Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Facebook category.
I’m On Facebook — Now What??? 2nd Edition Now Available!
I’ve been busy co-authoring a book on Facebook marketing “I’m on Facebook — Now What??? 2nd Edition” with the authors of the first edition, 
Jason Alba and Jesse Stay.
I’m excited that the book is now available on Amazon and in stores.
Here’s the exerpt:
Facebook took the internet by storm and brought social media to the masses. There are now over 1 billion people using the site monthly, from all around the world. And Facebook, along with other popular social media properties, has revolutionized marketing. Where marketing was once dominated by one way messages to the masses, it is now much more relationship based. And while marketing used to require big budgets and favor large businesses, it can now be done much less expensively, leveling the playing field for organizations of all sizes and geographic regions.
In this updated version of the book we will bring you up to speed on the changes to Facebook since the last version of this book was published, as well as teach you how to get started with a Facebook business Page, how to create engaging content that meets overall objectives, how to manage your Facebook Page and build community, how to create successful Facebook ad buys and promotions, how to measure success, and how to use Facebook applications and plugins.
The book is written in easy to understand language and includes many examples of how successful businesses and organizations are using Facebook, as well as Action Items to help you utilize what you learn.
Contains a foreword by Mari Smith and an afterword by Mike Stelzner (of Social Media Examiner).
Hope you like it!
How To Create a Facebook Reporting Template
My most popular post of all time was on social media reporting templates, so I wanted to share updated information. Here are some tips about what to include in a Facebook reporting template as well as an example. You can add other social media properties to compare high level performance.
First as some background.. There is ALOT of data available. Facebook Insights has great data. And if you are using a social media management tool like HootSuite or Sprout Social, those have great information also. Google Analytics also provides valuable data. And there are other free and paid tools like PageLever, etc.
All this data is great, and can be very useful for understanding and improving your efforts. But it can also be overwhelming. At the end of the day, it’s important to track several key high level metrics. Many set up a simple reporting dashboard to do this.
You’ll want to include Facebook metrics like total Likes, new Likes and unlikes, as well as reach, and engagement rate. You’ll also want to include metrics that track performance against business objectives including traffic to your blog or website, mentions, improved brand sentiment, leads or email opt-ins, reduction in customer service calls, sales, and revenue. Here is a simple reporting dashboard that can be tweaked for your business’ unique objectives and reporting capabilities.
6 Brands Doing Facebook Images Right
Images have become a very important part of Facebook page posts. Facebook gives a higher EdgeRank score to posts with photos so they are more likely to show up in a newsfeed, and posts with photos get increased interaction.
Here are a few examples of brands doing a great job with images. Several are in the food and beverage category as I’ve been paying close attention to the category because of my client in the category, Margaritaville Mixed Drinker. And yes, I did include Margaritaville Cargo, the Facebook page for the Mixed Drink Maker, in the list 
Jamba Juice
Bright, fun images with clever copy make we want to head to my nearest Jamba Juice.
Starbucks
They have a passionate fan base of 31 million coffee lovers. I’m not a coffee lover, but their posts makes me want to become one.
Budweiser
Their close-up images and clever copy make me yearn for a cold one.
Disney
Who doesn’t love classic Disney images and iconic quotes? I’m ready to go to Red Box and get a movie for Friday Night Movie Night.
Jetsetter
I can’t wait to get the Daily Moment of Zen each day. Time to start planning my next vacation.
Margaritaville Cargo
We use enticing images, fun fill-in-the-blanks, and exotic locales that make fans want to mix up a refreshing cocktail.
5 Tips To Increase Facebook Fan Engagement
It is really important to get Facebook page engagement rate up as much as possible to maintain EdgeRank score (Facebook’s algorithm for deciding which posts make it to your fan’s newsfeed), and to meet other objectives like awareness, brand affinity, referrals, and sales. Here are some tips.
1. Get the right people on the page
The more highly interested fans, the easier it is to get interaction on a page. So, first focus on getting anyone who has any interest in your brand to your Facebook page. Make sure to have a Facebook icon front and center on your website. Also send emails to your email list, promote via other social media, and include links everywhere else you can.. signage, email signatures, etc. Next, do targeted ad buys or sweepstakes/contests with highly relevant prizes to increase the number of fans that are interested in the page content.
2. Post stunning images
Facebook has become very visual. Facebook gives preference to images and people are more likely to interact with images that catch their eye. Take advantage of this by posting images as often as possible. See this example from client, Margaritaville Mixed Drink Maker’s Facebook page. Who doesn’t love seeing a picture of Bora Bora?
3. Use clever copy and include calls to action
Make your copy short and appealing to the audience. Not always, but often, include calls to action to comment, Like, share, etc. Here is another example from client Margaritaville Mixed Drink Maker’s Facebook page. This post earned a 9.21% engagement rate (vs. 2-3% industry average).
4. Respond to comments regularly
People want to be heard. So show them you are listening by replying to their questions and comments. If you don’t respond they will stop interacting, and if you do, they are more likely to interact again as well as buy your product.
5. Make it fun with events and offers
A great way to get fans excited and interacting is with a fun sweepstakes or contest. As a bonus (and often primary objective) increase Likes, email opt-ins, and referral traffic.
What are some of your tips for increasing engagement rate?
How To Do A Facebook Ad Buy
In my last blog post I shared 10 Ways To Increase Your Facebook Likes. The final suggestion was to do a Facebook ad buy. In this post I will share how to do a basic Facebook ad buy.
First, some things to know:
Creating a Facebook Page is free, but running an ad campaign requires a budget. Grow your Page as much as possible for free first, then consider doing an ad buy to increase your Likes more.
Facebook ad buy costs are going up. Just like Google paid search costs started very low and increased as advertisers jumped on board, Facebook ad buy costs are also increasing. 2010 cost per clicks were about double 2009 cost per clicks. That said, Facebook ad buys can still be very effective and costs are likely lower now than they will be a year from now.
Let’s get started..
1. Go to the Facebook page you want to promote, then click on “Promote with an Ad”
2. Now you are able to “Design Your Ad”
a. Select Destination. You can select an External URL (a website) or a Facebook Page or Event. My instructions are for ads promoting a Facebook page.
b. Select Type of ad. Sponsored Stories are new. There are three options, click to see what each looks like. Facebook Ads are the standard ad. I will share how to create a Facebook Ad.
c. Select Destination tab. You can drive people to your Wall, Welcome tab, or other tabs on your Facebook page. If you have a Welcome tab I recommend sending people there. A well designed Welcome tab can double your conversion to Like. If not, the Wall is generally where you want to send people.
d. Choose a Title. If you are linking to an external website, you can create a title, otherwise, the Facebook page name is the default title.
e. Create your Body copy. I generally recommend copy that clearly explains what type of content a person will find on a Page and a clear call to Like the page.
f. Upload Image. Choose a relevant and appealing image.
You will see a preview of the ad.
3. Next, choose your Targeting
a. Select Location. The default is United States. You can also target by State, City, or Country.
b. Select Demographics. Select the age you wish to target, as well as Sex.
c. Choose Interests. Here you can select interests, like golfing, etc. as well as competitive or similar Facebook pages. Type selections into the box, and you will see Estimated Reach on the right hand side.
d. Select Connections on Facebook. I usually recommend targeting “Only people who are not fans of xx”. And larger Pages can target “friends of fans of xx”.
e. Select Advanced Demographics, if applicable.
f. Select Education & Work. This is where you can target by Education and Workplaces.
4. Lastly, enter Campaigns, Pricing, and Scheduling information.
a. Create a Campaign Name. To do this, click on “Create a new campaign”.
b. Enter the Budget. If you want to enter the entire campaign budget select “Lifetime budget”. Facebook will deliver your budget evenly over the life of the campaign. If you have a very limited budget, you can start small. $50 will get you a nice little test. If the budget allows, increase for a longer campaign and better initial learning.
c. Select Campaign Schedule
Now your first ad is created and you can click “Place Order”. You will be dropped at your campaign page. You can run the campaign with just one ad, but it is recommended to create multiple ads, as Facebook optimizes by ad performance. To create more ads, go to your first ad and click on “Create a Similar Ad”. In order to test the ads, change only one variable in each ad. For example, change the copy and keep the image and target the same, etc. Make sure to name each ad clearly so you can easily differentiate.
Once Facebook approves your ads, your campaign will go live. Good luck! Once live, monitor the campaign and stop it if your cost per Like is unacceptable. And, once you have these new Likes on your Page, make sure to give them valuable content so they stay, and work to convert them to achieve your business goals.
Feel free to ask me any questions!
10 Ways To Increase Your Facebook Likes
If you have a Facebook page for your business and want to increase Likes, here are some suggestions. Some are very basic (but work) and others will take a little more effort. Here goes..
1. Send an email to your friends and family asking them to Like your Facebook page. Maybe they are not your target, but they will get your Likes up to make your page look more legitimate and may be more likely to comment/Like which is helpful to get interaction going on the page, and helps for newsfeed optimization.
2. Send an email to your email list (current clients, partners.. anyone that you think might benefit from your Facebook page). Again, let them know your page exists. Email really is the best way to increase your numbers quickly.
3. Add your Facebook icon/url everywhere. Add icons to your website and blog, add an icon or url to your business cards and email signature, add a link from your LinkedIn profile, add an icon/link to any presentations you do and printed collateral, and put up signage if you have a physical presence.
4. Add a Facebook Like box to your blog. This way people can see others that have Liked your page (including their friends if any have Liked your page) and Like the Facebook page without leaving the blog.
5. Cross promote your Facebook page on your other social media properties. Periodically simply mention your Facebook page on your personal Facebook page, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Or if there is anything exciting happening on your Facebook page, mention that.
6. Take advantage of any opportunities to share your Facebook page. Some Facebook pages periodically let others share their Facebook page on their wall for their audience to see. Facebook guru, Mari Smith, does this periodically. She has 44k Likes so a huge potential audience. The WIC Facebook page also does this periodically, so be on the lookout for this opportunity. Some LinkedIn groups also post Discussions allowing members to share their Facebook pages. And periodically email lists ask members to share. Look for these opportunities.
7. Link to other Facebook pages in your posts. To do this, first Like the other page, then link to the page in your post by typing @ and then the page name. Your post will show up on the other page’s wall and the page owner or others may notice the post and visit your page.
8. Host a Q&A on your Facebook wall. Get an expert to answer questions on a relevant topic. If the expert has a large social media following, many may come to the event and Like your page.
9. Promote your page at live events. Beyond mentioning your page you can get more creative. Let people know they can like your page from their phone by texting the name of the page (for example, womeninconsulting) to FBOOK. Or, if you have a computer, ask them to Like the page on the spot in exchange for something (entering a contest, free product, etc.)
10. Do a Facebook ad buy. If you have a marketing budget, consider a Facebook ad buy. Cost are going up, but advertising may still make sense (and if you want to advertise at some point you may want to do it now, while costs are still reasonable).
Do you have any other suggestions?
*This post was originally published to the Women In Consulting blog
5 Great Summer Facebook Campaigns
Summer is here and the big brands are running fun seasonal Facebook campaigns. Here are several of my favorite current Facebook campaigns, contests, and sweepstakes.
Just in time for Father’s Day.. tell eBay what makes your Dad a Superdad and be entered to win a home entertainment package or gift card.
Why I like: It’s timely and fun for Father’s Day
Enter to win the Grand Prize – round trip tickets to NJ, two tickets to the show, and a meet and greet. Or, be entered to win tickets to a local concert.
Why I like: Who wouldn’t like to win a VIP trip to see Rihanna in concert.
3) Ford Explorer “Go Do Adventure”
Tell Ford the Go Do Adventure that you and your family or friends would like to take in an Explorer for a week in the US and if selected Ford will foot the bill and make it happen.
Why I like: With Summer here, and a tough economy, a week vacation on Ford is appealing.
4) Campaign to save 1 million gallons of water by asking guys to make a pledge to stop shaving for as long as they can.
Why I like: You have to stop and look at this clever and fun campaign. Plus it has a World Environment Day tie-in.
5) Corona Light “Beach Getaway”
Rescue the Corona Beach Bottle from the sand castle to win a trip to Mexico.
Why I like: Another fun vacation giveaway, with an entry twist.
Are there any current Facebook campaigns you like? Share them here.
5 Favorite Facebook Welcome Tabs
Anyone who has read my blog or spent much time talking with me about Facebook knows I am a big fan of Facebook Welcome tabs. Welcome tabs are a great way to give new visitors to your Facebook page a feel for what types of content they can expect on your page as well as a clear call to action to Like the page. I tend to like Welcome tabs that are clear, concise, and have a strong call to action. Five of my favorites are profiled below.
But first, for those that like stats, here are some numbers that support having a Welcome tab … Research from BrandGlue found that fans converted to Like a Facebook page at a rate of 47% with Welcome tab versus a conversion rate of 23% without a Welcome tab. I don’t think all brands can expect these results, but I would expect some lift, and think Welcome tabs are a good best practice.
So, here are some of my favorites..
1) Kampgrounds of America (KOA) – This is probably my favorite all time welcome tab. It’s cute, to the point, has a clear call to action, and matches the branding of the website.
2) Udi’s Gluten Free Foods – This one is welcoming, informative, and has a clear call to action.
3) St. Supery Vineyards and Winery – Beautiful image evoking peacefulness of Napa Valley and clear call to action.
4) Mint.com – Clear reasons to join the page as well as an extra incentive to click Like.
5) Sprouts Farmers Market – Explanation of what a person will find on the page, request to interact, and fun way of pointing to Like box.
As I mentioned, I tend to like simple graphic Welcome tabs and think these are often the best way to achieve the objective of an increased conversion to Like. There are lots of other things that can be done on a Welcome tab – fan-only content, contests, email opt-ins, videos, and more. I highlight some examples of Welcome tabs in this post, and will highlight more in upcoming posts.
Do you have any favorite Facebook Welcome tabs?
Getting Started Using Facebook for Business
Is social media part of your business strategy? A recent study by Access Markets International reports nearly 70% of US small businesses use social media, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs. If you haven’t jumped in yet, you are at a competitive disadvantage. At around 500 million active users (60% larger than the entire US population), Facebook has the largest audience of the social media destinations and is a great place to do business.
There are a few ways you can use Facebook for business, so let’s look at the options. First, you can use your personal profile. Facebook makes it easy to set up lists within your list of friends, so you can set up a list for business and post information to this list.
Or, you can set up a Group or business Page. Pages have become much more popular than Groups. The benefits of a Page include: posts show up on the Walls of people that Like your page, posts appear with a business image versus an individual’s personal profile picture, and Pages show up in search engine results. You may want a Group if you want to limit membership to a select group (anyone can Like a Page).
For the majority of businesses, a Page is the way to go. Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Develop objectives. Is your goal to establish yourself as a thought leader within your field, increase leads, build community, sell product, provide customer support? It is important to create objectives so your strategies map back to business objectives.
2. Choose the Page name and set up the vanity URL. The vanity URL makes it easy for people to find your Page. When you have at least 25 fans you can set this up. For example, your vanity URL would be something like http://www.facebook.com/businessname. Be very careful about choosing your vanity URL as this cannot be changed.
3. Pick an image for the Wall. This image will show up on the top left of the Page and the entire image, or a portion, will be used for the thumbnail when you post. For ease, you can select a square image. The thumbnail uses a square image, so if you choose a square image, your thumbnail can be your entire image. Or, you can select an image up to 180×540 (but make sure there is a square portion that will be suitable for your thumbnail).
4.Develop a content strategy. A good rule of thumb is to post once a day. If you have more or less to share, you can post more or less frequently. The most important thing is to post content that is valuable to your subscribers. Mix up the posts. Posts can include links to blog posts, relevant articles, tips, special offers, new products or services, events, pictures, videos, etc. Mix it up and get creative.
5. Promote your Page. Users generally don’t find Pages from searches. Instead they learn about Pages from sites and other promotions. The best initial way to promote your Page is to use Facebook’s tool and suggest your friends Like the page. Some other ways to promote your Page include adding a Facebook icon on your website and blog, adding an URL (or link) on all marketing materials – business cards, email signatures, email and newsletters, presentations, direct mail, and adding your Page link to your LinkedIn profile. Advertising on Facebook can be very effective as Facebook offers highly targeted ads at often low rates.
6. Increase interaction. For your page to go viral you need people to comment and Like your posts, and write on your wall. Interaction is also important because you want to appear on the “Top News” tab versus the “Most Recent” tab, and Facebook favors Pages with higher interaction. Tips include posting highly relevant content, phrasing posts to entice interaction, and including images.
7. Develop a conversion strategy. If a primary goal is to increase Likes, you can add a Welcome tab where visitors 
land that tells them about the page and asks them to Like. Other conversion tactics might include adding an email sign up form and promoting live events. More advanced tactics might include providing a store front and running a contest. Facebook really is a game changer for small businesses. It offers free access to a huge population of active internet users. Many small businesses are benefiting. So why are you waiting? Jump in!
Rachel will be speaking about this topic at the Midpeninsula Professional Alliance 9/21 breakfast meeting at Scott’s Seafood in Town & Country Village in Palo Alto, CA. The meeting is open to all. Click here to register.
Get Creative with Facebook Landing Tabs (Pics)
*This article was originally posted on the Women In Consulting blog. It is posted here with a few modifications.
If you have a Facebook page for your business, you might want to consider adding a landing tab. A landing tab is a tab people land on if they have not “Liked” your page yet.
Most often, businesses use these as “Welcome” tabs. The intent is to give people more information about the business and what they will find on the Facebook page with the goal of an increased conversion rate to “Like”. A recent BrandGlue study found a 47% conversion rate to “Like” with a landing tab vs. a 23% conversion rate without a landing tab.
Here are some examples of “Welcome” tabs. Note that most ask the visitor to “Like” the page, offer some information about the business and the Facebook page, and many have short videos.
Texto Graphic Design – A graphic rich landing tab.
Social Media Examiner and EzineArticles – These are straight forward with simple messaging and videos.
Mari Smith – Tab of the Facebook guru Mari Smith. With the primary objective of an increased conversion rate, her
tab includes a video, letter about herself and her page, and more.
Businesses are using landing tabs in other creative ways as well..
Diet Coke has a simple and inviting entry way.
Dunkin Donuts and Papa Johns are promoting contests.
Threadless and Carters are selling products on their landing tabs.
Starbucks and Dominos are promoting Rewards programs.
And still other businesses use this tab as a social media hub. See Carnival’s “Carnival”
tab complete with email opt-in, videos, Twitter opt-in, photos, polls, and more.
Does your business have a Facebook landing tab? If so, share the link here. Of if you have any favorites, share those too!
