4 Proven Steps to Facebook Page Success

There’s no guarantee that your Facebook Page will be successful or not, but you should consider the four steps before you create your brand’s Facebook strategy. Why? Because according to the Social Media Examiner these are 4 Proven Steps to Facebook Page Success:

1)      Create a Compelling Vision- When you believe in what you’re doing, you can easily cultivate the passion and excitement for your mission. This includes spending time online where it counts and connecting with people who are most interested in your mission and ultimately your brand. On Facebook it only takes a few well connected fans to spread your message- those mavens will expose your brand to their entire audience through their association (or “like”) of your Facebook Page.

2)      Smart Branding- Create a bridge from Facebook to your websites through clear and direct branding. By creating a static Facebook Page your audience will experience many of the same features and branding that can be found on your website before leaving Facebook. This allows them the chance to get to know you  on their terms in the social network before being pulled to your website.

See all four steps in detail at Social Media Examiner.

Hulu killed cable…

…at least in my house it has. I recently gave up my cable watching days for a newer approach to watching my favorite shows. The customer service reps at Cox Cable (my local provider) had a somewhat horrified look of disgust plastered all over their faces when I informed them that I would no longer need their cable services. Not only am I saving $50 a month for going the free route with Hulu- I’m also saving myself hours of watching commercials. Cable companies will continue to see a decline in subscriptions as more and more people find online TV network consumption continuing to increase, especially as mobile technology advances video watching capabilities.

With most U.S. homes connected to broadband, the viewing of online video has never been easier.  Whether watching a short clip on YouTube or an entire TV program, almost three-quarters (72%) of Internet users view videos online — amounting to 144 million people.  To marketers, this presents a huge – and largely untapped – audience to reach.  And while online advertising fell overall in 2009, ad spend on online videos grew 41%.

-Nielsen Wire

I’ve noticed a particular exciting technique to advertising on Hulu- whether or not it is intentional- that works best to captivate my attention as a consumer. It ingenious and yet so simple: The 15-30 seconds commercial spots. Yes, one commercial that lasts such a short time that I can’t flip to another screen or get up to get a snack. I’ve been so programmed over the last twenty or so years of watching television to avoid commercials by flipping the channel or distracting myself for the 2-5 minute calculated breaks in a program that the ads go unwatched. And now with DVR and TiVo capabilities and online Hulu-like services popping up with increased frequency, advertisers are met with new challenges. The short commercial breaks on Hulu are so short that avoiding them is nearly impossible. And the fact that I can “like” or “dislike” gives me that instant satisfaction of expressing my frustration or surprise to an ad- also giving advertisers a way in which to measure and adapt to consumer likes and dislikes.

The patterns they uncovered were consistent:  video ads run during online full-episode TV programs yield deeper brand impact than corresponding on-air TV ads, with the difference most pronounced among younger viewers age 13-34.

Am I worried about the rumors that Hulu will one day charge their viewers a fee to use the service? Maybe, but for now I’m loving the freedom it gives me to catch up on my favorite programs all at once on my time, to express my likes/dislikes for ads, and to share episodes with my friends through social media. Hulu- you are truly awesome.

Pros:

1. Free
2. Choice of short commercial breaks or one long commercial and an uninterrupted program
3. The chance to “like” or “dislike” an advertisement
4. To watch your favorite programs on your time
5. To watch the most recent episodes of your favorite shows
6. Ability to share content on social media sites
7. Variety of recent popular programs and past popular programs
8. On-demand movies for free

Cons:

1. Rumor that Hulu might starting charging $4.99/month
2. New episodes not always updated as frequently as air date
3. For beginners: Finding your favorite shows can be frustrating

Would you pay per month for access to your favorite past TV episodes online? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Holiday Shopping Social Media Style

Retailers are finally seeing a profit after multiple quarters of spending declines due to shoppers cutting back on expenses in a tight economy. Consumers are still looking for great deals this holiday season and smart retailers are finding unique ways to boost sales during the biggest selling period of the year.

Makeup brand Sephora made a notable move on Twitter this week with its Sephora Claus. Twitter fans write in their holiday wishes to Sephora and Sephora Claus will grant one beauty wish a day until December 19. Check out their site at www.sephoraclaus.com to see the details and submit your own holiday wish! So far, Sephora has seen a lot of feedback from their social media fans who have sent in their requests via Twitter under the hashtag #SephoraClaus.

Offering customers discounts or coupons on social media networks is nothing new to online retailers. Dell and Starbucks have been big proponents of this marketing method and other retailers are catching on. Staples, Office Max, and Old Navy have recently been leaking deals through their online networks. A move like this leads to a hike in budget conscious followers, but in the long run companies will most likely sustain the new follower base even after the holiday season over, according to Dan de Grandpre of dealnews.com. Keep your Tweetdeck open because we’ll definitely be seeing a lot more online deals throughout the holiday season.

Where to Start When You’re Starting Out in Social Media

Part One: Research

Social media has made a big splash in the marketing pool in the last two years as businesses big and small are jumping into the online chaos in droves. Companies are using social media for a variety of reasons: brand awareness, brand management, recruiting, customer service, and consumer insight to name a few.

According to Business.com’s 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study, the top social media sites that businesses participate in are: Facebook (80%), Twitter (56%), LinkedIn (39%), LinkedIn Companies (38%), and YouTube (35%).

In an attempt to keep up with the ever-changing networking sites and tools and its flighty audience that bounces from one new platform to the next, businesses will have to assess whether or not they belong on social media networks and even more importantly what social media networks will work best for them. Whether you’re interested in business to customer (B2C) or business to business (B2B) networking, social media may have the perfect platform for you.

According to a 2009 Reuters study on social media use for business professionals, “webinars and podcasts are top social media resources for business professionals, used by 69% of those who turn to social media channels for business information.

Facebook is the dominant social network on which consumer-focused companies maintain one or more profiles, cited by 83% of respondents versus 45% for Twitter. Business-to-business (B2B) companies, however, maintain a presence on both platforms with 77% maintaining a profile on Facebook and 73% on Twitter.

Current trends to restrict access to social networks like Facebook or Twitter at work need to be re-thought in light of the business value in such activity. Among respondents using social media for business purposes in their day-to-day jobs, 62% visit company or brand profiles on social networking sites and 55% search for business information on these sites.

Consultants and marketing communications professionals are the most active users of social media as a resource for business information, particularly in micro (<10 employees) and small businesses (10-99 employees).

Both companies and employees are scaling a massive learning curve with social media. The average company in this study was planning, developing or running seven different social media initiatives; 65% of respondents staffing those initiatives, and 71% of companies themselves, have less than two years of experience with social media for business. Building brand awareness and brand reputation are two of the top social media success metrics, but nearly two-thirds of companies focused on these metrics have little to no insight into performance via standard or easily accessible reports.”

If you’re trying to decide if it’s right for your business then it is imperative that you do the research necessary to make an informed and effective marketing decision. Your first step should be researching what your competitors are doing with social media, what platforms they use, assessing what platforms are working best/worst for them, and what kind of following they have. Secondly, look at where your target audience is online. Creating a Facebook fan page may seem like a good idea and easy to do, but if your audience doesn’t use Facebook or if they use another network more often, your strategy might be more effective if you considered other networking sites.

You can find out where and what your customers are saying by using free tracking tools. Technorati, Google Blog Search, Twitter Search, and Facebook Search are just a few options that will allow you track relevant business and industry terms on specific social networks. Simply using a search engine like Google or Bing to look up your business’s keywords may provide you with an idea of which social networks to investigate further.

Once you know what your potential or current customers are saying and where they’re saying it in the social media sphere, you’ll have an idea of where you should implement your company’s social media strategy. This research process takes a little time, but it will save you time and money in the long run by knowing if social media is right for your business right now. And if it is, the research you did will show you what social media sites and tools you’ll need to use to make the most out of social media marketing plan.

Another Reason to Love Pink

October is breast cancer awareness month and the pink ribbon campaign is in full force this year recruiting a new and unexpected advocate, the National Football League. An estimated 100 N.F.L. players will be sporting pink shoes and gear to show their support of breast cancer awareness.

The “pink ribbon” campaign is popular among many companies and organizations that use the association to support breast cancer awareness and profit on a cause-related marketing campaigns. It isn’t as harsh as it may sound; breast cancer non-profits gain publicity and fundraising by tapping into the for-profit’s client base, while for-profit companies capitalize on the association by projecting a positive and socially responsible public image.

And in this case, it’s well needed. Not only do women make up 40 percent of the audience tuning into the championship game every year, according to Reuters; but the N.F.L. frequently deals with drug and violence controversies (think Michael Vick and Adam “Pacman” Jones). A marketing play like this will not only reach out to the women viewers, but also brighten up a slightly tarnished reputation among N.F.L. players.

What I love about this recent partnership is:

1)      It’s unexpected- Pink on big, muscular men? How unusual is that?

2)      It’s emotional- Most notable in the media covering this story is Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams. Williams lost three aunts to breast cancer. His mother, Sandra Hill, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and is still in remission for the disease. Williams has a very personal reason to support this cause and I’m sure there are similar stories among other players.

3)      It’s simple- It’s a color. The pink ribbon symbol and the color itself are identifiable as breast cancer awareness campaigns since its conception.

A trend that started off in the early 90s when pink ribbons were handed out to participants in New York City’s race for breast cancer survivors by the Susan G. Komen Foundation has, in the last decade, infiltrated our lives and decorated our purchases with pink. The transition from a grassroots project to an international campaign is in part thanks to the joint venture between Self Magazine and cosmetic giant Estee Lauder in 1992. The N.F.L. is the most recent organization to lend its support in the fight against breast cancer and one more reason to love pink.

References

Battista, Judy. “Pink Cleats to Show Support of Breast Cancer Awareness” New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/sports/football/30nfl.html September 29, 2009.

National Breast Cancer Foundation http://www.nbcf.org.au/

Susan G. Koman for the Cure  http://ww5.komen.org/corporatepartners.aspx

Pink Ribbon International http://www.pinkribbon.org/About/Organization/tabid/200/portalid/0/Default.aspx

Gershberg, Michael. “NFL studies what women fans want” Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2933923020061129 Nov 29, 2006

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Moving Over to WordPress

Hey there! If you came looking for me at wordpress you’re at the right spot, but I’m currently moving all my content over from Blogger. So bear with me. This blog is under construction. No worries, though, I’ll have it up by the end of the week.