Resources

Facebook Timeline – 3 big changes that all marketers need to know

 

Last week changed the landscape of Facebook for Business.   The introduction of the Timeline for Pages was not unexpected but the extent of the changes has surprised some.   As with everything on the ever-changing landscape of social media, we will soon adjust and forget the old ‘Wall’ and the new ‘Timeline’ format will become second nature.

By introducing this new style for business pages, Facebook have done the equivalent of turning a diary into an online magazine with columns and features – all providing great opportunities for branding and storytelling.

If you wish to update your Page yourself, there are a lot of how-to articles available including a nice overview pdf from Facebook.  But as with any social media platform the ‘set-up’ is always the easy part, it’s making the page work for your business that takes more time and effort.

So what do these changes mean for all the marketers out there?  Broadly speaking Facebook now offers more diverse ways to enhance an authentic brand experience away from a base level of direct promotions and brand messaging.

True to the core values of Facebook, this ‘magazine’ format is designed to present engaging content and story-telling.  This reflects the interests of the consumer – essentially people are not on Facebook to be sold to.  They are there to engage with ideas and areas of interest and to interact socially – a great opportunity for any business that wants to differentiate themselves by sharing their brand personality and adding value to customer service…. Read More

Facebook Facial Recognition

Facebook Privacy is in the news again – this time with a new “feature” called Facial Recognition.

A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post on Facebook Privacy Settings as I felt strongly about the fact that many people still did not understand the settings, or know how to fully protect their privacy, or even why they should.

I regularly meet with small business owners who are willing to explore the benefits of social media for business and embrace this new way of marketing online.  I absolutely admire them them for stepping outside their normal means of interacting with their customers, however the biggest concern I regularly hear expressed, is about privacy, ie. the need to protect personal privacy and keep it separate from business.

So the first thing I do is ensure their Facebook Personal Profile privacy settings (and those of their family, particularly their children) are set appropriately.

Meanwhile, Facebook is ever-changing and there’s been some recent talk in the online space over the rolling out of the Tag Suggestions which effectively means that faces are being scanned with facial recognition software…. Read More

Social Media Revolution 2011

Erik Qualman is the man behind the SocialNomics and the Social Revolution videos.  The previous version with its great choice of music was one of 2010’s most videos on YouTube (it has over 2.8million views) and was shared by many as the defining source of statistics in the social media industry.

Qualman is the author of Socialnomics: how social media transforms the way we live and do business.

Today he released his new video – 2011 version.  There are so many great statistics in this short 2 minute video and beyound.  Here are my Top 10 that I consider very powerful and relevant.

  1. Social Media is about People
  2. Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30 years old
  3. 93% of marketers use social media for business
  4. Kindergartens are learning on iPads, not chalkboards
  5. A new member joins LinkedIn every second… Read More

The Power of Social Media – “The Thank You Economy”

This is a great clip of an interview on msnbc, with Gary Vaynerchuk, author of “The Thank You Economy”.

It is a powerful explanation of the return of one-on-one attention and the humanising of business.

Knowing your customers is the ultimate power of social media.  If you know your customer, you can “connect” with them and win their business.  Business is moving from big-box style of retail, big-advertising brands to the more local, social and personal approach, using social media.

Would you agree with him that there is a “hunger for socialisation” in todays marketplace?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Interacting and Engaging with Customers Online: Benchmark Report & Practical Tips

The Rules of Engagement: NZ Website Study Finds Plenty of Room for Improvement

46% of major websites in NZ do not have a Blog on their website, despite the majority of them using them Facebook and Twitter as a marketing tool.

Only 42% of major companies allowed other people to share content with only 12% allowing interaction in the form of rating or tagging content.

Yesterday I had just finished a phone call with a colleague discussing the differences of the NZ pysche compared to the US with regards to active online engagement, when this report: The Engaged Web in New Zealand landed on my desk (or rather in my email inbox).  What great timing and an opportunity to put pen-to-paper (or rather finger to keyboard) and update my own blog!

This report studied 50 most popular/highly trafficked NZ websites (nb. these are large-sized businesses) across a range of industry sectors to see how kiwi businesses engaged and interacted with their customers online.  The findings are interesting.  Conclusions are, unsurprisingly – “plenty of room for improvement”…. Read More