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What You Need to Know About the New Facebook Timeline Layout
Facebook’s newest profile update was unveiled in September of 2011, but not everyone got to see it right away. A lot of people used a developer’s trick to enable the new profile, and since then, people have been installing it on their own. Facebook has been offering it as a choice up to this point—they haven’t forced it on any users.
That is, until now. Facebook is now urging every user get their newest update—the Facebook timeline. And if you don’t get it yourself, Facebook will do it for you.
While the ever-present naysayers bemoan this latest update, the timeline also has a lot of supporters. But people from both sides are wondering—what kind of privacy risk is this? Each of the 800 million Facebook users are going to be getting this update in the next few weeks, so what should shouldn’t we know a little more about it?
The Facebook Timeline + Style
The Facebook timeline is the most attractive of past updates, and it’s definitely an improvement over the last profile look. The timeline allows you to have a cover photo—a banner over your entire Facebook profile, as seen in the picture below.
The Facebook Timeline + Privacy
None of your privacy settings will change when you get the timeline—the only difference is that all of your past Facebook updates are going to be more accessible. It’s going to be easier for people to scroll through your Facebook profile and see updates and pictures from four or five years ago—as long as you’ve had a Facebook account.
If you think you might have content back a few years that could potentially embarrass you now, it might be a good idea to go back through and delete or hide posts that you’d rather your new friends not see.
The Facebook Timeline + Past
The Facebook Timeline is the timeline of your life—a life that started before you ever logged onto Facebook for the first time. But now, Facebook is asking you to bring that information into your Facebook profile, though the timeline. You can add major events from the time of your birth to now, complete with pictures!
There is no reason to resist the Facebook Timeline layout (and even if you did, you’d get it anyway), so if you’re ready to fill out past information, make it look more attractive and hide a few past status updates and pictures, you can head to facebook.com/timeline now, and get started!
[Businesses can't get timelines yet, but while you're on Facebook, be sure to check out the Smart Solutions page!]
Google+ Pages Now Offer Admin (or Manager) Rolls
When Google+ rolled out pages, people jumped on board and quickly realized a problem—no ability to add additional administrators? You could have a total of one owner, making it difficult for companies with several employees working on social media.
The new social network has finally remedied the issue—allowing one Google+ page to have multiple page administrators, which they call Managers. This feature is a lot like Facebook’s ability to “Manage Admins.”
Facebook vs. Google+ Admins
There is a very large difference between how the two social networks use administrators, and that is ownership. While Facebook pages allow any admin to delete a page, only an owner can do it on a Google+ page. For instance:
- On Facebook, if Person 1 created the page, but added Person 2 as an administrator, Person 2 has full control. He can delete the page, or even remove Person 1 as an administrator.
- On Google+, if Person 1 created the page, he has ownership. He can add Person 2 as manager, but Person 2 cannot delete the page or remove Person 1 as owner, because Person 1 has ownership.
You can debate Facebook and Google+ on other aspects of the two social networks, but Google+ comes out the ultimate winner in this battle. Some things to consider are these:
With Facebook, if a client with admin capability goes rogue, your Facebook account could quickly become compromised. They could delete every other administrator, and post whatever they want on your company’s Facebook.
Despite that disadvantage, though, selling companies with social media equity is easier thanks to that. You can easily hand over the Facebook account to someone else and remove yourself as an administrator.
On Google+, you have the best of both worlds. While you are safe from having an employee go rogue (you can quickly remove them as an administrator, and delete any posts they may have made), you can also hand over reigns very easily. In the admin for your Google+ page, you can transfer ownership quickly to any manager you have added.
Google really thought through their manager system before they launched it, and they did a seamleass job. It is smooth and easy and provides for a lot more than Facebook does. It’s just a step for Google+ in the fight with Facebook, but it could be an important one.
To keep up to date on other social media stories and updates, circle us on Google+! You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!
Putting Together a Social Media Plan
Recently we were asked if someone could promise 2500 unique visits to their business website a month—from social media alone. It’s a good question to ask—there’s no point in working on a social media plan unless it drives traffic to your site, and brings conversions. But when we replied asking about their numbers on current social media channels, we were told that they have 25 fans on Facebook, and have yet to set up a Twitter or Linkedin account.
Our answer? Yes. It is possible, but not right away. Social media is a gradual exercise, not something that can be completed once and forgotten about. When you’re starting from scratch, it will take some time to truly gain a following and get some results. You need to have a social media plan.
Why you need a social media plan
To stay on top of current trends
Social media platforms come and go. If you set up a MySpace account for your business and left social networking years ago, you’ve fallen behind. There are new platforms announced every year, and each one updates and changes from month to month. You need to be on top of the latest social media advances, and so does your business.
Your customers are there
One thing that every business owner knows is that you need to be where your customers are. Your customers are on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and StumbleUpon without you—so join them!
Your competitors are there
Many small and large businesses have come to see the importance of marketing on social media, and they’re out there talking to your customers, while you’re not. Don’t let them take control of your market!
But if you can’t…
Sometimes it just isn’t possible for you to keep up a social media plan. If you don’t have the time to check your social media outlets once a week, much less every day, get someone else to. Designate a person on your team, get your daughter to handle it or hire social media services—just don’t neglect it. Social media is only becoming more popular, don’t fall behind—get a social media plan in place!
Bing and Google Get Social
Both Bing and Google have taken their search capabilities to a new level—with social search. Social search takes advantage of the growing importance and reliance on social media by bringing the opinions of one’s social circle into their search experience.
For example, search results now can link relevant pages that friends and colleagues have created or track down their tweets shared on Twitter and photos shared on Flickr. Information can include anything…how to purchase best video camera for work-related footage or learn about the best Yosemite hikes for those less in shape.
It started with Bing…then Google followed
Bing first announced integration with social media giant, Facebook in October 2010, when it launched a new feature called “Liked Results,” allowing one to see websites “liked by your friends” within the actual search engine results page (SERP).
Google then followed suit and announced it would also include the opinions of people one cares about by linking to friends on Google Profile. Both companies say that the opinions of family and friends can play a big role in one’s decision-making process. And that both services provide a more personalized search experience. See for yourself:
Quick Bing Social Search video
Quick Google Social Search video
What about Privacy?
- Google says the information that your family and friends can see is already publicly available data. What Google Social Search does is make it easier to find it. More here.
- With Bing, your Facebook settings are key to how results will be shown. For example, if you shared a link where only Friends can see, your Friends of Friends will not be able to see the shared link. Learn more.
Who Controls Your Facebook Page?
Disgruntled former employees can be a scary thing. Disgruntled former employees controlling your business’ Facebook page is a whole new level of scary.
Facebook can be a great way to market your business, but it’s important that you know what you’re doing as you set it up. Many companies have made the mistake of letting an employee create the business Facebook page from his or her own account. Why is this a mistake? Well, it’s not, if this employee is trusted and likely to be with the business long-term. If, however, he or she isn’t, you as the business owner might be in trouble.
There are a couple things you want to keep in mind when you begin your Facebook’s business page:
- The creator is unchangeable.
Yes, if you create the page, you will forever be in charge of that page (or at least until Facebook updates that area of their site). So, if Stacey from Marketing creates your company page, she will forever be in charge of that page, even if she quits or is fired, she still has control. - Create the page yourself or choose a loyal employee who is in it for the long-run.
Stacey from Marketing might only be here for the next couple of months, but Johnny, the president or CEO, will likely be with the company for much, much longer. Johnny would be a good choice for the creator of the Facebook page because he’s likely to be with the company long-term.
What if it’s Too Late?
Maybe you’re already past the point of creation. Maybe you let Stacey from Marketing create the page. Maybe Stacey from Marketing is no longer with the company and did not part on good terms. How do you get your Facebook page back? Try these three steps to regain your Facebook page:
- DMCA Notice of Copyright Infringement
If someone else owns your Facebook page and is not willing to give it back or allow you to have access to it, you may be able to gain it back with this Facebook form. Only fill this form out if you are willing to give an electronic signature and are able to prove that you own the name of the business. - Notice of Intellectual Property Infringement (Non-Copyright Claim)
Signing this and proving that you own the business could help you get back your business’ Facebook page. - Username Infringement
This final step may ultimately be your best bet in gaining access to your Facebook page and successfully regaining ownership of your online reputation.
With any of these three steps, be sure to read and answer the questions carefully and honestly. Remember that an electronic signature is just as valuable as a written one. You will also need to show proof, so be sure to fill out all of the questions asked of you, and provide information that identifies you as the owner of the name and business.
Try all three of these steps to raise awareness of your case. Nothing is more important than protecting your brand, so be persistent – and with some initiative and luck you might just find victory.
On the other hand, if Stacey from Marketing left on good terms, it would probably be best to have her delete the page and then recreate it under someone else’s account. A lengthy process, certainly, re-acquiring “likes” and getting all your information back up there, but it will be worth it to have your Facebook page back in your own hands.
The best way to avoid this situation altogether? Choose your creator wisely.
4 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Facebook’s New Groups
First off, you need to know that unlike Pages, Facebook’s new Groups are not made strictly for brand promotion. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t get some value out of them, either by using them to reach out to would-be clients or customers, or to facilitate communication and community inside your company.
Here’s a few things you need to know about how Groups can be used by your business.
1. Groups Are Made By Users, Not Your Business
Formerly, businesses would set up Facebook Groups that customers or clients could join for updates, promotions and other helpful information. Facebook has now moved that function over to Pages, which are specifically made for promoting brands and businesses.
The new Groups, however, are not intended for promotion. Users add each other to Groups to create communities based on interests, careers or other commonalities. Groups can also reflect real-world social groups — for example, a clique of close friends, or a family.
You have to be friends with someone to add them to a Facebook Group, so forming a Group to promote your business isn’t practical, and probably wouldn’t be widely welcomed.
2. You Can Market In Groups, But Take It Easy
You can request to join an existing Group, and if you’re admitted, you’ll be able to post items to the group’s news feed. Here, you could promote your services, but we advise against a direct approach. If users wanted to receive promotions directly, they’d “Like” your Facebook Page.
We recommend a more subtle approach such as hosting events (concerts, tastings, or what have you) that might be of interest to the members of the Group, then post notifications about the event in the feed. Don’t overdo it, or word it like a sales pitch and you should be fine.
Even better, engage in Group discussions and add something to the community besides a pitch. If you can find a Group of ideal clients or customers and demonstrate that you’re a considerate and reliable source of information, that can go a long way towards building a positive image of your brand in their eyes.
3. Groups Are Ideal for Internal Communications
Arguably, the biggest opportunity for businesses in Facebook Groups is the facilitation of communication and community inside the company.
You can add your company’s employees and partners to a Group, set it to private, and use it as a free alternative to something like Yammer (a popular enterprise-focused social network).
Employees can then share updates on what they’re working on or pass links and other items around that might prove helpful to the organization as a whole. You can also use Facebook Groups to make company announcements.
4. You Should Get Focused with Groups
Because the new Groups feature was designed for intimate settings, the setup is ripe for targeting and interacting with very niche audiences, such as consumers who may wish to leave reviews on a platform with which they are comfortable, event groups for people attending certain conferences or seminars, and groups for employees who may wish to ‘live chat’ with company figureheads.
Facebook Fan Pages vs. Group Pages
Facebook says, “Facebook created Pages when we noticed that people were trying to connect with brands and famous artists in ways that didn’t quite work on Facebook… Not only can you connect with your favorite artists and businesses, but now you also can show your friends what you care about and recommend by adding Pages to your personal profile.”
This allows you to become a fan of a product, famous person, company, public figure, movie, etc. Once you like one of these types of pages, a newsfeed goes out to all of your friends that you “Like” or support this person, brand, idea.
Now what is the difference between all of these pages and when should you use one versus the other?
Fan Pages
Fan pages are very similar to normal profiles on a site. A brand, concept, celebrity, or public figure can have friends, upload pictures, and allow friends to make posts on the wall of this fan page. If the fan page has allowed updates to show, then they page will communicate to all the other pages that “like” this page as well. Fan pages can also have applications.
Groups
Groups have an administrator that can appoint “officers” within that group to have restricted admin rights. Administrators can manage the group, posts, approve applicants, or invite others to join. Group pages can be open to all of Facebook or just a particular network of people. You can set join permissions which will allow it to be open to anyone, closed (users must be approved), or by secret invite only. Administrators can invite members to join via Facebook email or regular email.
Should I Pick a Fan Page or Group Page?
There are many factors to consider when trying deciding which one to choose.
- Because of security features and size, only groups under 5000 members can send email blasts.
- Groups are an extension of your personal page, so when you make posts, they are shown as your personal page information
- Activities on the Group Page will reflect on you personally
- Fan Pages can create content that come from the pages itself
- Fan Pages are indexed by external search engines, groups are not
- Groups offer more control over who gets to participate, settings, and approvals
- Fan Pages can host applications, groups cannot.
- Both Groups and Fan Pages allow you to create related events.
- Ads can be purchased to promote both groups and fan pages.
The Facebook Rise and MySpace Demise
Facebook… over 550 million users; over 70 different translations; a movie was born out of its existence; a Dummies Handbook has been written for it; and one out of every dozen people on the planet have a Facebook account.
We don’t need to tell you what Facebook is; everyone has at least heard of it, and as you can tell above, a large portion of the population are frequent users. Alexa ranks Facebook as the number two top site on the web, second only to Google.
But do you remember a time before Facebook? Before this blue site infiltrated every aspect of our lives? There was something else, think hard and you might remember… MySpace.
In this blog post, we’d like to compare and contrast the workings of Facebook and MySpace. Why such a quick growth? Why such a quick fall? And why does my computer recognize “Facebook” as a word, and not “MySpace”?
Things to think about…
- MySpace was launched in January of 2004, by Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson, ages 37 and 33.
- Facebook was launched in February of 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg and three friends, none of them over the age of 23.
- MySpace began with two men who had worked in internet marketing and social media all their lives.
- Facebook began with four guys in a dorm room.
- MySpace founders launched it as a social networking site, and always planned for it to go global. It started out locally though, in Southern California, with local musicians and actors. It reached one million members in a month, near the time that Facebook was first launched.
- Facebook’s founders originally intended it to be a Harvard community website, but by March it had expanded to include Stanford, Columbia and Yale University. It reached one million uisers by December of 2004, ten months after it’s launch.
- It took MySpace a little over three years to reach 150 million members.
- It took Facebook a little less than five years to reach 150 million members.
At this point in the story, it looks like MySpace is coming out ahead. It certainly got moving faster, led by two men who were internet savvy, but Facebook was the tortoise… “Slow and steady wins the race.”
We know for a fact that Facebook is more popular now, but MySpace definitely had the lead in the beginning. So what contributed to its downfall? An article in the New York Times referenced the site’s basic framework as ‘just unattractive’. Because it was bought out by a big company, the ads and overall look of the site became unappealing. Facebook, on the other hand, features advertisements that are relevant to each individual user, based on keywords used most often by each person, as well as thei claimed interests and hobbies.
Another problem is that MySpace focused on the money, while Facebook has been more attentive toward growth. DeWolfe talks about his focus, saying “The paradox in business, especially at a public company, is, when do you focus on growth, and when do you focus on money? We focused on money and Facebook focused on growing the user base and user experience.” It’s working out better for Facebook, we think.
Speeding up to the present, what has happened lately on both fronts?
- Near the end of 2010, MySpace changed their logo to “My___,” promoting their site as a way to now “Connect with entertainment,” rather than a social network in competition with Facebook.
- Near the end of 2010, Mark Zuckerberg was named the Times’ 2010 Person of the Year, for “connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them…”
- Mid January 2011, MySpace announced that they would be laying off 47% of their global workforce, impacting “about 500 employees.”
- Mid January 2011, Facebook paid the American Farm Bureau $8.5 million for the domain name FB.com, which simply redirects to facebook.com.
The kicker is this: you can now log on to MySpace through your Facebook account. If that isn’t the ultimate surrender on MySpace’s part, we’re not sure what is.
But what happens now? Is Facebook going to suffer the same death as MySpace? Will Mark Zuckerberg sell out to some big corporation? Only time will tell if Facebook will follow in the footsteps of MySpace and become just another “social networking site of the past,” making way for some other up-and-coming site to follow in its path.
4 Ways to Improve Ad Performance on Facebook
Paid Facebook ads hold tremendous promise for marketers looking to reach targeted audiences. Where else do people willingly share such specific information about themselves – enabling marketers to target ads and evaluate their performance based on consumer information such as age, interests, employment status, location and even one’s relationship status?
However, the challenge that Facebook advertisers experience is that Facebook users aren’t necessarily actively searching for products or services. That’s why carefully selected images, calls-to-action and messages – specific to this advertising channel – are important for success.
Here are a few insider tricks that you can use to take your Facebook targeting and ad performance to the next level.
1. Remember User Experience
Many marketers start using Facebook ads expecting to drive traffic directly to their website. While this may work for some, tailoring the experience for a Facebook user typically delivers better results. Try promoting your company using a Facebook Business Page or Facebook Applications. This will maintain a consistent browsing experience and result in a lower bounce rate.
Directing people to your Facebook Page rather than your website makes it easy for consumers to “Like” your product or brand, and every user who ‘Likes’ your page is a potential for future marketing through status updates about deals and upcoming events. Facebook Apps, on the other hand, provide the marketer with more control over the user experience, as well as the ability to gather detailed demographic data from user profiles.
If you truly require sending people to your website, consider tailoring your landing pages to social users. This could include writing different ad copy, including ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ buttons on your site and presenting user-generated content such as videos or reviews, as opposed to product information.
2. Expand Your Targeting Parameters
Facebook users can utilize any terms they wish when defining their likes and interests, so in order to target a full range of potential customers, you may have to do some investigating for terms and phrases that go beyond your general keyword list. For example, by using the target parameter “camping,” your ad will not reach users who have listed “camping in the mountains” or “tent camping” on their profile.
Expand your targeted keyword list by typing the ‘root word’ (i.e. “camping”) into Facebook’s “Likes & Interests” target settings, and then type a single letter to find related terms. Using the camping example, entering “camping i” results in a list that includes “camping in California” and “I love camping.” Adding these unique terms to your targeting criteria expands your audience, helping you reach additional valuable consumers and improve ROI.
3. Segment Your Ads
With 500 million users on Facebook, there are probably plenty of consumers that you want to reach with your ads. However, Facebook users are all very different. Start by breaking down your target audience into different segments and establish the value of each. Then adjust your bid rates accordingly to help optimize your Facebook budget.
Dividing audiences by age, location, and gender should help you find the segments most likely to convert, making each segment more valuable to you. As you measure the performance variance between your segmented advertisements, you can adjust your bids to improve the overall ROI for your Facebook ad campaigns.
4. Make Sure Your Ad Gets Seen
People use Facebook to interact with friends, share photos and play games, not to look for products and services, so… your ads need to grab their attention. The most successful ads include colorful, engaging images — and of course, a compelling and relevant offer. Adding borders to your photos in colors such as orange or yellow, which contrast with the blue and white Facebook interface, is a simple way to pull the user’s eye in the direction of your ad.
Make sure you test your ad performance often, as the results will surprise you — the most-clicked ads are not necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing; they are often the ones that stand out on the page. Also, because ads can be served to the same users on multiple occasions, users will start to tune out repeat ads, so keep your approach creative and fresh. Rotating images and headline copy as performance drops over time can help boost click-through rates.
Conclusion
The Facebook advertiser base is still relatively small in comparison to the Facebook audience. As a result, costs-per-click rates remain lower than paid search and other channels, so now is a great time to start advertising on Facebook. As advertisers continue to shift dollars to Facebook, costs will rise, and advertisers that have managed to build a fan base early will be better positioned to reap dividends from their investment. By using the tips above to target and optimize your Facebook ads, you should have a head start in Facebook marketing.
Facebook Land Grab – A Guide to Your Facebook Username
Okay, it’s not exactly a land grab but, hear me out. Local business is gaining ground on the Internet everyday through sites that provide ways for local businesses to get worldwide recognition online. Today, let’s focus on what a local business can do on Facebook. You can “grab” http://www.facebook.com/businessname as a unique pointer to your business Facebook Page.
On June 13th, 2009 Facebook created “usernames”. This is where a Facebook user can select a username that serves as a “web address” for their Facebook profile. For example, you can go directly to my Facebook page by clicking this URL http://www.facebook.com/knowlesmark.
Facebook “Pages” are essentially similar to personal profiles only they are for businesses, bands, and real celebrities to share information and to gather and communicate with their “fans”. Today, a business can claim a username for their Facebook Page and have a unique “web address” in Facebook for their business. For example, you can find Smart Solutions at http://www.facebook.com/smartsolutions.
For all the Smart Solutions out there, there is only one of these available at Facebook and your business name may be waiting for you to grab it. To help prevent squatting, you need to be legitimate and the page must have 100 fans; after that the Facebook username (URL) becomes available for you to claim. That makes sense to me.
How do set your business up with a Facebook Page and a URL?
1) Check to make sure your business name is available (http://www.facebook.com/username)
2) If it is, create a page for your business (http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php)
3) Gather 100 fans (Ask your family, friends, customers, to “Become a Fan” of your business)
4) Claim your username (or URL) (http://www.facebook.com/username)
That’s it. Your business can now be found at http://www.facebook.com/businessname. You can use this URL in your marketing materials, business cards, emails, etc. Your customers and prospective customers can find your business in Facebook with a single click.
There are currently over 300 million active Facebook users and over one million Facebook developers creating new ways for people to interact. There is probably one Facebook username (URL) that is fits best for your business and once it’s gone, you will be settling for second best. You have all seen the domain names like http://www.business-namenw.com with a hyphen in the middle, and awkward initials added to a URL. These are businesses that were a little late to the domain game and had to settle for their second favorite way to be found online. Ask me sometime how Smart Solutions ended up with http://www.smartz.com as our domain name and you’ll have one more reason to claim your Facebook username today. 
Claiming your business username in Facebook is fairly easy to do yours may be waiting for you but, not forever. Can you rally 100 fans?
By: Mark Knowles
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