Here are some ideas for engaging Facebook posts:

1. Make ‘Em Laugh – a joke or funny fact post can really get some comments and conversation started!
2. Ask Questions – the “Questions” feature in Facebook allows a brand to foster interest in something current and relate it back to their product or service.
3. Listen – brands need to post what their fans want. Searching for a brand-related keyword using Facebook’s search tool and specifically select “posts by everyone”. This can give you insight to what people are conversing about.
4. Share Knowledge – brands should be educating their fans (about anything that can be related back to the company, product or service in any way), because people love to learn, and love to pass on their newly-acquired knowledge to their friends! Here’s a tip: if you’re sharing a link, full-length URL addresses get more clicks than shortened ones!
5. Be Personable – people know there are actual people behind the brands they love.  Sharing things that will show the personality behind your brand will allow your fans to get to know your brand better.

Before every post, ask these questions of yourself in order to make sure your brand is getting the most potential out of each post:

1. Why would a fan want to read this?
2. Is the language appropriate? Brands that speak informally, or write the way a person speaks, are usually very successful.
3. Can this be scanned and understood in a newsfeed? Make it short! Concise posts get way higher engagement than long, descriptive ones!
4. Is there anyway to incorporate an image, video or link with this post?
5. Is there a way to word this to foster more feedback: comments/likes?

Questions? Please comment below, we will be happy to answer them.
Check back soon for our next post!

1. Photo tagging is a great feature to take advantage of on Facebook. If your brand hosts/sponsors/attends an event, upload photos to your page and encourage your fans to tag themselves. The tagged photos will appear on your fans’ walls and ergo be seen by their friends. You could also encourage people to upload photos of themselves “with” an aspect of your brand (a product or a store location, for example) and tag your brand. The friends of the fan who tagged your brand in photos will view these photo posts.

2. Status tagging is very popular among brand Facebook pages. If you work with an organization that also has a FB page, you can post with a link to that page by simply typing the “@” symbol and the name of the page. The post will go to the organization’s wall (attracting its ‘likers’) as well as your wall.

3. Install a ‘Like Box’ or ‘Like Button’ on your brand’s website. The ‘like box’ on your site allows users to see how many FB users ‘like’ your brand (and if their friends do). It also allows them to see your recent posts, making that content do double duty. Finally they can ‘Like’ you right from your site.

4. Use ‘like buttons’ with your sites content. When a person clicks the ‘like button,’ a link to the content appears on their wall.

5. All of your employees should suggest your page to their friends. The can simply click ‘suggest to friends’ (under the picture on the left). Employees can also list your page as a place of employment on their personal profiles, which will then appear on their walls.
   

Remember, what gets onto your fans’ Walls is seen by their friends and is a great means of personal recommendation!

Questions? Please comment below, we will be happy to answer them.
Next post… Learn some tips for making your Facebook posts engaging!

A good Facebook page is a custom page that is tailored to your brand and your users. The best part of building a custom page is that it is custom, you can do what you want and engage fans the way your brand does elsewhere. We’re not going to leave you hanging with just that, we’re sure you’re looking to see some specific examples. Look no further! These examples have worked amazingly well in the past:

1. Have a Pre-Like blocker (some call this Fan Gating). Get users to like your page to see its valuable content, special offers, or engaging features.
2. Offer a special promotion or discount to those who like your page.
3. Offer a free sample to those who like your page. (like Biolage did with their Love Biolage page and the massive demand quickly exhausted the available samples)
   
4. Showcases your newest product, service, coming product lines, or unique initiatives taking place on or offline.
5. Provide users the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter, continue to expand your relationship
6. Sweepstakes always work great!

Pureology's Custom Tab gives visitors a chance to win a product sample of their product

Below are some additional tips for brands from our CEO Mark Stutzman:

1. Always provide unique, high value, and relevant content, offers, and tools on your custom pages and in your status updates.
2. Facebook is an engagement environment, leverage the strengths of this unique setting and be sure you are speaking with your fans. Learn from user reactions to your page and posts and continuously tweak your presence and messaging.
3. create consistency between your Facebook page and other marketing objectives (online and off)
4. Even though you can build a Fan base quickly on Facebook, your relationship with Fans is not a sprint! Take the same time, care, and effort you put into other communications and channels and maximize the value of this incredible marketing tool!

Questions? Please comment below, we will be happy to answer them.
Next post: Wondering what else you can do to get more Likes? Check back soon to read about some other strategies.

While some brands are currently providing an engaging experience for Facebook users (and a reason to like them), they are the minority. Most brands drop new page visitors on their Wall where they see a stream of brand and user provided posts. If they take the time to read the posts they might find enough value to click Like, but chances are they will be on their way and the opportunity is lost.

So, if Like acquisition is job one, what strategy can accelerate your Likes? The best way to start is with a custom Tab / Page for your brand. Custom Tabs / Pages need to be engaging, you need to provide users with valuable content, give them activities (polls, virtual gifts, etc.), provide content they want to Share, show them you are listening and give them a chance to be heard. Tabs/ Pages also need to be easily updated and tracked to ensure you are providing the best user experience possible. For a few examples of Custom Pages check out the DV Page Manager gallery here.

Moving forward, think about Likes in two ways:

1. The first step in Customer Acquisition, and;
2. A critical step in customer retention.

When a user clicks Like, you are in a relationship and have a potential customer (Customer Acquisition). If they were already a customer (outside of Facebook) you now have a conversation that can easily expand your relationship (Customer Retention). The Key: give them a reason to like you; give them a unique experience!

Questions? Please comment below, we will be happy to answer them.
Next post: Wondering what you could put on your brand’s custom tab? Check back soon to get ideas for tab content.

Are your fans bored?

Archive

What does a lock company do when they need to break a new product?

Pad locks are not always revered as the most cutting edge in technology, design, or style. For years locks have been a utility that most of us use in our day to day lives but beyond assessing their level of security we have never given them too much thought. So what does a company like Master Lock do when they have a new lock design, concept, and technology that is not only highly secure, but hella cool to use and look at? How can they change consumers perspective on pad locks, how can they get consumers to see their locks as an expression of who they are, and how can they spread the word quickly about a revolution in mechanical design and functionality? Master Lock did the right thing and turned to Digital Variant and Social Media.

The New Master Lock Speed Dial Lock uses a flat keypad and allows the owner to set the combination for the lock by moving the key pad in a series of directions. Once the consumer sets their lock they simply recreate the patern to open it. Master Lock needed to show off this new solution in a way that married their core messaging of lock safety and security with a utility that would get 13 – 18 year olds talking about and interacting with the product. In order to meet these needs, Digital Variant worked with C2 Creative to concept, build, launch, and market the Master Lock Secret Vault Facebook Application.

The Mater Lock Secret Vault Application allows consumers (with a target of 13 – 18 year olds) to share secrets and photos with one another under lock and key…..well, under an amazing new Speed Dial lock that does not need a lock and key! Using the Application consumers lock thier secrets up using a virtual Speed Dial Lock whose sounds and movements recreate the actual movements of the physical lock, but all interactions are virtual. Once a secret and custom combination are created by the user, they invite select Facebook friends to access the secret. Friends are given the movement combination set by the secret owner and must recreate the combination on the Speed Dial Lock to access the secret. Once in, users can comment on the secret, create their own secrets, and keep track of all the secrets that have been shared with them. The Application combines a powerful messaging utility with virtual product interaction to create an Application that not only serves as a marketing tool for Master Lock’s new product, but a social media tool users are quickly adopting.

The Master Lock Facebook Application has just launched and consumers are already sharing secrets, creating combination, and interacting with one of the coolest locks we have ever seen. Click here to install the App. and keep your secrets safe.

Redken 10,000 Blondes

When Redken (A L’Oreal Company) wanted to introduce a new line of Blond Hair care products to consumers they turned to Digital Variant for help. We immediately showed them the power of Facebook Applications and how a well constructed campaign can have reach both on and offline. Our campaign focused on collecting 10,000 Female Blond Facebook app users all that offered their images up for us in a photo montage to be created for Redken marketing purposes.

The campaign was set to run over 3+ months but hit its objective in just under 5 weeks! With 1,000,000 of Facebook New Feed Posts, Notifications, and Messages sent containing the Redken Brand message the campaign was a huge success. The press also caught on, with stories published in 100’s of locations really extending the reach of this campaign. Thanks Redken, looking forward to 2010!

For more information about this application, click here or install the app on Facebook!