Will the New Facebook Groups Rock Your World?

The social world has become much more social lately with the release of The Social Network or affectionately dubbed, “The Facebook Movie”. Now more than ever, people are flocking to the Internet to connect with their friends, check out potential dating prospects, find out what time that party is tonight and send messages to loved ones deployed or living across the world.

Facebook currently has over 500 million users with the largest amount of those users being 35 and over.  Since its creation over 6 years ago, Facebook has expanded its membership base by opening up the site to those in college networks, those in city networks and eventually to everyone. However, with the increase in Facebook users came the decrease in “exclusivity” which seems to be at the core of Facebook’s founding. To combat this issue, Facebook created “Facebook Groups” giving users an option to choose who can fully see personal information they display based on certain groups or memberships. Many claim that bringing in Facebook groups is just a sorry attempt to try and maintain Facebook’s  former “invitation only” status.

Groups will allow users to place certain friends within different groupings that allows for them to see posts that would only be relevant to each other. Another benefit of Groups is the group chat feature, which will work like a mini chat room within Facebook Chat. According to a Huffington Post article,“The new Facebook Groups is a “social solution” that takes advantage of real-world connections. [Facebook founder]  Mark Zuckerberg compared it to Facebook’s current photo technology in which you can quickly and easily tag friends. Like photos, groups don’t have to be set up by everyone themselves and parts of the process will be automated.”

Will groups be as a big as a hit as Facebook hopes? Or will it’s exclusivity allow it to just become a bothersome feature? The product is currently being compared to Twitter’s Lists feature. Yet, the ability to limit visibility of certain posts could put Facebook Groups on top. Once the feature becomes popular we’ll revisit the reaction, but until then get ready for some changes to your Facebook homepage.

Other Articles about Facebook Groups:
Facebook Groups: A Double-edge sword for Privacy – cnet
A Deep Dive on Facebook Groups – Harvard Business Review

Foursquare versus Facebook Places

Facebook and Foursquare at war?

Well, not really but Facebook has launched their new Facebook Places… trying to create a product that could become a leader in geolocal-applications. Foursquare stands on its own as the most popular or most heard of geolocation based application…however their biggest problem is Facebook’s size… over 500 million users. Foursquare must do something big and fast to compete with Facebook. So what’s next for the original pioneer in geolocation based application? What are you going to do Foursquare?

Do you really have to do anything?

Facebook has the tendency to copy sites that have early success in different ventures including Foursquare and Twitter. I remember back in the day of the Lacy household… my mother would always tell me that people loved you if they copied you. Truthfully, I haven’t figured out whether or not she was right… but Foursquare must be doing something right in the world of social media.

Imitation is flattery… technically.

Dennis Crowley, CEO of Foursquare, recently shared with Mashable his opinion of the two services:

“Facebook is about sharing experiences that you’ve had. Foursquare is more about the present tense and the future tense.”

I appreciate his opinion but it is truly how the user interacts with the application… not what the CEO’s opinion is of the competition.

What do you think? Where are you loyal? Do you even care?

Facebook Blasts North Korea and Uriminzokkiri

Have you heard of the new group on Facebook?

A group on Facebook belonging to to Uriminzokkiri, a Web site that provides Korean-language news and propaganda from North Korea’s central news agency.

The group had been previously deleted due to violation of Facebook terms.. A replacement account has appeared and carries similar content as the original. The profile is described as a single male who has interests in Korean reunification and lactose free milk… no joke… lactose free milk.  He describes  himself as wanting to network and meet friends. The group is listed on the Uriminzokkiri site, which is essentially… North Korea’s official home on the Internet. The Facebook group links users to articles on the Uriminzokkiri Web site and videos on the site’s YouTube channel.The Facebook group was drawing attention from mainstream media but became “unavailable” on Friday.

Facebook deleted the group because the account was violating the terms of use. As stated on PCWorld the terms in this situation are stated in section 16 putting usage restriction on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control list that reads: “If you are located in a country embargoed by the United States or are on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals you will not engage in commercial activities on Facebook (such as advertising or payments) or operate a Platform application or website.”

North Korea is listed as being under U.S.government.

The Facebook group isn’t the first attempt  in social media by the Uriminzokkiri Web site. Before Facebook… they started a YouTube channel and a Twitter account. The Twitter account has more than 10,000 followers.

The issue with this Web site is the restrictions put on it by the South Korean government. which has blocked the site for many years and is blocking access to the Twitter account. The blocking only affects the homepage so the Twitter page is accessible. The Web site also features information on software and techniques that show users how to bypass the blocking.

Do People Use Email and Facebook?

I was scanning over the latest news on Mashable.com and came across an article that really got me thinking. The article titled,What Do You Check First: Email or Facebook?, was based on a study from ExactTarget, email and social media marketing company located in Indianapolis, IN. The article gave some interesting insight into why people choose to either check their Facebook or Email first. The article began with this line “Where you start your digital day says a lot about you…” This first line is what got the wheels in my head turning. Essentially logging on has become a necessity in starting the day Where do we go first? Twitter, Facebook, Email?

The underlying question here is how do we prioritize? Furthermore, how do we prioritize the time spent on social media sites? For instance, if our morning begins with Facebook… what does that say about us? Are we fixated on our friends or updating our profiles? Is this our priority? I’m just wondering if priorities have taken a shift since the explosion of social media. Are we afraid of what will happen if we don’t check our sites immediately every morning?

This isn’t necessarily what’s so intriguing to me. It’s the fact that social media has now become such an integrated part of our morning routine. Much like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast would be.  It is no longer an obsession or an addiction, it’s a healthy habit. Or is it?

Here’s one stat from the study that stood out to me

More than 50% of U.S. online consumers check their email before visiting other websites when they start the day.

Now the study was focused on brand interaction online and so forth….However, what does this statistic also show? That we are logging on in preparation for the day ahead. We are in a state of constant communication. Whether we are checking out the latest news, offering a digital good morning or sharing a story from last night.

We are tuned in at all times.

Diesel Installs Cameras in Dressing Rooms for Facebook Posting

(Thanks to Jay Baer for the heads up on this campaign)
Ever been stuck deciding whether or not to purchase that top or those jeans?

Diesel, quasi-fashion forward apparel company, may have solved this conundrum or freaked people out.

Recently Diesel decide that the best way to  reach its audience through Facebook is to install cameras in its dressing rooms. Don’t worry its not as bad as it sounds. Oh wait… maybe it is… I haven’t really decided yet.

Diesel boutiques in Spain have installed the Diesel Cam, where shoppers try on clothes and can then instantly take and upload photos to Facebook. After the upload… their friend can give feeback as to whether or not they should buy those items. I’m still grasping this concept (minus the thought of cameras in a dressing room) and trying to form an opinion. On one side I think its a great way for Diesel to promote their brand and connect with customers. On the other hand I think it is fairly odd that we have to connect ALL THE TIME… even from a dressing room. If we’re not checking-in then we’re tweeting or updating our status. Diesel has obviously hit the nail right on the head with the Diesel Cam.  Yet, it dares to raise the question of… will it work?

There are the obvious answers to this question…it supports interaction, it creates a relationship between the cunsomer and the brand, it raises brand awareness, social curation….yada yada. The real answer is unknown. Why will it work? Is it because we are afraid of making a decision without the imput of our friends? If we’re not current with our goingabouts we will lose followers? Have we created our identities through a Facebook profile?

Smartphones have made it possible to activate any social media channel at any time. Now with the example of the Diesel Cam we can even instantly gain friends opinions about our potential purchases. How many connections do you have? How many of these connections do you even know or care about? It’s one thing to value your friends opinions but how meaningful is the opionion of your Facebook friends? Will you buy a pair of jeans as long as someone comments that they look good?

5 Ways to Benefit from Facebook’s Analytic Tools

I think Facebook could set a record in the amount of newsworthy material it produces in a week. The most recent news is Facebook launching of analytics tools. After reading about this on Fast Company I’ve decided that it’s a great addition to Facebook’s  world domination. Kidding aside it’s a cool feature that will show who “likes” what without sharing personal information.

The tool shares data based mostly on demographics similar to Foursquare’s analytic business tool, which for most is old news. Both features allows companies to gauge who their main audiences are in terms of gender, age, location and language. Instead of wasting time on extensive research these charts will show who and where your target audience is. Although the new and improved Analytics for Websites, Applications and Pages are mostly targeted to app developers, content owners and publishers the people representing these brands can greatly benefit. I also recommend clicking the link above for some more step-by-step instructions to implement the new tools.

Here are 5 reasons why you WILL benefit:

1. Time Saver. Time is money and this feature is easy to read and use. Therefore is you know who, based on demographics,  “likes” your product then that’s where you invest your time.

2. Capitalize on Content. For instance, if your brand has a FanPage you can look at how many users commented on posts to capitalize on what they find to be most interesting. Basically you can begin to give your audiences what they want. Also if you are an administrator of a Facebook Page you can now see analytics for referral traffic and stream stories in the Insights dashboard (read link above), as well as tab views for your Page.

3. Document. Document? Yes, you can now easily collect data with the new visualization tools. These will enhance you ability to view full screen, print and save graphs, which in turn will allow you to save and conduct quantifiable research.

4. Know Your Audience. The new features only show demographics of users, which is all you need to know about your audience or potential audience. The insights dashboard breaks it down for all domain administrators.  A couple examples offered for admins are a breakdown of contributions from users to active user count, demographics on authorized users and active users, and the number of times permissions are prompted and granted.

5. Websites, Applications, and Pages. You can use these tools on all three channels. There is no excuse to not use these new features.

Facebook Evolution: Business Communication Tool to Viable Conversion Platform

Since 2002, Chad H. Pollitt has played an integral role in designing, developing, deploying, executing and tracking robust web marketing strategies for over 100 client companies and organizations and is an internet marketing expert. He holds a BS in Entrepreneurship from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and an Internet Marketing Masters Certification from the University of San Francisco’s prestigious School of Business and Management.

With over 400 million users, a valuation of greater than $10 billion and the recent title of most traveled place on the “Internets,” Facebook has become a juggernaut.  As a result, businesses are scrambling to find their place on this most popular internet platform and have been for the last several years.  Their biggest challenge isn’t setting up a Facebook Fan Page, but the deployment of a viable and measurable strategy that converts visitors into customers.

Social Media is a communication tool by its very nature and lacks a true internet marketing sales funnel that businesses can utilize to convince visitors to take action.  Facebook is no different.  These strategic sales funnels are usually reserved for the company’s conversion platform, it’s website.  Because of this, businesses are forced to “encourage” visitors of their Facebook Fan page to take the leap from Facebook to their website.  Internet marketing professionals have known for years that click-through rates drop significantly when people have to jump to a different website.

As a communication tool, Facebook is great for building brand awareness, growing SOV, and building relationships.  As a conversion platform, Facebook is inflexible and breaks commonly known conversion conventions.  That has been changing over the last 12 months with the proliferation of custom applications that enable businesses to utilize more gracile elements of conversion conventions.  That all changed when Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. launched its newest Facebook application called TabSite.

The Facebook TabSite application allows businesses to easily build a website on their Facebook Fan page.  This website can have multiple pages, a contact form and it even allows for the use of flash animation.  Companies will now have the ability to deploy a robust conversion strategy on their Facebook Fan page just like they would on their website.   With TabSite Facebook has officially evolved from a social media communication and networking tool to a robust conversion platform that businesses can take advantage of.

It is commonly accepted that people only go to the web for two reasons: to solve a problem or to be entertained. Most companies on Facebook are in the business of solving problems. As a result, applications such as TabSite allow for businesses to present their unique value proposition utilizing the creativity of a custom website and commonly used conversion conventions. Facebook Fan pages are also indexed by Google for search. This begs the question, will websites go away with Facebook being the preferred platform for gathering information? I believe it’s too early to tell, but companies like Honda have already began to push past and prospective customers to their Facebook Fan page in lue of their website. This may be the next logical evolutionary step for Facebook and social media.

I Was Just Exposed on Facebook

Peter Preksto is a co-founder of image-recognition company Alta Data Solutions, Inc.

My business is pretty esoteric–we scrape petrified information off of paper or microfiche at super high speed and make it machine readable, useful for lawsuits and electronic benefits claims, among other things. Our customers are a relatively small number of service bureaus that process billions of such documents per year. I hadn’t thought of my use of social media as a marketing tool because we’re not really expecting to grow through word of mouth but by providing more functionality and speed at a lower cost to those who care about such things. My peers are in their 50′s and 60′s. Most of us started on mainframes, helped invent document-processing technology on intervening platforms, and have ended up in the cloud. In 1983, we first started inter-office chatting to each other using a utility in Novell Netware, and we mostly haven’t shut up online since. Twitter ultimately didn’t pass muster except as a novelty, but Facebook was a natural adoption. We tend to clamp our privacy down perhaps more than our younger colleagues, but we’re using and like the service a lot.

I’ve long believed that you cannot conceal who you really are if you use Facebook regularly–people can really get your number by looking through your books, music, quotations, links, videos, smart-ass remarks, notes of sympathy, whatever. In this big country, you stay closer to friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, and folks who you might otherwise have let drift (and a few who have come drifting back against the tide). If you work it, you stand exposed.

A couple days ago, I was friended by a really important business colleague, president of one of the big service bureaus whom we serve. While we don’t need to network to grow, if you screw up in our small community, it has a big impact. He joked on the phone about my Facebook content, saying it was really “out there,” lots of “personality,” very “young at heart.” I froze. At that moment, I realized the double-edge sword of Facebook. Even if you practice a policy of avoiding writing about politics, religion, creationism, diet, immunization and handguns (and boy don’t we all have opinions we’d love to share on those!), you still stand exposed–in a way even Rotary didn’t do to you in the old style of networking.

I seriously considered un-friending all of my business colleagues and leaving it strictly social and family. Fortunately, I probed the guy a few days later, joked about his comments, and found out that I had it backwards–what he saw, he liked, and it brought us closer together–Facebook shortened the learning curve he would have climbed to learn who he’s dealing with.

A life on Facebook is no place to hide. So maybe letting whoever the heck it is that you’ve turned out to be shine through that medium might be good for business–even if you’re not using it exactly as the pros would suggest for viral growth.

Speaking of pros, many thanks and much respect to Kyle Lacy and Brandon Coon for the company they’re building, and thanks for sharing so generously their insights and experience in their blogs.

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10 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd and Win

In today’s turbulent economy it is extremely important for every business (both large and small) to stand out from the crowd. Brand awareness is huge in the competitive world. It is no longer good enough to deliver a superior product or customer service experience…. you need to be known as well.

How do you use the tools on the Internet (mainly social media) to increase your brand awareness and drive the competition into oblivion? And by oblivion I mean… the junkyard of dead businesses.

1. Start a Blog

In my opinion, starting a blog is the center point to all marketing activity online. If you are going to be spending time in social media it is extremely important that you have a central location for all of your content. People want to connect with you on a completely different level once you have started the communication process. Use WordPress to start a blog. When writing content it is important to schedule blog posts ahead in order to be completely successful at managing your time.

2. Develop An Outstanding Identity

Branding is huge when standing out from your competition. If your logo and brand identity have a unique twist from a quality design firm… you will be able to reap the rewards.

3. Use a Flip Cam to Record Customer Testimonials

Flip cam is a unique video camera that allows you to record up to 60 minutes of high-quality HD footage. The Flip cams are small enough they can be taken anywhere… anytime. You never know when you might have the chance to record a customer or an employee talking about your company. Upload the videos to YouTube and play them on your website.

4. Start a Referral Program with your Current and Past Customers

5. Tell stories about your daily routine

Many customers (both potential and current) want to learn about your company from the actual individuals running and working behind the brand. Tell stories about the daily encounters inside the firm. Did you have a trip to a local amusement park? Did an employee win a race or a exhibition league championship? Business is personal again.. now is the time to shift the way you communicate with the world.

6. Create a Facebook FanPage to Showcase Your Ideas to Your Fans

Facebook FanPages are amazing tools withing Facebook that will add onto the human capital value of your company. Ben McConnell from the Church of the Customer gives an excellent idea surrounding Facebook FanPage marketing:

When fans interact with a fan page on Facebook, that interaction is sent through the fan’s news feed, which goes to all their friends, practically daring a chunk of them to see what the page is about.

7. Use Email Marketing to Stay in Front of Prospects

Email Marketing is not dead and it will give you an edge over the competition if done right. I will leave this up to the professionals over at Delivera: If You are Going to Win. You Have to Play the Game!

8. Sponsor a Tweetup or Social Media Meetup

I know.. I know.. Tweetup sounds like a complete GEEK fest! If can be a huge source of potential clients depending on your demographic. There are many small business and c-level employees who have started to attend Tweetups. I have yet to see a local Tweetup sponsored by a company. If you are wondering how many Twitter users are in your general area try Twellowhood.

9. Fully Utilize LinkedIN Recommendations

In my opinion there is nothing more powerful than a LinkedIN recommendation. Why is that? You can only get so real (other than video) in the world of the Internet. A LinkedIN recommendation gives your happy customers the ability to give you the KUDOS your company deserves.

10. Encourage Your Sales Team to Use Social Media for Lead Generation

Sell by Educating Through Social Media

Seth Godin had a great blog post yesterday talking about the fear of apples and the top two reasons people are not buying your product:

1. They don’t know about it.

2. They’re afraid of it.

Haven’t we been dealing with fear quite a bit this year? If you are a sales person (which most small business owners are) you may have seen the effects of this fear on your bottom line. The down economy has been killing the “risk-taking” gene of many professionals from corporate level employee to small business owner. The “risk-taking” gene is that diamond in the rough that allows for business to exist… to flourish. It reminds me on the William Shedd quote: A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.

Are your clients clamming up? Are potential customers not buying because they do not know about your product or service…. or they are just… afraid?

Companies that use social media for lead generation and product information have a huge advantage over the companies that do not use the tools. Social media gives you the ability to inform your potential clients on products with stories! What better way to inform?

Be honest with me… would you rather read a story or boring product/service information?

I would rather read a story… every… single… time.

What stories are you telling your clients?What about your potential clients? Do you have a blog where you are writing your business stories? The marketing for your business should read like a book… a book of stories… a book where your potential leads learn about your company.

When the time comes to buy on a product or service… who do you think they are going to call? You or the business who doesn’t care about educating through stories?

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