Facebook

Jun 04

Facebook Is the Best Market for Advertising

No other Internet company has been facing more critique than Facebook recently, yet somehow this is still the most visited social network in the world, in fact, according to Google, this is the most visited website in the world period.

The information is extremely valuable for advertisers, who will now know where to run their campaigns to reach an overwhelming majority of users. Google released statistic information about Facebook and other sites on May 26, 2010; in a list of the top 1,000 global sites on the web by unique users as measured by DoubleClick Ad Planner. Below, the top ten sites list, featuring number of unique visitors, page views and reach for each site:

Google Ads will not be shown on all these sites, but only on those that publish AdSense units (sites from the Google Content Network). However, these sites have their own advertising solutions, so the information is vital if you want to run a campaign outside Google AdWords.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be an AdWords user to benefit from DoubleClick Ad Planner’s powerful statistics. This is a service offered by Google free, and it will help:

Define audiences by demographics and interests.
Search for websites relevant to your target audience.
Access unique users, page views, and other data for millions of websites from over 40 countries.
Easily build media plans for yourself or your clients
Create lists of websites where you’d like to advertise.
Generate aggregated website statistics for your media plan.

Is DoubleClick Ad Planner something you would like to use? What other tools are you currently using to determine relevant markets for your advertising campaigns?

May 28

5 Reasons to Set Up a Facebook Fan Page

Social Media 10 Comments »

Many people view Facebook as a trivial social networking site. After all, the vast majority of people use it to play games and hang out with friends from high school . . . it’s easy to underestimate the site. That’s why so many businesses never bother to put up a fan page, though it can actually be an excellent way to go.

Why does a Facebook fan page work so well? Because just about anything can go viral on Facebook. Anything that is shared in one person’s stream tends to get liked and passed on, particularly if it’s interesting. That means your fan page, with a few people promoting it, can end up being extremely popular! Not to mention, it’s another method of getting your business out there and Facebook provides a medium that is quite user friendly.

Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons to try fan pages.

1. Make it easy for anyone to check out information on your business by simply “liking” your page. They can then share it or come back to it later. It’s a little like an online business card that lets your potential clients find you very easily.

2. Create fully interactive pages for your business. Now you can showcase your business videos, photos and hold discussions on your Facebook fan page. That means more people will participate by leaving comments or sharing, something that can rapidly result in a lot of publicity if done right.

3. Set up events quickly and easily. You can add events to your Facebook page and everyone who is a fan will be able to see and share them. This doesn’t have to be a real life event, it could be a Twitter party or any number of other online activities.

4. Send out alerts to all fans (likers – sounds weird). Any business owner knows that it is particularly useful to have contact with potential clients and Facebook allows you to send alerts or messages to anyone who fans your page. Since you know they are already interested in your business, this can be extremely useful.

5. Set up a fan page for each business. If you are a serial entrepreneur and have a number of different businesses, you can easily set up a new fan page for each one and attract various fans. This is handy since you can separate your various followers and sent separate updates and alerts.

Facebook can be a very useful social networking site if you use it properly. In general, this means interacting with others, sharing worthy information and just being social in general. If you set up fan pages and share them with active members of your online community, you will see a definite boost in publicity.

And to lead by example and not words, I’ll spend the weekend developing our very own Premier Social Media fan page. We do them for everyone, now is time to take care of my own. Stay tuned because I’m excited.

Tagged with: Facebook • fan pages • Social Media

Apr 30

5 Ways to Avoid Problems on Social Media

Beginner's Track, Social Media Classroom 6 Comments »

image credit to Thesu

Have you ever typed something out in the heat of the moment on Twitter, sent it out into the Twitterverse and then realized that it might not have been the most appropriate thing to say? It happens to all of us and it can cause problems, particularly if what you had to say was insulting to someone else. So, how do you avoid this situation when social media is so instant?

1. Count to 10. It’s a cliché method, but it works! When someone says something and your first instinct is to shoot back a snarky reply, stop, count to ten and reconsider. In fact, that is good advice for anything, even pleasant responses. Give yourself a minute to think about your response and to craft a thoughtful one, rather than sending out something you’ll feel bad about afterwards.

2. Have a goal. Knowing what you want to accomplish with your social media networking is key in posting the right messages. For example, if you want to promote yourself as an expert in conflict resolution, you wouldn’t post a horrible insult to your husband or wife on Facebook. Keep your goals in mind as you post.

3. Turn it off. If things are bugging you on Twitter and the insults are about to fly, just shut it down. This isn’t face to face, so there’s absolutely no reason to put up with it. You don’t even have to walk away, just click that little red X in the corner and do something else instead.

4. Skip the personal chit chat. While some would argue this point, there’s rarely a good reason to post about what you had for breakfast (unless you’re a food blogger or chef!). There’s nothing wrong with adding some of yourself to your social media network, but don’t go overboard. No one needs to know every little gritty detail of your morning routine and posting live updates often results in the sharing of too much information.

5. Write it somewhere else. If you aren’t sure about your response to something or whether you should be sending it out into the Web, write your thoughts in a note on paper or in a word processor instead of in your status update. This makes it that much harder to send it accidentally and you’ll have a chance to reread things when you type it into the social network.

Mostly, if you want to avoid problems, you have to start thinking before you type. Most of us are so accustomed to IM and instant tweets, etc. that we find it difficult to sit back and think for a minute. We tend to fire off those sentences without waiting and that’s what gets people into trouble. Train yourself to wait a moment before responding to anyone and your quality of social media will go up.

Tagged with: Facebook • Social Media • social network • twitter

Mar 19

7 Things That Make You Look Dumb

Social Media 13 Comments »

picture credit to pinklea

Yesterday I wrote about building expert status on social media. Instead today, I would like to share how to avoid the total opposite. No one wants to look stupid, particularly on social media where your mistake lives on for eternity! Taking the time to check what you’re posting and avoiding common issues that really can take a bite out of your reputation.

While you get ready to become an expert, here are seven things you should avoid at all costs.

1. Spelling errors. We all make them from time to time, but if your tweets are rife with “loose” in place of “lose” and worse, then people are going to notice and your reputation is going to suffer. It doesn’t take long to spellcheck a post before you release it to the world and it’s a necessary thing, particularly if you know you can’t spell. Remember that for many people, this is the only contact they have with you!

2. CopyCat. So many people literally copy and paste entire phrases from a blog post. I often can’t believe my eyes. I’m talking about professionals with a certain level of reputation. Obviously they don’t see anything wrong with it since they promote the post with the highest pride. Experts know and find the source in a google second these days. Big no no.

3. Text speak. Yes, it’s effective when you want your sister to know you’ve arrived at the airport and don’t want to take much time, but on Twitter and other social media sites, posting something like “C u b4 i go to club” is not cool. It makes you look like someone who can’t be bothered and that’s probably not the impression you want to give.

4. Ranting. You’re justified in ranting once in a while, though it’s usually better done offline, but still, you should try to avoid being the person that no one wants to befriend because they are always complaining. It really doesn’t make a good impression and you’ll have limited followers.

5. Only advertising. It’s fine to mention your products and do some self promotion, but no one likes it when someone starts spouting ads every single time they post. You’ll lose your followers rapidly with this one, except those who only exist to advertise, as well.

6. Using robots. The whole idea of social media is that you are interacting with other people, so robotic tweets or postings just don’t cut it. You can certainly use tools that allow you to post information ahead of time, but don’t go with an auto-bot . . . it only annoys people and makes everyone realize that you just don’t get the whole point of social media after all.

7. Individualistic. You know what I mean. Those who never reply/follow/friend/connect back unless they need something. The world does not evolve around you and your business. If you have the “me, myself and I” approach in social media, the donkey ears will stick out no matter how many fancy hats you’ll try to wear.

Are you making any of these mistakes? The good news is that it’s fairly easy to fix all of them. You need to remember to be social while using Twitter, Facebook and other sites. As long as you keep in mind that you are doing this to interact with your target audience, then you should be able to stay on track.

Tagged with: Facebook • mistakes • Social Media • twitter

Jan 20

Twitter or Facebook?

Beginner's Track, Social Media, Social Media Classroom, Twitter 10 Comments »

If you’re just starting out with social media, you might be wondering which of the more popular sites you need to be on. While you’re learning the ropes, it’s often best to start with just one social media network and get used to it, make lots of quality connections and then go from there.

At this point in time, the two biggest sites to get started on are Twitter and Facebook. You may already be using Facebook, as a friend finder and such, but if you are planning to move into the world of internet marketing and social networking, then you will need to look at this carefully before making any decisions.

Facebook

This site was originally intended as a site to help college grads find and connect with those that they studied with. However, over time it has changed drastically and is now quite popular among older people and business people.

Pros

Set up business “fan” pages to reach non-friends
Set up groups for any topic you like
Adjustable privacy settings

Cons

Can be perceived as unprofessional
Your friends and family can see business posts and become offended
Too many distractions in the form of games and such

Twitter

Twitter is also a social medium and could be used to report your toothbrush foam quantity on a daily basis, but it is generally more respected as a business setting. It can take a bit to get the hang of Twitter, but it is something you will need at some point if you plan on making social media a part of your life.

Pros

Well used and possibly the most popular real time social network available
Relatively simple to start off with, post, @messages and private messages
Extremely simple to connect with others
Many big companies use Twitter
A number of apps are available

Cons

Big target for spam
Information overload is VERY possible

It is really up to you as to which option you select as your first social media network. Both Twitter and Facebook are very good but you may be drawn to one or another once you’ve looked at the lists of pros and cons above. My recommendation is to use what you already have (Facebook) but also jump on Twitter as soon as you can. JJZDYX5TUMAZ

Which social media would you recommend to a beginner?

Tagged with: beginner • Facebook • Social Media Classroom • twitter

Dec 15

Facebook’s New Privacy Settings: What They Mean for You

Social Media, What's New in Social Media 2 Comments »

The new privacy settings on Facebook have everyone (and specially us application developers) in a tizzy, but they could actually be a good thing if people put them to proper use. The idea behind the new settings is to allow people to share information, photos and videos with only the audience they select. This is particularly good if you use your Facebook account for both personal and business use . . . you can now choose who gets to see what.

How to Change Your Privacy Settings

Chances are, you were prompted to update your settings if you’ve logged into Facebook in the past 10 days. But what are the old settings, exactly? You can see precisely what your security settings are by going to Settings on the main page, upper right corner. Then click on Privacy Settings. This will show you exactly what you have your account set for.

You can choose different options from the drop down menus for each section. Let’s look at those in closer detail.

Everyone

This allows the information shared to be viewed by anyone on the internet. This might sound scary if you’re putting up photos of your kids or a kegger you went to last night, but it’s great if you’re promoting a new ebook or service.

Make sure that the posts you want to be searchable online are marked with the “Everyone” setting.

Friends and Networks

This setting will allow all your friends, as well as the networks you are in, to see what you’re posting or other information, depending on which area you are working with. This one is pretty self-explanatory and is ideal for things that you are happy to share with the people you know or have something in common with.

Friends of Friends

When you want to share something and have others share it with their friends, then this is the setting to use. It drastically limits the reach of your posts, but this is ideal for putting up photos of an event that you attended with others, for example. They can show the photos to their friends, but that is as far as it goes.

Only Friends

This one is pretty self-explanatory. If someone comments on a post or photo that is marked Only Friends, it still won’t show up in their friends’ status feeds. This is perfect for those things you want to keep completely in your circle of friends.

Custom

When it comes to sharing, even the Only Friends setting isn’t always tight enough. Maybe you have something you only want your family to see, or a business promo that isn’t really appropriate for friends and family, but ideal for networking pals. If this is the case, then you want to use Custom.

You have complete control when you customize your privacy settings, so if you don’t feel comfortable with any of the others, you can choose this one.

In conclusion

While a lot of people are complaining about the new Facebook privacy settings, others are quite happy with them. I believe this will be the future of most social media platforms. Instead of struggling with two identities, you’ll be able to control who sees what. However, please keep in mind that there’s still no privacy (for real) if someone wants to get deeper into your information. So even if you set-up for top privacy anywhere where that promised is made, I still give you a very simple advice:

Don’t say/write anything online that you wouldn’t publish on tv or the newspapers.

What do you think?

Tagged with: Facebook • privacy • settings • Social Media

Dec 11

Facebook: Not Just for Fun

Intermediate Track 4 Comments »

Facebook is one of those social media networks that doesn’t really seem too beneficial right from the start. At first glance, it’s really about connecting with friends and family that you haven’t seen in a long time. So, what’s the appeal for internet marketers?

What you may not realize is that Facebook may be even more powerful than many other social networks because of the fact that it is all about family and friends. Who hasn’t heard about the huge benefits of word of mouth advertising? Well, consider Facebook to be a huge source of that type of marketing.

Who would you listen to more? A marketer that you follow on Twitter who recommends a product, or your sister who calls you up to tell you about a product she just tried? Chances are you’re going to opt for family. Well, on Facebook, you’re connecting with a number of people who are going to connect with their family and friends . . . and if they recommend something you post, you can bet that it’s going to be well received!

How to Start Generating Word of Mouth Reviews

If you’re on Facebook, you know you can share links, videos and photos. These are all excellent ways to get people sharing your information and it’s pretty simple to get started.

However, if you have a business, then you need to look at setting up a fan page. This is slightly more complicated, but well worth doing. If you have a hot topic, you will be surprised at how many people you’ve never even heard of who become fans of the page. When you first set up the page, you can invite people to become fans. Send out invites to everyone and they can invite others to become fans, as well.

Another good way to go is to set up a widget on your blog or website so your visitors there can also become fans. This will expand your numbers and before you know it you’ll have steadily increasing fans.

Maintaining Your Fans

In order to keep these people interested in what you do and make sure that as much of your content gets shared as possible, you can set up automatic RSS feeds. Look for one that offers just a taste of the post, a short description, so people can click through to your actual website.

You can also post photos and videos to your fan page, either as informative pieces or to promote specific programs and ideas. The choice is yours. You should try to keep active, though, posting at least one thing each day.

Facebook is a much overlooked social media network thanks to the fact that it is promoted as a friendship site. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it for business, in fact, it’s an excellent way to expand your circle of influence, so go ahead and try it today.

Tagged with: Facebook • fan page • Social Media

Sep 15

Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Beginner's Track 3 Comments »

Photo Credit: Liz Danzico

There are hundreds of social media sites available. Some of them are here only for a short time, while others have been around for a while. Even if you narrow things down to the most popular social media sites online right now, you still have a pretty long list, so how are you supposed to know which one to use? Where would your marketing efforts be best used? No one can be active on every site, so you’ll want to select just a handful, even as few as 2 or 3, to be active on.

What should you look for in a social media platform? Here are a few tips to get you started.

Is it well-used? While getting in on the ground floor can be good, the less traffic a site receives, the less the benefit to you, the user. This creates a bit of a problem for new social media sites . . . they need the traffic to become successful, but need to be successful in order to get the traffic. Keep in mind that you want as many eyes as possible on your links, so finding social media networks that offer a large number of users is going to benefit your business more.

How relevant is it? Some social networking sites are aimed at very different groups. For example, Digg is mostly used by college age males. While it may be a great source of traffic, that traffic might not be as targeted as you like, if you are promoting, say baby products. Check out the target audience of each social networking site that you are considering before making a decision. Niche traffic is often more valuable than waves of completely unrelated traffic.

Is current content of good value? It’s no use promoting your products or site on a social media network that is best known for lousy content. Everyone will simply assume that your site is the same and it will be ignored. Stick to sites that are lauded for their high quality content, be sure to live up to those standards and you will see interest in your business. A well-designed and moderated social media network will offer the best possible option for marketing your business.

Are you comfortable with it? This is the most important question in the end. If you find a social media site awkward or confusing to use, chances are you won’t be doing enough networking there. Instead, stick to sites that you enjoy and see more benefits from consistent networking.

Choosing just a few out of the many, many social media sites out there is not an easy task. You’ll need to do a little research, check out the target audience and find out just how effective each site is before considering it. If you’re strapped for time, then opt for one of the handful of very popular sites, like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and StumbleUpon.

Tagged with: Facebook • linkedin • Social Media • social networking • StumbleUpon • traffic • twitter