A Marketer’s Guide to Keeping Up with the New Facebook

Posted on September 27, 2012 by alison

Ah, Facebook. Always keeping us marketers on our toes. Over the summer, Facebook made a number of changes to how Pages work for companies and brands, and added additional capabilities for marketers to take advantage of.

Here’s the scoop on what’s changed over the past few months:

Ad Retargeting

In June, Facebook began testing the “Facebook Exchange,” which allows businesses to buy “retargeted” Facebook ads based on users’ recent browsing history. As a consumer, that means that the expensive handbag you almost bought now has the power to follow you around the Internet (and now, on to Facebook) until you cry uncle and put it back in your shopping cart.

As a marketer, the availability of retargeted Facebook ads means that you can now put even more relevant content in front of users on the world’s largest social network. Facebook Exchange came out of beta earlier this month.

For an in-depth breakdown of Facebook Exchange, check out this post by Hubspot:

Facebook Launches New Ad Retargeting Tool Following Impressive Beta Results

Facebook Offers

Facebook has been testing its “Offers” feature for the past year. In May, it was made available to local businesses in the US and Facebook began testing it for e-Commerce. Just last week they finally decided to make it available on all Facebook business pages, including pages outside the US.

Facebook Offers allows you to provide your fans with discounts and coupons that can be redeemed online, in the store or both. When your fans claim an offer, the action is visible on their Timeline, adding viral potential.

Facebook Offers is free to use the first time, but for subsequent offers you’ll need to set a minimum ad budget to promote it.

Get more information here:

Hubspot: New Facebook Coupon Feature Helps Local Businesses Determine Social ROI
SimplyZesty: Facebook Offers Available To All, But What’s It All About?

Promoted Posts

Promoted Posts have been available since May, though Facebook continues to make tweaks and test variations of this feature.

By promoting a post, you can push it into the news feeds of fans who otherwise wouldn’t have seen it. If they take the bait and interact with your content, even posts you don’t promote should eventually be seen by more people as your Edgerank improves.

Facebook recently added the capability for page managers to buy promoted posts from their mobile phones, and they are testing allowing promoted posts to appear in the news feeds of non-fans as well.

Looking for some pro tips on how to use Promoted Posts? Here you go:

Luna Metrics: 4 Things to Know About Facebook’s Promoted Posts

Social Media Examiner: 12 Tips When Using Facebook’s Promoted Posts

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by birgerking

The Realm of Social Media

Posted on July 29, 2011 by admin

The release of Google+ has brought all sorts of tumult to the world of social media, and it got me thinking about what our online experience has really become. These days new websites are forged and destroyed with every passing week, and our allegiances to our favorite online domains are constantly tested by the guile tactics of ambitious competitors. What is Google+ but a way for the search giant to combat its greatest foe, Facebook, on the only ground it has never conquered….the fabled world of social media. In this social media realm, people flock from every corner of the Earth to bask in the glory. It is a land where families with great lineages sit in quiet nobility, where friendships are formed, where romantic tales of love blossom, and of course where gold is pilled high enough to reach the sun. We might not realize it, but the peace of this realm is all but certain, as the lords and kings who rule over it constantly battle for its dominion.

My idea for this post is largely inspired by the hit new HBO series Game of Thrones, which is also an excellent book series. It tells of the epic tale of love, adventure, honor, and betrayal, and I feel I see much of the same drama unfolding every week in the social media world. Therefore, I will now present to you my take on the realm of social media, and the great houses that rule over it.

Google

“Never stop searching”

The current King of the Internet and all of its lands. Yet for all its massive power and knowledge, Google has still been unable to marshal the social realm under its banner. One of the oldest houses of the Internet, it provides its loyal subjects with, seemingly, all they could desire. It brings them the finest items for trade both near and far, carries letters from one end of the realm to the other, and its impressive grasp of technology renders new feats of science at an astounding pace. Yet, despite the fact that Google is the largest of all the houses, it has still been unable to plant itself in the social realm. This is not to say it has lacked ambition, as many of its conquests have sallied forth from its gates only to be found broken and shattered on the field. The greatest enemy to the King is Facebook, and the young house has had little trouble thwarting Google’s past conquests. Though the King is not without hope, as a new champion has arisen to conquer the social realm. Whether or not Google+ can finally make progress in the social realm remains to be seen, but to be certain, this new champion is not lacking in fortitude, reputation, or in valor.

Facebook

“Defend the Wall”

The most powerful lord in all the lands and sworn enemy to Google the current King, Facebook may be one of the youngest houses, but it more than makes up for its youth with ruthless ambition. Indeed, the aspirations of this young house are so great that it seems to be unwilling to accept anything other than being anointed King. Of course there are those who say that the Facebook house is more fit to be named King then Google, since it is Facebook who now firmly holds the social realm in its iron grip. The social media frontrunner has already accumulated enormous riches from the social realm, and certainly has the ability to reap even greater wealth from a kingdom whose true worth is not yet fully known. More and more, people swell the ranks of Facebook with every day, and it seems certain that the powers of Facebook and Google will soon clash again. Though Facebook is not without faults, as would be expected for a house with such ambition. The social realm is not as safe a place as many would like to believe, and tricksters, thieves, and brigands roam the roads of Facebook freely. It also seems that Facebook has little regard for the rights of its people, and it oft seems that the young house would sell the privacy of its followers to the highest bidder. The Facebook wall may be guarded by millions and protect immense wealth within its keep, but the wall is not without cracks, and those cracks are beginning to show.

Continue reading →

Posted on July 27, 2011 by admin

Welcome to the July 27^th edition of “What We’re Reading”, a weekly series where we report on stories that are totally Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and every other social network-worthy. This week we have prepared for you the most fastidious assortment of robust and intellectually invigorating periodicals that ever did grace the Web. If you are sitting there wondering how on earth those two sentences could possibly follow one another, don’t worry; we are just as flabbergasted as you. Onward!

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HuffPo Outdoes Esquire, Microsoft in Shameless Use of Winehouse Death

We all experience different reactions when faced with death and tragedy, and for the most part people’s attitudes convey grief and remembrance for the loss of the loved one. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that not all enterprises adhere to the notion of respecting the dead. Numerous reports have surfaced since the untimely death of British singer Amy Winehouse of companies utilizing the pop star’s death as a marketing ploy (surprise!). Microsoft wasted no time reminding their Twitter followers to honor the dead singer by buying her album, and unfortunately they are not the only company masquerading their shameless profit-driven messages as sincere acts of respect. Not to be out done, PR ‘pros’ are took to the Huffington Post and used Winehouse’s death as a lesson to small business owners. Thankfully social media is around to catch them in the act and reveal their disgusting acts to the world. AdAge covered the use of social media for good in the wake of social media for bad. Read the full story here.

Scoring Your Dream Job Through Social Media

This Philippine’s based writer must have known that the U.S. would soon be removing Galileo, Thomas Hobbes, Calculus, and Rhetoric from the syllabus and replacing them with how to manage your privacy on Facebook, ways to make your Flicker account edgy and cool, and of course, the best way to redeem your public standing through your Twitter. In this article he talks about ways you can use social media to help you land your dream job. Offering some very creative tips for helping you with the interview process, such as advice on how to find a prominent contacts email, and learning more about your future employer through their twitter postings, it’s a must read. What this post really shows is that it always pays to be ahead of the curve when looking for a job, and (just as we suspected) that social media can help you get there. Read on here.

The History of Advertising on YouTube

Another social network is figuring out how to turn your avid fandom into millions of dollars worth of revenue. Shocked? Neither were we. As much as we love using social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and in this case YouTube, we need to remember that in the end these free services are businesses, and it is interesting to see how a free service can generate so much cash. This infographic covers the evolution of advertising on YouTube since its creation, but also includes all the other cool services the video sharing site has garnered along the way, as well as other stats. This infographic gets huge points for including the first instance of a Rickroll, because let’s face it “I’m never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you” is just hilarious. See the full infographic here.

Study: Checking Social Media Addiction on Par with Smoking, Drinking

As odd as it might seem to some and as obvious as it probably seem to others, a recent study has found that social media can be just as addicting to people as smoking cigarettes or hitting the bottle. Some of the quotes by participants in this study are actually quite disturbing, as one of the participants equated having social media taken away from him to his hand being cut off. The parameters of the study are not given in this article, so it is unclear if they followed the scientific method, though the test size and demographics are given. Most likely someone would learn to cope with life without Facebook or Foursquare after a couple of days or weeks without them, but then again maybe a future epidemic is on the rise. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before we start seeing people holding signs with “Will work for Facebook”, or have to listen to your friends tell you not to lend that guy money because he will just go and spend it on Twitter. Hey, it could happen. Read more here.

Local Broadcast Station Leverages Dukky Platform to Harness the Power of Social Sharing in Cross-Channel Advertising

Posted on July 21, 2011 by admin

WJW – FOX 8 in Cleveland used marketing technology company Dukky’s SaaS Platform to launch multiple cross-channel campaigns that doubled response and ROI for their advertisers.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) July 21, 2011

As social media integration continues to become important for great marketing, local television stations are looking to give their advertisers the ability to reach and engage a more targeted audience and leverage those customers to become brand evangelizers. Many stations have recognized that offering their advertisers new ways to generate qualified leads through social sharing, in addition to traditional digital and broadcast advertising, is helping elevate their game in providing true returns for local businesses.

One television station is at the forefront of this evolutionary movement. WJW – FOX 8 in Cleveland, Ohio has recently begun using Dukky marketing technology which provides the ability to target and share clients’ promotional advertisements virally through customized microsites. These microsites, developed on the Dukky SaaS Platform, send customers through an interactive sales “funnel” capturing quantifiable data on their customers through contest registrations. With the integration of social sharing and incentives, each campaign can reach new customers, potentially ones that have never been exposed to the station or the client’s brand before. The Dukky Analytics Dashboard visually manages those incoming leads in real-time, showing engagement at each level of the funnel.

Using Dukky campaigns, FOX 8’s advertisers have enjoyed an astounding increase in response rates and ROI, in some cases nearly doubling the returns from previous, more traditional digital ad campaigns. Equipping their campaigns with incentives for sharing through Dukky’s Viral Peer Sharing, local clients have seen 70% to 85% increases in their response rates to their campaigns.

A major national furniture client of FOX 8’s recently launched a multi-platform campaign using Dukky and had great success. Over 18,000 people visit their Dukky-powered microsite; forty-two percent of those visitors shared their information and were added to the local furniture store’s customer database. Of those who gave their information nearly 60% shared the company’s offer on their social networks and through email, bringing in over 6,300 new customers to their microsite. Other FOX 8 clients enjoyed similar results to their campaigns, gaining new customer lists with 1,000 to 7,000 new customers each. All enjoyed share rates of 15% or higher as well.

By integrating Dukky technology onto its existing marketing strategies FOX 8 has been able to take its marketing reach and revenues to new heights.

Jennifer Guerrieri, Vice President of Interactive for Local TV LLC, FOX 8’s parent company, says, “Dukky has been a great addition to our marketing platform for local clients. With the wide net that we cast — television promotion, focused interactive marketing on our websites, and a mechanism for data collection and social sharing– Dukky has rounded out an offering for us that has driven tens of thousands of dollars in direct marketing revenue.”

Continue reading →

Posted on July 6, 2011 by admin

Welcome to the July 6^th edition of “What We’re Reading”, our weekly series where we dig up the most current and fascinating industry news. We’ve decided to include some patriotic comedy in honor of July 4^th, as well go across the globe and into the Web in our search for the hottest topics.

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iPads Generate 1% of the World’s Web Traffic

The social media enthusiasts over at Mashable have released some fascinating information concerning the iPad and all signs point toward the powerful tablets soon conquering the human race and harnessing our species for energy. Ok, maybe not. While a robot takeover isn’t exactly looming, research has shown that Apple’s tablets are responsible for 1% of all the web traffic on Earth. That number might not initially seem like much, but when you factor in the brief amount of time that the product has been on the market, and that it is going up against every PC, desktop, and smart phone on the market, the statistic becomes much more impressive. The article speculates that this could mean the end of the desktop as we know it, but we would like to know if you think it’s time for the desktop to tell Dave it’s scared? Read more here.

The History of America Today, As Told by Facebook

America just hosted an event and everyone was invited – Time: Freedom O’clock, Place: Home of the Brave, Occasion: 4^th of July. This is the way the world would look if it existed in America’s fictional Facebook profile, but after reading this funny comic, that fiction should be made into reality. The good folks at the New York Times decided to chronicle America’s history in the fashion of a Facebook page, and it couldn’t have been more hilarious. Just think that only 235 years ago, America was only a run-a-way from England, with grand dreams and a youthful resistance to perfumed wigs and overpriced tea. See the profile here.

Google + Launched: What Are The Top 10 Social Networks?

We’ve been reporting on the highly popular story of the release of Google+ for a few weeks now, and we finally have found an article that does a great job of describing some of the features that the new social platform will provide. It may just seem like even more made up social lingo to remember at first, with terms like Circles, Sparks, and Hangouts, but once you read about them you will see just how cool and innovative they are. It will be interesting to see how things go from here, and if Google’s attempts to combat Facebook in the social world will finally workout. Read more about the story here, or I suppose you could Google it, you rebel you.

China Wants to Buy Facebook

It looks like China may have grown tired of its own Great Wall and wants to buy a new one, the great Facebook Wall of China. Rumors are running wild that China has been approaching former Facebook employees with the intent to buy their stock in the social media giant, and it is also said that China has partnered with Citibank in an attempt to buy over $1.2 billion worth of stock. Some experts say that there is no need to worry about China’s heavy interest in the company, and that it currently isn’t pursuing stocks that include a voting stake in the company. However, others warn that Mark Zuckerburg would be crazy to allow the Chinese to gain to much control of the company, because control is all they are looking for. Do you think that these are just economically sound investments on the behalf of the Chinese, or that we will soon witness a massive takeover leading to endless censorship? Decide for yourself here.

The Hectic Life of The Social Media Manager

As a company whose existence it tied heavily to social media we know all too well what it takes to successfully run that kind of online presence. It’s one part workaholic, one part innovator, one part technology nerd and 80 parts caffeine and smart phone addiction. Don’t believe us? Check out this infographic to get a glimpse into a day in the life of a Social Media Manager. Then, we recommend you go buy yours a cup of jo. Trust us, they need it.

Warning: Social media overload may lead to brain meltage

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Dominique

When it comes to managing your company’s social media presence how much is too much?

It may be time to get cutthroat.

I had a chat with a coworker today about an all too familiar topic shared by marketers – overload. I’m overloaded with social media accounts and profiles. In fact, at a recent family dinner my phone went off with notifications from four different social media networks, some with multiple updates, all in the course of an hour. This led to another rousing rendition of one of my family’s favorite pastimes in which I am ridiculed for being a workaholic who is overly involved online. They actually made me sit there and count the number of profiles and accounts for which I act as administrator. To be honest, when I stopped and thought about it I was slightly horrified.

I have administrator access to 21 social media/sharing accounts. How did it get to this point?

Between Facebook profiles and multiple pages, Twitter accounts, blogs, Tumblr accounts, foursquare, Flickr, and LinkedIn I’m swamped – accounts for my personal use, accounts for Dukky, accounts for my freelance clients (who also are on MySpace, uvumi, iLike and more) I’m at capacity. In the words of the aforementioned coworker, “it’s enough to make your brain melt.”

Overload can be a common problem for any marketer, not just one with multiple clients. When it comes to getting your company or brand out there on the social networks how much is too much? Sure, having a blog and a presence on Facebook and Twitter (the heavy hitters that everyone who’s anyone is on) makes good marketing sense, but does having a presence online also mean you have to have your company on LinkedIn and foursquare? In my opinion, the answer is simple – yes and no.

Yes, to effectively market your brand today one must have a presence on social media networks. Is it necessary to jump on every network that’s out there though? Absolutely not.

Many companies, especially small-to-medium businesses, see social media as a cheap and effective way to build brand awareness and reach more customers. And they’re right, it is. Social media is changing the way business owners and marketers can reach their target audiences in ways that are revolutionizing the industry. The problem lies with two common issues – lack of manpower and the leap-before-you-think syndrome. Continue reading →

What We’re Reading

Posted on June 1, 2011 by admin

Welcome to June 1^st edition of “What We’re Reading”, a weekly series where Dukky works to keep our readers up to date and savvy on important digital and social media industry news. Since it is a new month, we’re bringing you some of the new creative ideas that are making their way around the social media world, as well as give some useful tips to use in your marketing strategies. We’ve even decided to throw in a reference to the summer blockbuster “Fast Five” – hey, it’s the action-packed-let’s-blow-things-up time of year for movie goers, is it not? We hope you find our news roundup to be just as exciting, albeit explosion free.

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Toyota Wants You to Friend Your Car. Really.

Social media has been making its way to every possible corner of the online world, and now it appears that it may even be able to find a role in the next Van Diesel and Paul Walker high speed chase on the big screen. That’s right, Toyota has put plans in motion to have a social network for your car by 2012. Among other things you will be able to check your gas, turn on your seat warmers, and monitor your tire pressure all with the help of their new network Toyota Friend. Hopefully the network will also allow you to hit the ejector seat in case the brakes go haywire. Read more about the innovative new network here.

LinkedIn Launches Social News Product

LinkedIn has been the social network on everyone’s mind lately, as the social network for professionals hit the stock exchange with a bang. It looks like the rapidly growing professional network wants to not only take over the role of the career center, but the newspapers as well. The websites creative idea for an online newspaper, called LinkedIn Today, will collect articles being shared by the 90 million plus members the site currently boasts. As a member of LinkedIn, does this mean I can now add journalist to my online resume? Read more about the creative news product here.

Anatomy of a Trending Topic: How Twitter & the Crafting Community put the Smackdown on Urban Outfitters

In a bold move last week Twitter users let corporations everywhere know that their dirty tactics will not be tolerated, and that if they do it again they will get Tweeted on. This article focuses on the story of an independent Chicago artist known as Stevie, whose artwork was blatantly ripped off by Urban Outfitters. When she heard about the shameless act, Twitter user Amber Karnes tweeted about it to her followers, and was quickly surprised by the outcome. Considering that she only had a few thousand followers on Twitter, Amber was amazed to see that her Tweet was quickly trending throughout Twitter, and quickly became one of the most re-tweeted messages of the day. The response was so massive that Urban Outfitters quickly removed the knock-off item from all their stores. If you want to better understand the true power of social media than this article is a must read, check out the rest of the story here.

Continue reading →

What We’re Reading

Posted on May 25, 2011 by admin

Welcome to the May 25^th edition of “What We’re Reading”, a weekly series where Dukky’s inner nerd is exposed to keep our readers in the know about important digital and social media industry news. Since it appears we all survived the rapture, this week we have been reading a lot about how companies can utilize the true power social media. Facebook advertising is, no doubt, highly effective, but the marketing process doesn’t stop there. Building your brand’s reputation online is the responsibility of the whole company. With a few simple guidelines, employees can add true value and credibility to your company’s brand by harnessing the power of social media. One reasons our team loves working at Dukky is because the power of social media is realized and embraced!

Sorry, but Counting Facebook ‘Fans’ or Video Views Won’t Help Your Brand

In this article, Jennifer Modarelli, owner and principal of digital marketing agency White Horse, explains why she believes that meaningless but easy-to-calculate success metrics (like Facebook ‘Fans’ or video views) is a bit like the guy who loses his keys in the garage but looks for them in the living room because the light is better in there. Read the article here.

So You Like My Brand on Facebook. Now What?

In the year since Facebook began encouraging businesses to deploy the thumbs-up button across the Web, brands have been racing to rack up “likes.” Now the question is: With thousands or even millions of likes, what’s next? Businesses that have spent months or years building up their like count are at a critical juncture in Facebook marketing — they need to turn likes into loyalty. Read Debra Aho William’s advice on how to do that here.

Case Study: Cisco Systems, inc. Open Social Media Policy

Social media is the catalyst to cultivating communities. Through these channels, companies are tapping into their customers thoughts and building relationships with potential customers. A crucial part of building your social media reputation lies within a company and its employees. Cisco Systems has a social media policy that encourages participation in online conversations but also protects both the employees and the company. For a glimpse of Cisco’s guidelines, click here.

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Dukky Hearts the New Orleans Hornets “I’m In” Campaign

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Dominique

Whether you’re a New Orleanian or a fan of the NBA, you may have heard of the recent problems plaguing the New Orleans Hornets. In a town where football reigns supreme, especially after the Super Bowl win two seasons ago, the relatively young NBA team was having trouble getting its ticket sales up this season and generate a greater community interest in the team. Enter the “I’m In” campaign.

This thing is everywhere. And you know what? It’s working. Launching a full impact, multi-channel release, the campaign touches New Orleanians on all fronts – print, tv, radio, web, interactive and social media. I live in New Orleans and when I say this campaign is everywhere, I mean it. It’s on stickers in my coffee shop’s windows. It’s on my radio station. It’s on my Facebook and Twitter feeds. The kids down the street are wearing “I’m In” t-shirts while they practice their 3 pointers in the driveway. It’s on signs posted in my neighbor’s yards. It’s on car stickers. It’s EVERYWHERE.

As an avid black-and-gold wearing, “Who Dat!” screaming football fan, I have never been one to watch much basketball. But, as you may have noticed in the past few years, NOLA people are a little fanatical about supporting their own. It’s been no different with the Hornets since this campaign has come out. And why? Cause the campaign hit at the very core of what NOLA cares about – our traditions, our underdog status, our heritage and uniqueness. Here, we rally to protect our own.

Continue reading →