http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5HlPPd06WY

Really, does Old Spice ever do it wrong? In the spirit of great things, we’ve provided you with a plethora of advice from the best in practical form. I would like to note the tremendously fantastic use of video throughout these links (and the above, to be sure), so that’s a nudge in a direction we think you might be thankful for. Got questions about video? Let us know. Enjoy these highly entertaining, highly inspiring examples of organizations and businesses that just got it right. Now, it’s your turn. We believe in you!

**********

Pop Tarts Facebook Strategy To Connect With Teens Crazy Good For Business. So what did they do here? They knew their audience, they listened, they developed content to cater to their audience. And of course, made delicious Smores flavored pop tarts. Oh, childhood.

5 Smart Social PR Campaigns to Learn From. While turning a profit or just being helpful is still prevalent in this domain, social PR is about a bit more, and these campaigns do some really fantastic things to make their relationships intimate, meaningful, and genuine.

20 Awesome Facebook Fan Pages. Lip balm, candles, coffee, cupcakes, music, science. I mean, really. Take a look. There’s a lot to learn here, with a focus on doing fan pages right.

Anal Warts and All, Denny’s Does Episodic Content Right. This might be the worst headline for an article ever, but here are some reasons to click through: Will Arnett, Sarah Silverman, Jason Bateman. See? Now it sounds fun. Give it a whirl, it’s a nice campaign.

9 Companies Doing Social Media Right and Why. Shabam! Retailers, real estate, trucks, restaurants, games—and more. Not just facebook fan pages, but whole social media efforts. It’s all here with helpful insights to boot.

Really, how could you resist?

Last week we showed you how to get Facebook fans. This week we show you how to keep them. Engagement is key in both of these endeavors. People aren’t interested in liking a page that no one else is interested in. Likewise, it’s hard to convince fans to stick around if there’s no party going on with your page. So that’s one way to think about it–make sure your Facebook page is a constant party.

In addition, look: what’s social media about? Here’s a good answer–building relationships. Relationships? Engagements?! This sounds heavy! Not ready to commit? That’s fine, but when you’re able to have real conversations that you and your Other are both interested in, when you can be mutually helpful and supportive–well, you might just find yourself changing your relationship status to “married to my fans”. Jokes aside, if you want to have any success in social media, get your audience talking. How? We’re glad you asked.

**********

HOW TO: Improve Engagement On Your Brand’s Facebook Page. By far the most awesome thing you’ll read this week. Industry-specific tips based on real data of 200 companies over two weeks. The images are great, and should change your game for engagement in the coming weeks.

How to Encourage Engagement on Facebook. Another outstanding article, bringing in the idea of contra-competitive posting and including an e-marketer graphic. Gotta love emarketer.

16 ways To Get More Comments On Your Facebook Page. This article focuses on asking questions. What do you ask? How do you ask it? And, our personal input, always think of what exactly you’re trying to achieve when you do ask it.

The 5 Golden Facebook Engagement Metrics. Metrics are key for finding out what to do. So we have two articles here for you. This one gives you the tips as well as examples for the things to do/watch for no matter the size of your business. If you keep just these 5 metrics in mind, then you’ve got a good start for progress.

How to Measure Your Facebook Engagament. I mean, you could start counting comments and likes, but we’re not sure that’s really what you want to do. Facebook comes with some sophisticated analytics that allow you to see what works and what doesn’t. Remember that, in the end, past all the tips, do what works for you.

image courtesy www.93south.net

About two months ago, I sent out this tweet:

And one of our clients sent me a direct message that hinted – well, downright stated – that it didn’t inspire confidence in our clients. I could see where they were coming from, especially since they had recently signed a contract for a customized Facebook fan page from us.

I messaged them back that it had the #devilsadvocate hashtag for a reason, that I used Twitter as an industry sounding board, etc. but still, it nagged at me.

A few weeks later, one of our interns emailed me about an article I told him to post to our blog, fan page and Twitter account. It reported that only one out of every 10 Facebook posts gets noticed. He wasn’t sure we should post something like that. Maybe it would undermine our services.

Should we put blind faith in our tools?

I think as good marketers we should question our tools. Our clients and fans trust us to point them in the right direction, to guide their social media efforts in the most effective manner possible, and to be the voice of reason in a very noisy industry.

If every one out of 10 Facebook posts goes unnoticed, our clients and fans need to know so that they can adjust their strategies accordingly. I don’t think our clients should be walking around thinking that each and every one of their status updates is cherished and honored when it’s not the truth. It doesn’t make Facebook a lesser marketing tool. People continue to buy television advertising knowing full well that most people don’t see them. They adjust their strategy, and purchase in bulk, cycles, and with the idea that they will repeat, repeat, repeat.

Social media isn’t a magic bullet. It’s not different from traditional marketing in that sense. Do you have a better shot at reaching people? We think so, especially if you are working within the framework of being helpful, resourceful, and useful to your target audience. But what if it still isn’t working? Something’s broke, and you have to find out where the breakdown is occuring. Sometimes it’s you, sometimes it’s the target, and sometimes it’s the platform.

Questions Lead to Answers (Hopefully)

If I’m having a hard time increasing engagement on any platform, I’m going to question it’s usefulness for our own clients. In questioning we find answers. To shut our eyes and ears off to what we see happening is to be blind-sided in a few months or a year.

Literally days after I sent that tweet, Facebook made sweeping changes to fan pages. They now allow fan pages to comment on other fan pages, which dramatically changes any given fan page’s effectiveness in drawing fans there. Fan page administrators now have the ability to do outreach to other areas of Facebook and draw in new users.

That makes me think that my initial concern was right on, and that I wasn’t alone in questioning it’s effectiveness. Facebook must’ve known this as well, or they wouldn’t have made the changes that they did.

The reality is that social media marketing is all still very new, and will remain a moving target for marketers as the platforms upgrade, change, and shift. The only way to avoid falling into the trap of putting all our eggs in one basket is to continue to ask questions, play devil’s advocate, and keep our eyes open to the limitations and capabilities of our tools.

Holly's "chocolate-chocolate-cherry" cookies

Good tidings of joy, everyone! And a happy holiday season. So you know the rules: you can open one gift on Christmas Eve. But hey, we’re hip! And who are we kidding, you guys are great! So we think we can make an exception–just this year—because we’ve got five gifts for you. And unlike that houndstooth sweater, you can totally regift this.

This Christmas dinner, you’re a social media hotshot. You just checked in at “Granpappy’s House”, on FourSquare, Facebook Places, and Twitter Places (not even integrated) and you tell Aunt Maude: “It’s all about the fans” and grab some casserole. So we take a look at how to get more fans on Facebook and how to be good to them. Then we give you some information that will help you address user-end Facebook concerns with the newsfeed filter and instant personalization.

Be on the lookout every week for news, tips from pros, reviews, emerging technology, and a whole bundle of thought-provoking articles on this ever-developing, exciting world of social media.

Your biggest fan,

Neovia

****

Surefire Way to Get More Facebook Fans: If you’re like most of us (everyone but the Glee fan page), you’ve faced some difficulty getting people to “like” your page. Why is that? It’s an art, and in this article from Guy Kawasaki, he recommends incentivizing your fan page content in creative ways. Read on for details.

How to Convert Email Contacts to Facebook Fans Using “Tell Your Friends”: In early December, Facebook threw fan page admins a bone and released an incredibly helpful tool that tells you which of your email contacts aren’t currently liking your page, allowing you to message them. So, tell your friends.

6 Surefire Ways to Piss Off Your Facebook Fans: You just got Facebook fans with the above surefire methods. Now, avoid surefire pissing them off. Facebook fans are your friends. So be good to them, particularly by avoiding the herein-contained activities.

Facebook Creates Page Explaining Instant Personalization: Speaking of pissing off fans, privacy has been and always will be a concern for Facebook users and fans on your page, so it would do you well to be in the know in this department. Facebook released a video showing how they use information to create Instant Personalization and how to turn that off.

Facebook Newsfeed Filtering: Facebook has given the user more control in deciding what goes on their feed. Which means “liking” a page isn’t enough anymore. How will you stay in the feed?

“You guys do fan pages, right?”

Errrrr… Yes, BUT…

We get that question quite a lot. It’s probably the number one reason a business considers working with us. They need a fan page. And odds are, they probably do. I’ve run into exactly one business that wouldn’t benefit from a solid Facebook presence.

But here’s the catch – I said solid Facebook presence.

What’s the Point?

I like to ask that person why they want a fan page. The answers are usually “[insert young relative] said I needed one” or “our competition has one.” Sometimes all I get is a shrug.

What’s the right answer to that question? To increase brand awareness. To drive foot traffic to our store location. To increase sales. To increase website traffic. Basically, anything that would inform some kind of strategy or intention for use.

Having a Facebook fan page and thinking you’ve got this social media thing licked is a bit like hanging the sign on the store and saying you’re done with advertising. It’s going to take a little more than that to actually have an impact on your business with social media.

We decided a long time ago that we weren’t going to build someone a fan page unless they let us do a strategy for them first. Here’s what we know: a fan page is nothing but an outpost for really great content. And where does content come from? Where does it lead? What do you want people to do after they’ve liked your fan page. These are the questions you should be asking yourself.

The Marketing Funnel

Here’s a drawing I do probably about two-to-five times a week (depending on how many clients I’m meeting with):

It’s a marketing funnel (albeit a crude and over-simplified one). The idea is that no matter where in your marketing funnel a potential customer drops in (Facebook fan page, e-newsletter sign-up, Twitter), it all flows downhill toward your objective (the action you want them to take).

Walk Them Down the Funnel

Someone comes to a free seminar you hosted recently, which included a handout they take home with them. It includes a link to your Facebook fan page, and they like your fan page so they can be invited to your next free seminar. The fan page posts a status update later that week encouraging people to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter, which includes specials and coupons. They sign up for the e-newsletter and receive a 20 percent off coupon if they come into the store during November. That’s walking them down the marketing funnel (although, in retrospect, I would’ve collected their email address at the front door of that free seminar!).

Think About This

How could you have done that without a strategy that comprehends all of your digital and traditional marketing efforts?

Facebook doesn’t do that for you. It merely provides a step down the marketing funnel toward your ultimate goal.

A fan page isn’t a strategy. It’s a tool. How are you going to use that tool to get your potential customers to take action?

[YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE]

How To: Block Facebook Event Invitations

How To: Schedule Fan Page Updates in Hootsuite

4 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Facebook Fan Page

How To: Optimize Your Facebook Links

On this week’s podcast, we discuss an article from AllFacebook.com called “What’s the Best Approach to Creating a Facebook Page for Yourself?” The post centers around the author trying to create a little distance from people he doesn’t know adding him as a friend on Facebook by creating a fan page for himself. The problem is that people don’t want to be fans, they want to be friends. We discuss how this effects our use of Facebook, how personal we can be, the problems that arise from being “FB friends” with people you don’t really know, and what the solution is. We also talk about what’s making us happy this week: Rapportive (for Kendra) and the community that’s arisen around Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (for Holly).

[Links we mentioned]

• AllFacebook.com
• “What’s the Best Approach to Creating a Facebook Page for Yourself?”
• Neovia Solutions Fan Page
• Rapportive

Twitter:

• @rapportive
• #PSL

[LISTEN]

Listen here:

Pop-Up Window: Listen to this episode

Download: Download this episode (right click and save)

iTunes: Subscribe in iTunes

HootSuite is a wonderful application that allows you to update and manage multiple social media accounts all in one place. It does a lot of neat tricks, but our favorite has to be allowing us to schedule updates to our Facebook fan page. Once you’ve linked your Facebook account and fan pages, you’re ready to try this. Watch our simple how-to video below to see how you can save time by scheduling all of your updates to Facebook in one sitting. Another plus: You get the consistency of a regularly updated fan page without worrying about remembering to post every day.

Posting links to your website or blog on Facebook is a great way to drive traffic, but you may not be getting the most out of your Facebook links. There are a lot of little things you probably don’t know that you can change about the way you’re posting. Hopefully, this quick little how-to video will help.

We’re no saints. We’ve made our own fan page mistakes. But please, allow us to have taken the lumps for you. Here are a few common fan page mistakes we run into time and time again. If you’re guilty of one of the mistakes here, don’t fret: we’ve provided the antidote.

Mistake #1: Wrong page type

If you’ve ever paid attention to the Info tab on fan pages, you know one thing to be true: All fan pages are not created equal. Step number one when creating a fan page is to select what type of fan page you want. It would seem that Facebook is attempting to confuse you right out the gate.

Here are your choices:

You are probably tempted to select local business. After all, most of us are pretty proud to be a local business. But you’re short-changing yourself if you pick this option. Here’s what you’ll end up with:

The Info tab fields for a Local Business fan page include hours of operation, options for parking and public transportation, and a website address. That’s great for a retail location or a venue, but it stinks for the rest of us.

The Antidote:

Choose a page from the middle section (as shown above) and here’s what you’ll get:

Quite a difference isn’t it?

Unfortunately because it’s a permanent setting the only way to undo it is to delete your fan page and start all over. If you’ve got less than 25 fans, go for it. You’re not losing much, and you can probably get them back.

Mistake #2: Default Wall Settings

The moment I lay eyes on a fan page, I can tell if the person knew what they were doing or not. And it’s all due to the way Facebook set up the default Wall posting settings. Unless you’re Coca-Cola or Dave Ramsey, your fan page should not have the Fans and Page Wall posts divided out.

The whole point of a fan page is user interaction. The reason it’s OK for Coca-Cola and Dave Ramsey to separate Wall posts is that they have so many people posting on the Wall, they wouldn’t be able to get the Page posts to stand out enough for people to see them. They are literally drowning in fan posts. I hope that for you someday, but it’s probably not today.

The Antidote:

An easy fix for this one. Simply click Edit Page, then select Posts By Pages and Fans.

Now you’re interacting!

Mistake #3: No applications or customization

There is a whole world of applications available for Facebook fan pages. A business can use these applications to streamline social media efforts (think blog posts auto-posting to your fan page), perform functions (conduct polls, for example), and turn your fan page into a mini-website. So, to utilize none of these is, in our humble opinion, a mistake.

Antidote:
Start browsing the Applications on Facebook that can be part of your Facebook strategy. Steer clear of applications that are clearly made for personal pages, like FamilyTree, and gravitate toward those that will help you achieve what you want to do with less effort or add functionality to your page.

Some of our favorite Facebook fan page applications: FBML, PollDaddy, Extended Info, SocialRSS, Poll, Reviews, RSSGraffiti, SlideShare,

Mistake #4: Spam-worthy page suggestions

We’ve all experienced that friend who just won’t stop sending his or her fan page suggestion over and over again, day in and day out, despite many pushes of the Ignore button. One of two things is happening here: either the friend who is suggesting it is blindly clicking the Select All button on their friends when they are suggesting the page without realizing that it is being sent to the same people again (whether or not it was ignored), or the friend is intentionally spamming his or her friends.

Antidote:
So how do you go about increasing your fans without spamming your friends who have ignored previous page suggestions you’ve sent? Do not send mass page suggestions every day. You will be spamming people. And that creates ill sentiment, which you generally want to stay away from in the social media sphere. Do one mass suggestion when you first create the page, and then just send periodic (say, once every month or two) page suggestions.

You can also use the Lists function to group your friends into lists according to geography (city, state, university, etc.), relationship to self (family, friend, client, colleague, etc.), political persuasion, and so on to ensure that you aren’t sending irrelevant page suggestions.

We had a great time presenting at the SCORE Social Media for Small Business seminar last week. With 135 inquiring minds in the room, we saw a lot of business owners and non-profits getting it – social media works! Here are the slides from our presentation.