In part of my ongoing research for latest and emerging trends for mobile marketing, I have researched the use of QR codes and whether they are an effective means of delivering targeted marketing campaigns. At first glance, QR codes are definitely an enticing way to engage audiences who are active mobile users, and should definitely be explored as a way to expand into mobile marketing. In fact, in a recent social media / interactive strategy that I developed for a major retailer, I included an entire section of how QR codes can be used to engage tweens, since they consume more mobile media than any other demographic. But, as comes with the territory of technology, the adoption rate is dependent on an infrastructure that supports it. The adoption of QR Codes is slow in coming because of two big caveats: 1) a QR reader is required; and 2) the QR reader isn’t native to mobile devices.

To expand on this further, Threeminds contributor, Dan Neumann just posted an article about why we don’t need QR codes in the US.  Having tried and tested QR codes and readers myself, Dan’s thoughts are on point.

Marketers often ask why QR code technology for mobile phones (and other 2D barcode tech) hasn’t made it to the mainstream in North America. There have been a few notable efforts, some of which are still ongoing, but for the most part the technology remains esoteric and unused.

There’s a very good reason for this. In North America we don’t need this technology.

Quick Response (QR) codes were used to solve a very specific problem, inputting URLs. In NA, the majority of people who use their mobile phones to do anything more than make calls have a QWERTY keypad. The main reasons this tech took off in Japan and other parts of Southeast Asia are and not in North America are:

1. Carriers there ensured that reader applications were installed on every device.
2. Most phones in those countries didn’t (and still don’t) have qwerty – or equivalent – keypads, so using 2d barcodes as a way to quickly link to a site made sense.

It’s difficult to find data on QR reader penetration outside Japan and Korea, but to be wildly generous let’s assume that in the US it’s 5%. Even if this were the case, the potential reach is far lower than it would be if a URL were used instead.

So why are marketers still intent on forcing this tech on the American public? Recent campaigns by Ford and Ralph Lauren use 2D barcodes with little regard for the implications imposed on would be users. In the case of the ford campaign, users would need to perform one of the following actions before arriving at actual content:

“Simply open your phone’s browser and download the free app at gettag.mobi or text ‘Tag’ to 4Ford. Then follow the directions to scan or snap this tag to see features come to life.”

At the end of this convoluted path is a video, so why not simply print a short URL that links directly to the video or a mobile site where users can watch multiple videos? There’s no good reason.

Given that the same functionality can be achieved with greater reach using a plain URL, use of QR codes as a replacement or supposed shortcut to web-based content adds little value to the campaign. In fact, it likely detracts from it. We don’t have barcode reader penetration in NA, but we do have QWERTY keypads which means inputting a URL is trivial.

There are other uses for 2D barcodes that make sense. In particular, expect to see 2D barcodes deployed as part of a POS redemption mechanism for mobile coupons. For more on this, check out this post on the new Starbucks iPhone app.

Dan Neumann

I think QR codes should definitely be considered and researched by any thorough interactive marketing strategist; however, in line with the points Dan raises, there are some changes that would have to occur first. Namely:

1. QR Codes will need to become more mainstream — No one knows about QR codes and how to use them. The origination of QR codes started out because of a very specific need – commercial tracking and inventory management. The growing trend to use QR codes has to become bigger than just as a more dynamic means to deliver targeted marketing campaigns. In order for mobile users to more readily adopt QR codes and the use of them, we need to start seeing them applied in ways that are relevant to a consumer’s every day life.
2. The QR reader application would have to be native to mobile phones — If someone doesn’t already have a QR reader, they will be required to leave the marketing campaign path in order to install a QR reader for their phone either through a third-party site or via a WAP push, and at that point, you might as well say goodbye to that conversion.
3. The QR reader software readability MUST be improved to ensure reliability — Having tested out several different QR reader applications myself, it is clear that there is still some much needed  improvement to balance the limitations of the mobile device to “scan” the QR code with the application’s ability to decode it correctly.
4. The consumer experience must be accounted for — In order to effectively use QR codes as part of a marketing campaign, it’s essential that the overall user experience be taken into consideration. That is, I’ve seen the retail industry hop onto the QR code bandwagon more than any other. However, the retail industry also relies on intensely graphic-rich web sites that do not render well on mobile devices. The implementation of a QR code campaign requires a mobile friendly web site.

There are some companies who have dabbled with QR marketing campaigns, although I haven’t seen any reports on how successful any of these campaigns were, and would definitely be interested in what kind of conversions these campaigns saw and whether there was any ROI.

We Are Plus (www.weareplus.com) launched a high-tech, Manhattan-based scavenger hunt for Dunny Series 2009 (a collectible vinyl toy that entered the market last month) by vinyl toy designer Kidrobot, planet Earth’s premier creator and retailer of limited edition toys, clothing, artwork and books.

PepsiCo Inc. used mobile advertising and content distributed via 2D bar codes to engage with its target audience of 18-24-year-olds and promote its Pepsi Max brand.

Colgate-Palmolive launched a viral mobile marketing campaign to provide its target audience the opportunity to learn more about Speed Stick® products on-demand through their mobile phone via QR Codes.

So, it will be interesting to see how QR codes will impact mobile marketing in the coming months. Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE new technology and would love to see the gap between the physical and digital worlds narrowed even more. Have you considered QR Codes as part of your mobile marketing strategy? If so, what are some of the challenges and research that you have found? Speak your mind below!

Original Source:  A Social Media ‘How To’ for Retailers, By: Maya Swedowsky, Associate Research Director, Online Division, The Nielsen Company

Though 96.5% of retail sales are still made in brick-and-mortar stores, the Web holds huge influence over buying decisions, Nielsen’s Maya Swedowsky writes. She suggests retailers use social media to engage with customers to learn about their shopping experiences. Zappos, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Best Buy all provide handy models for building engagement, Swedowsky noted.

As social media continues its meteoric ascent, newly empowered consumers wield more control than ever before. Although retail sales are dominated by brick and mortar stores, the influence of the Internet on offline purchases is becoming increasingly important. Retailers must listen to and engage their customers through social media by participating and encouraging conversations. The end result will improve customer service and will help turn loyal customers into passionate advocates.

Online retail sales have grown at a staggering rate—from $5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009 to $30 billion in the first quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Census. And while this growth is extraordinary, it still represents a relatively small portion of all retail sales activity—only 3.5% of sales are transacted online. However, even though retail sales are still dominated by brick and mortar stores, the influence of the Internet on offline purchasing is becoming increasingly important. Website visitation, online advertising and social media all impact offline purchasing. Visibility into online behavior has become critical across the entire retail enterprise.

Mainstream phenomenon
The social media frenzy—also known as consumer-generated media (CGM)—refers to content being created 24-hours a day online on blogs, message boards, social networks like Facebook and platforms like Twitter. CGM has come a long way from the early newsgroup days and continues to grow rapidly.

Traffic to Facebook is up almost 200% over the last year, and Twitter has seen an increase of almost 1500%. Social Media is no longer just for techies or younger generations—it has become a mainstream phenomenon. Compared to a year ago, not only are more people visiting these sites, but they are also spending more time there—time spent per person is up 67% over last year.

So, why is social media so big? The answer is relatively simple: it taps into a few basic human needs and emotions. Social media satisfies our need to be heard, it provides us with a platform to reach more people than ever before and it enables us to advocate for and promote the brands and topics we feel strongly about.

Amplified advocacy
The purchase consideration process has always been a social endeavor. Before the advent of social media, a shopper may have consulted with a limited number of friends and family members before making a purchase. Today, shoppers’ networks have gone from being composed of just a handful of people to hundreds—or even thousands—many of which are likely strangers.

Social media has not only transformed the research and purchase consideration phase, but it also provides shoppers with a platform to advocate for the products and stores they love. Advocacy has always existed, but social media has made this stage even more critical, amplifying the size of the audience reached.

Listen and engage
CGM provides retailers with a unique opportunity to not only listen to what consumers have to say, but to actively take part in that conversation. Through online listening, retailers can observe conversations that occur naturally to understand consumer attitudes and needs—and then proactively engage customers transparently to answer key questions or concerns.

Listening to consumers through CGM is complementary to other more traditional methods of market research, and provides unique value. Instead of soliciting feedback through a survey or focus group, social media allows retailers to tap into what consumers are passionate about and what they proactively discuss. Companies across all industries can listen to social media to gain insight into key areas of business:

• Brand Health Tracking: Keep a finger on the pulse of consumer sentiment toward brands
• Consumer Insights: Delve into specific issues facing brands and identify opportunities to make improvements
• Campaign Tracking: Assess a campaign’s impact and whether the marketing message is resonating
• Reputation Monitoring: Uncover risks and address them in real-time
• Online Customer Relations: Identify customers in need of support and pinpoint the issues they are discussing

Take note
There are many unique listening opportunities for retailers. Below is a framework for how retailers should think about listening through social media:

1. In-Store Experience—Shoppers actively discuss their experiences at brick and mortar locations online. Find out what consumers are saying about shopping experience, employees, return policy, store layout and more.
2. Website—Understand how consumers are using your website regardless of whether or not you sell products online. Are they using it as an informational or couponing resource? If it is a transactional website, what are shoppers saying about the shipping charges and delivery windows?
3. Products—Learn how shoppers feel about your product selection, availability, pricing and quality, as well as private label brands.
4. Marketing—From brand health to community relations to coupons and circulars, listening to social media gives retailers the opportunity to gauge awareness of corporate initiatives and marketing.

Reaching out
According to Forrester Research, almost two-thirds of retailers have already invested in CGM in some way, and another 22% plan to get involved in the next year. Additionally,  Internet Retailer reports that over 30% of retailers say that social networks perform better as a marketing vehicle than paid search engine optimization.

Retailers can use social media to engage customers in two key ways: through the retailer’s website and leveraging third-party tools like Twitter and Facebook. Through these avenues, retailers have the opportunity to connect with customers in a number of ways:

• Marketing Campaigns: Drive awareness, attract new customers
• Customer Service: Increase customer satisfaction through proactive outreach and timely response
• Corporate Communication: Give the retailer a voice; promote transparency; manage crises quickly
• Product Reviews: Take the risk out of trying new products
• Crowd-Sourcing: Leverage the wisdom of customers for product/service development
• Internal Communications: Increase employee satisfaction, promote sharing of product/service ideas

Retailers should give shoppers a reason to visit the website and keep them engaged—know that many shoppers are not going to come proactively. Because of this, the majority of online effort should be concentrated on expanding the digital footprint and reaching shoppers where they are already congregating by participating and encouraging conversations through third-party tools (blogs, forums, social networks, Facebook, Twitter). Importantly, all forms of social media outreach, whether through the retailer website or third party tools, must be transparent and should support a common goal.

There are a number of retailers who are using best practice principles to successfully engage customers through social media:

• Zappos uses Twitter as a key customer service platform in addition to a 24/7 phone line and email.
• Walmart takes advantage of product review platforms.
• Starbucks’ “My Starbucks Idea” program encourages customers to submit ideas for new products and services.
• Best Buy uses a private social media network for internal communications with its employees to promote employee satisfaction and idea-sharing.

What happens online does not stay online
Assume that consumer control/power will continue to grow—now is the time to listen to your customers. When you are ready and adequately resourced, engage, participate, and respond to customers through CGM. Nurture and protect brand credibility by being honest, open and transparent. Do not neglect your website, it is one of your best marketing vehicles, but focus majority of effort on reaching customers where they’re already congregating. Think about how you can provide better customer service through social media and turn your loyal customers into advocates. And lastly, learn from everyone in your organization.

I love hearing how social media is changing the way businesses relate and interact with their customers. Personally, I remember a time, when I worked for an internet provider company, where I would cringe when people approached me with customer service issues. Friends and family would want to tell me their technical issues or complain about how slow the service was. My standard response became, “call customer service!”

However, social media has provided a completely new approach to customer service… where employees who are enthusiastic about their company’s products / solutions and also passionate about social media are being employed to not only be brand evangelists, but to provide expertise and advice on product information all the way through to the actual purchasing decision.

If you’ve been noticing the Best Buy commercials lately, you probably learned about their newly launched CRM model: Twelpforce, a Twitter service that enables Best Buy employees to talk with customers instead of to them. Best Buy, recognizing that their employees are their best resource, “opened its customer service Twitter feed, Twelpforce, to any of its hourly store employees and salaried corporate employees who want to join. Employees are free to engage customers with questions or even angry customers in their own voice and in any way they see fit. The rules? DON’T talk about private company or customer information; DO be friendly and helpful.

Using a Twitter tool called ConnectTweet, Best Buy aggregates tweets from many employees into a single feed, which is Twelpforce. Each employee tweets from his or her own Twitter account, and the comments get published to the main feed with a “via @(insert employee Twitter handle here)” following. The feed then turns into a collection of advice from various employees responding to @Twelpforce or #Twelpforce questions.

Since it started about a month ago, about 1,300 employees have become part of the Twelpforce (out of 150,000 employees companywide) with about 100 more employees joining each week, says John Bernier, who is Best Buy’s marketing manager and social media advocate. They’ve answered more than 3,500 questions—and have even induced a few sales. But Twelpforce is less about making sales and more about imparting knowledge and empowering employees to be part of the social media sphere.” (see Ragan’s article for much more detail.)

I often hear that it’s challenging to get executive support for incorporating social media into a business plan because there is no tangible ROI. I could start going through my thoughts on intangible ROI (and I’ve got plenty of them!) and how social media can be integrated into existing marketing efforts, but here’s an example of the success of Best Buy’s new Twelpforce:

Employee BBYFlowerMound convinced a man on Twitter that he should buy a Mac. The man walked into the Flower Mound, Tex., store, asked to speak to the employee, and bought a Mac on the spot.

A social media CRM model that provides tangible ROI… times are changing!

No more telling people to call “customer service”… I AM the customer service….now I’m off to see how many iPhone users I can convert to the Blackberry Storm….

Sources and Related info:

• Ask your employees to tweet on your company’s behalf, Ragan
• Best Buy Goes All Twitter Crazy With @Twelpforce, TechCrunch

Source: Phonecasting, a rising trend in mobile communications? | CloudRecruiting.net

Ok, so I know what you’re thinking… another buzzword.  So, what in the world is Phonecasting?

Phonecasting, also known as phlogging or phone-blogging, involves the ability to use your phone to broadcast directly to the internet, live. Phonecasting combines the popularity of podcasting with the ubiquity and ease of use of mobile devices.

How does Phonecasting differ from Podcasting?

Well, for starters, podcasters typically use a microphone and recording software to create their programming. In contrast, phonecasters use the phone as the microphone. In addition, unlike traditional podcasting, phonecasting does not require recording software but simply phonecasting service (or application) that allows users to dial a number and record.

Don’t like blogging? Try phonecasting to attract your target audience.

You have often heard me speak about the topic of mobile marketing as a recruitment channel. Mobile recruiting offers the ability to market specifically to a target audience anytime, anywhere, on their mobile device. Since mobile is the most widely used of all mass media channels, phonecasting offers yet another dimension to the idea of mobile recruiting. With phonecasting, recruiters/employers have the ability to share job opportunities in the form of audio podcasts or jobcasts.  Chris Russell over at JobsinPods has built a formidable business providing jobcasting solutions for employers.  Consumers (candidates) can easily subscribe to a phonecasts/jobcasts and listen while on-the-go, at the gym, during idle time in traffic, etc.  You can follow Chris Russell on Twitter to get more on this topic.

In addition to jobcasting, industry voices such as Michael Kelemen from the Recruiting Animal Show, Asia-Pacific’s Most-Connected Recruiter Stan Relihan, and my good friend Jim Stroud at The Recruiter’s Lounge have helped to popularize the general use of podcasting as a form of infotainment in the recruiting industry.

Phonecasting’s self-service model…

In the true nature of Web 2.0, there are many self-services applications today that offer users the ability to begin phone-blogging, or phonecasting with minimal to no costs. To get started, all you need is a phone, a phonecasting service provider, and a message you wish to deliver. If you want to dive right into podcasting, then you will be pleased to know there are many available options to get you up and running in no time.

The following are 10 services that offer either phonecasting, podcasting, or voice broadcasting solutions:

1. www.phonecasting.com – Phonecasting.com is an online social network that brings you the best in podcasting, phonecasting, mobile and video content, plus simple tools for you to publish your own content to the nets podcasting community.

2. www.ipadio.com – ipadio allows you to broadcast from any phone to the internet, live.  Phone blog, commentate, collect audio data, record and update the world or simply let your mates know what you’re doing – ipadio is integrated with Twitter & Facebook.

3. www.gcast.com – Gcast’s goal is to make personal broadcasting (podcasting) simple. Their focus is to allow users to create audio broadcasts, easily record voice messages, mix in your favorite music, and share it all for the world to hear.

4. www.jobsinpods.com - Jobs in Pods, the internet’s first ever audio recruitment platform built with social media. Unlike the traditional job boards you are used to visiting, Jobs in Pods is a place to actually hear from the employers themselves through audio interviews with their HR managers/employees.

5. www.yodio.com – Yodio offers an integrated, one-stop digital publishing service where anyone can go to self-record, produce, and share audio recordings (podcasts) and personal broadcasts (audio synchronized with digital photos).

6. www.gabcast.com – Gabcast.com is a podcasting and audioblogging platform that offers virtual communities, individuals and organizations an easy way to create and distribute audio content.

7. www.earfl.com – earfl was created to give your voice a voice. We’ve made it easy to tell your stories: just call 415.223.3802 from your mobile phone and start talking. Hang up, log on and start listening. It’s really that easy.

8. www.xmvoice.com – XMVoice offers voice broadcasting that allows you to instantly send hundreds or even thousands of interactive phone calls with ease while managing the entire process right from the Web.

9. labs.jaduka.com/dukaBuzz – dukaBUZZ enables site visitors to leave audio messages and testimonials that can be shared with others. Instead of typing and posting written comments, site visitors record audio comments using the dukaBUZZ widget and their standard phone (no software downloads or headsets required).

10. www.tweetmic.com – TweetMic is a Twitter fan’s must have iPhone app. It’s simple, intuitive, and allows you to make high-quality audio recordings or “Tweetcasts” then publish them directly to Twitter. There is no limit to how much you can record and you don’t need to sign up for any additional service to start using TweetMic. For more, check out the TweetMic review from goodBetaBest.com..

While the list above was not intended to be all-inclusive of the services available, if you feel I have left out any particularly useful sites, please be sure to leave a response and let us know. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Source:  Phonecasting, a rising trend in mobile communications? | CloudRecruiting.net

by Traci Armstrong,  Social Media: A Brand’s Best Friend Or Worst Enemy? (Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic)

In mid-April 2009, two Domino’s pizza employees decided it would be funny to pull a little YouTube prank. One employee prepared sandwiches for delivery while putting cheese up his nose and blowing nasal mucus on the sandwiches – all while his co-worker provided up-close camera work and a play-by-play narrative. Within 24 hours, over a million people had viewed the video. The incident brought a whole new meaning to brand reputation “nose-dive”. Domino’s sales plunged overnight.

In mid-May 2009, Michael Silveira – a 22 year old lab technician who does not own a car, got fed up with receiving unsolicited phones calls to purchase an auto warranty. According to a Wall Street Journal article, Silveira decided to seek revenge on the auto-warranty company by leaving voice-message recordings of Rick Astley’s 1987 song “Never gonna give you up” – sort of an audio version of “RickRolling“. Silveira invited other disgruntled customers to join him in his crusade- by publicly posting phone numbers and addresses on various activist sites. The online mob resulted in overloaded phone lines, changed voice mail greetings and even arson threats for the Irvine, CA based warranty company, AutoOne.

FRIEND OR FOE?
Both of these powerful examples prove the new social media customer service formula: one outraged customer + two fast typing thumbs + 50 Twitter followers = a formula for corporate catastrophe. If there was ever a time for companies to step-up their customer service practice, that time is now.

According to a study by the London School of Economics, brands must increase positive word of mouth by 7% to generate 1% of business growth – or reduce negative word of mouth by 2%. Which proves: negative word of mouth adversely impacts business growth. With today’s available social media, the potential for bad word of mouth to go viral is greater than ever. Disappoint just one customer – and be ready for the possibility that she tells her circle of social media friends, and so on, and so on – to create a wildfire swirl of “bad-vocacy” about your company.

There is good news however. Besides customer service, social media can be used to successfully blend initiatives of other traditionally siloed aspects of business- research, marketing, sales, and product development. Most businesses are still fumbling their way to adapting to this new model. Even though their customer’s conversation draws no lines between these topics- the disciplines are still disparate within their organization. But some companies are successfully proving communicating through social media does, in fact, result in business gains.

THE NEW HELP DESK LINE
Well-known brands like Dell and Whole Foods are using social media venues to provide sales support and customer service for their customers. Zappos’ CEO Tony Hseih personally has over 400,000 Twitter followers. He actively Tweets about Zappos’ passion for building relationships with their customers. The foundation of their success has been based on the fact that when people feel respected and engaged- whether in-person, on the phone or over a social network- they have a natural desire to share that experience with the people they know.

Many companies are also using social media to monitor conversations and proactively address customer concerns. Twitter and Facebook can now be considered the new Help Desk Line. Tools like Twazzup.com, TweetBeep, Google Reader, and Technorati can scan conversation and provide alerts – allowing you to react quickly to a customer before too much word of mouth damage can be done.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Not only can conversations act as real-time focus groups, some dialogues have led to product development success stories. In a recent presentation at the IAB conference, Forester Research’s Josh Bernoff explains how Del Monte used this technique to create an innovative new pet food product.

EVANGELIST PORTALS
Creating a community through social media is the best way to create venues for loyal customers to provide their own content – and evangelize your brand. Organic created the Jeep Facebook Fan page which has over 126k fans. In addition to providing downloadables like IM icons and desktop visuals for fans to use, customers can also post personal photos and share their passion for their vehicles.

From large brands like Jeep and Zappos – to mom n’ pop pizzerias – companies are quickly learning that social media can function as their best friend or worst enemy. Positive word of mouth, whether in person or through social media, will still depend on the traditional business foundation built: providing a great product and treating customers well. What do you think? Do the benefits of social media outweigh the risks?

by Traci Armstrong,  Social Media: A Brand’s Best Friend Or Worst Enemy? (Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic)

In my research for creating my own company’s Facebook page, I came across a couple of really good articles for optimizing a corporate Facebook page. Below is a mash-up of the best of the recommendations.

Sources: How to Create a Powerful and Engaging Facebook Page [corporatedollar.org], Five Tips for Optimizing Your Brand’s Facebook Presence [Mashable]

Facebook is undoubtedly one of the most popular social media services used by individuals, businesses and non-profits to connect with people. Groups and Pages are excellent options to leverage the large network and reach of this popular platform. Lately, Facebook Pages have become quite popular among businesses to show their presence in a much better way building engaging and long lasting relationships with users and fans. Let’s see how to make an interactive Facebook page that gives a reason to your fans to stay, interact and promote your cause.

Custom Image

Picture says a thousand words. Take a look at the Facebook page of Coca Cola. Not only it brands the page, but also grabs immediate attention of the visitor. The key to a successful page is customized image that represents your brand.

Facebook specs recommend that profile pictures should be 200px wide, while height can vary as needed. What is less documented is how the thumbnail that Facebook uses across the system is generated from this picture.

You’ll find the system crops images when generating a thumbnail, losing information around the edge. After some initial testing, we’ve determined that there’s a “title safe” area within all images. So when you create your profile image that’s 200px wide, allow a 12 pixel border around crucial information (such as typography or a logo) to allow for automatic cropping.

Also bear in mind that regardless of the shape of your profile image, Facebook thumbnails are square (with rounded corners), and sized based on the length of the shortest side of your image. So when designing rectangular profile pictures, make sure to keep your desired thumbnail imagery within a square boundary.

You can try out various Facebook profile photo hacks to get the required effect you want.

New Features

Since the revised version of Facebook pages has been launched in March 2009, the layout and features have changed dramatically.

Tabbed interface – allows you to group the content and applications as per your requirements. Not only you can edit the default tabs, but you can also add new tabs giving you complete control in its customization.

You can freely drag them to arrange in required order. With new Facebook application standards in effect, almost every new application (internal or 3rd party) can be integrated with Facebook tabs. This opens endless opportunities to create customizable tabs with your choice of third party applications.

Direct feeds for fans – is another new feature that allows your fans to access the page updates directly from within their Facebook profile.

Multi-media integration – lets you embed audio/video content to the wall making it rich in content and more engaging for users. Facebook allows users to upload a video file of size up to 1 GB and supports 18 major video formats.

Similarly, you can upload unlimited amount of audio content. With no restriction on the amount of upload, you can provide podcast series to your fans.

Custom Page Settings: Personalize Visitors’ Experience

Facebook pages of Bon AppÈtit Magazine and Lucky Magazine presents a perfect example of custom landing pages for non-Fans enriched with multimedia content guiding the prospect to the main site and its products.

Default Landing Tab – By default fans and non-Fans both land on wall tab. Public Profiles now allow separate default landing areas for Fans and Non-Fans. This allows brands to display a “Become a Fan” incentive in an FBML box or Tab. A common request we’ve heard from brands is “Is there a simple way to display different content for Fans and non-Fans?” This allows for some interesting scenarios, from displaying a simple “Thank you” to people who become Fans, to incentivizing visitors to “Become a Fan to see exclusive content/promo code/offer.”

So here’s a quick hack for creating an FBML box that can be used on the Wall or Boxes page (or in its own Tab) that displays different information to different users, depending on their Fan/logged-in status:

1. Create a 1 cell borderless table, with a fixed height and width; for example, 100px.
2. Create and define a background image for that cell to the same dimensions, which contains the information you want NON-fans to see.
3. Create a same-sized image that contains the information you want Fans to see and insert that into the cell.
4. Use the following FBML tag to surround the cell contents – <fb:visible-to-connection><img src=”insert your image URL”></fb:visible-to-connection> .

This FBML Tag only displays its content to Fans who are logged in. So what we’re actually doing here is creating a table with a background image, and then covering it up with another one IF you’re a Fan. It’s a bit of a hack, but only takes five minutes to do.

Here’s some example code if you want to try it:

<table width="xx" height="yy" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr>
<td background="http://www.yourdomain.com/linkto/nonfans.jpg">
<fb:visible-to-connection>
<img src="http://www.yourdomain.com/linkto/fans.jpg" height="xx" width="yy" />
</fb:visible-to-connection>
</td></tr></table>

Third Party Applications: Spice Up Your Page

There are tons of Facebook applications for enriching your page with desired content. These applications are powerful, easy-to-use and extend the functionality of the page. Here are some of the popular applications that can be used to customize your Facebook page.

For more a thorough list of must-have applications, check out “Must Have Eye Candy for Your Brand’s Facebook Page”

Custom Facebook Page URL

Normally, a typical Facebook page has a long and cryptic URL that makes it difficult for you to aggressively market and promote it. Visitors also cannot remember such long cryptic urls. How about a short custom URL like http://facebook.dj/company-name?

If you own your own domain, you could set up http://facebook.mydomain.com to point to your profile, or you can use this excellent Memorable Address Facebook application to create short, memorable web address for your Facebook page.

Optimize Your Share Preview

A key strength of Facebook – especially for the new Public Profiles – is the viral spread of shared links into news feeds, using the Links application. When anyone links to your site using this, the application presents the user with a number of images from the page that can be chosen as a thumbnail to accompany the link. But if your site is mainly Flash-based, or has no suitable graphic components for a thumbnail, you should define a custom Share Preview image.

Facebook provides specific information on how to do this here – with a snippet of code to add to the HEAD of your website pages that points to your desired image.

Again, no guidance is given as to the perfect size for a Share Preview, but we’ve found that a 100 pixel square preview is optimal. This not only requires no resizing by Facebook, but also provides a suitable shape for Digg (), which uses the same code to pull its own Share Preview (albeit reduced down to 48px square).

Note that the Facebook Links application will also pull the “Description” Meta Tag from your site into the news feed, so ensure that you have made this sufficiently explanatory. (You can also define the media-type icon that Facebook uses in feeds for your site e.g. blog, news, picture, video, etc – full details to be found at facebook.com/share_partners.php )

Manage Your Page’s Content Frequently

This isn’t really a tip, but more of a best practice. By creating a calendar to guide your updates, you will achieve the following benefits:

1. You can spread updates out so that you carry on a persistent but unobtrusive dialog with your Fans. Post too often and your page updates will start being hidden, or you’ll lose fans. Too seldom and you’ll be forgotten. Try to mix up different update types – a status update, a Link, a Note, a Photo or video update.
2. By creating a calendar, you can also schedule moderation periods for comments if you feel this is necessary for your brand. Most Interaction activity (including comments) will occur within 24 hours of an update before it drops out of Fans’ news feeds.
3. By recording all activity on a schedule, it’s easier to map it against exported stats data from your page’s Insights. This can show you Total Interactions around different content types to gauge which gets the most traction/conversation, and track Removed Fans against certain update types.

General Guidelines to follow:

1. Do not experiment too much with your brand image on the page.
2. If possible keep a dedicated admin for discussion board.
3. Update photo and video tabs on regular basis.
4. Every quarter, create a poll to get your fans feedback about their views on various page elements.
5. Resist the temptation to integrate tons of applications in a single tab.
6. Do include a subscription box on the custom landing page for non-Fans.
7. Keep enhanced wall posting permissions open for all (fans).

Sources: How to Create a Powerful and Engaging Facebook Page [corporatedollar.org], Five Tips for Optimizing Your Brand’s Facebook Presence [Mashable]

IBDF’s first ‘Annual Report Card’ of the most valuable retail brands in the United States, plus the top 5 in Canada and Mexico. It’s an assessment of the companies that are most successful at managing their brand, as well as a look at those that didn’t make the cut.

I am in the process of developing a Facebook page for my company, and in my research came across this very informative article on 8 essential apps for a Brand’s Facebook page. Clearly, you will need to assess what applies to your business’ objectives; however, this is a fantastic list of apps that any brand should consider.

Source: 8 Essential Apps for Your Brand’s Facebook Page, Mashable

Not even a year ago, Facebook was still being dismissed as a silly site intended to help college kids slack off. Indeed, that is what helped the social network take hold with a large number of users, but it has proven its worth in business and by now, nearly everyone is on board. Companies of all sizes are scrambling to get on the site and reach both new and current customers with a Facebook () Page, the Facebook preferred method for user interaction with a brand, company or public figure.

An effective Facebook Page not only attracts fans, but is sticky so that fans keep coming back and may even share the content on the Page. To do that, you need a well thought out Page that has some great applications supported by good, relevant content. Here are eight essential apps for your brand’s Facebook page:

Applications

1. Facebook Notes

This notification system is important for staying on their radar and is more visible than an RSS Reader, or mini-blog as I like to call it, but lacks many formatting capabilities; it’s best to think of Notes and an RSS Reader as working hand in hand. Start here to get content coming into your Page, then move on to the RSS Reader.

2. Blog RSS Feed Reader

3. Twitter App

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4. Static FBML

5. Extended Info

6. Flash Player

7. Posted Items Pro

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8. Something Unique

Brands that get it right

If you have a good brand, product or service with a strong website behind it, building a Facebook Page should be fairly easy. But if you need a few examples or inspiration, check out these Pages that definitely get it right:

VS Pink Victoria’s Secret

Britney Spears

Zappos

Target

Alison Driscoll is an interactive copywriter and social media consultant who specializes in Facebook. She authors a blog at alisondriscoll.com.

Source: Study: Retailers Shift Marketing Dollars Towards Social Media, Mashable

Although many retailers are reducing their online marketing budgets, spending on social media is falling at a slower rate than spending in other online marketing channels.

Moreover, amongst companies that are weathering the current economic storm and expanding marketing budgets, investments in social media are generally on the rise. This according to a new study released today by The National Retail Federation’s Shop.org and Forrester Research.

Overall, the study found that 30 percent of retailers plan to reduce their online spending this year, while 24 percent plan to increase it and 46 percent are keeping their budgets the same. However, the stats get more interesting when you drill down to how both the successful and the struggling retailers are allocating their marketing dollars.

Amongst retailers that are performing well (“beating expectations” according to the study), 12 of the 20 will increase spending in social media marketing.

Further, amongst retailers that are increasing budgets, 80 percent will put more money into search, while 65 percent will put more into email marketing.

Additionally, as you can see, retailers that are increasing budgets are putting money into search advertising at a higher rate than social media – again, not surprising because there are simply still more eyeballs to reach through search.

Further, the trends in search marketing are consistent with other statistics as well. For example, Google’s most recent earnings report showed the company’s first ever sequential decline in sales due largely to a slowdown in search ad spending.

While money might flow back into search at a quicker rate than social media as the economy recovers, social media remains a growth area, that on a percentage basis is weathering the storm better than other areas of online marketing.

Additional resource: Business Wire

Source:  Ignoring Social Media could be the worst business decision you ever make – Ecademy.

Some people thought that the telephone was a fad. The founder of IBM himself failed to see the long-term possibilities of the computer. Others believed that TV would never catch on and still others thought that email would never replace letters and postcards. There are also those who say that Social Media is just a phase, a passing trend that will be gone in a few years.

As a digital marketer, a web presence architect and an Internet professional who is deeply involved in creating and implementing Social Media strategies for my clients – a variety of businesses of all shapes and sizes – I see firsthand the variety of responses to this new Internet paradigm.

Some people are blissfully unaware of Social Media. Some are aware but are choosing to ignore it. And, at the opposite end of the spectrum, some people confess to be “dabbling”, or “doing a bit” and finally, some people – and some businesses – are completely embracing it, pushing out the frontiers and seeking to make the most of this phenomenon.

Unaware of Facebook? What planet…

Because you’re reading this blog, you’re probably having a hard time imagining someone being completely unaware of social networks and their impact on the world of business. Oddly enough, it’s the more successful people – the entrepreneurs, the actual business owners, the doers, the movers and shakers – who are usually the ones who are unaware. Perhaps it’s because these are people who are so busy, so caught up in achieving and just getting the job done that they don’t have time to acknowledge the trend in Social Media and, quite frankly often feel that they don’t need to be aware of it either.

However, these people, once I explain to them the importance of Social Media and the impact that it WILL have upon their business (upon every business), they are usually pretty quick to become one of those that completely embraces the new phenomenon.

Why?

Because these are people who are focused on winning. And because they’re in it for the long haul. They intend to be in the game not just today or tomorrow, but for a long time to come.

Is ignorance bliss?

I also see a number of people who, whilst aware are choosing to ignore Social Media. These are the people who think that even universal trends such as the one we’re all currently experiencing will not affect them.

History provides us with plenty of examples of the danger of this kind of thinking. The business graveyard is littered with the corpses of both giant corporations and millions of small businesses who not only refused to take advantage of the paradigm-shifting trends of their lives, but actually blatantly chose to ignore them altogether.

“Dabbling” never works

Playing at integrating Social Media into your business probably won’t work but sadly this is the approach that most businesses are taking. What I mean is that lots of people are already on Facebook; some have even realised the value of having a Facebook page for their business and have that sorted out.

Equally, lots of people have heard of Twitter and some may even be using it and trying to get it working for them.

But most of these people remain unaware of the vastness of the Social Media landscape. They do not know, for example, that there are currently over 350 high traffic Social Media websites representing a daily traffic that runs into the billions.

If your business is going to benefit from Social Media at all, don’t make it a half-hearted effort. Get yourself a Social Media strategist (ahem! sorry, shameless self-promotion) and ensure that you’re making the most of this new paradigm in marketing.

Six reasons why you shouldn’t ignore Social Media

Here are just six of the reasons why I say that ignoring the Social Media trend would be the worst business decision that any of us could ever make

1. People now communicate more regularly via social networks than they do by email.
The way that we all interact and acquire information is evolving again. Nielsen Online Research notes that membership-based communities are visited by more than two-thirds of Internet users from around the entire world.

Also, according to Nielsen, social networking websites like Facebook and blogs received more Internet user time than email did throughout 2008 suggesting that this indicates that email is how older people communicate while social networks and text messaging are the preferred communication method for the younger generation.

But Nielsen also points out that, in 2008, Facebook experienced greater growth amongst older people than it did amongst the young.

What can we learn from this? Basically that people – in general – prefer the multimedia, publicly social, more entertaining experience of Social Networking to the well established, but spammy medium of email.

2. Social networking is not just for teenagers.
In 2008, 35 – 49 year olds represented the biggest growth segment for the social networking sector. Some of the people I meet who are choosing to ignore Social Media do so, they tell me, because they believe that it is “just for kids”. It isn’t. Don’t make the same mistake in your business.

3. People spend more time in social networks when they’re online.
Nielsen also noted that, here in the UK, one in every six minutes online, was being spent in, or on, the social networking websites making them stand out clearly as the places where more and more people are choosing to connect.

4. Social Media is not just for small businesses
If further evidence was needed as to the growing importance of Social Media (apart from Birmingham City University offering a degree in Social Media – I kid you not!), consider of the large brand names that are innovating and using Social Media to their advantage:

Burger King launched their “sacrifice ten friends” Facebook application in which we were asked to delete 10 of our Facebook friends in order to get a free Whopper. Naturally, Facebook didn’t like it, but their users didn’t seem to mind too much; the campaign went viral with over 20,000 users sacrificing 200,000 friends in order to get their hands on a free burger. I must remember to ask my friend and fellow Courvoisier member, James Lamper what he thinks that says about their psychological attitude towards food!

Facebook, as you can imagine, shut the application down quickly, citing “privacy concerns” but the effect proved the point; Social Media, used correctly, can make a huge impact on your brand. Burger King’s campaign was an absolute hit largely due to their lack of hesitancy in pushing the envelope and their willingness to do something a little different.

Dell, also have chosen to embrace Social Media, but with a much longer term focus than the Burger King campaign. In what must be one of the largest efforts – and biggest investments – by a corporate company so far, Dell have created a true cross-platform community with multiple Twitter accounts, a whole network of blogs and a very active presence on Facebook.

Dell have also publicly stated that they have already had a return on investment from Twitter with more than “$1 million in revenue” demonstrating that they have already learnt one of the most important lessons of how to succeed in Social Media (having an effective “cross-platform” strategy).

There are plenty of other examples including Sun Microsystems, General Electric, Graco, IBM, Microsoft, Comcast, Johnson & Johnson, Ford, Coca-Cola, Tyson Foods, Nokia and Starbucks. Starbucks have gone so far as to create a new website; My Starbucks Idea where Starbucks customers and fans can give their suggestions and other people can vote on them.

The most popular suggestions are highlighted and reviewed. Starbucks even have an “Ideas in Action” section; a blog that gives updates on the status of relevant suggestions. By brilliantly giving a voice to their web savvy customers, Starbucks have succeeded in building a true community around their business.

5. Social Media to build a community around your business is not just for large businesses
Don’t make the mistake either of thinking that you need to be a corporate to build a community around your business using Social Media.

I’ve heard too many small businesses tell me that they only target their “local area” and that, therefore, social media wouldn’t be of much use to them.

They forget that one of the most significant benefits of the new paradigm of Social Media and social networking is the ability to open dialogue or start a conversation with your customers, no matter where in the world they are.

A great example that should inspire any small, geographically-based, localised business is that of Pizza Party, Santa Clara, California. Bear Silber has successfully used Social Media to attract new customers to his shop. Watch this video and take note of the fact that Bear made the news just because Pizza Party use Social Media; specifically Facebook, Twitter and Yelp. Social Media helps Pizza Party to promote specials and offers and allow their customers to watch their pizzas being made using three webcams that are installed in the kitchens!

6. Despite the recession, most marketers are increasing their spend on Social Media
We all know that in a recession, budgets get cut, jobs are lost and those still in work are expected to do more, in the same amount of time, with less resources. Despite the fact that this is apparently our reality in 2009, a new Forrester Research report demonstrates that 145 global interactive marketers in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer companies with greater than 250 employees are increasing their marketing spend.

What’s more, over half of them intend to specifically increase the amount they spend on Social Media.

Part of the reason for this is the low cost of Social Media tools. When compared with traditional marketing alternatives like advertising, it is clear that Social Media requires a lower investment. In fact, about 75% of those surveyed by Forrester who knew their budgets said that they had allowed for $100,000 or less for Social Media tools over the next year.

So, there are six reasons for making sure that Social Media plays a part in your business. There are many more. I’d be happy to talk to anyone who would like to know more about the role that Social Media plays and the true picture – the bigger picture – of just what can be achieved.

The real question is; are you going to ignore the possibilities? Or are you going to embrace them?

Kind regards

Patrick Nelson
T: 0845 880 2141
M: 07973 272464
www.underdesign.co.uk