Of Risqué Products, Drugs, and Social Media

Many companies pop up in the social web trying to promote themselves and their products. However, when you take a closer look it’s usually companies that sell products that are “easy” to market. Easy, in this context is relative as marketing is always tricky but when you think about it, it’s easier to market fashion, cookies and jewelry as opposed to risqué products.

We all know these companies exist. They make big bucks selling those kind of products and yet, it’s something that our society chooses not to talk about. The use of such products is considered private which is perfectly fine. However, does that mean that marketing through the social web is not an option for online pharmacies or even companies that sell more controversial products?

I say it is indeed an option, though it requires some different thinking. None of us wants to receive Facebook updates or Tweets about weight loss products or any other product that we’d strictly be using in private. We’d feel offended. Rightfully so. At the end of the day, what does a random company know about our bodies or sex lives? NOTHING.

For that reason, companies trying to market controversial products through the social web, need to pay attention to one thing: SUBTLETY. I can’t stress enough that excessive self-promotion as well as direct sales messages is a NO NO for any company on the social web. It’s not what social media is about. Don’t forget, social media is all about the relationships. It’s the opposite to radio spots, TV and banner ads.

However, I have bought products from companies that approached me on Twitter after I tweeted about a certain need. And even though our society is steering towards being more open-minded, I doubt anyone would tweet about his or her need for a risqué product or certain medication.

So, how on earth, can such companies use social media and still be successful?

You are part of an industry! Make the most of it!

It doesn’t matter what kind of product you are trying to sell, you are part of an industry. i.e. medication = health industry. Use that to your advantage. Share information about current health issues. Start your own blog where you discuss controversial issues, give health tips etc. Get GPs to contribute. Get your audience involved. The possibilities are endless.

It seems like a lot of effort at first with little reward (sales!) but when you become a go to source for health information the sales will follow. The same goes for any risqué product. Make sure you realize that you are part of something bigger, an industry, and establish yourself as an expert in that industry.
Pushing sales Tweets or Facebook messages isn’t going to get you anywhere. They will be considered as Spam and the general population gets flooded with Spam on a daily basis and has learned to hate it.

Information comes first. Sales come second.

As I mentioned before, talking about the use of certain medication or sex toys, is not on our priority list. We don’t want our credit card receipts to show that we have invested in weight loss medication, so why would we want the entire Twitterverse to know that we are interested in purchasing?

However, there’s no shame in learning and broadening our horizons. That’s why the information part is so important. It’s less intrusive. We all want to live longer and happier lives and there’s no shame in informing ourselves.

This aspect is important to realize for any company, no matter the product. The social web is not about sales. Of course, every strategy and every investment needs to pay off eventually. But if you are a company with a controversial product, subtlety comes first. Sales come second. This is an important factor to consider because it also marks the point at which you need to make a decision. Are you going to rely on traditional marketing and advertising tools, such as banner ads, or are you going to jump in with both feet and give the social web a try.

The decision is yours, what will it be?
—-
Today’s guest post is by Antonia Harler. Antonia recently graduated and holds a degree in Management, Communications & IT. She’s performed extensive research on how to best use Twitter for Relationship Marketing. For more information about her visit her blog www.socialglitz.com, follow her on Twitter (@antwizzel) or join her on Facebook www.facebook.com/socialglitz.

Size Does Not Matter in Social Media

Sometimes size does matter… in this case… it does not.

The debate over quality vs. quantity in social media is one to consider when using Twitter. The amount of influence a user has on Twitter is not a direct reflection of the amount of followers. So the debate favors quality. According to Mashable a study done by Northwestern University indicates that celebrities with millions of followers are mostly ignored on social media sites, which results in little influence, if any at all. Social media isn’t a popularity contest (though some may disagree) and size does not equal influence, engagement or action. What creates influence is amount of quality content. Popularity doesn’t do anything but allow for bragging rights.

The researchers from Northwestern applied their mathematical algorithm to the countless tweets that appear on Twitter each day and found that experts in certain fields were much more likely to influence topics to become trends. Thus meaning the quality of content shared on Twitter is what matters not the quantity. Social media enthusiasts turn to Twitter for substance and to engage with other users who share the same insight. Therefore, a big named celebrity may have millions of followers but they are not necessarily reaching their audience in a meaningful way. Numbers mean nothing in the big spectrum of Twitter influence.

However, celebrities can have great influence with the advantage of being a prominent figure.A case of celebrity and influence done right is in the case of LeBron James . He has hundreds of thousands of followers as well as influence. He tweets about basketball, what he knows, what people following him want to know. If he chose to tweet about politics he may not generate as much influence as a politician would… tweeting on the subject. James’ influence is a direct result of him tweeting quality content related to what he is well known and respected for.

Next time you get discouraged when thinking about how few followers have. Don’t. Keep tweeting quality content and with your loyal following. In the end it doesn’t matter how popular you are…what matters are the relationships you’ve built….and the discussions of substance you’ve had.

The Right Way to Market Yourself on Twitter: Part 2

Viral.  Almost anyplace you see that word it conjures up images of bad things.  Viral at the doctor’s office is never good news, nor is it welcomed on your computer.  The one place it has the connotation of being a good thing is in the realm of social media.  (Note: It can still be bad in social media if the viral story reflects negatively upon you or your organization.)

There are lots of benefits of social media vs. traditional communication, and they include 1 to 1 conversation, listening, etc.  But perhaps the greatest is the ability to spread the word about something very quickly one Twitter user at a time.  I recently had this experience and I can give you some hard numbers to support it.

Kyle was kind enough to ask me to write a post on the right way to market on Twitter which was regarding a conversation we had on a positive experience I had on Twitter.  I was pretty excited about it and Tweeted to my followers to come check out my blog post.  I have a bit.ly integration with CoTweet, so I am able to track how many times somebody has clicked on my link.  As you can see below, I tapped out at 49.

As my following is relatively small at 200, I was pretty pleased with that number.  But I was curious to see how often it had been clicked on based on Kyle’s reach.  When I clicked on the aggregate bit.ly numbers I got quite a different number.

Holy Canoli!  I had found out that the article had been clicked on 436 times.  Furthermore, it had been Tweeted or ReTweeted a total of 99 times and the reach was all over the globe.

Over 15 countries have seen this Tweet!  And at this point in time, the true power and possibilities of Social Media start to become a reality.

So what have I learned?

1. Influence the Influencers- If you want to get a message to the masses; you need to network with key influencers.  Note their number of followers, Klout score, and plan accordingly.  Here is a great article on how to get the attention of influencers.
2. Track your stats- There is no better way of seeing if your links are of value, than to see if anybody is clicking on them.  Find the total clicks, tweets, shares, comments, etc.
3. Activity Breeds Activity- I had some conversations with Kat @goheadband and she shared that she had an excellent day in sales the day this article was released.  It only stands to reason with the amount of people who read about her success, but I like to validate the hypothesis with real data.

Incidentally, my Klout received a bump during this process as well.  It sure is nice when everybody wins.

—————————

Todays guest post was written by Brian Richardson has 19 years of sales and management experience and is a sales trainer at ExactTarget.  Follow him at B__Richardson (that is two underscores) and check out his Twitter bio for hobbies and interests.

20 Ways Businesses Are Using Foursquare

I know. We are trying to figure this “foursquare” thing out. I understand completely. The research team at Brandswag (Rachel Elsts and Stephanie Gray) decided to put together 20 different ways foursquare is being using in the business setting. Hopefully this will help you in your search to using Foursquare for increased revenue and interaction.

1. Retail stores

Retail Stores are using Foursquare to get shoppers to not only “check-in” but to buy. It’s coupon clicking for retail without the hassle of having to chase a sale. Below are some great examples:

Express “$30 off $90 @ Express stores now-9/14/10, ring code: 2793. Limit 1 offer per customer. Offer must be presented at the time of purchase. Other terms & conditions apply, see store associate for details.”

American Eagle - “Check-in to any A store and unlock a 15% Off discount towards your next merchandise purchase. Expires 9/30/10. Limit one per customer”

2. Restaurants

Restaurants have been among the most popular places to use Foursquare. Many restaurants are being to play around with the application so be sure to “check-in” when your out. Some great examples of restaurants using the application are:

Carrabba’s Italian Grill - “Show that you’re the Mayor of Carrabba’s and enjoy a complimentary dessert with the purchase of an entrée. Grazie!”

Granite City Food & Brewery - “One Complimentary Appetizer or Flatbread for the Mayor!”

3. Fitness Clubs

Fitness clubs can engage with clientele by using Foursquare. The Five Seasons Family Sports Club offers this deal for checking in “See Thad, Fitness Director, for your complimentary Personal Training Session. Thank you for being a member. (one per member)” This is a nice incentive for current members to use the application. As a  guest who happens to visit I would consider becoming a member upon discovering this…after all I could be getting a FREE training session.

Currently they have this ad running.

4. The vast majority are doing it- even small business!

Corporations not necessarily related to customer service such as restaurants, retail stores and so forth are using Foursquare. SpinWeb (Indianapolis, IN)
“Since this is your third meeting at SpinWeb, you’ve won a free massage at Healing Key! Ask us for your gift card ” Pretty nice incentive and thank you for business gift. Businesses can give a personal gift without having to promote it all over town. It feels exclusive.

5. Parks are using Foursquare.

Parks are slightly different than any other venue. Its a venue where people assume interaction so using Foursquare to heighten this interaction is second nature.  For Instance, Conner Prairie Interactive History Park offers“$2 off General Admission on your first check-in! (one discount per Foursquare account “

6. Want to rule the town?

Mayorship is not a new perk of using Foursquare, but being recognized in the media because you’re the mayor is. Metromix Indy recently ran a cover story with the top mayors all around Indianapolis. Now, some Starbucks are even offering special discounts for “mayors” of their location. It may just be a title, but it does seem to come with fame (and a little fortune.)

7. Sport teams move to Foursquare

Redskins fans are in for a Foursquare reward: check in at the game and obtain a special Redskins badge. With the increase in geolocation social media, football season is sure to start to jump on the Foursquare bandwagon, with the Redskins leading the way. The move into social media will be a great way to measure fan base and game attendance plus the ability to make the game more interactive to fans. And the ultimate reward for constantly checking in at FedEx Field? VIP tickets. Not a bad idea at all.

8. MTV and the Entertainment Industry

MTV recently paired up with Foursquare to offer a contest to users that frequently checked into local music venues. Whatever venue had the secret “Moonman” badge put the user into a contest to win tickets to the VMAs on September 12.

The real question now is what celebs checked in at the actual event?

9. Get a discount on all the books you could ever want.

Borders has entered the digital e-book market and is using Foursquare as a new marketing strategy. Borders said it had started running a promotional campaign focused around Foursquare, where customers would receive a 10 percent discount off all full-priced books after every third Foursquare check-in at a Borders store. Borders is planning to roll out the campaign to all of its 26  stores and would keep the deal going for an initial two months (via Delimiter).

10. Did you check-in before or after you ordered your burger?

At 4food in New York City, the owners are giving customers a chance to rate their food and tell their friends immediately after eating. LED screens are displayed around the restaurant showcasing twitter mentions and Foursquare check-ins, while customers are encouraged to rate their meal during their visit. 4food states that they have yet to spend a dime on advertising, because they let their reputation and customers do it for them…and isn’t that what social media is all about?

11. FREE FOOD.

Two words that have driven crowds to dress up, wait in line and even forced college students to skip class. So how does it apply? Qdoba offered free burritos for those who checked in during a visit and shouted “I’ve been burrito boredom!” Not only does this have consumers become more outgoing due to Foursquare incentives, but the social media advertising has done the chain restaurant wonders.

12. (Socially acceptable) Gaming

With an increase in businesses participating in Foursquare, the competition between friends, peers and even strangers for mayorship/badges has taken gaming to a whole new level. The social media aspect is evident, as most hardcore Foursquare users post their status to various SM sites. However, there is a constant competition of who can become mayor of the workplace, coffee shop, etc. Coworkers “check in” fervently to try and win the title, glory,and available coupons.

13. Voice Recognition

It may not be the most socially acceptable way to check in, but Vlingo has created a way for  the Android app users to “check-in” on Foursquare by voice recognition. It’s a speech check-in feature that will save time, even if it does raise a few eyebrows.

With the new app, Android users can speak a simple “check-in to [insert place name]” command after tapping the home screen button. The command will prompt Vlingo to automatically pull up the location in question, and other nearby venues, on Foursquare, providing users with a fast alternative to touch-based Foursquare check-ins. (via Mashable)

14. Foursquare on Broadway

Have you seen Foursquare in Times Square lately? The geolocation social media app recently had a digital advertisement appear above the American Eagle store in New York City last week, encouraging users to check-in and find their friends. Foursquare is moving up beyond the local Starbucks check-in to the city that never sleeps…moving up has never been so rewarding.

15. SXSW (events) and Foursquare

South by Southwest is a popular music festival in Austin, TX flooded by young adults. The festival has been  integrating technology into the activities for the duration of  the week long event. Three years ago, Twitter dominated and this year Foursquare was all the rage. Over 15 badges specifically created for the festival and SXSW  stated that “Foursquare is a great way to keep track of one’s friends during a busy and crowded day in Austin, TX.”

16. Analytics/Check Stats

Businesses are using Foursquare to track the statistics of their locations in many ways. Here are the real time statistics businesses get insights into:
customer behavior while at venue

• most recent visitors
• most frequent visitors
• the time of day people check in
• total number of unique visitors
• histogram of check-ins per day
• gender breakdown of customers
• portion of foursquare check-ins broadcast to Twitter and Facebook

17. Foursquare as a Businesses Mobile Application

The application works as a real life walking advertisement; a potential customer checks-in somewhere down the block…they see that nearby there is a special deal just for checking-in…chances are they will visit. Foursquare tells users where the deals are and how to unlock them. Essentially, they drive traffic to your location.

18. Customer Service and Support

Foursquare helps guide the customer to this answer though tips and to do lists via friends on Foursquare. The users who give tips are customers with more than an opinion but an experience. These customers speak on the behalf of the company (good or bad). In a nutshell, customers are checking-in and soon discovering what’s so great about the product, venue or food from relevant sources. Businesses can let the customers speak for them and use their word of mouth  to spread the love.

19. Managing an Online Reputation

The application appeals to tech-savvy users and companies use it to promote themselves on various social media channels. Social media allows companies to have greater control of their online reputations. Foursquare is another way a business to manage its reputation by engaging with customers that they know have been to their location.

20. It’s still an open playing field.

Businesses are still figuring Foursquare out, which means now is the time to figure out a locations strategy. Businesses can bring all the things that make social networking fun straight through their doors.  Foursquare offer incentives ( a reason to visit the location), a game and a way to connect with friends. Why not play?

Finding Human Desire in Marketing

What do all marketers strive for when creating a campaign? Is it a creative ad? Of course.
Is it a funny jingle? Sometimes.
Is it a memorable moment? They try.

We (marketers) live and breathe for the opportunity to create a campaign that will move people. It is moving the consumer to action through an emotional drive that drags us out of bed in the morning. We strive to reach that point of peaking human desire.

Meeting with clients and potential clients today I was moved by their desire and pure drive for their companies to succeed. They were thrilled with the concept of creating a campaign that drove to the base of human emotion.. something that thrilled to the point of action… something that told a story.

I am talking about a stimulus that moves beyond the point of action and secures an individual as a loyal customer. Loyalty is (by far) an overused word but it is the essence of creating loyalty that builds human emotion in a brand.

Tools like Facebook and Twitter in the world of Social media bring a new platform that encourages the pursuit of that emotional campaign. In all honesty it IS THE PLATFORM to create this thrill.

There is no other medium on earth that allows for the human connection quite like social media or even the Internet. You can drive evangelists of your product to bring others to your door in a fraction of a second.You can encourage individuals all over the world to communicate and help… make.. your service or product better.

How are you encouraging communication between current and potential clients? Isn’t it about time to start?

5 Tips to Connecting With The Boomer Social Boom

Randy Clark is the Director of Communications at TKO Graphix, where he blogs for TKO Graphix Brandwire. Prior to TKO, he spent 13 years with Unique Home Solutions as Marketing Director and VP of Operations. He is an avid flower gardener, beer geek, and he fronts a rock & Roll band on the weekends. And yes, he is a Boomer.

I am a Boomer. I was born between 1946 and 1964, and I have Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and You Tube accounts. According to USA Today, Facebook has 16.5 million users, 55 or older, while MySpace has 6.9 million users. Sarah Perez of ReadWriteWeb, states, “More than 60 percent of those in this generational group actively consume socially created content like blogs, videos, podcasts, and forums. What’s more, the percentage of those participating is on the rise.”

So why is this important to social marketers? AARP Global Network claims, “Boomers should be just as desirable to marketers as millennial and gen-xers in the coming years.” AARP quoted Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “Boomers are the mainstream of the country now, when you attract a mainstream audience, you’re going to attract a lot more commercial interests. Boomers validate that this is a big market, and that this is a place where commercial interests can make money.” Since Boomers are increasing their involvement in social networking, it is important to consider how to connect with them. We are here, but we may not hear. You… may… have… to… speak… slower… and LOUDER!

Five Tips On How To Connect With Boomers

Keep it simple. If you want to engage Boomers, make it easy. Remember we hadn’t seen a computer until we were older than most of you are now! If we have to jump through too many hoops, we might become frustrated and give up.

Explain boundaries. Imagine George Carlin or Richard Prior on your Facebook account. Upon receiving a Facebook friend request from his father, Will Smith (not the actor) explained to his father what was not acceptable (PCWorld.com). “Politics, sex, jokes, things you find funny but offend me, comments about family members, any combination of the aforementioned items, and pretty much every email you’ve ever sent me.”

Grammar does matter. We have watched the language devolve, u no? Understandably, many Boomers think the rules have been thrown out the window. Take the time to explain that poor grammar, misspelling, and bad writing do influence readers on social networks. It is not okay to call it “the ‘puter.”

Teach us social network netiquette. Sometimes we are so excited when we learn how to do something, we overlook what is next. Should I have mentioned them in the RT? Oh, was I supposed to thank someone for friending me? These simple netiquette cues need to be explained to Boomers.

Speak our language. Boomers may not keep up with the latest and greatest APPadohickie. We are more excited just to be in the game! If we stare at you with a glazed, distant look, be patient and explain it to us.

According to Wikipedia, “Baby Boomers control over 80% of personal financial assets and more than 50% of discretionary spending power. They are responsible for more than half of all consumer spending, buy 77% of all prescription drugs, 61% of OTC medication, and spend $500 million on vacations per year and 80% of all leisure travel.”([24])

When creating your next social media plan, do not overlook the Boomer market segment. Do a little research and find out where the Boomers hang in your neighborhood. Sites catering to boomers, such as www.eons.com, with over 800,000 members, continue to grow.
And remember, like they always say… what was it they say? There was something I wanted to share…now what was it? It was just on the tip of my tongue. Oh well…make yourself a great day! Peace.

Stories are Life. Marketers are Failing.

Stories are life. Stories are built off of every day occurences and the little things that happen in life. Where did we… as marketers… go wrong when telling the story? All businesses and products are built off of a story. What is the main point of marketing… Is it fulfilling a need? Is it creating a product that actually helps an individual? Is it selling your wares… period?

A story is something that creates a safe haven for an individual. You are building a message that should be involved in the story of your customer’s life. It should (and must be) the connection that brings in additional customer and evangelists for your brand.

You want your customer to get to a place… a place where they agree with your terms and conditions. A place where they say, “Yes. I do need, want, or should have that product or service.”

A place where they approve your service and believe/know it will work for them… in any capacity.

What is the series of events that drive a person to a specific point: buying your product. What are you telling your customers? Is your story bland… Boring… Normal?

I see normal marketing everywhere. Brochures… Smiling billboards… Postcards… Facebook updates…It is normal and plain. There are no new story lines. There is nothing to pull me into the brand. The stock photography you bought in 1980 is not going to sell me on buying a house. The telemarketer that just left a message on my cell phone is not going to trick me into buying your magazine subscription.

And… the direct mail piece you just sent me asking me about my retirement plans… is definitely not going to pull me into your luncheon.

My friends and MY preferences are going to sell me on your product. I want to pull your information at MY will… at MY discretion. Notice a trend here?

It is about me… how are you speaking to me? Nay… how are you listening? Do you know what I want as an individual… are you allowing me to interact?

If you are not…

You have a long way to go… shift that paradigm and interact.

Why Are You On Twitter?

Erik lives in Marion Indiana where he recruits for Indiana Wesleyan University,and works with their Social Media Initiatives. He also cohosts a weekly podcast “Social Media Serenity” at http://socialmediaserenity.com Find him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/erikjfisher

Why are you on Twitter?

The most common answers fall somewhere in the realm of the following:

• Mini blogging

• Macro Texting

• Chatting

• Self-Promoting

• Marketing

• News Aggregating

• Spamming

Whatever your reason or motives, it’s a waste of time if no one reads what you write, right?

If your going to share, it makes sense to do it right. Sometimes the original writer gets it perfect and a Retweet, official or manual, will be just fine. Let’s move past the discussion of what method of Retweet is best, and on to an altogether new discussion.

What if the best way to share is to actually write your own tweet? Actually pull us in to the tweet by writing it well, and sharing it to your unique audience. The original tweet writer or blogger may not have packaged their ideas in a way that would draw in your followers, but if it’s something your interested in, perhaps your followers would appreciate seeing it, through your eyes.

Before you cry foul, let’s clarify something. I don’t count this as stealing or repurposing the content. It’s being a content curator. If the content you are pointing to is good, then it will maintain it’s own stickiness. Remember, something drew you to that content originally, and it was compelling enough to persuade you to share it.

If you write a tweet well, or Retweet a well-written tweet, it’s passing on a referral. You’re driving traffic to the originators site, how can they complain? I’ve found many blogs or websites that I’ve subscribed to as well as people to follow and interact with on Twitter due to others Retweets.

The best way to share is to use a URL shortener, and send a compelling tweet. You know your followers, and the reason they follow you, or at least you should. I polled my followers and those I follow that people follow me to hear about Tech or Social Media news, productivity tips, humor, and authenticity. Their words, not mine.

13 Steps to Rally the Troops and Build a Loyal Army of Fans on Facebook

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 Franciscoís prestigious School of Business and Management.

Isn’t building a loyal Army of fans the goal of every Social Media Campaign?† Yes and no. . .† Ultimately, the goal is to grow sales, lead generation, solicit donations, etc., but social media conversion is still in its infancy.† It’s not like an ecommerce site or a company’s website that uses calls-to-action (CTAs) and unique value propositions (UVPs) to generate leads or convert visitors. †New Facebook apps like Digital Hill’s TabSite is leading the way in social media conversion technology by allowing fan pages to use CTAs and UVPs to funnel visitors to a desired action.

Since †direct customer acquisition and lead generation is still in its infancy in social media, one very simple and important metric to consider is number of fans.† Whether you’re a brand, offering a product or service, non-profit, political campaign, etc., if you use social media as one of your marketing channels you’re attempting to build the biggest fan base possible while encouraging, creating and controlling the virtual conversation through engagement on the social media platform.† Facebook, in most cases, is the best way to create an online community for your fans to socialize and communicate about your product, service, etc.† Nothing brings people together faster than uniting them around a cause or a new product or service that will add value to their life.

Below are 13 ways you can rally the troops and build a loyal Army of Facebook Fans:

1.† Focus On What Matters

People only go to the internet for two reasons.† To solve a problem or be entertained.† Most businesses are in the business of solving problem.† If people “Like” your brand they are doing it to align their personal brand with yours, vouch for your product or service, solve their problems or potential problems, or be entertained.† Regardless of why they’re your fan make sure you focus on what matters to them.

2. Create Networks

Lobby Facebook for your own company or brand network that your employees can join. As far as I can tell, Facebook only requires an email address to associate with that network. The more employees a company has in the network, the more influence and reach that network will have.

http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=add_work

3.† Building Rituals

It is very important to establish routines in order to develop your fan’s expectations for future engagement.† Rituals should help build a sense of online community by offering regular give-a-ways, coupons, blog posts, etc.

4. Connect Your Blog

If “Content is King” and “Backlinks are Queen” then Blogs are Gods. I recommend to all of my clients to let their Blog power their Social Media campaigns. Through the use of the TabSite or NetworkedBlogs’ Facebook app it’s never been easier to connect your blog to your Facebook Business Page.

http://www.tabsite.com

http://www.facebook.com/networkedblogs

5. Offer Unique Value

Why should someone “Like” your Facebook Business page? If you offer your prospective fans something of perceived value they’re much more likely to become a fan. Through numerous Facebook apps you can give away coupons, whitepapers, ebooks, etc. Here’s one of my favorites:

http://apps.facebook.com/slideshare

6.† Define the conversation

Since you control the platform, you control the conversation.† Not only can you make the initial engagement, but you can jump in your community members conversations as well.† If a post can be construed as negative you’ll have the ability to delete it.† You can show wall posts only after you’ve approved them.† Keep in mind though, not all negative conversations are bad.† When the iPod first came out it received horrible reviews for being easily scratched.† Apple turned that around by selling millions of cases!

7. Promote Your Brand and Company Through Engagement

Organizations can engage their fans or prospective fans through quizzes, contests, virtual gifts, games and many more. Large brands such as Honda and Outback Steakhouse are two good examples of deployment success. Engagement can be done utilizing dozens of free Facebook apps or through custom development (shameless plug, call me). Below is one of the more popular free apps:

http://www.facebook.com/wildfireinteractive

8.† Develop Loyal Lieutenants

Why not reward some of your most vocal fans and supporters with a bigger role in your fan page content creation?† Offer to post their blog article or video to Facebook.† They will not only appreciate the engagement and new status as a fan, but will become a bigger cheerleader of your brand.† †

9. Create Custom Tabs

Every organization is unique in their own way and not all “ready-made apps” can effectively communicate this message. Restaurants may want to lay out their menu, Real Estate Agencies may want to present pictures and contact information for all of their Realtors and manufacturers may want a custom “About Us” page. The above can easily be achieved through the development of a custom tab utilizing Facebook TabSite. This should help get you started:

http://www.tabsite.com

10. Leverage the Wall Feed: Go Viral!

Wall feeds are the first thing your fans see when they log in. If you compel them to “Like” or engage with your post, all of their friends will be notified and may follow suite (hence, going viral). Compelling content should only require a little extra effort when planning out your post or maybe even some humor.

11. Get Your Vanity URL

Once your Facebook Business page acquires 25 fans you can create a unique Facebook URL (ex. http://www.facebook.com/YourBusinessNameHere). This will allow you to market your Facebook Business page offline. For the last six weeks Honda has been running television ads sending people to their branded Facebook page via a vanity URL.

Creating a vanity URL that is keyword heavy is worth considering too. If you’re a Chicago plumber you may want to consider http://www.facebook.com/ChicagoPlumber. Google may find your content relevant enough to put your Facebook Business page on the first page for the search “Chicago Plumber.” Even if your company website is on the first page of Google, having your Facebook Business page on the first page of Google will increase the likelihood of your company getting a click-through while simultaneously taking away a link from one of your competitors.

http://www.facebook.com/username

12. Facebook Advertising (PPC or PPV)

Facebook allows you to advertise a website, business page, group or event. I always recommend the Pay Per Click option over the Pay Per View. Facebook advertising also allows you to market to a specific geography, gender, age, keywords, education level and more. Compared to Google Adwords, Facebook Advertising is much more targeted.

http://www.facebook.com/advertising

13. Track Analytics Using Facebook Insights

With Facebook Insights you can get detailed data on your fan page visitors.  You’ll know what demographics are visiting your page.  If you couple this with Google Analytics on your website you will have two very powerful tools that enable you to monitor your campaigns.

http://www.facebook.com/insights

A Breakdown of Social and Mobile Application for Retail

We have heard the hell-fire-brimstone-preach-from-the-heavens marketing speak from every consultant on the face of the planet. Through all the conversations there are a couple of themes emerging from the direct-to-consumer conversations and mobile is one of them.

According to the Morgan Stanley Mobile Report of 2010 growth in the mobile Internet world is driven primarily by 3G adoption and the smartphone revolution. We are going to be experiencing record breaking growth where the mobile Internet marketing will be “at least 2x the size of the Desktop Internet market.”

Here are some additional stats from the Morgan Stanley report:

• 3G penetration is going to hit 20% globally in 2010
• Penetration rate is Western Europe will increase by 50%
• Mobile data traffic will increase by 4000% by 2014

What does this mean for the retail and direct-to-consumer world? It is time to start thinking about how your brand is selling, interacting, and communicating with the outside world. We are on the cusp of something revolutionary in the world of mobile computing. The iPad is just the starting point for a movement that will change the face of customer communication.

How do you utilize the tools that already exist for your benefit? Let’s look at the different social and mobile applications that will benefit your business.

Download the full report by clicking here > socialmediawhitepaper