Facebook As A Branding Strategy

By Lindsay Dicks

Once you are logged into Facebook, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Advertising,” and then click “Pages.” There is some great information here about fan pages, so take a moment to read through the information, when you are ready click “Create Page.” As you go through the set-up process, remember that in any branding and marketing it is important to categorize your company in the right area to help people find you. So choose carefully.

One of the great things about Facebook is the ease of set up navigation. From here, setting up a fan page is really about following the prompts. Rather than point out each step, let’s look at the important ones to get your personal branding going.

1) Photo – Before you do anything else, make sure you have the perfect photo for your page. Maybe your logo is the best photo for your page, but maybe not. Think about other branding materials you have, maybe something seasonal. Obviously, you want your fans to see your photo and recognize your brand – that’s the goal. But if you have a creative image that is also recognizable, it might help your fan page attract fans with an element of fun.

2) Write something about your company – See the little box under your picture that says “Write something about your company” this is very important because this is one of the items that is visible on every tab of your fan page. This is your elevator statement in 250 characters or less. Be sure to include a link to your website here, and in order to make your link clickable, don’t forget the http:// before the www. (Note – this statement can be changed at any time, so it is a great place to highlight a promotion or other important happening for your company.)

3) Wall Settings – Another important tool in the set up of your page are the wall settings. You have to decide if you want visitors to be able to post messages for everyone to see or if you only want your own messages shown. Unless you have a super controversial company, I recommend starting with allowing everything. It will help you build your wall faster because people like to post messages. If the posts become out of control or unflattering, you can always delete individual posts or turn off the setting all together later. (You will find “Wall settings” under “Edit page.”)

Once you fill in all of the basic information, you have successfully created a fan page. Don’t forget, it is easy to change if something changes, so don’t sweat it.

Now you are ready to take your page live, it is important for you to let people know about your page. This is where having an already active personal profile comes in handy because if you already have a lot of “friends” who are interested in your company, you can “suggest” your new page to them.

Alright you have a page, you have suggested to all of your friends, now what? Now you start the real work. Marketing and branding takes time and attentiveness. You can’t just set up this page and hope people find you. If there is nothing on your page that interests people, no one will become a fan. Social media is fun – your fan page should be too. Post interesting things about your company, but don’t be afraid to post something fun too. Try posting open-ended questions (to entice responses from your fans) such as “What is your favorite XYZ?” “What do you plan to do for the XYZ holiday?”

Posting links and/or photos are also a great way to get people interested, plus they are more visually appealing so people are more apt to pay attention. Posting links to your website has the added benefit of pushing people to your site to find out more. Try posting on your fan page every time you update your blog – “Check this out” and attach a link to your blog.

Remember, the most important reason you have a Facebook fan page is to use it as a branding strategy to promote your personal brand. So, if your company is very “green” conscious, share tidbits about being green. If your company is all about marketing and branding (like us), you might post pictures of events, links to blog posts and information about the companies you help brand.

Those are the basic features of a Facebook fan page, but once you get going you will realize that there are many more things you can add to your fan page such as customizable apps, connect the page to your Twitter feed, and much more. But you can’t do any of the fancy things until you get started with the basics, so for now create your page and start building your fans. Oh, and don’t forget to include a new link on your website to let people know they can become a fan on Facebook.

And that is how you can use Facebook as a branding strategy for your business.

[Via http://paulhinesmarketingvault.wordpress.com]

Introduction to Vivacious Jane

I’m a vivacious Jane. (Jane being used in the general sense of a young, attractive, somewhat adventurous girl) I work at a small technology company. I am unappreciated in my office, and I basically do nothing all day. Even when I suggest things I could do, they don’t take my suggestions. If you think about it. It’s hilarious. I get paid $500/week to go on Facebook and write in my blog.

So today started with a dream. A dream that a wolf was guiding me to a bureau where I was going to put on my uniform to prepare for battle. I opened the bottom drawer. I rifled through all the clothing but I couldn’t find this uniform. The wolf nudged her nose (It was a girl) at the middle drawer. There was the uniform, plain as day! It was all black. Then this orange cat was there, showing me all the different pieces of the uniform. Then this timid hispanic girl was there, asking me if I wanted help to put it on.

I thought this dream was telling me that I was doing the right thing by staying in this crappy, conformist terrible job. because putting on the uniform was significant of “joining the ranks.” But now I think it was telling me that I subconsciously feel that I should ditch the gig, and battle my way through the world!

So today, I came in 30 minutes late as usual. I checked my Farmville, wrote 3 blog entries, answered some personal e-mails, checked Facebook. My boss came in at 10. He is always bringing in baked goods that his wife makes. Her cookies are decent, but he brought in these disgusting oily muffins today. He was offering them around to everyone like an idiot. They tasted like cookie dough. Good for cookies, bad for muffins.

He sat down. I waited a few awkward moments and asked him what I should do. He said, “oh just let me respond to these e-mails!” I was just like “blah ok”.

2 hours later. He told me to post something to the company’s Facebook page. BUT someone had just posted something a WHOLE THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE. So he told me to wait a few hours.

Shoot me in the head.

[Via http://vivaciousjane.wordpress.com]

Malopuff - Social Share Community

As I was googling Malopuff to see how the website was ranking, I was happy to find my page has broken through language barriers, where my page received a small review in Japan. And to my excitement, they had also realised the websites potential.

Japanese Review (Translated to English) – http://bit.ly/coqtuC

What is Malopuff?

Malopuff is a social media search engine. Where Google, Yahoo and many other search engines display top websites based on a keyword search, Malopuff displays the most popular trendsetters in social media.

If I were to enter a niche, such as website design. If I don’t appear in the results, I’m not trending. So the person/people that do appear, these are people I should be following, so I can try to replicate their success. I would do this by following them in Twitter, monitoring what they say in their tweets, what time they send their tweets etc..

Share with the world

Providing rich content for your followers is important, and one of the great features Malopuff provides, is the ability to share the latest news/trends through your social media accounts. Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, My Space etc..

The social platform also allows you to create a poll or vote.  The user can add a picture to a poll, which many have turned into a fun feature. Malopuff will then create a URL address which you can then share with your friends, family, or followers.

Are you trending? Only one way to find out -  http://malopuff.com/

And happy sharing everybody.

Malofie Online

eBusiness

[Via http://malofieonline.wordpress.com]

Oregon Voice Article Sparks Friendship

The newest issue of the Oregon Voice came out just a few weeks ago, and I am proud to say that this issue is our best of the year. However, today I received an awesome message and friend request which was in direct response to a review I wrote of The Tao of Wu, RZA’s newest piece of literature.

You can read the article, along with the entire issue by clicking here:

Oregon Voice Volume XXI Issue II: The Film Issue

and you can peep the new friend I made in the name of Wu here:

(Click to enlarge)

[Via http://cognitivecoffee.wordpress.com]

Promoting your Events Online

Conferences, meetings and parties are all events that might not have started online, but which can definitely benefit from online promotion and mention.

Leverage your offline event with some smart social media marketing. Here are seven ways you can maximize exposure of your event using online tools.

1. Blog About It

Before, during and after your event, blog about it. Blogging beforehand can alert others about your event and encourage them to learn more or register to attend.Live blogging during your event can create buzz and excitement for those who were unable to attend (and provide them a snippet of what they missed, which will encourage them to look for your next event). Blogging after can provide a recap, as well as info on upcoming events.

SXSW attendee Allen Stern liveblogged several sessions at the 2009 event. His blog posts are little more than notes from the presentation, but they do a good job of relaying the highlights to readers quickly.

2. Post Photos on Flickr

Everyone loves seeing photos of themselves (as long as they’re flattering). By posting photos of your event on Flickr and tagging them with people’s names, you can generate interest in your event from the people who attended and those who follow them on various social media channels.

BlogHer posts photos from its conferences and events both in the header on its website and in its Flickr stream. It invites participants to upload their own photos from the events into the Flickr stream, which encourages interaction.

3. Put it on Facebook

You can also post the photos and tag them on Facebook. The added benefit of doing so on Facebook is that when you tag someone, it appears on their wall. Anyone who is a friend of someone you tagged can see the photo. The idea is that it will lead them to want to learn more about the event (because hey, they want their photo put on Facebook from a cool local event too). Note that you’ll only be able to tag people that you’re connected to.

If your event or company has a Facebook Page, you can include highlights from the event, like quotes from keynotes, activities, awards or even faux pas from speakers.

For even more interaction, visit the profiles of those that attended and leave custom comments: “Hope you got that wine stain out of your blouse. Sorry about that!” “Great comment you made at the keynote presentation!” etc.

The Wine Conference, an annual event held in Houston, posts updates on the conference to its Facebook Page. Here the event posts logos for its sponsors, photos from events, and blog links about the conference.

4. Post Photos to Twitpic

Twitpic is a great tool that allows you to take a photo with your phone or camera and upload it directly (via a shortened URL) to Twitter. Anyone following you on Twitter will see your tweet and the link to the photo, and can click to view it.

During your event, what better way to show those not in attendance what they’re missing than by taking photos and sending them in real time? Save your hi-resolution photos to be processed later, but upload snapshots from your phone instantly to create a sense of visual livestreaming as the event is underway.

5. Tweet the Event

Don’t overlook the best real-time tool in social media for your event. Sending tweets out to your followers is a great way to keep everyone updated on what’s happening. Whether it’s an awards show where you can share the winners before journalists write about them, or a conference where you can tweet soundbites, Twitter is a great tool for connecting people online and offline to your event.

6. Use Hashtags

The easiest way to track tweets and other mentions of your events on social media platforms is to ask all participants to use a # with a designated keyword or phrase when discussing it.

For example, in 2009, BlogWorld New Media Expo used the hashtag #bwe09 on Twitter to track all mentions of it. Many presentations used this hashtag or one relating to a particular topic as a way to field questions and comments during the presentations. For those unable to attend, following the hashtag was a great way to stay updated on soundbites from the conference.

7. Livestream Your Event

If your event is a conference or educational platform, consider livestreaming it via web video. Using services like Justin.tv or Ustream.tv, you can broadcast your event live over the Internet. This helps expand your audience and interact with them, even if they are not present in person at your event.

Wrapping it Up

Remember that you can get the most out of online promotion if you start long before the event. Map out a strategy that includes what you will do prior to the event, during, and after. Ask employees and attendees to assist you by posting their own take on the event through their blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr accounts. Make it as easy as possible for anyone to share their content and photos of your event online.

[Via http://habitatforhumanityrd.wordpress.com]

In Terms of Social Networking Privacy

Image via Wikipedia

I don’t have many problems with Facebook. Since it implemented the Friends List setting, I can be friends with a range of people from close pals, to acquaintances, to family without thinking twice. I have three such lists — one for close friends, one for acquaintances and one for family — for those occasions. Close friends are people I have shared more than just eye-contact with and have access to everything. They know my politics, my religious thoughts, my pictures, my statuses, etc. Acquaintances are people that I’ve politely accepted Friendship Requests from but don’t plan on getting too chummy with. They still have access to my statues and pictures, but personal stuff like religion, politics, work history, etc. is all private. Family includes members of my family (aunts, uncles, etc.) that I want to be Facebook friends with in name only. They cannot see anything on my account except for my birthday, email and postal address. I keep it this way because my most of my family is on the opposite side of the spectrum politically as well as religiously and I want to avoid more religious/political debates with them. That’s not saying all of my family members have a restricted setting; my brother and cousins are actually in my Close Friends list and have access to more information.

These three tiers of privacy that I’ve created come with a drawback: they are contingent on Facebook keeping their interface consistent which I know it not to be. My friends now see my other friends, and that bothers me. I don’t like that I can’t have individual privacy settings per user, but I’ve made do with the Friends Lists. I’ve also been careful of what I’ve posted on Facebook too: I don’t put anything remotely passive-aggressive or attention-grabbing. If I have to think longer than ten seconds about whether or not I should put something as my status, I don’t do it. As far as pictures go, I don’t care too much about the few “drunk pics” here and there. I’m above the legal age and I don’t care that my friends know that I drink and sometimes to excess. Though I’m comfortable with Facebook, I don’t know if my friends implement or are even aware of the privacy settings. Facebook does an excellent job of making your privacy as difficult as possible to obtain.

What about younger people? I’m twenty-five, married, and educated: the burden of privacy lies on me. Since Facebook opened up their sign-ups to everyone everywhere, I’ve seen a meteoric rise in people under the age of 18 signing up for Facebook. A friend of mine with a 14-year-old daughter had an interesting approach to his daughter’s Facebook privacy: if she wants to keep her account, she must be friends with him, her aunts/uncles, and her grandparents. That way, she won’t even be tempted to post something private. He can see her friends and knows from whom she accepts friendship requests. I thought this was a great idea — rather than forbid his children from using a service, he allows it with restrictions. It might not be comfortable for her, but it is a great way for a parent to keep an eye on what their children do online.

Of course there are people I will never accept Friendship requests from (beside the obvious). I won’t accept Friendship requests from anyone from church. Much like my family, I’m not always sure who shares my politics or religious beliefs at church so I avoid conflict in the first place. The only exception to this rule is my priest, who I came to know outside of church first. I also won’t accept Friendship requests from people I’ll be working with. Again, I don’t know who shares my religious/political views but also I don’t want to become friends with co-workers. I want a completely separate home life and work-life.

(Really, does all privacy boil down to religion and politics?)

Remember: Facebook doesn’t consider us to be its users — we are the product. The advertisers are its users. I have so much trouble explaining this to my friends who WHARGARBLE at every change in layout, policy, or privacy. Facebook does NOT care that you joined “1,000,000+ Strong Against the Newest Layout Change!”. If it did, it would have caved in and changed it back the first time. Because of this, do not be upset when it changes its privacy settings again — and it will, it is just a matter of time. There are other social networking sites, such as Plaxo and LinkedIn, that do a much better job with privacy than Facebook. However, neither are as popular as Facebook and probably won’t get a boost in use until Facebook does something really stupid (like opening it up completely).

Which it might. You never know.

[Via http://ninas.wordpress.com]

Facebook Custom URL

I recommend every business have a Facebook fan page.  Marketing that page is a bit tricky because the domain name or URL is so long and ugly.

For instance, my old one looks like this – http://www.facebook.com/pages/SEO-by-Swaby/137031038432?ref=nf.  That’s going to look real pretty on a brochure or other marketing piece isn’t it?

What if there was a way to go from that to something like this – www.facebook.com/seobyswaby?  There is!  Just get 25 fans.  Once you have 25 fans, you can get a custom domain name…if it’s available.  So the race is on.  Once you create your business fan page, invite people who would be interested to join it.  Then you can get the custom subdomain you want!

I’ve been able to convert my top three Facebook properties to custom domains and I’m pretty happy about it.  What about the old URL links?  They still work!

There you have it…how to get a custom Facebook URL.  Don’t have 25 fans?  Invite your friends!

[Via http://seobyswaby.wordpress.com]