I have been posting about facebook.com a lot recently. So, given the fact that half-geek is about website strategy, I thought I had better think about how we could all use the now 30 million strong facebook community for marketing purposes.
Social Networking should come under some serious scrutiny when it comes to planning your online marketing strategy, particularly if you are seeking a viral effect. The ability that we now have to develop and offer information to these massive communities serves as a very cost effective marketing tactic. ROI is only a profile update away!
Here are my top 10 (in no particular order) marketing tactics using facebook:
1 Profile Completeness & Availability
For Pete's sake make sure that your profile is complete & not locked off from the community. Also consider some facebook basic etiquette. A few contact details wouldn't go astray either :)
2 Profile Architecture
Don't forget that you can move the various elements that make up your profile page around. So if there is information that you want people to see (e.g. your work details) drag this page element as high up in your profile architecture as you can to get it "above the fold".
3 Choose your Networks Carefully
Get targeted! Carefully select and join networks that represent large target audiences for your offering.
4 Use the Market Place
Got a service that you want to offer? Make sure that you are offering it! Once you have selected your networks, your market place offering will be visible to those within your networks.
5 Links & RSS Feeds
If you have a blog or website promoting your product or service make sure that you link to it. If you have a blog make sure you promote your RSS Feed on your profile. When creating important links & feeds also consider positioning on the page (point 2 above).
6 Key Phrase Use
Ever noticed that information that you put into the 'information' element on your profile is actually dynamic? A little bit of keyword research can go a long way here. Try to use common terminology to describe yourself and your offering(s) so that you get the benefit of facebooks internal search traffic.
7 Use the Hide Story Function
We all know that it's fun to add new applications or make quick multiple changes to your profile. However, every time we take action on our facebook profiles, a new feed is created for all our contacts to see. Use the 'Hide Story' function as to make sure that your application testing is not pushing more important profile information lower down your profile page.
8 Create a Viral facebook Network
Got a great hook? Why not create your very own network? I recently saw a network entitled something like, " The John Doe will shave his chest when this reaches 1000 people Network". Not the best commercial example, granted. But never the less a great viral tactic for generating interest in your profile.
9 Use the facebook Events Calendar
Once you have reached that magic number of friends or connections, use the facebook events functionality to invite your connections to functions or a get together. facebook's event calendar is by far and away one of the best I have seen.
10 Manage your Visual Brand
That crazy photo of you off your chops last weekend that your mate put up doesn't have to be there! What ever you do, keep an eye on the images of your precious self that exist on facebook. Get to it and delete those un-wanted ones!
hi, James, how are you? Great idea for an article & a nice piece!
I'd like to see some more bits around strategy - especially around what the Open API means / how people are currently using it / how business X could make use of it.
This is the first time I've been to your blog. Really jealous of your location! I'm hoping to come out there early next year.
Speak to you soon,
daniel
Posted by: daniel | July 15, 2007 at 11:58 PM
Hey Daniel,
Thanks for the comment. Im good thanks- great point about Open API's - I have a post in draft right now.
Make sure that you touch base via email when you make it down here to New Zealand :)
Posted by: James | July 16, 2007 at 07:29 AM