeunwieldy,andmanyadminsarefindingiteasiertomessage GroupmemberstoswitchtolikingtheirPagesinstead.

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Figure 4-4. Rallying people to take action is often easier to achieve with a Group, like this one hoping to bring the UFC back to Vancouver.
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When You Want a Group


GroupsareoftenfasterandeasiertosetupthanPages.Theyalsoofferamorepersonalizedandcontrolledatmosphereforconversation.Asamarketingtool,aGroupisabetteroptionwhen: Time is a factor. Groupsarehelpfulfortime-sensitiveinitiatives(Figure4-4)thatneedtoreachcriticalmassquickly.In aglobalGroup,anyGroupmembercansendbulkinvitestohisfriends,whichcanbehelpfulforviral marketing.Bewareofoverusingthisfeature,however,asthoseinvitesmaybeperceivedasspam. You need control. Groupsalsooffermorecontroloverwhoisallowedinorout,whilePagesareopentoeveryone.A Groupcanbeopenjusttoaparticularschoolorworknetwork,ortoallofFacebook.Youcanalso requirepermissionforjoiningaGroupsothateveryonemustbeapprovedbyanadmin(butcansee someGroupcontentbeforerequestingtojoin),oryoucanmaketheGroupcompletelysecretand visibleonlytothoseyouinvite.ThismakesGroupshelpfulasaseparatesubsectionofyourPage, perhapsforyourbiggestbrandsupporters. Its personal. Allaround,FacebookGroupsprovideafeelingofmorepersonalinteraction.Groupsaredirectlytied tothepersonwhoadministersthem,andthatProfilenamewillappearontheGroup,unlikeamore anonymousPage,whichcouldbemannedbyanynumberofpeople.Somefindthispersonalconnectionawelcomechangeinthedigitalworld,especiallywhendealingwithmoresensitivetopicsor emotionalissues,likehealthquestionsorlife-changingevents.

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Figure 4-5. You can fine-tune a lot of the settings for your Group. Keep them global and open to maximize your reach.
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Creating a Group
Whenyouneedtopromotesomethingquicklyorarelookingtofosterastrongersenseofcommunity, aFacebookGroupmaybethewaytogo.TocreateaGroup,gototheGroupsapplicationandclick CreateaGroupintheupper-rightcornerofthePage.AllGroupsrequireaGroupname,description, andGrouptype.YoucannoteditthenetworkofaGroupafteritiscreated,sothinkcarefullybeforeyou begin.

Keep It Global
TogetthemaximumreachandvalueoutofyourGroup,youneedtoensurethatanyonewhowants tocanjoinwithouthavingtobeapprovedbyanadmin.Youalsowantthemtobeabletoinvitetheir friends,asthiscutsdownontheworkforyouandallowsyoutofocusonbuildingcontentthatpeople wanttoshare.WhensettingupyourGroup,makesureyoucreateitasaGlobalGroup(Figure4-5)so itisvisibletoallofFacebook,andsetitsaccesstoOpen,allowingmemberstoinvitefriends.Members shouldalsobeabletopostandsharelinksandmediaontheGroupPage.Ontheotherhand,ifyouare usingaGroupspecificallyforitsprivacycontrols,youmaywishtokeeptheGroupclosedsoyoucan approvemembers.

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Figure 4-6. Provide a detailed description of your Group, and be sure to include links and keywords. This will help people find the Group and convince them to join right away.
78

Fill Out All Fields


AswithPages,youshouldincludeasmuchinformationaspossiblewhensettingupyourGroup (Figure4-6).Thisthoroughnessiswhattrulyseparatesasuccessful,professionalGroupfromaspammy, I-lost-my-phone,give-me-your-numbersGroup.Dontgooverboardwithlengthytextsticktobasic web-readingprinciplesbutdontleaveanythingblank,includingtheimagefield.

Use proper Grammar, punctuation, and Spelling


SettingupaGroupmaybefasterthancreatingaPage,butitrequiresthesameamountofcare.The biggesttip-offsthataGroupwashastilyputtogetherarespellingandgrammarerrors.Ifapotential membersfirstimpressionofyourGroupisthatitsfulloferrors,shewillassumefuturecontentwont providemuchvalueeither.Proofreadyourdescription.

Include Keywords for easier Searching


GroupsdontprovideasmuchcontenttocrawlasaPage,buttheyareindexedbysearchenginesas wellasbyFacebooksearches.WhenfillingoutyourGroupdescription,besuretoincludekeywords. ThisincreasesthechancethatapotentialmemberwillfindyourGroupwhilesearchingforsimilartopics, organizations,orevents.ThesamegoesforcreatingaGroupname;thinkofkeywordspeoplewould associatewithyourcontentorthepurposeoftheGroup.

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Figure 4-7. The BU Young Alumni Group is a good example of a Group that is connected to a Page and really focuses on building a community for alumni.
80

Managing a Group
OnceyourGroupissetupcorrectly,youneedtostartaddingmembersandpostingcontent.Read Chapter9formoreideasonposting,andkeepinmindthatthegoalofaGroupistostartconversations.Manyofyourdutiesasanadminwillcenteronmonitoringdiscussionsandencouragingcommentswherenecessary(Figure4-7).

Use with profile or page


WhenFacebookfirstintroducedPages,itofferedGroupadminstheoptionofautomaticallytransitioning membersintofans.Asaresult,manybrandsnowhaveasinglepresenceonFacebook,intheformofa Page.TolaunchaGroup,however,youneedaparentProfilethatis,theProfileofasinglepersonwho willadministertheGroup.TheparentProfilegivesyouabasefromwhichtoinvitepeopleandprovide thathumanconnection.

Dont Make New Friends


SinceaGroupcannotexistonitsown,youlluseyourProfiletoinviteatleastthefirstbatchofmembers.Thatmakesittemptingtostartsendingrandomfriendrequeststoabunchofpeopleyoudont know.InvitingunknownmembersgoesagainstFacebooksTermsofServiceandwillveryquicklyget youbanned.Ifyoudowanttoaddafewnewpeople,makesureyouincludeapersonalmessagein yourpotentialfriendrequestexplaininghowyoufoundthemandwhyyouwanttobefriends.

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Figure 4-8. Groups are a great place to post events, both real and virtual. This local gym uses Group events to motivate members.
82

Segment Friend Lists


IfyouuseyourProfiletoinvitethefirstfewGroupmembers,itwillbehelpfultosegmentyourfriendsinto relevantlistsforfuturemarketingpurposes.Youcanlabelpeopleasalreadyinvited(soyouknownotto tryagain)orbasedontheirinterests.Ifyourunarestaurant,forexample,makealistforyourvegetarian friendssoyoucanmessagethemwithspecialinformationaboutvegetarianmealsandspecials.

Incorporate events
EventsandGroupshaveagreaterreachthanotherelementsonFacebook,astheyhavebuilt-inpassit-onfunctionality(Figure4-8).IncludeabriefintroductionwithyourEventinviteandkeepitasopenas possible.Allowgueststoinviteotherpeopleandposttheirownvideos,links,andphotos.Thesecanbe physicalorvirtualevents,justlikewithaPage.

Send Messages
GroupmessagingismoreusefulthanFacebookPagemessaging,becauseGroupmessagesaredeliveredtotherecipientsinboxjustlikethosefromfriends.Youcanquicklykeepallmembersup-to-date onGroupnews,events,andinformationbyselectingMessageAllMembersanddraftingyourmessage likeanyotherprivatecorrespondenceonFacebook.KeepinmindthatthisworksonlyifyourGrouphas fewerthan5,000members.ButwhenyouuseMessageAllMembersinconjunctionwithyoursegmentedfriendlists,youcandeliververytargeted,relevantmessaging.

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Figure 4-9. Some Groups, like this one that helps members reminisce about the 90s, naturally get a lot of posts. Others may require more encouragement from admins.
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participate and post New Content


UnlikePages,Groupscanhavemanyseparateprivacysettings.Formaximumengagementandeffectiveness,youwanttokeeptheGroupWall,photo,andvideorestrictionsopentoencouragecontent sharinganddiscussion.Groupsarecenteredonconversation,andyouneedtokeepthediscussion going.Butallowingpostswillonlygetyousofarpostthought-starterquestionsandlinksyourself. TocreateaGroupthatretainsmembers,particularlyengagedmembers,youneedtokeepthecontent fresh.AFacebookPagecanbeautomaticallyupdated.ForyourGrouptocompete,youneedtoprovide interesting,valuableperspectivesorinformationtomembers.

post Links, photos, Videos


Besidesprovidingfreshcontent,frequentpostingkeepsmembersengagedandallowsforgreaterinteraction(Figure4-9).PostlinkstoexternalsitesortootherpartsofFacebook,andaskquestionsabout thecontentfoundthere,likeinabookclub.Youcanalsopostphotosorvideosonrelatedtopicsor fromactualreal-lifeGroupevents. Groupfunctionalityislimited,somakethemostofwhatyouvegot.GroupsaresetupmorelikeProfiles, sophotos,links,andvideosarethebestwaystobringinexternalcontentorbrandlookandfeel.This meansthatyouwillrelyoncontentforcustomizingaGroupandbreakingthroughtheclutter.Remember tokeepthediscussiongoingandpostfrequently.

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Figure 4-10. The ease of creating and posting on Groups makes them a target for spammers. Monitor closely and remove offensive or unrelated posts.
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Monitoring and Managing a Group


AGroupadmincontrolsthemembershipandcontentofaGroup.Asanadmin,youcansendmessagestotheGroup,appointotheradminsandofficers,andeditGroupinfoandsettings.Youcanalso removecurrentmembersandremoveinappropriatepostsoruploads. YoumayhavefeweropportunitiestocustomizeaGroup,butthelackofapplicationstointeractwith andshowcasecontentactuallymeansyoullhavetomonitorandmoderatetheGroupmorecarefully. TheonlyinteractionpeoplecanhavewithaGroupistopostcontent,sotheresahigherlikelihoodyou willneedtoanswerquestionsorremovespam(Figure4-10).

Removing Content
Developaremovalorresponsestrategy,justlikeforaPage.Bereadytoremovepoststhatusefoul languageorareoverlyhatefultoyourGroupsgoal.Alsowatchforbullyingofothermembers,aswellas peoplewhopostunrelatedspamcontenttotheGroupWall.

encouraging posting
ManagingaGroupisntjustaboutremovinginappropriateposts.Youneedtokeepthecontentflowing andtheconversationengaging.Hopefully,yourGroupwillbefullofusefulcontentfrommembers.Butif not,partofyourjobwillbetopushthemtowardpostingbyaskingquestions,makingintroductions,and postinglinkstointerestingarticlesorsites.

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Figure 4-11. This Facebook Group connects Boston University Alumni, a subset of the entire Boston University faculty, student, and alumni community.
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Using Groups to Supplement Your page


IfyoulikeallthebellsandwhistlesofaFacebookPagebutappreciatethediscussionaspectofaGroup aswell,trydoingboth.Youllgetthesearchengineoptimization(SEO)andbrandbuzzbenefitsofa Page,aswellastheabilitytodesigntabsanddevelopapplications,butyoullalsobeabletocreatea smaller,community-basedpresencewithinyourGroup(Figure4-11). Pagesallowyoutotargetpoststogeographicareas,butaGroupenablesyoutotargetpeoplebased oninterests.Arestaurantchain,forexample,couldhaveaPageforitsoverallbrandandGroupsfor eachindividuallocation.Peoplecanbelongtooneorboth,allowingthemtoseegeneralnewsandpromotionsfromthePage,aswellaslocalupdatesandconversationsaboutmenuitemsandevents. YoucouldalsohaveasecretGroupwhereyouinviteonlyyourbestcustomersandpostspecialsales, promocodes,orsneakpeeksofcontent.OrwatchfortopicsthattakeoffonyourPageandcreate Groupsaroundthem.IfalotofpeoplearepostingabouthealthyfoodoptionsonyourrestaurantPage, startaGroupjustforthem.Talkaboutyourhealthieroptions,andhowtheycanmodifyorderstocut calorieswithoutlosingtherestaurantexperience. TherearemanywaystouseaGroupasacompaniontoaPage.Takedirectionfromyourmembers, andbewillingtoexperiment.

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Figure 4-12. Groups can be quick to set up, but youve got to do it right. Always keep the conversation flowing and encourage participation.
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Summary
FacebookGroupsarewellsuitedformarketingaroundtime-sensitiveissuesandcauses.Groupshavea moreclose-knitfeelandarealittlebitsimplertograspthanPages.Theeaseofuseandintuitivecommunicationtoolsmakethemagreatplacetoprovideanopenforumformembers. Remember,Groupparticipationstartswiththeadmin.Askquestionstogetpeopletalking,offering stories,andsharingtips.Becarefulwhenthisinvolvessensitivetopicsorhealthissues.Youdontwant falseinformationorfamilyremediestakingoveryourGroup.Ifthatisaconcern,aclosedGroupwill allowyoutoapprovepeoplebeforetheyjoinandpost. AlotofelementsgointoeventhesimplestofGroups(Figure4-12),butFacebookofferstoolstohelp you.Yourchallengeistousethemcorrectly.Themostimportantthingyoucanrememberisthatpeople onlygetoutofaGroupwhatyouputin.Takethetimetosetitupright,andactivelymonitorandparticipateinyourGroup.

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ChApTeR 5

Facebook events
UsingFacebooksEventfunctions,youcaninviteuserstoanyevent,beitrealorvirtual.Eventsare greatforrallyingPagemembersaroundatimelyhappening,whetheritisasale,movieopening,menu revamp,ornewproductlaunch.Plus,becauseEventshaveadedicatedtabonyourPage,Pagememberscaneasilyseewhatyoureupto. Eventsarequickandeasytosetup,perfectforcreatingaquickresponsetoatime-sensitiveissue.This makesthemano-brainerforinclusioninyourFacebookmarketingstrategy.Ontheflipside,theyare alsoeasyenoughforanyoneelsetomake,leavingalotofEventclutteronthesite.Thismakesitharder (butnotimpossible)touseFacebookEventseffectively.Youjustneedalittleextraefforttomakeyour Eventstandout.

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Figure 5-1. Facebook Events should be used for actual events that include a time and a place in the real world. They can also be used for virtual events, but be careful not to confuse people.
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When to Use an event


ThebestwaytouseanEventisasyouwoulduseaprintedinvitation:whenyouhaveanactualeventto promote(Figure5-1).UsingFacebooktosendeventinformationisalotfaster(andcheaper)thanprintingandmailinginvitationstoallyourcontacts. FacebookEventscanalsomakeagreataccompanimenttoanemailannouncementoranactualinvitation.Youmaywanttosendselectpeopleanannouncementorinvitationtoastoreopeningthrough thepostalmail(likerestaurantreviewersorfashionbloggers)andthenfollowupwiththemoregeneral populationonline.Yourvariouscontactlistswillmostlikelyoverlap,butitswisetomessagepeoplein differentwaystoensurealargeturnout.Sendanemailannouncementaboutanupcomingsale,then followupwithaFacebookEventinvitationasthedatedrawsnear. ItsOKtocreateaFacebookEventforeveryreal-lifehappeningyouhost.Ifyouhavealotofparties, sales,orpromotions,youdefinitelywanttousetheEventstabonyourFacebookPagetopromote them.DontgooverboardwithactuallyinvitingpeopleormessagingPagemembers,however.Just becauseyoucreatedanEventdoesntmeanyouneedtoinviteeveryoneyouveevermet.Thatsa surefirewaytodriveunlikesofyourPage.

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Figure 5-2. Give guests as much information as possible when creating an Event. Fill out every field completelytheyre there for a reason.
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Creating an event
SettingupaFacebookEvent(Figure5-2)isoneoftheeasiestthingstodoonthesite.Perhapsthats whytherearesomanyunfinishedandunmonitoredEventslitteringthesocialnetwork.Dontcontribute tothemess:createyourEventscorrectly.

Keep Your event public


MakeyourEventsearchable.Usesearchengineoptimizationprinciplestocomeupwithaname,and includekeywordsintheEventdescription.Thinkofpopularsearchesortopicsthatmightappealto peoplewhomyouwanttoattend.

Allow Interaction
KeepyourEventasopenaspossible.Onewaytodothisistoallowyourinviteestoinviteotherpeople. ThisopensupyourEventtoamuchlargernetwork.Allowallyourinviteestopostvideos,links,and photosoftheEvent.Youcanusethisstrategytodriveinterestleadinguptothebignightandtograb contentforyourPageafterward,whenattendeesarelikelytopostphotostheytookattheEvent. EncourageconversationamonginviteesbykeepingtheWallopentoallowdiscussion.Dontforgetto participateyourself!

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Figure 5-3. To break through the clutter of random Facebook Events, be sure to upload an image, check for proper grammar, and include lots of keywords.
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Breaking Through the Clutter


AlotofpeopleuseEventsforthingslikelostphonesandsillysurveys(Figure5-3),socorrectsetupis keytoFacebookEventsuccess.Eventsareveryeasytospreadbecauseotherpeoplecanpassthem onandinvitepeoplefromoutsidetheoriginalcreatorsnetwork.Thiseasytransferalsomeans,however,thatusersmaybeexposedtomanyEventmessagesonadailybasis. BecausemostusershavecaughtontohoweasyitistocreateanEvent,youllhavetomakeyoursbetterthanallthosepeskyphone-numberrequests.Luckily,mostofthesethrowawayEventsareriddled withtyposandnothardtooutdo.HereareafewtipstobreakthroughtheEventclutter: Upload an image. ThefirstgiveawaythatanEventislikelytobeabustistheblankcalendargraphic,theEventequivalentofthequestionmarkProfilepicture.Uploadaninvitingimage,andyourealreadyaheadofthe game. Fill out all fields. AccuratelydescribeyourEvent.Thiswillhelpwithsearchresults,whilealsodemonstratingthat thereisvaluetoattendingyourEvent. Respond to invitees. Activelyparticipatinginpre-andpost-eventdiscussionswillhelpkeeppeopleexcitedandincrease thechancesoftheirattending.

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Figure 5-4. Because Facebook limits the number of Event invitations you can send, its often easier to send a mass update to all Page members with a link to the Event and let them add themselves to the guest list.
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Sending Invites
NowthatyouvecreatedyourEventonFacebook,heresthe(slight)catch.Asamarketer,youshould beusingaPagetotalktoyourfansonFacebook,butaPagecantinvitepeopletoanEvent.Onlya personalProfilehasthatcapability. Youhaveafewoptionshere.OnewouldbetobreaktheFacebookTermsofServiceandcreatea FacebookProfileforyourbrandaswell.Notonlyisthatnotagreatidea,butyoullalsowastealotof timeandenergy.AbettersolutionistouseyourownProfiletopersonallyinvitesomefriendsyouthink mightbeinterestedintheEvent.Startsmallandencouragethemtoinvitetheirfriends.Youcanalsouse youremaillisttoinvitepeopletoanEvent.Thiscanbetricky,asyoucaninviteonly100peopleinone inviteblast,andFacebookallowsonly300pendinginvitationsatanygiventime.Still,youremaillistcan beagreatwaytoseedtheEventwithsomeofyourmajorsupporters. Thegoodnewsisthat,althoughyoucaninviteonly100peopleatatime,anunlimitednumberofpeople canRSVPtoanEvent.SoyoucancreateapostonyourFacebookPagewithalinktotheEventor sendamassupdatetoPagemembers(Figure5-4).AslongasyoukeeptheEventopenandpublic, memberscansimplyaddthemselvestotheguestlist.

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Figure 5-5. A local restaurant uses Facebook Events to promote special dinners, while international clothing retailer Gap advertises its in-store and online sales.
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Integrating with a page


BecausemostofyourFacebookmarketingwillhappendirectlyonyourbrandsPage,youllwantto incorporateEventsasmuchaspossible.ThishelpsincreaseattendanceandEventsuccess,whilealso showingPagemembersthatyouarecommittedtobuildingabetterFacebookexperienceforthem. Remember,youwanttocontinuallygivethemreasonstointeractwiththePage. Use the event tab. WhenyoucreatetheEvent,makesureyoudosofromyourbrandPageandnotyourpersonal account.Youneedtopostupdatesasthebrand,notyourself.Youalsowanttomakesurethatthe Eventtabisprominentlydisplayed(Figure5-5).Ifyoudontseeit,checkthehiddentabsbehindthe arrowsontherightofthePage.FromhereyoucandragEventstoanewpositioninthetabs. post the event link on your Wall. IncludealittleteasetotheEvent,andinviteyourfriendstovisittheuniqueEventURLtoaddthemselvestotheguestlist.PromotetheEventperiodicallyoverthedaysorweeksleadinguptothebig day,makingsuretovarythelanguageyouuseandthetimeofdayyoupostinordertomaximize visibilityandexcitementwhileminimizingfatigue. Send an update to page members. Updatesareoftenoverlooked(theyaresomewhathiddenasasubsetofinboxmessages),butyou shouldsendoneoutwithanEventlink,muchliketheWallpost.Itdoesnthurttomessagepeople indifferentplaces.

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Figure 5-6. A well-designed Facebook Event that was used to announce a virtual live-chat event.
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promoting Your event


SettingupyourEventcorrectlyincludingkeywords,images,andopeninvitesettingswillgoalong waytowardorganicallygainingsomeattendees(Figure5-6).WhileintegratingtheEventwithyourPage willpromoteittoyourcurrentaudience,promotingyourEventoutsideFacebookcanhelpyouattract newPagemembersandpotentialcustomers.Herearesomeideas. Send an email blast. Yes,thisisstillyourcurrentcustomerbase,buttheymaynotallbeFacebookPagemembers. EmailinganEventgivesthemyetanotherreasontoclickLikeforyourPage,whilealsoproviding themwithapieceofcontentthatiseasytoforwardtotheirfriends. Tweet about it. SometimesTwitterandFacebookdontplaynicelywitheachother,butinthiscase,itsOKtopromoteaFacebookfeatureonTwitter.Facebookisreallyjustyourlandingpage.Tweetalinktothe Event(besuretouseaURLshortener)andencouragepeopletoretweetandinvitetheirfriends. Link it from your site. IfyouregoingtohostalotofEvents,youshouldintegratethoseannouncementssomehow. AddapagetoyourwebsitejustforEvents,anddirectsitevisitorstoFacebooktosignupforthe FacebookEventthere.Thisway,youwontendupwithtwoguestlistsorrequireuserstosignup foraseparatesitetoRSVP.

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Figure 5-7. A fashion-focused PR firm always makes sure to take photos at an event and upload them to clearly labeled Facebook albums. The popular social media blog Mashable does the same at its real-life events.
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event Follow-Up
AttheEvent,youllgetachancetomeetsomefansofyourbrand.Afteritsover,youshouldhavesome greatcontentandstoriestosharewiththem.PostthiscontenttoyourEventpagesothatattendees canseetheirphotos,andpeoplewhocouldntattendthistimecanseewhattheymissed.Afewsimple uploadswillkeepthemengagedwithyourbrandandalsohelpyouimmediatelybeginbuildingexcitementforthenextEvent. post photos and video. UploadanymediayougatheredattheEventtobothyourbrandPageandtheuniqueEventPage. MakesureeveryEventhasitsownphotoalbum,video,orbothonyourbrandPage,andclearly labelandexplaintheEvent(Figure5-7).YoucanalsolinktotheFacebookEventPage.Adding photoscreatessocialproofandtellspeopleyourEventsarefunandworthgoingto.Italsokeeps attendeesengagedastheytrytotagthemselvesinphotosandsharewithfriends. Send a thank-you note. SaythanksforattendingintheformofbothastatusupdateonyourPageandamassupdateto Pagemembers.Itsanicetouchandacourtesythatstillappliesinthedigitalage.Youcanalso linktothephotosfromyourEventandencourageattendeestotagphotosandcommentontheir favoritepartofthenight. Use what you got. UsethephotosandcommentsfromoneEventwhenyouplanthenextone.Includementionsof thelasttimesoattendeesrememberhowmuchfuntheyhadandtoenticenewcomerstogetin ontheaction.

107

Figure 5-8. The Starbucks Frappuccino Happy Hour was a widely promoted nationwide event that included a public Facebook Event component.
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Summary
TheeaseofEventsetupcreatesalotofspammyorpoorlywrittenFacebookEvents.Youcanbreak throughtheclutterwithproperpunctuationandgrammar,informativeEventinformation,andaneyecatchingimage.Also,keepyoursettingpublicformaximumEventvisibility(Figure5-8). ToensureyourEventisasuccessinreallifeandonFacebookuseyourothermarketingchannels inconjunctionwithit.MakethemostofthissimpleandfreeFacebooktool.PromotetheEventtoyour emaillistandonyourFacebookPage.DontjustexpectpeopletofindtheEventandinvitetheirfriends. Makesuretheyknowwhatsgoingon,whenitshappening,andthatyouwantthemtobringfriends.

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ChApTeR 6

Facebook Application Basics


Severalyearsago,Facebookreleasedaplatformthatalloweddeveloperstocreateapplicationsto leveragethesitesfeaturesandthesocialinformationofitsusers.Whenauserinstallsoraddsyour application,theappcandisplaycontentonhisProfile,aswellasgainlimitedaccesstohisinformation. Formarketers,applicationspresentanopportunitytocreateengaging,brandedexperiencesthatare inherentlysocial. Thischapterdetailswhatyouneedtoknowtobrainstormanideaforagreatapplication,aswellashow toplanforitsdevelopment.Tobuildanapplication,ofcourse,youllneeddevelopmentresources.You couldtaskaprogrammeratyourcompany,hireone,orlearnhowtocodeyourself.Anycompetent developercanlearntoworkwiththeFacebookAPI,butitisnotwithinthescopeofthisbooktoteach youtoprogram.

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Figure 6-1. When users install your application, the application asks them for permission to access pieces of their personal information.
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Create Inherently Social Applications


Makeitgoviral!Youveheardthecommand,butwhatdoesitreallymean?Confusionaboutsocial andviralmarketingisfrustratinglycommon.Viralisanoutcome;itistheresultofthesuccessfulrelease ofacontagiouscampaign.Contagiousnessisnotsomethingthatcanbetackedonasanafterthought, buttheapplicationswiththegreatestchanceofgoing viraltendtobetheonesthatareinherentlysocial. Whileitcanbeajarringexperiencewhenanapplicationabruptlyasksausertoinviteothers(Figure6-1), thevalueorenjoymentausergetsfromatrulysocialapplicationoftencomesdirectlyfromherinteractionwithotherpeoplewithintheapp.

Improve existing Social Behaviors


Facebookitselfhasbeendescribedasasocialutility,ratherthanasocialnetwork,inthatitisnota collectionofpeoplewhointeract,butacollectionoftoolsthatallowpeopletointeractwiththeirexisting socialnetworks.Formany,Facebookisnotaplacetomeetnewpeople;itisaplacetoconnectand communicatewiththosetheyalreadyknow.Userswereinteractingwiththeirsocialcirclelongbefore Facebookexisted,andmanyinteractionsstillhappenoffline.Facebookisatoolthatmakesiteasierto connectwithpeopleoverlongdistancesoraboutspecificactivitiesorpiecesofcontent(likethephotos ofthepartywealljustattended).

113

Figure 6-2. Flowers for Mothers Day is a great example of an application that enhances existing social behavior.
114

Oneoftheeasiestwaystodesignaninherentlysocialapplicationistoidentifypre-existingsocialbehaviorandmakeitbetter.Auserismuchmorelikelytouseyourapplicationtosendcongratulationstoa collegegraduatethaninanentirelynewkindofsocialinteraction.Thelatterisentirelypossibleitsjust muchharderfromamotivationandmarketingpointofview.Infact,oneofthemostpopularapplicationsonFacebookallowsuserstosendoneanotherbirthdaygreetings,anactivityasoldasbirthitself. Knowingyourtargetaudiencecanhelpimmenselywiththis.Forinstance,ifyouretargetingmothers, youcouldcreateanapplicationthatallowstheirchildrentosendthemvirtualflowersonMothersDay (Figure6-2).Or,ifyouwanttoreachnewparents,youmightbuildanItsaBoy/Girlapplication.Even alimitedamountofresearchorknowledgeaboutyourprospectiveusersshouldallowyoutocreatea listofpopular,pre-existingsocialinteractionstheyhaveonFacebook.Onceyouvegotalistofthose actions,decidewhichfitbestwithyourbrandstrategy.Acleaningproductscompanywoulddowell tobuildaparty-relatedapplicationwithareminderthattheycanhelpcleanupthenextmorning.Ifyou haveanemaillistofcustomers,asimplesurveyaskingthemwhattheycurrentlydoonFacebookisa quickandeasywaytogetatonofgreatideas. Rememberthatnoonewantstosocializeaboutsomethingtheyperceiveasboring(nomatterhowfascinatingyoumayfindlifeinsurance).Theywanttosocializearoundthemselvesandtheirfriends.Work hardtopositionyourbrandastheonethathelpsthemdothatbetter.

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Figure 6-3. Vampires is a successful application that learned from previous successes on Facebook, including Zombies.
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Learn from Success


Stretchingtheviralmarketingmetaphor,youmightthinkofcontagiousFacebookapplicationsasactual, livingorganisms.Ifyouwishedtocreateanewdogwithacertainsetofcharacteristics,youwould selectparentswiththosetraitsandbreedthem.Similarly,youcanborrowfeaturesandideasfromsuccessfulapplicationsalreadyspreadinginthewildandblendthemintosomethingnew. Insomeindustriesandniches,youllhaveoneormoredirectcompetitorsbuildingapplicationson Facebook.Inmost,youwonthavethisluxury.Ratherthanlookforcompetitorswhoaresellingproductssimilartoyours,lookforcompaniesandapplicationswhoaretargetingthesameaudiencesyou are.In2007and2008,oneofthemostpopularFacebookapplicationswasthevirulentVampiresgame inwhichplayersbittheirfriendstoturnthemintovampiresandgainpoints(Figure6-3).Ratherthan riskapotentiallyunsuccessfulnewidea,SonyPicturesrebrandedtheapplicationtopromotetheirvampiremovie30 Days of Night.Whatifyouneededtopromoteazombiemovie?Youmighttrycreatinga similarzombieapplication(afewalreadyexist)withyourownbrandedtwist.

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Figure 6-4. Scrabble was successfully and popularly translated from its offline incarnation into a Facebook application.
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Approachthisborrowingtacticwithsomecaution;youdontwanttobeseenasmerelycopyingsomeoneelsesapplication.Thekeyistoinjectyourbrandsownspecialspinintotheborrowedconcept. Awindpowercompany,forexample,couldmakeawind-farmingversionofthemostpopularappon Facebookatthemoment:FarmVille.Manypopularremixversionsofthisgamealreadyexistandare gainingusersdaily;checkouthowPetVille,FishVille,andYoVillebuiltdifferentlyonthesameidea. Youcanalsolooktosuccessfulapplications(especiallygames)outsideofFacebookforinspiration.One ofthemostpopularapplicationseverdevelopedforFacebookwasbasedontheboardgameScrabble (Figure6-4).DontinfringeonamajorbrandstrademarkasthemakersofScrabulousdid(andwere eventuallysuedfor),butpopularcardgames,nonproprietaryboardgames,andschoolyardsportsareall fairgame.Forexample,ZyngasTexasHoldempokerisanextremelypopularapplication(Figure6-5).

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Figure 6-5. Poker is a social game and the developers of this application built in several touch points where players are encouraged to include their friends.
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Clarity, Simplicity, and Speed to engagement


RememberthatyourtargetusersareprobablyalreadyfamiliarwithusingFacebooktosocializeand arentsuperinterestedinlearningatonofnewbehaviors.Youshouldstrivetomakeyourapplicationas intuitiveaspossible.OneofthemostpopularFacebookapplicationsofalltimeisSuperWall,whichsimplyenhancedtheexistingWallbackbeforeFacebookitselfintegratedarangeofnewfeatures.People alreadyunderstoodtheconceptofaWallandsotherewasverylittledelayfromthetimetheyinstalled theapplicationtothetimetheywereusingandenjoyingit. Thinkofyourapplicationintermsoffrictionandinertia.Frictionistheamountoftimeinvestment,hassle, andcommitmentauserfaceswhenusinganapplication,andinertiaisthemovitationthatuserhasto pushthroughthefriction.IfyourapplicationisthebestthingtohappentoFacebooksinceFarmVille, andeveryoneknowsthistobetrue,potentialuserswillhaveenoughmotivationtodealwithafairlyhigh leveloffriction.Ontheotherhand,iftheyveneverheardofyouoryourapplication,ithadbetterbe prettyeasytosetupandgetvaluefrom.Worktoreducefrictionandincreaseinertia.

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Figure 6-6. Users of your Facebook application can be incentivized to invite their friends to add your application, too.
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Integrate with Viral Facebook Features


Facebookisasocialnetwork,andassuchitcontainsawiderangeofpotentiallycontagiousfeatures. Userscaninviteoneanothertoapplications,suggestPages,sendmessages,andtagpeople.Mostof theseactionstriggerFacebooktosendmessagestothetargetuserinforminghimofhisfriendsactions (Figure6-6).Userscanalsopostupdatestotheirfeed,whichisdisplayedonalloftheirfriendshome pages.Besureyourapplicationcorrectlyutilizestheseviralfeatures. Giveusersreasonstoinvitetheirfriends,butbecarefulnottodemandorforceuserstodothis.Build inareasonforyourapplicationtoposttousersfeeds.MafiaWarsplayersgetpointswhentheybuild theircrimefamiliesbyinvitingtheirfriendstojointhegame,andithasbecomeoneofthetop20most popularapps. Dontfallintothetrapofthinkingthatyoucanjustslaptheseviralmechanismsontoanappafterits beenbuilt.Forbestresults,thesemechanismsshouldbedeeplyintegratedandpartofthefundamentalreasonforusingyourapp.DontdesignaFacebookapplicationthatfunctionsinasocialvaccuum. Buildsomethingwheretheentirepointistointeractwithotherpeopleandspreadtheapp.

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Figure 6-7. Your application can display content on users profiles.


124

parts of Your Application


AnapplicationhasessentiallythreepartsorplacesonFacebookwhereyoucaninteractwithusers:the canvasPage,Profileboxes(Figure6-7),andyourfanPage.ThefanPageisanormalPagededicated toyourapp,andthefunctionalitythereisthesameasanyotherPage.ThecanvasPageisthecentral placewhereuserswilluseyourapp.ProfileboxesaresectionsofyourusersProfileswhereyoucan displaysomecontentandfunctionality.

Development
Afteryouvecomeupwithanawesomeideaforyourapp,drawoutexactlyhowuserswillinteractwith it.Dontworryifyoudontthinkyoucandraw;infact,theworseyouareatmakingprettypictures,the betteroffyoullbewhencreatingmockups.Useapenandpaper(markersworkgreatforthissincethey forceyoutoforgetthedetailsandfocusontheoverarchingstructures)oradigitaltoolsuchasBalsamiq Mockups,AdobePhotoshop,orevenMicrosoftPowerPoint.Blockoutthemostimportantfeaturesand useractionsandgetthismockupinfrontofpotentialusersasearlyasyoucan.Evenwithoutafunctioningprototype,youllbesurprisedathowmanygreatinsightsyoullget.Drawthesefastanddontget tooattachedtoanyindividualversionyoushouldntbeafraidtothrowthemoutandstartover.

125

Figure 6-8. The development of a Facebook application should be an iterative, cyclical process.
126

Asmentionedearlier,youprobablywontbedevelopingtheapplicationyourself.Whenyourefairly comfortablewithyourroughmockups,starttalkingtoyourdevelopers:theyllgiveyouideasabouthow easyordifficultspecificpartsofyourappwillbetodevelopandmaintain.Youshouldalsostartworking withyourdesigneratthisstage,ifyouhaveoneseparatefromyourdevelopmentresources.Ifyouhave theresources,itsalsoagoodideatohireadedicateduserexperienceandinteractionexpert. Facebookisafluidenvironment,andyoullbelearningasyoubuildandlaunchyourapplication,soplan todevelopiniterations(Figure6-8).Forgetperfectionism;getaminimallyfunctioningapplicationup andrunningassoonaspossibleandkeepworkingtoimproveit.Thebestdevelopmentmethodology forprojectslikethisisavariantofagile development,asubjectonwhichyoucanfindanynumberof websitesorbooks.

127

Figure 6-9. Your Facebook application has several places (including its Page) where youll need to create attractive art and copy to convince users to install it.
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Art and Copy


Beforeyoulaunchthefirstversionofyourapplication,youllneedtocraftsomeimagesandtext (Figure6-9).Thetextwillbemostlyshortormicrocopycontent,includingyourapplicationsname,a description,andanyinstructionsyouruserswillneedtouseyourapp.Youllalsoneedtocreatean icon.Spendsometimeandmakeitgood:iconsconvinceuserstoinstallanduseyourapplication.Think oftheminthesameiterativewaysasyourdevelopmenteffortsandstrivetoconstantlyimprovethem.

Launching and promoting Your Application


Whenthefirstusableversionofyourapplicationiscomplete,youllwanttostartintroducingittopotentialusers.IfyouhaveanexistingFacebookcommunity,likeaPage,thosePagemembersareperfect initialusers.PosttheapptoyourWall.YourTwitteraccount,blog,ornewsletterarealsogreatwaysto soft-launchyourapplicationtouserswhoalreadyhaveanaffinityforyourbrand.Listencloselyfortheir feedbackanduseittoinformthenextdevelopmentiterationsyoumake.

129

Figure 6-10. This is the screen youll see when you add your Facebook application to Facebooks Application Directory.
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Whenyourapplicationreachesatleast5totalusersor10monthlyactiveusers,youshouldsubmitit toFacebooksApplicationDirectory.ThelinkyoullneedisonyourapplicationssettingsPage(Figure 6-10).Inadditiontotherequired250-characterdescription,youcanoptionallyuploada75-pixel-square logo.Takeadvantageofbothoftheseopportunities.Describeyourapplicationusingkeywordspeople arelikelytosearchforandprovideanenticingscreenshotasyourapplicationslogo. Ifyoudesignedyourapplicationtobeinherentlysocial,yoursoftlaunchwillformaseedofuserswho willbeginsharingitwiththeirfriends.Inaperfectworld,youllhavedonesuchagoodjobthatthisseed isallthepromotiontheappneedstostartspreadinglikewildfire.Ifthatsnotthecase,dontworry. Rememberthatyoureworkingiterativelyandyoullbeconstantlymakingimprovements.Thereare severalpaidoptionsforpromotingyourapplication,theeasiestofwhichistouseFacebooksbuilt-in advertisingsystem(checkoutChapter11formoreinformationonads).Youcanalsobuyadspacefrom oneoftheFacebookapplicationadvertisingnetworks,butitisgenerallyagoodideatostartwiththe built-inFacebookads.

131

Summary
ThemostimportantelementofdesigningaFacebookapplicationistobuildsocialactivitydirectlyinto thefabricoftheapplication.Dontaddonsharingfunctionalityasanafterthought.Figureoutwhatexisting socialbehaviorsyourtargetusersareperformingonFacebook,anduseyourapplicationtofacilitatethem. Minimizethetimeittakesausertogetvalueoutofyourapplication.Reduce,simplify,andclarifyyour applicationsothattheexperienceofusingitisasintuitiveaspossible,andmakesurepeoplearebeing socialwithyourapplication. Facebookapplicationdevelopmentisanongoingprocess,andyoushouldstrivefortheiterativedevelopmentgoalsofrelease earlyandrelease often.Thinkaboutyourapplicationasaconstantlyimproving workinprogress.

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ChApTeR 7

Customizing Your Facebook page


WithsomanyotherbrandstocompetewithonFacebook,itscrucialthatyoucustomizeyourFacebook Page.Yourbestbetformakingyourcontentstandoutandgetsharedistocustomizeeveryaspectof yourPagefromyournameandURLtothespecificlandingtabfornewvisitorsrightuptoeverylast statusupdatethatcurrentPagemembersseeintheirnewsfeeds. Facebookisnotassimpletocustomizeasyourownsite,butyoucandoalotevenwhenplayingbyits rules.ManyotherbrandsarenottakingfulladvantageofthefreetoolsandFacebook-providedfunctionalityavailabletothem,soalittleextraeffortonyourpartcangoalongway.BecauseFacebookis alwayschangingtheexacttoolsandmethodsofcustomization,thischapterexploresstrategiestomake yourPagestandoutfromtherestandbecomeafavoritedestinationforfanswithoutrelyingonspecific functionality.

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Figure 7-1. Longer Facebook icons provide more real estate to customize your Page on the Wall and Info tab. Fashion brands have made good use of this trick.
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page Icon
ThePageiconisthefirstthingcurrentPagemembersseeeverytimetheycometoyourPage.Its thumbnailimageisalsohowyouwillberepresentedintheFacebookNewsfeed,wheremanyother Pagesandfriendsarealsoclamoringforattention.YourPageiconmuststandoutbutalsoclearlyrepresentyourbrandandbeeasilydistinguishableinthefast-pacedenvironmentoftheNewsfeed. APageiconismostoftenacompanylogoorsomevariationofit.Theperfectsizeis200pixelssquare, whichshrinksexactlyintothethumbnailwithoutcropping.Youcanalsoexperimentwithanelongated iconthatis600pixelshighby200pixelswide.Inthiscase,athirdofyouricon(200pixelssquare) shouldbesomethingthatcanserveasthethumbnail,andyoucanspecifyhowFacebookcropsthe icon.MaintainingaconnectionbetweenthePageiconandNewsfeedthumbnailwillhelpyouincrease interaction,engagement,andclick-throughs;Pagememberswillimmediatelyrecognizeyourbrandin theNewsfeedandrespondtoyourcontent. BecausethePageiconissuchanimportantrepresentationofyourbrandandofyourPage,youshould takefulladvantageofthespaceFacebookallows.AlongerPageicongivesyoumorerealestateto revampyourPageslookrightontheWalltab,whileaconsistentlogoareawithintheiconpreventsconfusionintheNewsfeed.Manyfashionbrands(Figure7-1)useastaticlogoandtimelyredesignsofthe restoftheicontoshowcasenewlooks.

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Figure 7-2. A simple custom tab layout helps direct visitors to your site or other parts of Facebook. Keep the look in line with your brand.
136

Designing Assets and Media


YourPageiconnowmakesagoodfirstimpression,butdontstopthere.Takeadvantageofoneof thebiggesttoolsforcustomization:Facebooktabs.DisplaytabshostcustomcontentusingFacebook MarkupLanguage(FBML),andarepurelyinformational.Custom applications tabsofferinteractivity throughmediaplayers,forms,quizzes,andgames. Facebooksdownsizingoftabwidthsto520pixelsmadealotofPageadminsnervous,butitstillleaves plentyofspacetogetyourmessageacross.Hireadesignerordevotein-houseresourcestodeveloping afewcustomFacebooktabs.Atthiswriting,tabsarecreatedusingFBML,butFacebookhasindicated itmightshifttoiframessoon.Eitherway,youllneedalittlebitofcodingabilitytogetyourPageupand running,butnothingtoostrenuousfordisplaytabs. IfyouplantopushthelimitsofFacebookcustomization,youmayneedtohiresomeonetobuildacustomapplicationthatrunsyourtab.Thisisdifferentfromauser-facingapplicationlikeagame;thisapp simplyprovidesadditionalinteractivefunctionality(Figure7-2)onthetab. Althoughacustomapplicationtabmaylookcool,itsalsoalotmorework,especiallyasFacebook changesguidelinesforPages.IfyourejuststartingoutinFacebookmarketing,sticktoasimplertab initiallyandconsideramorecustomsolutionasanoptionfordowntheroadonceyouseehowyour Pageperforms.

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Figure 7-3. Your posts are what most Page members will see on a daily basis. Give them some personality and include photos and links, like ideeli does here.
138

Content
Chapter8delvesintocontentoptimizationanddevelopmentthoroughly,butthetopicbearsmentioning hereaswell.Addingandupdatingcontent,bothinstatictabsandasstatusupdates(Figure7-3),isone oftheeasiestwaystocustomizeyourPageandhelpitstandoutfromthepack. Thinkaboutyourbrandandyourbusiness.Doesithaveavoice?Maybeitsaseriousoldersisterwith lotsofwiseinformationtoimpart.Oritcouldbethewise-crackingsidekickwhosalwaysreadywitha laugh.YourbrandhasatoneapersonalityandFacebookisagreatplacetoputthatpersonalityto use. ContentisthemostmalleablepieceofaFacebookPage,soyoushouldreallymakeitcount.Nomatter whatyouareofferingonyourPageorthetoneyouwantittotake,contentcustomizationiskey.Find someonewhocanwritewell,andnotjustinlengthyemailsandwebpages.Ittakesaspecialfinesseto makeaFacebookupdateinteresting,informative,andnoticeableinjust50wordsorless. Ifyouveinvestedinafewgeneralorall-purposeFacebooktabswithroomforstaticcontent,youcan swapoutthistextandkeepyourPagefreshwithoutgoingtothetroubleofafullredesign.Thiswillhelp youcustomizeyourtabsandyourPagewheneveryouneedto,evenifyoudonthaveafullsuiteof designresourcesatyourfingertips.

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Figure 7-4. T.J. Maxx asks Page members to submit their best fashion finds for community voting on Friday. The winner gets featured on the Page, and T.J. Maxx gets a lot of Page interaction.
140

Branded patterns and Days


Ideally,youshouldbepostingnewcontenteverydayonyourPage.Statusupdatesaretheeasiestway tocustomizeandbrandyourPage.Pagemembersmayseethemintheirnewsfeedsorbyclickingto visityouractualPage.Eachpostisasimple,quickwaytocustomizeyourPagethroughcontent. TobringevenmorepersonalitytoyourPage,establishpatternsandthemesforeachday.Theseoverarchingtopicsallowforflexibilityinspecificcontent,whilealsosettingexpectationsforPagemembers. Itgivesthemsomethingtolookforwardto,withoutgivingtheentirepostaway.Itwillalsohelpthem veryquicklyrecognizeyourpostsintheirnewsfeeds. Youmayhaveseentheuser-generatedincarnationofthisonTwitterwithFollowFriday.Manybrands havecaughtonandfoundgreatsuccesswiththeideaontheirFacebookPages(Figure7-4).Themes canbeveryovertandconsumerfacingormoresubtle.Forexample,FanFridaymighthighlightan activePagemember,whileTriviaTuesdayoffersfunfactsaboutyourbrandorindustry.Youcouldalso tryusingthethemetoguideyourcontentcreation.PerhapsThursdayisalwaysthedayyougiveout tips,andWednesdayisforcontests.Ofcourse,youdontneedtonameeverypromotionaspartofWin ItWednesday,andtheactualtermsandprizescanchange.Eitherway,themescanmakedeveloping contentmucheasierandhelpyourPagememberschoosetheirfavoritedaystocheckyourPage.

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Figure 7-5. Britney Spears often posts sneak peeks of photos and other media or news first on her Facebook Page.
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exclusive Stuff
YouwantpeopletovisityourFacebookPageand,ultimately,tovisityourwebsiteorphysicallocation topurchaseyourproductorservice.Unlesstheyrealreadycustomers,however,youcantjumpinwith thehardsell.YouneedtoconvinceFacebookuserstoclickLikeforyourPageandthentokeepcoming back. CustomizingyourPagedesignandcontentwilldrawinnewvisitors,butofferingexclusivecontent (Figure7-5)willkeepthemcomingback.Thisisalsooneofthebestwaystostandapartfromyour competitors,whoeithercantorwontofferwhatyoudo. Thinkaboutwhatyourcurrentcustomerslike.Discountsandsecretsalesareaneasyopportunityfor retailPages,butdontbeafraidtothinkoutsidethebox.CouldyougiveawayaspecialgifttoFacebook Pagemembersonly?Orofferanoff-menuentreetheyneedasecretpasswordtoorderatyour restaurant? Itmaysoundalittlecheesy,butpeoplelovetofeelspecial.Exclusivityfeedsthatfeelingandisalsoa verysimplewaytocustomizeyourPage.Yourexclusivedealcouldchangeeveryweekorrotateonce everyfewmonths.Hideitonacustomtabthatrequireslikingtoview,andthenpromoteitsporadically throughstatusupdates.Mostimportantly,makesureitspeakstoyourbrandandyourPageandoffers somethingnooneelsecan.

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Figure 7-6. The New York Times uses Involver to power a simple yet effective custom tab on its Facebook Page.
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Custom Tabs
FacebookhastriedveryhardtostayawayfromtheoverlycustomizableoptionsthatMySpaceoffers, butitdoesallowyoutocreateyourowncustomtabs.Tabsarecurrentlyrestrictedto520pixelswide andcannotcontainautoplaycontent;anyinteractivefunctionalitymustbeclick-to-engage.Although youareconstrainedtocustomizingjustafewtabs,youcandoquiteabitinthatlimitedarea. Ifyoudonthavemuchcodingexperienceortheresourcestohiresomeonewhodoes,startwitha basictabwithafewstaticimagesandtext.Manyfreeapplicationsprovidethebasicshellofataband enableyoutocustomizewithinit.StaticFBMListhemostpopularofthese,butasmentionedpreviously Facebookhasindicatedthatitmightmovetowardiframesinthefuture,sokeepthatinmind. Otherappshelpyoucreateatabbyrepurposingexistingcontent.SocialRSSisgreatforpullingina blogorotherRSSchannel.Theappcreatesatabthatrequiresyoutoenteronlyalittleintrotext,a headline,andanRSSfeed.Involver,apaidservice,alsooffersasuiteofFacebooktabtoolsthatrequire littletonocodingability(Figure7-6). Ofcourse,ifyouwantafullycustomizedtab,youcanbuildyourownapplicationtorunthetabsonyour Pageandhavetotalcontroloverthecontentdisplayandfunctionality.Thismayneedtobeoutsourced, asitrequiresdesignanddevelopmentknowledge.

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Figure 7-7. Starbucks created a simple member benefits application that lets you earn rewards at its stores, without having to leave Facebook to sign up on its website.
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User Applications
BuildinganapplicationtofullycustomizeyourPagetabsisgreatforyou.Butyoucanalsobuilda morefunctionalandengagingtabthatuserswillenjoy(Figure7-7).Creatinganapplicationthatisfun butrelevanttoyourbusinesscanbechallenging,butonceyouhaveanidea,itcanbeagreatwayto marketyourcompanyonFacebook. Applicationsdesignedforusersneedtobefun.Often,theyaredownrightsilly.Manypeopleuse Facebooktokilltime,sogamesandtriviaappsarepopular.LookatFarmVille,MafiaWars,orBrain Buddiesforinspirationonwhatyoucouldaddtoyourtabs.PhotosarealsoabigpartofFacebook,so applicationsthatallowyoutodesignordecoratephotosareusuallyahit.AppslikeFunnyPhotoWidget andPictureFramedisplayalbumsincool,uniqueways.Theyalsogetalotoftractionbecausepeople enjoypostingphotostotheirWallsandnewsfeeds,promotingtheappforfree. Attheheartofitall,Facebookisaboutpeoplesuniquelikesandinterests,asrepresentedbytheir Profiles.ApplicationsthatcapitalizeontheoftennarcissistictendenciesoffrequentFacebookusers,and createanexperiencetailoredtothem,workwell.DiscoveryChannelsSharkWeekappmadeaminimemorialoutofinformationpulledfromausersProfile,asdidaCSIcrimesceneapplication. Whetheritsphotos,games,orpersonalexperiences,alltheseappshaveonethingincommon:they aremadefortheusers,notthebrands.Thatmakesthemfuntouseandquicktospread,whichinturn helpsthebrand.

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Figure 7-8. Facebooks own Page about Pages demonstrates how to customize your content without a lot of fuss.
148

Summary
SomesaythatFacebooksrulesforusersaretoorigid,inparticularthoseforbrandsmanagingPages. Whilethesitedoesimposesomerestrictions,Facebookactuallyoffersmarketersawealthofpossible opportunitiesforcustomizationandinteractionwithfans(Figure7-8).Youmaynotalwayshavethe freedomyoudesire,butFacebooksdecisionsarebasedoncarefulscrutinyofhowusersnavigateand interactwiththesiteandwillhelpyoureachyourgoals. Youdonthavetocompetewithallofthebigbrands,justknowthattheyarethere.Takecuesfromwhat theydoandfindwaystomakethosethingsworkforyou.Keepontopofthelatesttrendsandupdates onthesite,andneverstoplisteningtoyourPagemembers.Theyarethemostvaluableassetyouhave andwillletyouknowhowandwhereyoucanbettercustomizeyourPagetomeettheirneeds.

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ChApTeR 8

Developing a Facebook Content Strategy


GiventherestrictionsFacebookplacesonPagedesign,contentistheeasiestandoftenmost effectivewaytodifferentiateyourselffromcompetitors.Facebookspowerliesinitshugenumber ofusers,butthisalsocreatesahighvolumeofposts.Toreachthesepotentialcustomersorbrand enthusiasts,yourcontentmuststandapartfromtherest.BecausecontentisacorepieceofasuccessfulFacebookmarketingcampaign,thischapterexploreswaysyoucancreateandoptimizeitfor Pagemembers,whileatthesametimeimprovingyourplacementinbothFacebookandnaturalweb searches.

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Figure 8-1. There are 900 million people, places, and things that a user can interact with on Facebook. More than 30 billion pieces of content are shared across the site each month. (Graphic by The Blog Herald.)
152

Competing with Other Content on Facebook


TheaverageFacebookuserhas130friendsandisconnectedto80communityPages,Groups,and Events.Yetthisisonlyafractionofthe900millionpeople,places,andthingsthathecouldinteractwith onFacebook(Figure8-1).Consideringthemorethan30billionpiecesofcontentbeingsharedacross thesiteeach month,youcanunderstandclearlywhycontentisakeyfactorinyourFacebookmarketing strategy.Obviously,theresalotthattheaverageuserisseeingonadailybasis.Butthisaverageuser alsocreatesabout90piecesofcontenteverymonthpostinglinkstonewsstoriesorblogposts,writingnotes,uploadingtophotoalbums,creatingEvents,writingonfriendsWalls,andmore. SinceFacebookimposessomanydesignrestrictions,contentisthebestwaytomarketyourselfto potentialPagemembers(andfuturecustomers),aswellastokeepcurrentPagemembersandcustomersengagedandentertained.Ontheotherhand,youmustalsocombatthefatiguemanyusersfeelat seeinganever-endingstreamoftheirfriendslunchorders,randomthoughts,andrecentlikes.

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Figure 8-2. A typical newsfeed is cluttered with content from Facebook Pages, friends, and applications. A content strategy can help bring order to your posts.
154

Develop a Content Strategy


Awell-thought-outcontentstrategyistheonlywaytoapproachFacebookmarketingandnotdrive yourself(andPagemembers)crazy.Itstemptingtojustpostwhateverstrikesyouthatday,butthiscan quicklybecomeoverwhelming,especiallywhenyouarecompetingforattentioninacrowdednewsfeed (Figure8-2).AcontentstrategywillhelpyourefineyourgoalsforFacebook.Thesegoalswilldrivethe frequencyofposts,aswellastheirtopicsortypesofcontent.

establish Goals
WhatdoyouwanttodoonFacebook?Areyoutryingtoengagepeoplewhocurrentlypreferand useyourbrand?ToattractnewPagememberswhoalreadyuseyourservicebutdontknowyoure onFacebook?Tosellyourproductorgenerateleads?Chancesarethatyousaidyestoallofthese, buttheyarefourdifferentgoalsthatworkverydifferentlyonFacebookthanelsewhereontheWeb. Facebookisasocialnetwork,andwhilesomepeoplewillbereceptivetosalespitches,themajorityare theretotalktofriendsandconnectwithbrandstheyreally,trulylove.Tobeoneofthosebrands,you needtofollowtheunofficialFacebookrulesofetiquette.Thatmeanspostingqualityinformationwitha frequencyandstylethatmatchesFacebook:fastandfun.Youcantellpeopleaboutthethingsyousell, butyouvegottostrikeabalancebetweeninterestingorexclusiveinformationandsaleslinks.

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Figure 8-3. The top 10 Facebook Pages average just 1.7 posts a day. The most popular Page, Zyngas Texas Holdem Poker, often posts five times a day.
156

Determine Frequency
MostFacebookusersexpectaPagetopostnewcontentatleastonceaday(Figure8-3).Someprefer ahighervolumeofposts;otherscitethisasareasonforunlikingaPage.Youcantpleaseeveryone,but theupsidetopostingfrequentlyisthatmorepeoplewillcatchitintheirnewsfeeds. Thinkabouttimedifferencesandbehaviorpatternswhenposting.Ifyoualwayspostfirstthinginthe morning,manypeoplewillmissitastheyreontheirwaytowork.Theymaynotevenbeawake,especiallyifyouareontheEastCoastandhavePagemembersseveralhoursbehindyou.Youdontwantto simplyrepostthingsoverandover,however,becauseatsomepoint,peoplewillgotoyouractualPage andseeaWallofrepeatposts.Varyyourlanguageandthewayyouhandleasubject. Thetop10mostpopularFacebookPagespostanaverageof1.7updatesperday.Ofcourse,they alsohaveanaverageofover15millionPagemembersalready.IfyouareworkingtoattractnewPage members,youshouldprobablybepostingmorefrequently,atleastinthebeginning,inordertoquickly populateyourPagewithgreatcontentthatwillattractreturnvisitorsandhelpyoumoveupinsearch rankings. Considerpostingonceadayatthebareminimum,andaimtopostthreetofivetimesadayifyouhave thecontentandresourcestosupportit.

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Figure 8-4. Marshalls sets expectations and builds excitement around recurring Friday fan promotions.
158

Set patterns and Common Topics


Evenifyoupostonlyonceaday,thatsalotofextracontentyouneedtocreateeachweek.Withouta soundstrategy,thetaskofcreatingandpostingnewcontentdailycanbecomeprettydaunting.Whatdo youwanttotalkabouteveryday?Moreimportantly,whatwillpeoplewanttolistentoandinteractwith? Keepwritersblockatbaybycreatingdailyfeaturesandstandardtopicsforeachdayoftheweek (Figure8-4).Thisway,whenyouattempttowriteaMondaypost,youknowthegeneralthemeitshould follow.Anarrowfocusactuallymakesitmucheasiertowriteplentyoffreshcontentandmeetyourgoals. HavingsetpatternsforcontentwillalsokeepyourPagemembersengagedastheylearntheirfavorite daysforinformation.YoumightdesignateMondayasthedaytoprovideinsiderinformationorexclusive Facebookcontent,suchasnewstoreopenings,upcomingmenuchanges,orfutureproductlaunches. Tuesdaymightbeadaytodomoregeneraltipsrelatedtoyourindustry,andWednesdaymightbecontestsandgiveaways.Theactualcontentalwayschanges,butthetopicstaysthesame.Usingapattern keepsyouorganizedandjump-startsthecontentcreationprocess,whilealsoconditioningPagememberstocheckbackontheirfavoritedays,therebyincreasingtheirlikelihoodofsharingyourcontent.

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Figure 8-5. A content calendar can help you stay organized and on-topic. This one includes both Facebook and Twitter for cross-post continuity.
160

Create a Content Calendar


Settingtopicsandpatternsisaloteasierwiththehelpofacontent calendarthatallowsyoutoclearly seethedatesanddaysoftheweek(Figure8-5).Similartoaneditorialcalendarbutidealforsocialmedia posts,acontentcalendaristhebestwaytostayorganizedandmeetyourgoals.Youcandevelopone exclusivelyforFacebookorincorporateothersites(likeTwitter)tokeepthevariousnetworksinsync. Acontentcalendarcanbeassimpleorascomplexasyoumakeit.Atitsverycore,itismerelyaplace tocreatecontentaheadoftimeandmapittodays,postingfrequency,andtopics.Calendarswillkeep youontrackevenonthebusiestdays.Yes,youcanwritecontentaheadoftimeandreleaseitwhen youareready.Really.Acertainamountofsocialmediaactuallycanbeplannedortimed.Ifyourgoal istopostonceadayormore,itisessentialtomapyourpostsinacontentcalendaraheadoftime. Ofcourse,bereadytoaddormovecontenttoreacttoquestionsorcurrentevents.Still,youshould alwayshaveatleastonegoodpostreadytogo. Acalendaralsoenablesyoutokeeparecordofthepostsyouvemadeinthepast,preventingrepetition. Withsuchanarchive,youcaneventracktrafficandinteractionpatternsagainstcontent.

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Figure 8-6. Sample sale website ideelis Facebook Page ranks higher than competing coupon sites in Google results.
162

Optimizing for Both Facebook and Search engines


Youreprobablyfamiliarwithsearch engine optimization(SEO)tacticsforimprovingyourwebsites searchrankingsinGoogleandothermajorsearchengines.Buthaveyouthoughtabouthowtoincorporatesocialmediaintoyoursearchstrategy? Facebookcanbeavaluableassetforsearchresults.Thevolumeofcontentandvarietyofplacestoadd keyword-richcontentcanhelpyouattractnewPagemembersonFacebook,whileprovidingmorenaturalsearchresults(Figure8-6).FacebookisindexedbysearchenginesandalsohasdealswithGoogle andBingtodisplaysocialsearchresultsthatincludepostsfromyourfriends. Facebookssearchisnotalwaysthegreatestatdisplayingresults,butthesitesworkingonit. CounteractitsshortcomingswithsomerockstarSEOtoensurethatpeoplelookingforyournameor servicecanfindyou.MisspellingsareespeciallyimportanttoaccountforonFacebook. Inthemoregeneralnatural-searchrealm,awell-optimizedFacebookPagecanhelpyouovertake acompetitorbyprovidingasecondsetofPages(inadditiontoyourownwebsite)todisplayonthe searchresultspage.Thiscanalsobehelpfulwhenyourelookingtodosomereputationmanagement. AFacebookPagecanalsogiveyoutheopportunitytoaddafewmorekeywordsthatdidntworkas wellonyourwebsite.

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Figure 8-7. Gilt Groupe keeps it simple with a Page name and URL that match its brand name. The Info Box includes keywords about what Gilt Groupe offers.
164

The easiest places to put Keywords


ThesameSEOrulesapplyforFacebookoptimizationasfortraditionalsearchenginessuchasGoogle. Keywordsshouldalwaysbeintextfields,andthehigheronthePage,thebetter.Threeofthebest placesare: page name YourFacebookPagenameortitleisoneofthefirstthingsbothusersandsearchenginessee. Createakeyword-densetitle,butmakesureitsclearwhoyouareandwhatyoudo.Yourcompany orbrandnameisusuallythemosteffectivetitle(Figure8-7). URL YoucanalsochooseavanityURLforyourPage,whichisanothergreatplacetoincludebranded keywordslikeyourcompanyname.FacebookPageURLsarealargepartofoptimization,ascontentspaceislimited. The Info box Thissmall,250-characterboxlocatedbelowthePageiconisanunderusedgoldmineforbothtrafficandSEOpurposes.ItsoneofthefirstthingsacurrentPagememberseeswhenlookingateither theWallorInfotab.ThekeywordsyouuseintheInfoboxcangoalongwayinsearch.Withits prominentplacement,theInfoboxisagreatplacetooptimizealittleinfoaboutyourPage,because itsthehighestplaceinthePagecodethatallowscustomtext.Youcanevenputaclickablelinkin there.Youjustneedtoincludethehttp://partfirst.

165

Figure 8-8. The ASPCA uses a simple yet emotional image on its default landing tab to draw in users. Its tab also has lots of text to ensure it ranks highly and drives maximum traffic.
166

Using Keywords on Facebook Tabs


TheFacebooktabstructurecreatesahelpfulhierarchyofinformationandtheabilitytoaddlotsof keyword-richcontent.FacebookoffersseveralstandardtabsforyourPage,includingtheWall,Info,and PhotosorVideostabs.Youcanalsoaddyourowncustomtabs. Default landing tab FacebookallowsyoutochooseaspecificlandingtabfornewPageviewers.Thisisthefirsttabthey see,anditsprimarygoalistoencouragethemtoclickLikeforthePage.ItisalsothefirstPagecrawled bysearchengines.Thisdefaulttabcanbeacustomtabyoucreate,somakesureitcontainsrelevant textthatexplainstobothsearchenginesandFacebookuserswhoyouareandwhatyoudo. Info tab ThestandardInfotabhasfieldscontainingimportantdescriptivedataaboutyourPage.Itsimportantto filloutallfields,astheyprovideanopportunitytoincludekeywordsandlinksforbothlocalsearchesin theLocationfieldandmoregeneralproductorservicequeriesintheCompanyOverviewsection.The specificfieldspresentwillvarybyPagecategory,sochoosethecategorythatbestfitsyourneeds. Custom FBML tabs FacebookMarkupLanguage(FBML)tabscanholdlotsofkeyword-richtext.Youcanalsoinclude imagesandlinkstodesignthePageandpushtomorerelevantcontentonyoursite(Figure8-8).Adding contenttabstoyourPageisagreatwaytodriveatonoftrafficinbothnaturalandFacebooksearch.It alsoopensuptheopportunitytorankformorekeywords,includingFacebook-specificterms.

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Figure 8-9. Victorias Secret Pink includes videos, photo albums, and links in its status updates. It includes captions for every piece of media uploaded and frequently creates public events.
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Other Content
Italmostgoeswithoutsaying,butitsimportanttocontinuallyshareinterestingcontentonyour FacebookPageandalwaysuseallavailabledescriptivefieldsoneachtypeofcontentshared.This adviceextendspaststatictabsandintotheever-changingworldofstatusupdatesandmediauploads (Figure8-9).Facebookallowsnearlyeverypieceofcontenttobeindexedbysearchengines,souse thetabs,tools,andinputfieldsthatFacebookprovidestoyourfulladvantage.Hereareafewcontentspecifictips: Media Postphotostomultiplealbumsandincludekeyword-richdescriptionsofthealbumandeachphoto. Everyeventortopicshouldhaveitsownalbumforeasiersearching.AllowPagememberstopost theirownphotosandcommentonortagyouruploads. events UsetheEventsfeatureforbothrealandvirtualevents.Alwaysfilloutallfieldswithafulldescription oftheevent,andmakeitopentothepublic.SeeChapter5formoreinformationonEvents. Status updates Thereisalotofdebateabouttheextenttowhichupdateshelpwithsearchengines,butitsclear thattheyareabigfactorinFacebooksearches.Takeyourtimewhenplanningcontentandinclude keywords;thisisthebulkofwhatPagememberswillseeonadailybasis.YoucanalsoaddadiscussionforumtoyourPageforevenmorefrequentlyupdatedcontent.

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Figure 8-10. Victorias Secret Pinks strategy has paid off, as the company often receives upward of 5,000 likes or 1,000 comments.
170

Increased Interactions
UserinteractionisacrucialyetelusivefactorinoptimizingyourFacebookPageandimprovingsearch presence.FacebookviewsinteractionswithyourPage(likes,comments,andposts)muchlikeasearch engineviewslinkspointingtoyoursite.AuserinteractionisavoteforthecontentofyourPage(Figure 8-10)andhelpsFacebookrankithigherinitssearchand,ultimately,helpsyourPagerankhigherin searchenginesaswell. Facebooksfocusonuserbehaviorandinteractionextendstovisits,clicks,andEventRSVPsaswell. Theexactweightoralgorithmthesiteusestocalculateinteractionisunclear,butthehighertheengagementonyourPage,thehigheryouwillrankinFacebooksearchesandthemoreprominentyourplacementinasuggestedsearch. ThepredictivesearchfieldcanmostcloselybelikenedtothefirstpageofGoogleresults.Mostusers nevergototheactualFacebooksearchPage.Whenauserbeginstypinginthesearchbox(atthetop ofeveryPage),Facebookwillsuggestfriends,Pages,applications,orEventsbasedonherpastbehavior,thebehaviorofthosesheisconnectedto,andoptimizationofPages. EncourageinteractiononyourPagebypostingfrequentlyandincludinglotsofcontentthatasksusers directlytointeract.Linkparticipationtoprizes:towin,usersmustvoteonphotosbylikingthemorcommentonyourWallorpostedupdate.Evenwithoutprovidinganadditionalincentive,youllfindinteractionwillspikewhenyouendapostwithaquestionlikeWhatdoyouthink?Tryitthedifferencewill surpriseyou.

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Figure 8-11. The sheer volume of people and content on Facebook at any given moment necessitates a strong content strategy to break through the clutter. (Graphic by Muhammad Saleem for Mashable.com.)
172

Summary
ThekeyforFacebookmarketingistokeepyourPageintheFacebookNewsfeedsothatPagemembersseeit,andalsotoprovidecontentthatmakesthemwanttocomment,like,orshareit.Whena userinteractswithyourcontent,hisfriendswillseeitintheirnewsfeedsaswell,therebyexpandingyour reach.Optimizedcontentalsoimprovesyourrankinginbothorganicsearchengineresultsandinternal Facebooksearchresults,allowingpeopleactivelysearchingforrelatedtermstofindyou. SearchenginesindexsocialsiteslikeFacebook,soawell-optimizedFacebookPagewillgiveyou anotherlistinginsearchresultsforyourcompanyandrelatedindustryorserviceterms.GoogleandBing alsopullreal-timesearchresultsfromFacebook,sostatusupdatesandothertimelycontentcouldput youonthefirstpageofasearchengineresultspage.Good,keyword-richcontentiswhatfuelsboth searchengineresultsandPageMemberinteraction(Figure8-11).Additionally,interactionsonyour Pagehelpimproveyoursearchrankings,astheydemonstrateproofofthePagesqualitymuchlikea linkwouldoutsideinthenatural-searchworld.

173

ChApTeR 9

Cross-promoting Content on Facebook


Givenitsstatusastheworldslargestsocialnetwork,FacebookisoneofthemostimportantandcommonwayspeoplesharecontentwiththeirfriendsontheWeb.Assuch,itrepresentsanamazinglylarge audienceforyouroff-Facebookcontent.EvenwhenyourecreatingcontentoutsideofFacebookon yourownsite,youshouldstrivetoencouragesharing.Cross-promotingcontentanddrivingtrafficfrom yourwebsitetoyourFacebookPage(andviceversa)isanimportantpartofaFacebookmarketing strategy.Thischapterdemonstrateshowyoucanpromoteyourblogandwebsitecontentsothatitgets sharedonFacebook.

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Figure 9-1. Inclusion of these words tends to correlate to an article being shared less than the average on Facebook.
176

Least Shared Words


IfyoureusedtowritingforTwitter,themostimportantthingtorememberisthatyouredealingwitha muchmoremainstreamaudienceonFacebook.Topicsthatenticeyourtypicalsocialmediageekwont evenraiseaFacebookuserseyebrow.AvoidwritingabouteverynewiPhoneapp,Googlesevery move,orthelatestsocialmediafad(Figure9-1).Ofcourse,ifsomethinggenuinelynewsworthy(and applicabletothenongeekmasses)happensinthesespaces,thenfeelfreetowriteaboutitjustdont doiteveryday. Whilepeoplemightbeinterestedinreadingreviewsofproductstheyrethinkingofbuying,theyrenot verylikelytosharethosereviewswiththeirFacebookfriends.ItalsoappearsthatFacebookusersarent bigfansofcontroversialCompany-A-versus-Company-Bcomparisons.

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Figure 9-2. Talking about Twitter does not lead to an article being shared on Facebook.
178

Meta Mentions
Thepracticeofmeta mentions,inwhichausertalksaboutTwitterinatweetoraboutFacebookon Facebookitself,producesmixedresults.ArticlesmentioningbothTwitterandFacebookdidprettywell onTwitter(Figure9-2).OnFacebook,however,articlesaboutTwitterdidverypoorly,butwritingabout Facebookitselfperformedmuchbetter.PeoplewhoareusingFacebookarelikelytohaveatleasta passinginterestinitandprobablyhavesomefriendswhoareinterestedaswell.ContentaboutormentioningFacebookgetssharedprettywellacrossthesiteitself. Again,keepinmindthatFacebookusersare,byandlarge,notsocialmediageeks,soavoidconsistentlywritingaboutsocialmediaitself.Tothatend,forcontentaboutFacebooktobesharedfarand wide,itisbesttokeepitsimpleandnotdivetoofarintotechnicalcomparisons.

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Figure 9-3. These words correlate with articles that were shared the most on Facebook.
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Most Shared Words


AsisthecasepracticallyeverywhereelseontheWeb,usersarentthatinterestedinhearingaboutyou onFacebook;theywanttoreadaboutthemselves.WhenwritingforFacebook,tellthereaderhowyour articlecanhelpherdosomething,andusethewordyou.ArticleswithtitleslikeTop10WaysYou CanGetRichareboundtodowell. Thetopicsandstoriesyouhearmentionedonthenightlynewsorseeonthecoversofpopularmagazinesaregoodthingstowriteabout,includingpoliticalissuesandcelebritygossip.Noticetheword saysinFigure9-3sMostShareableWordsgraph:quotepeoplewheneveryoucan,especiallypeople youraudiencehasheardof.Facebookusersalsoappeartoappreciatedeeperlooksatissues.When thewordshowandwhyoccurinarticletitles,thosestoriesdobetter,onaverage,onFacebook.TV, radio,andanynumberofnewswebsitesdeliverthe15-secondsoundbite;ifyoucangetbehindastory andtellthereaderwhyorhowithappened,hemightbeinterested. Facebookpostscanbemuchlongerthanatweetandalsoallowforformatting.Shorterpostsareeasier toreadandshare,butlengthypostsmaydrawmoreattention.ExperimentwiththeNotesapplication andattachinglinksorimagestoyourPageupdates.

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Figure 9-4. Articles with digits in their titles tend to be shared on Facebook more than articles without them.
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Digits
Whenyoudomakelists,usethedigitversionofthenumber.Foravarietyofreasons,digitsworkwellin almosteverycontextonline.Ourresearchhasshownthatstoriesthatincludenumbersintheirtitlestend tobesharedmorethanstoriesthatdont(Figure9-4).Usersarentsointerestedinreadinggeneralities; theywantspecifics,andtheresnotmuchmorespecificthananumber.Financialstoriesshouldinclude dollaramounts;environmentaldisasterstoriesshouldincludespecificfigureson,say,thegallonsofoil spilled;sportsstoriesshouldincludescores.Anytimeyoucanfigureoutawaytoincludearelevant digit,doit.Inaslightlycontradictoryfinding,wenoticedthatstoriesaboutnumbersingeneraltendedto besharedslightlyless.Thismetricincludesallnumbers,digitsornot.Mainstreamaudiencesdontwant toreadmanydata-heavyandintensivestories,butwhentheydoreadthesetypeofstories,theywant specifics.

183

Figure 9-5. Various types of linguistic content affect how articles are shared on Facebook.
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Linguistic Content
UsingtwolinguisticanalysisalgorithmsdevelopedbyacademicresearcherstheRegressive Imagery Dictionary(RID)andLinguistic Inquiry and Word Count(LIWC)wewereabletoinvestigatecognitive andemotionalcontentoflinkssharedonFacebook(Figure9-5).Themostsharedtypeofcontentisnt verysurprisingwhenyourememberthatFacebookstartedwith(andisstillverypopularamong)college kids.Facebookuserslikesharingstoriesaboutsex.Ifyourefeelingdaring,goaheadandtrytowrite somethingscandalous.Formostmarketers,however,thisisntthemostpracticaladvice.

The power of positivity


Wewereinitiallysomewhatsurprisedtofindthatpositivestoriesdidmuchbetterthannegativeones, butafterwethoughtaboutitabit,itmadesense.Thereisnolackofnegativenewsstoriesinthemedia, andmostpeoplearentgoingonFacebooktogetdepressed.Theyretheretosocializewiththeir friends,andthatusuallymeansfeelinggood,notbad.Trytowritepositivestoriesasmuchasyoucan, andwhenyouhavetocoversomethingnegative,tryaddinganupbeat,hopefulspin.

Try a Teaching Moment


Twoothertypesofcontentthattendedtoperformwellinourstudyareconstructiveandeducational content.Thesearearticlesthatteachreaderssomething,eitherabouttheworldaroundthemorhow toactuallyaccomplishsomething.Rememberthatagoodwaytotitleanarticlelikethisistospecifically statethatthearticlewillteachthereader(you)something.

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Figure 9-6. Articles that have the word video in their titles tend to be shared on Facebook more than articles that dont.
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Video
Justliketheirofflinemainstreamcounterparts,manyFacebookuserslikewatchingvideos.Anotherbit ofresearchweconductedfoundthatarticlesthatannouncedtheycontainedavideoweresharedmore thanthosethatdidnt(Figure9-6).InanothertestamenttothedifferencesbetweentheFacebookand Twitteraudiences,thosesamestoriestendedtogetretweetedless.Thisislikelydueinparttothefact thatFacebookhasafeaturethatpullsthevideocontentofapostedlinkandembedsthevideo(whereit can)directlyintousersfeeds.Youcantakeadvantageofthisbyeitherproducingyourownvideosand uploadingthemtoYouTubeorbysimplyembeddingvideosrelatedtoyourarticle.

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Figure 9-7. Articles that use adverbs and adjectives heavily tend to be shared less on Facebook than articles that dont.
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parts of Speech
OneofthebestbooksaboutwritingisashorttomecalledThe Elements of Style,butmostpeopleknow itbyitstwoauthorsnames:StrunkandWhite.Itcontainsaseriesofrules,essays,andexhortations aboutpropergrammarandstyle,andteachesmanygreatlessons,especiallyabouttheimportanceof directandterselanguage.NowherearethoselessonsmorevaluablethanontheWeb.Browsingusers arebombardedwithfarmorearticlesthantheycouldeverhopetoread,andmostofthosestoriesare ladenwithsuperlativesandbombasticclaims.Notonlyareweoverloadedwithinformation,butwere becomingnumbtothemostshockingstuff.Theadjectiveandtheadverbarethemainweaponsabused bythespam-headlineandtabloid-styleblogwriters.Whenwelookedattheparts-of-speechcontent ofstoriessharedonFacebook,wefoundthatmodifiersinheadlinestendtobodepoorlyfortheperformanceofanarticle(Figure9-7).

189

Figure 9-8. Articles that require a high level of education to read tend to be shared less on Facebook than simpler ones.
190

Readability
Stayawayfromflowerylanguage.Theinformationyourepresentingshouldbestrongenoughtoshine throughasimpleanddirectheadline.Ofcourse,thereareexceptions:certainnichesonline,mostnotablyphotographyanddesign,havebeensuccessfulusingadjectiveslikestunningandamazing,but usethesewithcaution.Readinglevelscoresindicatethegradelevelneededbyareadertofullyunderstandapieceoftext.YoureprobablyfamiliarwithscoresliketheFlesch-KincaidreadinglevelembeddedinMicrosoftWord.Inpreviousresearch,wefoundthatretweetstendedtohavecomparable(or slightlyhigher)requiredreadingabilitiestounderstandthantweetsthatwerenotretweeted.Butwhen weusedreadabilitymetricstolookatstoriessharedonFacebook,wefoundaverydifferentsituation (Figure9-8). Asthecomplexityandeducationlevelrequiredtoreadastoryincreased,thenumberoftimesitwas sharedonFacebookdecreased.Onceyourarticleismuchtougherthangrade-schoollevel,youshould expectittobesharedfarfewertimesthanitwouldhavebeenhaditbeenwrittenatalowerlevel.Make yourheadlinesandarticlessimple,direct,andeasytoread.

191

Figure 9-9. Facebook offers a variety of social plug-ins that allow you to integrate social features into your website.
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Social plug-ins
Facebookoffersanumberoffeatures,calledsocial plug-ins,thatyoucanaddtoyoursitetointegrate yourcontentwithFacebook(Figure9-9).ThethreemostusefularetheSharebutton,theLikebutton, andtheActivityFeed.

The Share Button


TheSharebuttonistheoldestofthethreefeaturesandthemostcommon.ItisapieceofJavaScript codethatyoucopyandpaste(http://developers.facebook.com/docs/share)ontoyoursitetocreatea buttondisplayingthenumberoftimesthatPagehasbeensharedonFacebook.Thisalsoallowsvisitors toshareitthemselveswithoneclick.Thebuttoncanbeshownasalink,butwerecommendnotusing thisversion.Facebookgivesyoutheoptiontoincludethesharecountonthebuttonornot.Including thecountisthebestoption,asitnotonlydrawsmoreattentiontothebutton,butalsoaddsaformof socialprooftoyourcontent,prominentlydisplayinghowmanyotherpeoplelikedyourwork.

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Figure 9-10. This is the screen youll see when youre creating a Facebook Share button to include on your site.
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Customizing the Share button WhenyouaddtheSharebuttoncode,Facebookpresentsyouwithoptionstocustomizeit(Figure 9-10).TheAboveButtonandInlineWithButtonoptionsforpositioningtheincludedcounteressentially determinethesizeandorientationofthebutton.SelectingtodisplaythecountabovemeansthatShare willgenerallybeshownasalarger,verticalbutton,whereasselectinginlinemakesitmuchsmaller andhorizontal.Thelargercount-abovebuttonworksbestonsinglecontentPages,suchaspermalink Pagesonablog,whilethecount-inlinestyleisbestonPageswithmultiplepiecesofcontentdisplayed, asonabloghomepage.Conveniently,whenatleastonepersonhassharedyourcontent,thecountabovebuttonmatchesthesizeandthelayoutofthepopularTwitterbuttons,meaningthetwocan(and should)bedisplayedtogether.Thereisasmallissuewiththebuttonthatcausesittobedisplayedin amuchsmallerversionwhentherearenosharesyet.IfyouredisplayingboththeTweetandShare buttonstogether,theymaylookalittlefunnywhenyourcontentisfirstpublished,beforeanyonehas likedit.IfyouareimplementingtheSharebuttoninacontentmanagementsystem(likeablog),youll probablywanttopasscertainvaluestothebuttondynamically.Youdothisbyinputtingvaluesintothe JavaScriptcodethatispastedintoyoursite.

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Figure 9-11. The Facebook Like button is a powerful call to action to entice your visitors to share your content with their friends.
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The Like Button


FacebooksLikebuttonissimilarinimplementationtotheSharebutton,butaddsfunctionality(http:// developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like).AddingtheLikebuttonrequiresyoutocopyand pasteJavaScriptcode.Oncethebuttonisonyourpage,itshowshowmanypeoplehavelikedyour content,whilealsoallowingvisitorstolikeitwithoneclick.UnlikeShare,thisbuttonappearsinonlya small,horizontalversion(Figure9-11). TheLikebuttontakesthesocialproofaspectoftheSharebuttontoanentirelynewlevel:ifausers friendslikeyourcontentbeforesheviewsyourPage,thebuttoncanshowherthenamesandimagesof thosefriends. Customizing the Like button WhenyousetupyourLikebutton,Facebookoffersyoutwoversions:standardandbutton count.The buttoncountversionresemblestheinlineLikebuttoninsizeandlayoutandmaybeusedtoreplaceit. Thestandardversionisthemostcommonandrecognizableversion.Althoughyouhavetheoptionto ShowFacesornot,youshouldchoosetoshowthem.Facebookalsoenablesyoutochangetheverb displayedonthebutton:youcanselecteitherLikeorRecommendfromthedrop-downmenu.Inmost cases,Likeispreferredandthemostcommon,butincertaincircumstances(suchasaspecificproduct page),youmaywanttoexperimentwithshowingRecommend.

197

Figure 9-12. Use this screen to create a Like button for your website.
198

Finally,Facebookasksyoutoprovideamaximumwidthforthebuttonaswellasacolorschemeanda font.Thewidthshouldbedeterminedbyhowmuchspaceyouhaveavailableinyourlayout,andthefont bythedominantfontonyoursite.Werecommendstickingwiththedefaultcolorschemelightbecause itincludesthecolorsandshadesmostcommontoFacebook(Figure9-12).AswiththeSharebutton,you maywanttopasscertainvaluestotheLikebuttondynamically.Todoso,simplyinputvaluesintothe JavaScriptcodethatispastedintoyoursite.

Like or Share?
TheLikebuttonincludesmanyofthebenefitsoftheSharebuttoninthatitallowsyourvisitorstopost yourcontenttoFacebookwithasingleclick,anditshowsreadershowmanypeoplehavealsolikedor sharedyourcontent.Therearesometrade-offsbetweenthetwobuttons,though.WhiletheLikebutton hasthelargeadvantageofshowingvisitorsexactlywhichoftheirfriendshavelikedyourcontent,itis muchsmallerthantheSharebutton,andtherefore,mayattractlessattention.

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Figure 9-13. The Facebook Recommendations box allows your visitors to see content from your site that has recently been shared on Facebook by their friends.
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The Activity and Recommendations Feeds


Thethirdtypeofsocialplug-inFacebookoffersyoutocross-promoteyourcontentarethefeeds: ActivityandRecommendations(Figure9-13).Botharenarrowboxesthatdisplaycontentfromyour sitethatavisitormaybespecificallyinterestedin.TheRecommendationsfeedcontainscontentsuggestedbyFacebookbasedonoverallactivity,whiletheActivityfeedshowsyourreadersthecontentfromyourdomainthattheirfriendshaveliked.TheActivityplug-inincludesanoptiontodisplay Recommendations,soweadvisethatyouuseittogetthebenefitofboth.Whenyouresettingupyour Activityfeedplug-in,Facebookasksseveralquestionsrelatedtothedesignofthefeedbox,including font,bordercolor,height,andwidth.AswiththeLikebutton,yourchoicesherearedependentonthe spaceavailableinyoursitesdesign.Sticktothedefaultlightcolorscheme,becauseitisthemostsimilartoFacebookitself.ToinstallanActivityfeedplug-inonyoursite,copyandpastetheJavaScriptcode providedbyFacebook(http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/activity).Thereisreally noreasontochangevaluesdynamically.

201

Summary
WhenyouthinkofFacebookmarketing,youprobablythinkfirstaboutinteractingwithuserson Facebook.comitself.ThetruthisthatthereisalotofFacebookactivitythatoccursonexternalwebsites,soyoushouldspendsometimethinkingabouthowtointegrateyourcontentthatlivesoutsideof Facebookintothesocialnetworkitself. WevedonealotofresearchtohelpyoulearnhowtowriteforFacebook.Itsmostimportanttowrite simply,plainly,andforamainstreamaudience.Thisincludesboththetopicsyouchooseandthelanguageyouusetowriteaboutthem.Remember,writingforFacebookcanbeverydifferentthanwriting forthesocialmediaenthusiastsonTwitter. Tobettershareyourcontent,Facebookoffersarangeofsocialplug-insthatenableyoutoleverage certainfeaturesofFacebookfromyoursite.Theyresimpletointegrateandprovidegreatsocialvalueto yourreaders,sotakeadvantageofthem.

202

ChApTeR 10

Facebook page Management


ManagingyourPageensuresthatyouhaveafingeronthepulseofyourconsumers,helpsattractand keepmembers,andcanassistdirectmarketinginitiativesbeyondFacebook.Asanextensionofyour websitebutofferingalotmoreuserfreedom,yourPagemustbemonitored.Youneedtokeepaneye onyourWall,specificallythegood(andthebad)reviewsfromPagemembers. Likeitornot,whatpeoplepostonyourPagesWallisareflectionofyourbrand.Ifyouallowittobe overrunwithspam,foullanguage,orunansweredquestionsorcomplaints,yourbrandwillsuffer.You needtopushoutfreshcontent,sure,butyoualsoneedtoengagewithpeopleonyourPage.This chapterteachesyouhowtokeepyourFacebookPagefulloffreshcontentandhowtokeepPage membershappy.

203

Figure 10-1. Exclusive offers, information, or deals entice users to click Like and keep coming back to the Page. Overstock.coms Page offers special coupons just for Facebook Page members.
204

exclusive Deals for Fans


OneofthebestwaystogainPagemembersisbyofferingthemsomethingmorespecifically,somethingtheycantgetanywhereelse.Byprovidinganexclusiveoffer,discount,deal,sneakpeek,or sourceofinformation,youvegiventhematangiblereasontolikeyourPageandtokeepcomingback (Figure10-1). Thistacticisevenmoreeffectivewhencombinedwithalandingtabreveal:atabviewthatpromisesan exclusiveoffertonewvisitors,thenchangestorevealthatofferoncetheyclickLike.Thisallowsyouto immediatelydeliveronyourpromiseandproveyourPagetobevaluable,allwithoneclick. Facebookdoesntallowon-sitetracking,butanexclusiveoffercanbeagreatwaytotrackthesuccessofyourFacebookmarketingplanasmeasuredbytraffictoyoursite.Createuniquelinksorpromo codesforFacebook-onlydeals.PromotetheselinksorcodesexclusivelyonFacebook,andtrack redemptionorclicksonyoursitethewayyouwouldwithanypromotion. Thesedealsdontneedtobeexcessive,orevendifferentfromsomestandardoffersyoumightuseto persuadenewcustomersorgiveoutatevents.YoujustneedtorepackagethemforFacebookand makesuretheyrenottooeasytofindelsewhere.Forexample,ifyoureadilysend10%offcouponsto newcustomers,trythattactichereaswell.

205

Figure 10-2. Given that there are over 500 million users and 900 million things to interact with on Facebook, you need to post frequently to keep your page in the Newsfeed and compete with the big brand pages. (Chart courtesy of DBM/Scan and AdvertisingAge.com.)
206

Frequent Status Updates


AsyoureadinChapter8,itsimportanttopostfrequentstatusupdatesorWallpostswithnewinformation,contests,ordealsforyourPagemembers.Manymajormarketersrelyonthistactictostayahead ofthecompetition(Figure10-2).Youshould,too:aimforaminimumofonepostperdayandconsidera fewdayswithmorefrequentcontent. Thetrickistokeepusersentertainedwithoutcloggingtheirnewsfeedandannoyingthem.Makesure eachposthasareason(notjusttogetonedone)andtaketheextrafewminutestoensurethatit isquick,easytounderstand,andengaging.Dontforgettospellcheck,andthinkaboutwhatkindof mediaorlinksyoucouldincludetomaketheupdatestandout.Again,acontentcalendarcanhelpwith alotofthisplanning. Remembertoaccountfortimedifferencesifyourbusinessappealstopeopleinmultipletimezones. Evenifyoureconcentratedinonegeographicarea,varyyourpostingtimestoseewhatworksbest. Youmightmisspeopleifyouconsistentlypostrightat9a.m.everymorning. ThemostimportantthingtorememberwhenpostingupdatesisthattherearelotsofotherPageson Facebook,allcompetingforashareofspaceintheNewsfeed.Youwanttokeepyourbrandappearinginthatfeed,andyouwantyourcontenttokeeppeopleclickingtoyourPageorsharingwithfriends. Givethemareasontokeepcomingback,andprovidecontenttheywant.

207

Figure 10-3. Vera Bradley uses several custom tabs and updates them frequently to match the companys ongoing promotions and seasonal styles.
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Timely Redesigns
Soyourepostingstatusupdatesatleastonceadayandkeepingasteadystreamofcontentflowingon yourWallandintheFacebookNewsfeed.ButwhatabouttherestofyourPage?Oneofthebestthings aboutFacebookishowmuchsimpleritcanbetoupdateatabonyourPagethanapageonyour website. YoushouldthinkaboutaFacebookPagerefreshatleastfourtimesayear.Youcould,forexample,tie thesechangestotheseasons,asfashionschangefortheweatherandmenusreflectin-seasonproduce(Figure10-3).Evenifyourbusinessisntastiedtoseasonalchangesassomeothers,youcanstill takeacuefromthechangingweatherandpreferredactivities.Orjustthinkofthesetransitionsasgentle reminderstoupdateyourPage.Ifyouhavealotgoingon,youcanevenupdateonceamonth. Yourstatusupdatesprovideadailydoseofnewcontent,butthesearejustsmallsnippetsofwhatyour Pagehastooffer.Revampingthelookandmessagingofyourtabsensuresthatevenyourlong-termPage membersstayloyal,whilealsopersuadingnewvisitorstoclickLikebasedonyourtimelylandingtab. Itsagoodideatohaveonemeetustypeoftabthatisfairlyconsistentinmessaging,butwitha changinglook.Therestofyourtabscanrotateinandouttofeaturecontests,promotions,events,and news.Playaroundwiththemandseewhatworks.

209

Figure 10-4. Coach created a dedicated promotional tab for its Poppy Project.
210

promotions
Apromotionis,bynature,alimited-timekindofthing.WhetheritsforaFacebookcontest,in-store event,oronlinesale,apromotionaltab(Figure10-4)isdesignedtobeupdatedfairlyfrequently.Shortterm,one-daypromotions(storeopeningsales,limited-quantityitems,orthatdaysrestaurantspecial) canbecoveredinastatusupdateortwo.Long-termpromotions,however,warranttheirowntab, uniquetothatspecificpromotion.Youcanalsocreateacatch-allpromotionstabandswapoutthe contentasneeded.

Unique promotion Tab


Atabdedicatedtoauniquepromotionisbestusedforbigger,long-termpromotionsthatrunforatleast afewweeks.SuchatabtypicallyrequiresPagememberstodosomethingandoffersamoresizeable payoffthanaquick10%couponorfreesoda. Designthetabspecificallytoreflectthepromotionandincludesomesortoffunctionalitytoinvolve members,whetheritsaform,link,orinteractivegame.Youshouldrunonlyoneoftheseatatime,but theycanruninconjunctionwithothershort-termpromotions.Remembertooccasionallyplugthispromotionwithastatusupdateandlinktothetab.

General promotions Tab


Ageneralpromotionstabisagreatfeatureifyouhavelimiteddesigncapabilitiesbutwanttooffersome coolstufftoPagemembers.Investinonestandardpromotional-themedtabdesignwitheasilyinterchangeablecontentslotsforthedetails.Thisallowsyoutorundifferentoffersatonce,orkeepmembersinformedofupcomingpromotionstolookfor.

211

Figure 10-5. HomeGoods keeps a close eye on its page, awarding contest winners promptly and providing updates and advice on how to vote in its contest.
212

Monitoring
ThegoalofyourFacebookPageistoattractandengagefansofyourbrand,buildingacommunityfor Pagemembers.Whileincreasinginteractionbyencouragingquestionsandcommentsisasolidstrategy andanintegralpartofyourFacebookmarketingplan,italsogeneratesalotofusercontentandcommentarythatmustbemonitored(Figure10-5). ManyservicesofferautomatedFacebookmonitoring(aquickGooglesearchforsocialmediamonitoringprovidesahostoffreeandpaidtools),buttherereallyisnosubstituteforhumaninteraction. Thatmeansactualon-PageeyesfromsomeoneonyourteamwhocantakethepulseofthePageand respondtoquestions,complaints,andcompliments. YoudonotneedtobewatchingyourPageallday,butyoushouldcheckinatleastonce.Ifyourepostingfrequently,seewhatsgoingonthen.Keepinmindthatmostactionmightbeclusteredrightafter youpost,socheckbackshortlyafterthat,too.Ofcourse,ifyourerunningaFacebookpromotion,youll needtobepickingwinnersandansweringquestions. YoucantspendallyourtimerespondingtogenericloveyourPagecomments,butpickandchoose thepostswhereyoucanprovidehelpfulcommentary.Makeyourpresenceknown,butdontbeoverbearing.Encouragethecommunityaspect,andletitdomostofthetalking.

213

Figure 10-6. As home to a popular brand with 1,659,232 members, Targets Facebook Page is a hotbed for spam comments and brand backlash.
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Moderation
MonitoringyourPageisonlyhalfthebattle,however,andwhenitcomestotime,morelikeonly25%. YoumustalsomoderateyourPageandmakejudgmentcallsonwhichtypesofpostsshouldbe deleted,respondedto,orleftalone(Figure10-6). Howyoudeterminewhatstaysandwhatgoesisuptoyou.SomePageadminsremoveallnegative feedback;othersleaveitandrespondtothecriticismasbesttheycan.Agoodruletofollowistoleave legitimatecomments,bothpositiveandnegative,foralltosee.Respondtobothkindsofposts,either withathanksforthekindwordmessageoranappropriateresponsetoquestionsandcomplaints. Yes,somepeopleliketousesocialmediajusttocomplain.Butitsusuallyprettyeasytopickoutthe oneswhojustwanttocausetroublefromtheoneswhowantyourhelpresolvinganissue.Iftheyaskfor asolution,trytogiveittothem,butdontfeeltiedtorespondingexclusivelythroughFacebook.Asimple messagelikewehearyouandwillgetbacktoyouwithhowwecanresolvethiscangoalongway. PostthisontheWalltoshowyouheardtheircries,thenmessagethemprivatelytogetcontactinformationandfixtheproblembehindthescenes. Bewareofspampostersaswell.YouwanttokeepyourWallopenforcommentsrelatedtoyourbrand andindustry,butkeepaneyeoutforpeoplepostinglinksthatpushtheirownagendaandremovethem beforetheygetinthewayofyourPagemembersexperience.

215

Figure 10-7. Boutique fashion retailer Gilt Groupe does a great job of responding to member questions on merchandise and upcoming sales.
216

Responding
Soyouvedeletedtheobviouslyspammyorboguscomments,butwhatabouttherealcustomerservice issues?Ifsomethingwentwrong,itstimetofixit. Youcananswergeneralquestionsfairlyquickly,andtheymightbenefitfrombothacommentonthe usersexistingpostaswellasageneralstatusupdate(Figure10-7).Youcancalloutthepersonwho askedthequestiontoshowyourelistening.SomethinglikeThanksforthereminder,Jason!Yes,its summer,andweveextendedourhours.Stopbyanytimefrom9a.m.to10p.m.Hopetoseeyou soon. Ifthequestionorcomplaintismorepersonal,youmayhavetodosomeresearchandprobablywantto followupoffline.Diplomatichonestyisusuallygoingtobeyourbestbethere.Readthecomplaint,then takeastepback.Ifyourenotfamiliarwiththesituation,talktosomeonewhois.Youwanttogetallthe factsbeforeyoupresentasolution.Inthemeantime,postamessagelettingtheposterknowyoure workingonit.Thensendheraprivatemessagetogetherpreferredcontactinfoandresolvetheissue overphoneoremail. DontforgettosaythanksforpraiseandcommentonrelevantarticlesorstoriespostedonthePage! Doingsocanhelpfosterasenseofcommunity.Takeamomenttorespondtohappiercomments,too.

217

Figure 10-8. Facebook ads are often tied to specific landing pages, either on or off Facebook. When your landing page changes, so should your ad.
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Advertising
YourFacebookadsshouldbeupdatedatleastfourtimesayear,justlikeyourtabs.Facebookadvertising(Figure10-8)isperhapsoneofthemosttargetedadvertisingvehiclesonline,andyoucanplaywith millionsofpossibleparameters.Experimenttofindoutwhatworks,anddontbeafraidtoswitchthings uporrunsometests. Swappingoutadsiseveneasierthanupdatingatab,asyouhavelimitedspaceanddesigncapabilities. Butdontletthatfoolyou.Youshouldneverchangeanadjustbecauseitstime.Makesurethereisa strategyforeverychangeandthattheadvertisingunitisgearedtowardhelpingyoureachamarketing goal. Thesegoalscouldfluctuatethroughouttheyear,fromgainingPagememberstoincreasinginteraction toeventuallydrivingtraffictoyourwebsite.Facebookadsthatdriveoff-siteshouldbeclearaboutthe endlocation.YoumightevencreateaspecificlandingPageacknowledgingthatpeoplecamefrom Facebook.Thishelpseasetheirtransition,whilealsoaidingwithyourtrackingandallowingyoutoeasily deliveronFacebook-exclusivedeals. FacebookadsthatdirectuserstoyourFacebookPageshouldalwayshaveacorrespondinglanding tab.Sowhenyouchangeupyourtabs,itsprobablytimetoupdateyourads,too.Remember,keep yourcontentfresh.ThisappliestoanythingrelatedtoyourFacebookPage,evenads.

219

Figure 10-9. Victorias Secret Pink is always ahead of the curve in Facebook marketing. Look to it for examples on content updates, redesigns, and member responses.
220

Summary
Remember,yourFacebookPageisarepresentationofyourbrandorbusiness,justlikeyourwebsite, emailorprintmarketingmaterials,andphysicallocations.ItsgreattorecognizethatFacebookisan importantplacetobefrombothauserandsearchperspective,butjustshowingupisnotenough.You havetouseFacebookeffectively.Thatmeansloggingin,postingcontent,andrespondingtowhats happeningonyourPage(Figure10-9). Listentoyourmembers.Thankthem,respond,andfollowupofflinetoresolveissues.AutomatedPage monitoringcanhelpfillinthegaps,butyouneedarealpersontoreadthroughcommentsandassess whichonesrequireresponses.Onlyahumancantrulydetectthetoneofapost,andonlysomeone familiarwithyourbrandorbusinesswillknowhowtorespond. ThisisthenatureofFacebook,andifyoumustpostyourowncontentlessfrequentlyinorderto respondtopeople,sobeit.APagethatignoresitsmembersandjustshoutsitsownmessagesallday isnotusingFacebookcorrectly. Remember,sometimesrespondingdoesntmeanpostingacomment.Itcouldmeanlisteningandmakingachange.Ifeveryonepoststhattheyhateacertainmenuitem,dontjustsay,Thanksforthesuggestion.Changeit.Whereelsecanyougetsuchbrutallyhonestfeedback?Useittoyouradvantage.

221

ChApTeR 11

Advertising on Facebook
FacebookhasapowerfuladvertisingplatformknownasFacebookAds.Lowclick-throughrates, sophisticatedtargetingoptions,andeasyintegrationwithapplicationsandPagesmakeitaninteresting toolformarketers.FacebookAdscanbeespeciallyhelpfulforkick-startingyourFacebookpresence, andsomeofthemostpowerfulsocialtargetingfeaturesbecomeusefulwhenyouhavealargenumber ofPagemembersorusers.Thischapterintroducestheplatformandwalksyouthroughcreatingand launchinganad.

223

Figure 11-1. Use this form to create your Facebook ad.


224

Where to Send Users


RememberwhypeopleuseFacebook:itsnottoviewyouradsandthengotoyourwebsite.Theyre onFacebooktouseFacebookitself.UsetheFacebookAdsplatformtosendpeopletoapplicationsor PagesonFacebookitself,notexternalwebsites.Makesuretoprovideaseamlessuserexperienceas well.TocreateanadthatsendstraffictoyourPageorapplication,clicktheIwanttoadvertisesomethingIhaveonFacebooklink(foundathttp://www.facebook.com/ads/create/) andselectthedestinationfromthedrop-downmenu(Figure11-1). Ifyoureallywanttosendpeopletoanothersite,youcanenteradestinationURL.Remembertoinclude trackingtokenssoyoucanaccuratelytracktrafficfromyourads.Chapter12goesintomoredetailonthis.

Creative Content Design


WhenyourecreatingyourFacebookads,rememberthatyouretalkingtoamainstreamaudiencethat isinterestedinsocializingwithfriends.Thecreativeelementsimagesandcopythatmakeupyour adsshouldreflectthisaswell.

225

Figure 11-2. Selecting a good image is key to creating an attractive and attention-grabbing Facebook ad.
226

Images
Facebookadsarecomposedofatitlelimitedto25characters,abodyof135orfewercharacters,and animageunder110pixelswideand80tall.Themostimportantpartistheimage;itwilldrawtheusers eyefirst(Figure11-2). TherearebigdifferencesbetweenimagesforFacebookadsandthoseforprintandwebads. Professional-lookingadsarentbestonthesocialnetwork.Facebookusersdontclickonalotofads whilethere;theyrenottryingtobemarketedtoandtheywontbeimpressedbyhighproductionvalues. Facebookusersarelookingatuser-generatedcontent,soyouradsshouldreflectthat.Stayawayfrom highlypolishedstockphotography.Theyrealsolookingatmostlypicturesofpeople,soyoulldowellto useimagesofrealpeopleinyourads.Rememberthevisualcontextsurroundingyourad.Facebookis mostlywhiteandblue,soexperimentwithphotographsincontrastingwarmcolors.Sometimes,louder tacticssuchasthree-dimensional-lookingbuttons,brightredborders,andlensflarescanwork,butuse thesesparinglyandtestfrequently.

227

Figure 11-3. As you create your ad, Facebook shows you a preview of what it will look like when its displayed on the site.
228

Copy
Thewrittenpartofyouradwillbeashorttitleandabody.Ifyouveeverwrittenpay-per-click(PPC)ads, youshouldfeelfairlyathomewiththemicrocopyformat.Thesecharacter-limitedadsneedtogettothe pointquicklyinaverysmallspace,whilemakinggooduseofkeywordsfortargeting.However,theyalso needtosoundnatural.Committee-craftedorjargonysalespitcheswillbealienonFacebook.Speak simplyandplainlywithverylittleflowerylanguage.Dontusetoomanyadjectivesoradverbs,anddont useSATvocabularywords. Youarewritingforamainstreamaudience.Beasdirectandspecificaspossible.Includeveryclearcalls toactionthattelltheuserexactlywhatyouwanthimtodo,andindicatethattheactioncanbecompletedquicklyandeasily.Usewordslikenowandtodaytotellusersthattheycangetstartedright away(Figure11-3).Ifuserscanexpecttogetresultsfromyourad,usespecificdigitstoletthemknow. Ifyouregoingtochargethemaprice,tellthemtheexactamount.

229

Figure 11-4. The Facebook Ads platform allows you to target users by geography and demographic information.
230

Targeting
ThemostpowerfulfeatureofFacebookAdsistheincredibletargetingitallowsyoutodo.Because usersprovidemoundsofdataaboutthemselves,youcanidentifyverytightgroupsofpeopletoadvertiseto.Takeadvantageofthisasmuchaspossible;yourcampaignsshouldincludelotsofhighly targetedadsbeingshowntosmallsubsetsofpeople.Facebookwillguideyouthroughdifferenttarget criteriaasyoucreateyourcampaign.

Location
GeographyisthefirstdimensionFacebookallowsyoutotargetwith(Figure11-4).FacebookAdsare veryusefulforlocalbusinessesevenglobalornationalbrandsthathavesomelocalconnections. Selectthesmallestlocalareayoupossiblycan.Createspecificadsfordifferentcitiesandtalktoreaders inthelocalparlance.Themoreyouknowabouttheplaceyoureadvertisingto,thebetter.

Demographics
Facebookwillalsoallowyoutochooseageandgenderspecifications.Again,trywritingseparateadsto appealtopeopleofdifferentsexesandages.MenandwomenuseFacebookdifferently,asdopeople invariousagegroups.Whileresearchingyourexactaudience,youlluncoverspecificpreferences,but youcanstartwithhintsfromtheadsyouseeontelevisionandfromthecoversofmagazinesaimedat differentgroups.Alsokeepinmindthatolderusersmaybemoreconsciousofprivacyissues,sodont askthemforalotofpersonalinformation.

231

Figure 11-5. As you continue targeting your Facebook ad, including likes and interests, Facebook shows you the estimated number of users your ad will reach.
232

Likes and Interests


WhenauserfillsouthisProfile,headdsinformationabouthisinterests,activities,favoritebooks, movies,televisionshows,andmore(Figure11-5).UsingtheFacebookAdsplatform,youcanspecify keywordstotargetuserswhohaveusedthesamewordsintheirProfiles.Searchenginemarketingwill provideagreatlistofkeywordstostartwith,butyoumighthavetogoastepfurtherforyourFacebook ads.Thinkaboutintereststhatmaynotbedirectlyrelatedtoyourbusinessbutindicatethatausermay beinterestedinyourbrand.

Relationship and Interested In


Ifyoureofferingadatingorrelationships-basedproductorservice,usetheRelationshipandInterested Infieldsliberally.Infact,dependingonwhatyoureselling,youmayberequiredbyFacebooksTermsof Servicetousethem.Formostbusinesses,however,thesefieldswillbeoflittleuse.

Workplaces
Ifyouredoingbusiness-to-business(B2B)marketing,especiallytolargecompanies,theWorkplaces fieldcanbeagoldmine.Targetadstospecificenterprisestowhichyoudliketosellyourproductor services.

233

Figure 11-6. Facebook Ads includes advanced targeting options such as social connections.
234

Connections and Friends of Connections


IfyourapplicationorPagealreadyhasasizablefanbase,youcanusetheConnectedTofieldtonurture userswhoarealreadyfamiliarwithyourbrand,persuadingthemtobecomeevenmoreengagedor movingthemalongthesalesprocess(Figure11-6).Askusersiftheydliketotalktoaliverepresentativeorofferthemspecialfan-onlydiscounts.YoucanusetheNotConnectedTofieldtoshowadsonly touserswhoarentconnectedtoyourpresenceonFacebook.Itcanbeusefultoshowlessdirectresponse,introductoryadstotheseusers.UsingtheFriendsofConnectionsfield(oneofourfavorites), youcantargetpeoplewhoarefriendswithPagemembersorapplicationusers.Notonlydoesthisallow youtotargetsocialgroupswhoarelikelytobeinterestedinyourbrand(iftheirfriendis,theyrelikely tobeaswell),butwhenauserseesanadforaPageorapplicationafriendisconnectedto,itshows aJohnDoelikesthislineunderneath.Thisisanincrediblypowerfulexampleofsocialproof:auseris muchmorelikelytopayattentiontoanadifsomeoneshetrustsisessentiallyrecommendingit.

235

Figure 11-7. After you create and target your ad, you need to put it into a campaign and set a budget.
236

Budget
Thefirsttimeyoucreateanad,FacebookAdsrequiresyoutocreateanewcampaigntoputyourad into(Figure11-7)aswellasadailybudget.Thedailybudgetisthedollaramountyourewillingtopayevery daytorunyourads;onceyouhitthislimit,Facebookstopsrunningyouradsfortherestoftheday. Whenyourestartingout,assumeyouregoingtospendthisbudgeteverydayandselectanamount yourecomfortablespending.Itsagoodideatostartlowuntilyougetagoodideaoftheamountofreturn youwillseefromyourads.CheckoutChapter12tolearnhowtomeasurethevalueyouregetting.

237

Figure 11-8. When setting your ad budget, you can also opt to pay per click.
238

Bidding
ThebottomofFacebookAdscreationPagepresentsyouwithtwooptionsforadpricing: PayforClicks(CPC) PayforImpressions(CPM) Becausetheclick-throughrateonFacebookadstendstobeverylow,youllprobablywanttousea CPCmodel,meaningyoupayonlywhensomeoneactuallyclicksyourad.Underthismodel,youllget thousandsofimpressionswithoutpayingforthousandsofclicks,anditisgenerallythecheapestway topay.Bydefault,FacebooksuggestsabiddingmodelandpriceinwhatitcallsSimpleMode(Figure 11-8).Formostpurposes,thissuggestionworksfine.Letyouradrunforafewdaysorweeks.Ifyoure hittingyourbudgeteveryday,experimentwithloweringyourbidgradually.Youmaybeabletosqueeze afewmoreclicksoutofyourinvestmentthisway.

239

Figure 11-9. Once your ad is running, Facebook shows you some basic information about impressions, clicks, and cost.
240

Ad Stats
ClickingSubmitsendsyouradtoFacebookforaneditorialreview.Theadmustbeapprovedbeforeit startstorun.Thedecisionistypicallymadeprettyquickly.Onceyouradstartstorun,Facebookprovidessomesimplestatisticsaboutit,whichyoucanviewonthecampaignmanagementPage(http:// www.facebook.com/ads/manage/campaigns.php).Thepagedisplaysgraphsofimpressionsandclicks overtimeaswellasbiddingandbudgetinginformation(Figure11-9).Thisdataisgreatforkeepingan eyeonhowmuchyourespendingandforspottingopportunitiestoloweryourbids.IfyouresendingtraffictoaPageorapplication,checkouttheinsightsFacebookgivesyouaboutthepeopleusing those.Ifyouresendingpeopletoadifferentsite,lookintoyourownanalyticspackages.Again,besure toreadChapter12tolearnmoreaboutanalyticsandreturnonyourinvestment.

241

Summary
Adscanhelpyoujump-startyourFacebookmarketingcampaigns.Takeadvantageoftheirhighlytargetednatureandbesuretomeasureandmonitortheirperformance. BecauseviewersarentlookingforadswhentheyreonFacebook,youllneedtobecreativewhen youredesigningtheimagesandwritingthecopyforyouradstoattractattention.Manycurrent Facebookadcampaignsareriddledwithtyposandbadgrammar,sotakecarewhencraftingcopy. Plentyofbrandslookforaneasysolutionandgetsloppywiththeirpromotions.Dontbeoneofthem. Investalittleextratimetocreateagoodadandanefficientbiddingplanyoullreachyourgoalsfaster intheend.

242

ChApTeR 12

Analytics and ROI


Aswithanymarketingefforts,closelytrackingthesuccessofFacebookmarketingisextremelyimportant notonlytojustifyyourinvestmentbutalsotoimproveyourfuturework.Facebookitselfincludesarobust analyticsplatformknownasInsights,whichallowsyoutogatherinformationaboutyourPages,applications,andads.YoushouldalsobeawareofhowyourFacebookmarketingcampaignsareaffectingthe performanceofyourpropertiesoutsideofFacebook.Thischapterteachesyouhowtodoboth.

243

Figure 12-1. Facebooks Insights platform allows you to see basic or detailed information about the performance of your Pages.
244

Insights for page


Facebooksnativeanalyticsplatform,Insights,allowsyoutoaccessdetailedinformationaboutfans ofyourbrandthatisotherwiseverydifficultorexpensivetoobtain.NavigatetoyourPage,andyoull seealinktotheInsightsPageintheleftsidebar.BasicuserstatisticsavailablethroughInsightsinclude dailyandmonthlyactiveusers,dailynewlikes,andtotallikesovertime(Figure12-1).Thesemetricsare fairlyshallow,buttheyreagreatwaytoestablishandmonitortrends,especiallyyourrateofdailynew likesanddailyactiveusers.Generallyspeaking,aslongasthesebenchmarksareallincreasing,youre headedintherightdirection.Thebasicinteractionsdatawilllookmuchmorevariablethanyouruser statistics.ThisgraphshowsyouthelikesandcommentsonyourPageonadailybasis.Theamountof contentpostedtoyoursite(aswellasthequalityofthatcontent)willprobablyvary.Yourgoalwiththis dataistomaintainabaselineofactivityonmostdays.DetaileduserdataprovidedbyPageInsights includesabreakdownofyourdailyactiveusers,allowingyoutoseewhatpercentageofthemsimply visitedyourPage.Youcanthencomparethiswithmoreengageduserswholikedorcommentedona post,orpostedtheirownmessagetoyourWall.FormostPages,themajorityofuserswillbemerely visitors,butyoushouldencourageyouruserstoperformmoreengagedactions.

245

Figure 12-2. Facebook Insights gives you extensive demographic, geographic, and activity-based data about users who have liked your Pages.
246

Likes and Unlikes


ThedetaileduserdataallowsyoutotracknotonlythenumberoflikesreceivedbyyourPageovertime, butalsothenumberofunlikesthatoccurred.Thenumberofunlikeswilltypicallybeverysmallcomparedtolikes,butalargespikecouldindicateaproblemyoushouldinvestigate.

Demographic Data
OnthedetaileduserInsightsPage,youcanalsodigintoverydetaileddemographicsdataaboutyour users,includingage,gender,location,andlanguagesspoken(Figure12-2).Thiskindofinformationcan beusefulforinformingyourFacebookmarketingeffortsaswellasyournon-Facebookcampaigns.

Activity and Traffic


TheActivitytabofthedetaileduserdataPageshowsyouwheretheactivityonyourPageoccurredand theoriginofthetraffic.Youllseealistoftabsalongsidethenumberofviewseachreceived,aswellas alistofexternalsitesthatdrovetraffictoyourFacebookPage.Belowthosetwotables,Insightsshows youdataonthemediaconsumptionthatoccurredonyoursite,includingvideoandaudioplaysand photoviews.

247

Figure 12-3. Through Insights, you can see activity on your page on a per-post basis.
248

Feedback on Facebook posts


OnthedetailedinteractionsPage,Facebookshowsyoudailystoryfeedbackinformationwithagraph displayinglikes,comments,andunsubscribesovertime(Figure12-3).Again,youwantthefirsttwo metricsincreasing,andalargespikeinunsubscribesshouldsetoffsomealarms.Belowthedailystory feedbackgraph,thereisalistofstoriespostedtoyourPageandthenumberofimpressionseach storyreceivedaswellasafeedbackpercentage.Thefeedbackpercentageistheportionofuserswho interactedwithastorysomehowlargerisbetter.Thischartisveryusefulforrefiningthecontentyou posttoyourPage.Noticewhichsubjectsgetthemostviewsandfeedback,andpayattentiontothe daysandhoursthatseemtobethemostpopular.ThePageactivitygraphshowstheamountofactivity undertakenbyusersonyourPage,includingdiscussion,Wallandvideoposts,reviews,andmentions. Thisgraphshowstheactivitydaytoday,soitwillbeverybumpy.

249

Figure 12-4. Facebook Insights for applications gives you information about users of your application.
250

Insights for Applications


MuchlikethenativeanalyticsforPages,Facebookallowsmarketerstoviewdetailedstatisticsaboutthe usageoftheirapplications(Figure12-4). TheUserssectionofapplicationInsightsincludesinformationonmonthlyanddailyactiveusers(MAUs andDAUs).MAUsandDAUsarethemostimportantandvisiblemetricsaboutanapplicationspopularity.Theyindicatethenumberofuserswhohaveinteractedwithanapplicationinagivenmonthorday. MostapplicationswillhavemanymoreuserswhoallowanapplicationaccesstotheirProfile(effectively installingtheapplication)thanthosewhoregularlyuseit.MAUsandDAUsaretheeasiestwayto monitorhowengagedyourapplicationsusersare.FacebookshowsthesamedemographicsinformationaboutapplicationsasitdoesaboutProfiles,includingage,gender,location,andlanguages.Italso showssimpledataaboutthenumberofviewstoanapplicationscanvasPage,aswellasthenumber ofuserswhogavetheapplicationpermissiontoaccesstheirProfile.Thegoalforanymarketeristosee thesenumberstrendupwardovertime.

251

Figure 12-5. Facebook Insights also gives you information about the performance of your application from a technical point of view.
252

posting Application Content to Walls


ApplicationsoftenallowuserstopostcontenttotheirownProfiles,andFacebookshowsinformationaboutthiscontentintheSharingsectionofapplicationInsights.Facebookdisplaysthenumberof stories,statusupdates,andphotospostedthroughtheapplicationaswellastheamountoffeedback (likesandcomments)thiscontentreceived.Youcanalsomonitorthenumberoftimesthiscontentwas hidden.Sharingcontentisanimportantviralmechanismforanapplication,sothisdataisagoodway tomonitorhowsocialyourapplicationisandhowwellitisdoingingeneratinginterestfromyourusers friends.ThethirdandfourthsectionsoftheapplicationInsightsinterfaceincludeperformanceanddiagnosticsinformation(Figure12-5).Formarketers,thekeypointsherearetokeepaneyeontherequest andrenderingtimeyourapplicationtakestodisplaycontenttousers.Workwithyourdevelopersto ensurethatthistrendsdownwardovertimeasyourapplicationgetsfaster,andbeawareifthereisa majorupturninthesetimes.

253

Figure 12-6. Facebooks Ads platform gives you basic information about the number of clicks your ads have received over time.
254

Facebook Ads Analytics


TheFacebookAdsplatformshowsyousomebasicinformationaboutclicks,impressions,andclickthroughratesovertime.Withit,youcanalsocreatereportsaboutadperformanceaswellasresponder demographicsandProfileinformation.ThecampaignsPageoftheFacebookAdsinterfaceprovides basicstatisticsaboutyourcampaigns,includingthenumberofclicks,impressions,andcost(Figure 12-6).Youllalsofindagraphthatdisplaysimpressions,clicks,andclick-throughrateovertime.This dataisusefulonlyforveryhighlevel,at-a-glancemonitoringofyourads.

Advertising performance Report


ThereportssectionoftheAdsinterfaceallowsyoutogeneratemoredetailedreportsaboutyourads. ThefirstofthesereportsisAdvertisingPerformance,whichincludesinformationaboutclicks,impressions,conversions,andactions.Thelastmetric,actions,isthemostimportantanduseful.Ifyoure advertisingaFacebook-basedPageorEvent,theActionscolumnshowsthenumberoftimesviewersof theadlikedyourPageorsentayesormaybeRSVPtoyourEventthroughtheaditself.

255

Figure 12-7. You should select specific metrics to measure, as they affect your marketing campaigns. These are your key performance indicators (KPI).
256

Responder Demographics Report


ThesecondtypeofreportyoucangeneratefromthisinterfaceisResponderDemographics(Figure12-7). Thisreportshowsyouthegender,location,andagebreakdownoftheuserswhoclickedonyourad.This informationcanbeusedinconjunctionwithdemographicsinformationfromyourPageorapplicationto refinethetargetingofyouradssotheyreonlyshowntothemostimportantandeffectiveusers. ThethirdreporttypeisResponderProfiles,whichallowsyoutoseeinformationfromtheProfilesof userswhohaveclickedonyourads.Thisincludesinterests,books,music,andTVshows.Youcanuse thisinformationtorefine(orbroaden)thetargetingofyourads.Ifyounoticethatmanyuserswhohave clickedyouradhavelistedacommoninterest,youcancreateanadthatspeaksdirectlytothatniche.

257

Figure 12-8. Using a third-party analytics system, you can track how many visitors your Facebook efforts have sent to your site and how well they performed.
258

Goals and KpI


Theultimatepointofanalyticsistomeasurehoweffectiveyourmarketingeffortsareinobtainingcertain goals.Beforeyoulaunchanycampaign,youshouldclearlyunderstandwhatyourgoalsare:areyou tryingtodrivesalesofaproduct?Areyoustrivingtogenerateleadsforaservice?Areyouinterestedin sendingtraffictoyoursitetomonetizethroughadclicks?Orareyoutryingtoincreaseawarenessand buzzaroundyourbrand?Goalsofthefirstthreevarietiesaregenerallyeasiertoreportandareclosely tiedtoprofit,makingthempowerfulmetricstojustifyinvestmentsoftimeandmoneyinFacebook marketing. Onceyouvedecidedonyourultimategoals,youneedtoidentifykey performance indicators(KPI)to measure(Figure12-8).Thesearemetricsthatindicatetheeffectivenessofyoureffortsinachieving yourgoals.Ifyouretryingtodrivesales,thenthemostimportantKPIwouldbesalesattributeddirectly toFacebookmarketing;ifyourgoalisleads,thenyourmainKPIwouldlikewisebeleadsattributedto Facebooktraffic.InadditiontothesedirectKPIs,itisadvisabletodefineproxyorintermediatemetrics towatch.Typically,thesearethepotentialactionsofauserwhoislikelytocompleteagoal.Because manyoftheseprofit-drivinggoalstakeplaceoffofFacebook,itcanbeusefultomeasuretheengagementlevelsofthetrafficFacebookissendingtoyoursite.Engagementmetricsincludenumberslike average-time-on-siteandPage-views-per-visit.

259

Figure 12-9. The most important metrics of any campaign are those that actually affect your bottom line.
260

Tracking
Mostcommercialwebsitesalreadyhaveananalyticspackageinstalledtomonitoruseractivity.Google Analyticsisacommon,useful,andfreeexample.Ifyouhavegoalsalreadysetupinyouranalytics system(asyoushouldforanytypeofmarketing,notjustFacebook),youlllikelybeabletomeasure theperformanceoftrafficcomingfromFacebook.cominyourreferrersreports(Figure12-9).Watch theamountoftrafficFacebookissendingyoursiteaswellastime-on-siteandpage-views-per-visit metricsasintermediateKPIs.Ultimately,youllwanttopaythemostattentiontothenumberofdirect goalcompletions(sales,leads,andsoon)resultingfromFacebook.comtraffic.Analyticspackageslike GoogleAnalyticsalsoallowyoutousetrackingparameterstorefinethelevelofinformationyousee aboutFacebooktraffic.IfyoureusingaFacebookadtosendtraffictoyoursite,addtheseparameters totheendofthetargetURLtoseetheperformanceoftrafficcomingtoyoursitefromspecificads. Eachanalyticspackagehandlestrackingparametersdifferently,sothebestplacetolearnaboutthem isdirectlyfromyourpackageprovider(forexample,thereareanumberofbooksandwebsitesthatcan teachyouhowtouseparameterswithGoogleAnalytics).

261

Summary
AsamarketeronFacebook,youretheretodobusinessandmakemoney,notjustmakefriends.Itis vitalthatyoutracktheperformanceofyoureffortsandhowtheyrelatetoyourcompanysbottomline. FacebookallowsyoutoeasilyanalyzetheactivityonyourPages,applications,andFacebookadswith itsInsightssystem.UseInsightsforbothhigh-levelanddetailedanalytics. IfyoureintegratingyourFacebookmarketingeffortswithyourexternalwebsite(asyoushouldbe),you canalsouseyournon-Facebookanalyticssystemtotracktheeffectivenessofthenewtrafficyoure drivingfromthesocialnetwork.

262

Acknowledgments
Manythankstoourmoms,andtoBarbaraandJenn,ourlittlesisters.AlsotoBJ,GrammaandGrumpa, NanaandPa,TerriandJoeDevito,andtherestofourfamily.Thisbookwasalaboroflove,andyou eachhelpedinyourownway. From Dan:ThankstothewholeHubspotteam,butespecially:DavidGallant,BrianWhalley,KyleJames, KylePaice,KippBodnar,YoavShapiro,MikeVolpe,JeanneHopkins,BrianHalligan,andDharmeshShah. AlsotoMariSmith,GuyKawasaki,BrettTabke,andNancyDuartefortheirprofessionalwisdom. From Alison:Thankstomyfriends,onFacebookandinlife:LindsayWhite,KristinBurnham,Ashley Cannon,LauraSeddon,EricaPritchard,DebbieKeene,StephaniePiotrowski,JackyFontanella,Marla Napurano,TreasaLaw,CourtneyLivingston,JudiannMcNiff,DylciaMorell,DavidAbend,TinaMorelli, SteveBonda,TomMoran,AndreDocarmo,andFabricioBlasius.ToBrettTabkeandthewhole WebmasterWorldcrew,forlettingmetalkaboutFacebooktoanyonewhowilllisten.Andtoallmy fellowZipsterswhohelpmedowhatIloveeveryday,especiallyMandyDonovanDrake,BobBurns, StephanieShore,andRobWeisberg.

263

Index
A
Aboutbox, 57 Activityfeeds, 201 Activitytab, 247 admins(administrators) ofGroups, 75,87,91 moderatingyour Page, 215 tipsandresourcesfor, 45 advertising adstats, 241 bidding, 239 budgetfor, 237 contentdesign audiencefor, 225 copy, 229 images, 227 FacebookAdanalytics AdvertisingPerformance reports, 255 overview, 255 Responder Demographics reports, 257 goalsandKPI(key performance indicators), 259 managingcontent for, 219 overview, 223,242 Pagepromotionand, 61 targeting Connectionsfields, 235 demographics, 231 likesandinterests, 233 location, 231 Relationshipand InterestedInfields, using, 233 Workplacesfield, 233 users,wheretosend, 225 AllFacebookblog, 65 analytics FacebookAdsplatform AdvertisingPerformance reports, 255 overview, 255 Responder Demographics reports, 257 goalsandKPI(key performance indicators), 259 Insightsfor applications, 251253 Insightsplatform Activityandtraffic, 247 demographicdata, 247 descriptionof, 245 likesandunlikes, 247 posts,feedbackon, 249 overview, 243,262 tracking, 261 ApplicationDirectory, 45, 131 apps(applications) artandcopy, 129 branding,extendingwith apps, 117119 customapps, 5153,63 customtab applications, 53 development, 125127 Insightsplatform descriptionof, 249 Walls,postingsto, 253 interaction,placesfor, 125 launchingand promoting, 129131 Notes, 47 overview, 111,132 preloaded, 51 Profileapps, 29 socialapps, 113115 SocialRSS, 47 StaticFBML(Facebook markuplanguage), 47 successful,characteristics of, 121 userapps, 147 viralmechanisms, 123 art,forapp development, 129 assets,designing, 135

265

B
biddingonadvertising costs, 239 Bioinformationfor Profiles, 17 blocklists, 27 blog,AllFacebook, 65 brandingonFacebook.See alsocustomizingPages custompatterns,themes, anddays, 141 extendingbrandswith apps, 117119 rulesforbrandsand businesses, 13 smallbrands, 5 userexpectations, 65 worldslargestbrands, 3 budgetforFacebook ads, 237 businessesonFacebook, Profilesfor, 13

C
calendars,content, 161 campaignsPageof FacebookAds interface, 255

canvasPages, 125 categoriesofPages, 43 comments,media, 63 complaints,handling, 215, 217 ConnectedTofield, 235 contactinformation,in Profiles, 23 content foradvertising audiencefor, 225 copy, 229 images, 227 changingandadding, importanceof, 59 contentcalendars, 161 cross-promotionof Activityfeeds, 201 digits,using, 183 theLikebutton, 197 199 linguisticcontent, 185 metamentions, 179 optimizing, 59 overview, 175,201 partsofspeech,whatto use, 189 positivity,thepower of, 185

readability, 191 Recommendations feeds, 201 theSharebutton, 193 195 socialplug-ins, 193 teachingmoments, trying, 185 topicsofinterest, 177, 181 video, 187 exclusiveoffers, 143 forPages,customization of, 139 postingtoGroups, 85 removingposts, 87 strategy,developing competitionwithother content, 153 contentcalendars, creating, 161 Eventcontent, 169 Facebookand SearchEngines, optimizing, 163 frequency, determining, 157, 207 goalsfor, establishing, 155

interactions, increasing, 171 keywords,placement of, 165 mediacontent, 169 overview, 151,155,173 patternsandtopics, setting, 159 Statusupdate content, 169 tabs,usingkeywords on, 167 tailoringtoFacebook audience, 7 copyforadvertising, 229 cross-promotionofcontent. Seecontent customizingPages assetsandmedia, designing, 137 content, 139 customapps, 5153 customtabapps, 53,137 exclusivestuff, 143 Notesapp, 47 overview, 45,133,149 Pageicons, 135 patternsanddays, branded, 141

266

SocialRSSapp, 47 StaticFBML(Facebook markuplanguage), 47 tabs,custom, 145 userapps, 147 customizingtheLike button, 197 customizingtheShare button, 195

E
educationinformationin Profiles, 19 educationlevelandwriting forFacebook, 191 emailaddresses, 23 emailannouncements,and Events, 95,101,105 engagement, encouraging, 59 etiquette,unofficial, 155 Events ascontentstrategy, 169 creating, 9799 Eventtab, 103 follow-up, 107 andGroups, incorporating, 83 invites,sending, 101 management,using Groups, 71 overview, 93,109 Pages,integrating with, 103 promoting, 105 whentouse, 95 exclusiveoffers, 143,205

F
Facebook AllFacebookblog, 65 ApplicationDirectory, 131 FacebooksFacebook Page, 7 numberofusers worldwide, 1,33,65 associalutility, 113 topPagesin, 39 FacebookAdsplatform. See alsoadvertising; See alsoanalytics AdvertisingPerformance reports, 255 campaignsPage, 255 overview, 255 ResponderDemographics reports, 257 fans(Pagemembers) exclusivedealsfor, 205 fanningaPagevs. liking, 21 fanPages, 125 largestbrands,success of, 3 FavoriteQuotations, 17

D
dailyactiveusers (DAUs), 251 dailycontent,patterns for, 159 days,custombranding for, 141 dealsforFans(Page members), 143,205 defaultlandingtab, 167 demographics targetingfor advertising, 231 userdataon, 247 developmentofapps, 125 127,132 digits,useofintitles, 183

FBML(FacebookMarkup Language)tabs, custom, 167 feedbackinformation, 249. See alsoanalytics follow-uptoEvents, 107 frictionandinertia,in learningapps, 121 friending vs.liking, 39 astwo-way connection, 31 friendlists andprivacysettings, 27 segmenting, 81 FriendsofConnections field, 235

G
gamesonFacebook, 119 geeksandnon-geeks, contentfor, 177 generalpromotions tab, 211 geography,targetingfor advertising, 231 GlobalGroups, 77 goalsforadvertising, 259. See alsoanalytics

267

goalsforcontent strategy, 155 GoogleAnalytics, 261 Groups creating fields,fillingout, 79 globalaccessto, 77 grammar,punctuation, andspelling, 79 Keywords, 79 whentocreate, 75,77, 89 eventmanagement, 71 managing adminduties, 81,91 content,posting, 85,87 content,removing, 87 Events, incorporating, 83 friendlists, segmenting, 83 friends, 81 links,photos,and videos, 85 messages,sending, 83 andmonitoring, 87 ProfilesorPages admin, 81

messaging, 71 overview, 67,73,91 vs.Pages, 6971,75 privacysettingsfor, 27

I
icons,Page, 135 images.Seephotos IMscreennames, 23 inboxupdates, 63 incentiveoffers, 61 inertiaandfriction,in learningapps, 121 infoboxes,keyword placementin, 165 information,Profile, 17 Infotab, 15,49,57 Insightsplatform Activityandtraffic, 247 forapplications, 251253 demographicdata, 247 Facebookposts,feedback on, 249 likesandunlikes, 247 overview, 243245 interactivity customapplications, 63 customtabapps, 53 customuserapps, 53

andEvents, 97 inboxupdates, 63 interactionsPage, feedbackinformation on, 249 Mediacomments, 63 personal,inGroups, 75 SEOandcontent strategy, 171 statisticson.Seeanalytics Wallposts, 63 InterestedInfield, 233 InterestsandLikes,in Profiles, 21 invitationsonFacebook. SeeEvents

L
landingtabreveals, 205 launchingnewapps, 129 131 LikesandInterests inProfiles, 21 targetingfor advertising, 233 liking vs.fanningaPage, 21 vs.friending, 39 Likebutton, 197199 LikesinuserProfiles, 21 userdataon, 247 linguisticcontenton Facebook, 185 links toEvents, 105 forFacebook-only offers, 205 postinginGroups, 85 locations,targetingfor advertising, 231 logos forapps, 131 Pageiconsas, 135

J
jobexperience,in Profiles, 19

K
keywords inGroupdescriptions, 79 Pages,keywordlocations for, 165 KPI(keyperformance indicators), 259

268

M
managementofPages advertising, 219 moderation, 215 monitoring, 213 overview, 203,221 Pagemembers,exclusive dealsfor, 205 Promotionstab, 211 redesigningPages, 209 respondingto customers, 217 statusupdates,frequency of, 207 marketingonFacebook. See alsoanalytics vs.emailmarketing, 23 Pagesvs.Profiles, 3941 userexpectations, 65 viralmarketing appfeaturesand, 123 contagiousness, 113 success,learning from, 117 mascots,friendingvs. liking, 39 media designing, 135

mediacomments, 63 newsmedia,impactof Facebookon, 3 postingonPages, 169 messaginginGroups, 71, 83 metamentionsas content, 179 moderatingyourFacebook Page, 215 monitoringyourFacebook Page, 213 monthlyactiveusers (MAUs), 251

O
offersforFans(Page members), 143,205 optimizationofPages contentstrategy, 59 search,Facebook, 55 search,organic, 55 tipsfor, 57 originsofFacebook, 1

P
Pages appsfor, 29,47,5153 creating, 45 customizing assetsandmedia, designing, 137 content, 139 customapps, 5153 customtabapps, 53 exclusivestuff, 143 Notesapp, 47 overview, 45,133,149 Pageicons, 135 patternsanddays, branded, 141 SocialRSSapp, 47

N
newsandstorieson Facebook, 181 Newsfeed,Facebook, 135, 173,207 newspapercirculationinthe US, 3 NotConnectedTo field, 235 Notesapp, 47 numbers,useofin titles, 183

StaticFBML (Facebookmarkup language), 47 tabs,custom, 145 userapps, 147 Eventinvitesand, 101, 103 Eventtab, 103 vs.Groups, 6971,89 interactions,user customapplications, 63 inboxupdates, 63 mediacomments, 63 Wallposts, 63 keywordlocationsin, 165 managementof. Seemanagementof Pages moderating, 215 monitoring, 213 optimization contentstrategyfor, 59 goalsandskillsfor, 55 search,Facebook, 55 search,organic, 55 tipsfor, 57 overview, 35 posting,frequency of, 157

269

Pages(continued) andProfilesfor businesses, 13,21 vs.Profiles, differences, 3941 promotion incentiveoffers, 61 organicpromotion, 61 paidadvertising, 59 redesigns,timely, 209 respondingtoposts, 217 typesofPages, 43 partsofspeech,inwriting forFacebook, 189 patterns,custom, 141 patternsforposting content, 159 photos foradvertising, 227 forEvents, 99,107 photoapps, 147 Photostab, 15,49 postinginGroups, 85 postingonPages, 169 posts contentcalendars and, 161 content,fittingto Facebookmodel, 7

encouragingposting,in Groups, 87 Events, 103 frequencyof, 157,207 removing,from Groups, 87 Wallposts,andPage interaction, 63 privacysettings forcontact information, 23 customizationof, 25 vs.opennesson Facebook, 11 Profiles forbusiness, 13 contactinformation, 23 andEventinvites, 101 likesandinterests, 21 overview, 911,33 vs.Pages, differences, 3941 parentProfiles, 81 privacysettings, 25 Profileapplications, 29 Profileboxes, 125 Profileinteractions, 31 Profiletabs, 13,15 rulesfor, 37

settingup, 17 workandeducation, 19 promotion apps,new, 129131 Events, 105 generalpromotions tab, 211 Pages incentiveoffers, 61 organicpromotion, 61 paidadvertising, 61 promocodesfor Facebook-only offers, 205 uniquepromotion tab, 211 publicfigures,Pages for, 3941

recruiting,job, 19 Relationshipfield, 233 Report/Blockprivacy setting, 27 respondingtoquestions andcomments, 217 ROI(returnon investment), 55.See alsoanalytics

S
schools,enteringin Profile, 19 search content,importance of, 169 forEvents, 97 Facebooksearch, 55 interactivityand, 171 keywordplacement, 165 167 optimizingcontent for, 163 organicsearch, 55 seasonalPage redesigns, 209 self-helptopicson Facebook, 181

Q
questions,responding to, 217 Quotations,Favorite, 17

R
readability,inwritingfor Facebook, 191 Recommendations feed, 201

270

sharingarticleson Facebook.See alsowritingfor Facebook Likebutton, 195197 readabilityandeducation level, 191 Sharebutton, 193195 SimpleMode(bidding model), 239 socialappsandsocial behaviors, 113115 socialplug-ins Activityand Recommendations feeds, 201 Likebutton, 195197 Sharebutton, 193195 SocialRSSapp, 47 spamposters, 215 StaticFBML(Facebook markuplanguage), 47 statistics,advertising, 241. See alsoanalytics statusupdates, 169,207 strategyforcontent. Seecontent,strategy SuperWallapp, 121

T
tabs assetsandmedia, designing, 137 customFBMLtabs, 167 customtabapps, 53, 137,145 defaultlandingtab, 167 infotab, 167 keywordsin,using, 167 landingtabreveals, 205 vs.Pages, 35 promotionstab, 211 redesigningand rotating, 209 typesof, 15,49 targetedadvertising Connectionsfields, 235 demographics, 231 likesandinterests, 233 location, 231 Relationshipand InterestedIn fields, 233 Workplacesfield, 233 text forappdevelopment, 129 copyforadvertising, 229

thank-younotes, 107 themes,custom, 141 time-sensitiveinitiatives, usingGroups, 75,91 timingofposting, 157, 207 topicsforcontent commontopics, 159 educationaland constructive content, 185 leastsharedwords, 177 metamentions, 179 mostsharedwords, 181 positivecontent, 185 tracking.See alsoanalytics analytics, 261 usingexclusive offers, 205 trafficlevelson Facebook, 1,247 Twitter FacebookEvents and, 105 writingforvs.writingfor Facebook, 177

U
uniquepromotion tab, 211 unlikesofyourPages causesof, 95 userdataon, 247 updatesonEvents, 103 updates,status. Seestatusupdates URLselection, 57,165 users customuserapps, 53 dataon.Seeanalytics diversityof, 1 individualsvs. businesses, 13 MAUs(monthly activeusers)and DAUs(dailyactive users), 251 userapps, 147 wheretosend, 225

V
videos andEventfollowup, 107 popularityof, 187 postinginGroups, 85

271

viralmarketing.See alsomarketingon Facebook appfeaturesand, 123 contagiousness, 113 success,learning from, 117

W
Walltab descriptionof, 15,49 postingEventson, 103 posts, 63 workinformation,in Profiles, 19

Workplacesfield, 233 writingforFacebook.See alsotopicsforcontent digits,makinguseof, 183 educationaland constructive content, 185 linguisticcontent, 185

overview, 202 partsofspeech,use of, 189 positivity,thepower of, 185 readability, 191

272

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About the Authors


Dan Zarrella,socialmediascientistatHubSpot,haswrittenextensivelyaboutthescienceofviralmarketing,memetics,andsocialmediaforavarietyofpopularindustryblogs.Hisworkhasbeenfeaturedin newsoutletsincludingCNNInternational,theWall Street Journal,theNew York Times,andmore. Alison ZarrellaisaninteractivecopywriterandsocialmediamanageratZipcar.Shehasworkedon Facebookmarketingandcontentstrategywithavarietyofclients,rangingfromsmalllocalbusinesses toglobalbrands.ShehaswrittenforindustryblogssuchasMashableandhasbeenfeaturedasasocial mediaandFacebookexpertinmultiplemediaoutletsandguestlectures.

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