Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass

Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
Are Facebook Friends Of Brands Likelier To Buy? by Jackie Cohen on May 24th, 2011 11:01 AM at www.allfacebook.com Mere friendship doesn’t necessarily make fans likelier to buy. Some 36 percent of people feel more inclined to pu rchase a particular brand’s product after forming a friendship with the entity on Facebook. About 61 percent are just as likely to buy the product as they were before befriending the brand on Facebook, and three percent become less likely to make such a pu rchase. The pie chart below using findings from a fall survey by DDB WorldWide and OpinionWay. The simplicity of Facebook’s like button doesn’t require people to engage with a brand after that first click, eMarketter explains. So what does a brand need to do to put Facebook friends in more of a shopping mindset? Continue to market to these friends who’ve already clicked like. As eMarketer says: To be successful in this post -like phase of Facebook marketing, companies will need to excite their fanbase with compelling posts, interactions that spur a sense of communi ty, and rewards for their ongoing support. Brands that do not make Facebook marketing a priority will risk seeing their hard -earned likes churn away.
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
10 fascinating Facebook facts — and what they say about us May 26, 2011 |By Pete Cashmore, Special to CNN A study released this week revealed that 47% of Facebook users have swear words on their pages. A survey last week, meanwhile, showed that undergraduate men who talk about alcohol on Facebook tend to have more friends. Whether it’s our level of tolerance for swearing or the link between alcohol and bonding with friends, these Facebook studies provide intriguing insights into our online behaviors. And yet I’d argue that Face book surveys have a more fundamental role. With more than 600 million people actively using Facebook, these studies in fact provide a deeper understanding of our evolving cultural norms: our values, our morals and our changing relationships between one ano ther. Don’t believe me? Here are some fascinating Facebook facts that just might serve as a peek into our 21st -century values. 1. 56% of Americans think it’s irrespons ible to friend your boss on Facebook A survey released in February 2010 showed the majority of Americans don’t find it socially acceptable to be Facebook friends with their boss. The study of 1,000 people by Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project suggests that despite an increasing overlap between our work and home lives, we continue to value a separation between the two. Meanwhile, 62% of those surveyed said it’s wrong for a manager to befriend an employee on Facebook. And yet 76% of respondents said it w as acceptable to befriend a peer on Facebook, suggesting what we truly value is that our work be judged on its merits rather than getting ahead based on personal relationships. 2. Facebook links about sex are shared 90% more than average Facebook confirms the adage: Sex sells. From February until May 2010, social media scientist Dan Zarrella processed 12,000 links to news sites and blogs. He discovered that links about sex were 90% more likely to be shared on Facebook than any other subject matter. He also discovered that links with positive sentiment were more likely to be shared on Facebook than those with negative viewpoints. 3. People in Facebook relationships are happier than single people In February 2010, Facebook marked Valentine’s Day by com paring the relationship status of its users to their happiness — this was surmised based on the level of positive or negative sentiment in the user’s Facebook updates. The result: Those in relationships were found to be slightly happier than single people . Those who were married or engaged were also happier than single people on average. However, Facebook users in an “open relations hip” — where the partners are not exclusive to one another — were significantly less happy than single people. Monogamy, it seems, makes us happy. 4. 21% of people would break up via Facebook A June 2010 survey of 1,000 Facebook users — 70% of whom were male — found that 25% had been “dumped” via Facebook (via their significant other updating his or her relationship status). Twenty -one percent of those surveyed said they would end a relationship by changing their Facebook relationship statuses to “singl e.” While worrisome, the survey does show the majority of people do not split up via Facebook. For this uncomfortable task, it seems, we still turn to more personal forms of communication. This particular study also appears to suffer from a little male bias — a July 2010 survey found that 9% of women have initiated a breakup via Fa cebook, versus 24% of men. 5. 85% of women are annoyed by their Facebook friends For women on Facebook, friends can sometimes be irritating. In a March study conducted by Eversave, 85% admitted to having been annoyed by their Facebook friends. Of these ann oyances, the most cited was “complaining all the time” (63%). Other pet peeves included “sharing unsolicited political views” (42%) and “bragging about seemingly perfect lives” (32%). While I’ve yet to see a similar survey focused on men, it’s probably saf e to assume these feelings are universal: Our friends are a source of joy and occasional irritation. 6. 25% of households with a Facebook account don’t use privacy controls A June 2010 survey from Consumer Reports stated that “in one of four households wit h a Facebook account, users weren’t aware of or didn’t choose to use the service’s privacy controls.” While Consumer Reports chose to interpret this finding in a negative light, I’d propose a contrary view: Seventy -five percent of households did take the t ime to understand Facebook’s privacy controls, suggesting that privacy remains important to our society. The same study stated that “Twenty -six percent of Facebook users with children had potentially exposed them to predators by posting the children’s phot os and names.” Again, the positive view would be that 74% of Facebook users with children did not post their photos and names — suggesting that we value privacy. 7. 48% of parents friend their kids on Facebook On the question of whether it’s OK to friend your kids on Facebook, parents are roughly split down the middle — 48% have chosen to do so. Respondents in a May 2010 survey by Retrevo admitted that this could be “awkward at times.” Parents were also asked about the minimum age at which their children should be allowed to sign up for Facebook or MySpace. Twenty -six percent of parents replied “over 18,” 36% said “16 to 18,” 30% said “13 to 15” and 8% said “under 13.” Opinions may be changing rapidly, however. A Consumer Reports survey released this month says the majority of parents of kids 10 and u nder “seemed largely unconcerned by their children’s use” of Facebook. 8. 47% of Facebook users have profanity on their walls As previously mentioned, a new study by the reputation management service Reppler has found that 47% of Facebook users have swear words on their walls, with these profanities being posted by a friend 56% of the time. In other words: Nearly half of Facebook users are comfortable with swearing. The most common profanity on Facebook? No prizes for guessing: It’s the “F -word.” 9. 48% of people say they look at their ex’s Facebook profile too often In a January study by YouTango, 48% of respondents said they look at their ex’s Facebook or other social -networking profile too often. The statistic illustrates one danger of social -networking p rofiles — ex -partners are more accessible than ever. But the survey also points to a degree of self -awareness among the respondents. While new technologies provide new temptations, it seems that many of us are able to control these behaviors. 10. 36% of under -35s check Facebook, Twitter or texts after sex An October 2009 study by Retrevo suggested that social networks are becoming an increasingly important part of young people’s lives. Among under -35s, 36% admitted to “tweeting, texting and che cking Facebook after sex.” Forty percent of respondents admitted to doing so while driving, 64% said they do so at work, and 65% use these communication channels while on vacation. Here, we might conclude that the next generation is driving society into a less desirable direction: a world in which digital devices are never put down, even in the most inappropriate of situations. And yet if Facebook is our guide, I’d say our cultural norms have remained intact. We continue to value professionalism. We find gr eat rewards in human relationships — and most of us try to exit them honorably. On the whole, we continue to value privacy. We try to look out for our kids. And as we have been since time immemorial, we continue to be fascinated by sex — after which we g o straight to Facebook to find out what our exes are up to.
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
How Fiji Water Brand Stays Accessible On Facebook by Jennifer Moire on May 23rd, 2011 8:51 AM on www.allfacebook.com We spoke to Jenna Rose Robbins, director of marketing and social media at Fiji Water, about how the company engag es with its passionate fans via Facebook. How does your position as the lead Facebook page administrator differ from what the traditional webmaster used to do? Managing a Facebook page is quite different from being a webmaster because it’s far more immedi ate, in terms of responding to both requests and trends. A Facebook page administrator is the consumer -facing voice of the brand, while a webmaster is more the technical wizard behind the curtain. Websites introduced a new flexibility — and immediacy — to marketing, and social media only upped that ante. Brands are now expected to respond to their fans and consumers in real time and should take it upon themselves to engage in the conversations about their products that are already happening. Now that social media has made the online conversation a two -way forum, brands now need to have a voice that is far more approachable than the “brochure” copy that comprised the webpages of yore. Facebook offers a convenient platform to do so. What is the company’s strat egy for spurring engagement and generating likes especially during slow periods? Keeping our current fanbase engaged is key. We know how much our brand means to them, so we like to make sure we maintain our connection with them as often as we can, even if it’s just through discussions of current events. Plus, we have so many regular online programs, both small and large, that there isn’t that much downtime between slow periods. Do you have a favorite campaign you’ve launched on Fiji’s Facebook page? Until now, the majority of our online campaigns have been based on our website. However, we have a few Facebook campaigns in the works that we’re incredibly excited about, and they’re all about rewarding our fans for their loyalty and listening to their interest s. Fiji is a brand that inspires a lot of passion, to the point where we’ve seen people get into spats on Twitter about who’s th e biggest Fiji fan, so we want to make sure we reward that level of loyalty. We’re hoping to launch a campaign around that idea by the end of summer. We also note our fans ’ other interests, such as their pets — you wouldn’t believe how many photos we’ve received of a furry friend and a bottle of Fiji. People are almost as passionate about Fiji as they are their pets, so we’ve come u p with a fun campaign that marries those two. What special skills or knowledge does Fiji Water look for when hiring for social media positions in general, and for Facebook in particular? Voice, tact, and gut. They need to get the Fiji brand and understand who we are as well as who we aren’t, and convey that to our audience in a voice that underscores our USPs. There are a lot of conversations going on around our brand that, although positive -sounding to those having them, are not the sort of conversations we want our brand to be associated with. Knowing how to navigate these conversations, and choosing which to engage in and which to avoid, is as important as speaking the Fiji voice. Graciously turning down the opportunity to participate in these conversations, as well as fielding other off -brand requests, is a refined skill that not everyone can handle. There’s a lot of gray in this area, so gut feeling plays a key role. Do you have a ny favorite Facebook tools that you like to use? We’ve been using polls a little more often, both for fun and to gage fans’ interest in marketing ideas. But we generally keep it simple and use the basics, such as the event calendar and photo albums. We ha ve a third -party agency that has helped us build our fan -gated contest app, which has proven to be a huge success, so I’m sure we’ll continue to use that. How many people work with you on Fiji’s Facebook page and presence? If more than one, how do you divide tasks or projects? There are two of us who officially work on the page. I handle the everyday strategy and fan response, while Ben Upham, our associate manager of social media, posts content from our other online destinations (e.g., the Fiji Water blog) and researches innovations for Facebook, such as new apps or social media management systems. Since my responsibilities also include other marketing areas , such as events, it makes sense for Ben to focus on some of the more long -term projects, so they can have more attention. We discuss strategy and any large projects such as contests together. What does Fiji do differently, if anything, with its Facebook p age presence as compared to other bottled water brands or other beverage brands such as Coca -Cola? Fiji strives to differentiate itself by being accessible. We talk to our fans, not just at our fans, by initiating conversations on subjects other than our b rand. For instance, during the Super Bowl, we posted to our wall during key points of the game and asked our fans for their reactions, because we knew our fans (at least those in the U.S.) were watching and we wanted to engage with them during a moment tha t we all could share in real time. Almost each of those Super Bowl posts garnered more impressions than any other Facebook post in the previous six months. Also, even though we regularly receive photos of celebs carrying our product, we rarely post those b ecause it’s too much about us and doesn’t offer much value for our fans. An exception was recently made when Michael Bolton sent us a behind -the -scenes photo from the set of his Jack Sparrow video with The Lonely Island. We knew how viral the video had bec ome, and how much chatter was going on about it around the web, so we posted the photo and asked people to name the celeb. The result was one of our most popular non -contest posts to date. People loved the timeliness and goofiness of the meme, so we built upon that.
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
How To Succeed At Facebook Advertising Posted on May 26th, 2011 11:24 AM http://www.allfacebook.com/how -to-succeed -at-facebook -advertising -2011 -05 Gordmans opened two new stores in Minneapolis and promoted them with several Facebook campaigns, working with BlitzLocal.com. They created two different types of campaigns: on e advertising an event, and another advertising a tab. Both were targeted at the city level. Because the scope was so narrow, tests included adding the city name as part of the ad image itself. Overall though, these ads definitely helped in ga rnering more visitors. Sponsored Stories Outperformed Regular Facebook Ads There are two types of sponsored stories – a sponsored like, which targets friends of your fans, and a Sponsored post, which shows messages to existing fans. Gordmans ran a highly targeted spons ored like ad:  within the regions where the retailer has its 68 retail locations  female demographic  keywords related to bargain -hunting While most Facebook ads are lucky to get a 0.05 percent clickthrough rate, this campaign drove a .4 percent CTR on the fi rst day, which fell by 45 percent within 48 hours to .2 percent. Generally, anything at or above 0.1 percent is highly optimized. Sponsored likes also cut the cost per click by 70 percent an d cost per fan by 83 percent overall. That’s like getting a 77 per cent discount off from Facebook. In two days, this ad drove 515 clicks for $76 and gained 418 new fans. That works out to 18 cents per fan and a click -to- conversion rate of 81 percent. Most brands out there are getting fans at between $2 and $10, the former via self -serve and the latter via premium ads. $0.18 for a new fan, one that is giving your brand permission to talk to them, is a great cost of acquisition. Gordmans found the key to success with Facebook advertising is leveraging the endorsement of their existing fans. People are far more likely to click on events that are a ssociated with what their friends are doing. Highly Engaged Content Equals Positive Fan Growth The creative refresh demand of social requires you to be able to iterate much quicker, to refresh your content and creative much more quickly than other types of online marketing. Gordmans knew they needed to rotate ads to keep them fresh. Facebook ads are typically served to the same users multiple times, often in the same day, so they quickly tune -out repeat ads. Gordmans also used the Webtrends Apps platform to develop fresh and engaging applications rewarding customers for engaging through fans -only promotions. While apps have about a 10 -to-14 day shelf life before people start to drop off in interaction, ads hav e around three -to-five days before you see a dramatic drop off. But because Gordmans’ wall postings resonated well with the brand, only five percent of fans have unsubscribed from the page. Geo -Targeting Works The average human attention span is about 30 seconds. In fact, successful Facebook advertisers try to relate images to their audience, for example by serving an image of a local landmark or in Gordmans case including the city name is another way to garner more attention. By injecting the city name in the ad image in conjunction with the geo -targeting, the ads were more appealing and relevant. Gordmans found that geo -targeted ads with the city name on the ad image performed better than the ads without it. With geo -targeted ads that offered fans the opportunity to check in and claim deals, Gordmans was able to drive customers to their brick and mortar stores. More Earned Media At A Cheaper Rate By measuring the number of impressions the Facebook page generated over time, then estimating a $5 cost per impression, we can determine the earned media value of the brand. Earned media represents impressions generated for free, from efforts outside of the traditional ad spend, which includes vira l and word -of-mouth publicity such as l ikes and shares. This type of exposure has a high quality because it leverages the trust of friends. With over 38 million impressions over a period of 79 days, at the aforementioned $5 CPM, we get $190,000 earned media value for that ti me period, which represents how much ad spend would have been required to achieve the same number of impressions via paid media. Extended out over a year’s time, the value is $879,000 per year, or $4.5 million in perpetuity, assuming we’ve applied a 20 p ercent discount rate to the projection of earned media over time. What’s Next? Now in the works is a new Facebook places strategy — to drive check -ins, shares, and coupons. Gordmans has had a lot of success in running Google Adwords campaigns with a focus on lettin g users redeem coupons. Running similar campaigns on Facebook will reinforce the Google campaigns, and with Facebook’s social twist tied into the coupon redemption strategy, they expect to see excellent results. Veronica Stecker, is marketing and social me dia planner at Gordmans. Dennis Yu is co -founder and chief executive officer of BlitzLocal.com .
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
Social Sharing: It’s Cool, But Does It Work? BY ANDREJS + APRIL 2 8TH, 2011 ADVERTISING AGENCY B LOG Content producers increasingly hope that social media will get the word out for them. They hope that their content will go viral. But studies show that email is still the way most people share most content. And search is st ill the top method of finding websites. Yet social sharing is capturing more attention. Outbrain, a company dedicated to getting online content to the people who need it, reports that only one -tenth of external referrals come from social media sites. They found that most (41%) come from search and nearly one -third from other sites. Social media sites drive traffic in only a few categories. Social media users focus on news and entertainment stories, which account for nearly three -quarters of all social media referrals. Maybe the media showers so much attention on social sites because they get such disproportionate benefit from those sites. Social media referrals are also less engaged, according to Ou tbrain. They have higher bounce rates and fewer page views per session. Outbrain calls a person who views at least five pages per session, a “hyperengaged reader.” They found that referrals from content sites are twice as likely to be hyperengaged as t hose from social media sites. Outbrain researchers figure that people coming from content sites are already in reading mode and, therefore, ready to keep reading. Likewise, people coming from search sites are actively seeking information, and, therefore, eager to read. On the other hand, people coming from social media sites are less likely to head to a content page and less engaged when they get there.
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
Social Sharing: It’s Cool, But Does It Work? BY ANDREJS + APRIL 2 8TH, 2011 ADVERTISING AGENCY B LOG Content producers increasingly hope that social media will get the word out for them. They hope that their content will go viral. But studies show that email is still the way most people share most content. And search is st ill the top method of finding websites. Yet social sharing is capturing more attention. Outbrain, a company dedicated to getting online content to the people who need it, reports that only one -tenth of external referrals come from social media sites. They found that most (41%) come from search and nearly one -third from other sites. Social media sites drive traffic in only a few categories. Social media users focus on news and entertainment stories, which account for nearly three -quarters of all social media referrals. Maybe the media showers so much attention on social sites because they get such disproportionate benefit from those sites. Social media referrals are also less engaged, according to Ou tbrain. They have higher bounce rates and fewer page views per session. Outbrain calls a person who views at least five pages per session, a “hyperengaged reader.” They found that referrals from content sites are twice as likely to be hyperengaged as t hose from social media sites. Outbrain researchers figure that people coming from content sites are already in reading mode and, therefore, ready to keep reading. Likewise, people coming from search sites are actively seeking information, and, therefore, eager to read. On the other hand, people coming from social media sites are less likely to head to a content page and less engaged when they get there.
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This ass
Web Exercise 9 Focus Text – Chapter 15 In recent years, social media has become extremely important to not only consumers but also to businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This assignment asks you to read more than most of your other exercises have, but I feel comfortable that you will find these resources to be interesting and thought -provoking. Please read all of them. As you participate in social media, you will become more aware of marketing tactics surrounding your profile. First, consider these bits of inf ormation to get a “big picture” idea of how extensive facebook is:  In January 2009, Facebook had 150 million active users. By April 2009, there were 200 million active users, and then by July of 2009 Facebook had over 250 million active users. Just over a year later, in July of 2010, Facebook had doubled in reach to over 500 million active users. This is ONE IN EVERY THIRTEEN people on earth! (according to onlineschools.org and facebook.com)  Watch this 2 -minute video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=xJXOavGwAW8 (Titled “The World Is Obsessed With Facebook” by youtube user alextrimpe) Then, read the six following articles (many are only 1 page ) saved in this folder ( preferably in this folder):  C NN Article – “10 Fascinating Facebook Facts”  “Social Sharing – It’s Cool, But Does It Work?”  “How To Succeed at Facebook Advertising”  “How Fiji Water Brand Stays Acces sible on Facebook” – also visit www.facebook.com/fijiwater  “Successful Product Launches on Facebook”  “Are Facebook Friends of Brands Likelier to Buy?” Then, please respond to the foll owing questions in the Web Exercise submission area within this folder. Be sure to consider the readings from Chapter 15 and the readings accompanying this assignment when answering the questions — be specific and use examples. 1. What is the importance of Facebook for marketing communications? 2. Briefly, how are marketers effectively using their Facebook pages? 3. How do consumers interact with brands on Facebook? What is the key for this to be successful? 4. What can marketers do to encourage ongoing involvement once a consumer has “liked” a brand or page? 5. Think about your own consumption habits. How much are you infl uenced by the mention of brands through social media? Influence can come from the company if you have “liked” their page, from ads along the sides, or from status updates or posts from your friends that advocate or banish a particular brand. Do you pay attention to brand names in posts? (This does not h ave to be specific to Facebook, but may also be extended to T witter or other forms of social media that you engage in).