Visa Branded Facebook Page

Lost in the Facebook privacy and security hooha was another change the popular social networking site made to its operations. Companies and advertisers can no longer create custom landing pages that force visitors of their Facebook pages to view them first. Companies can still create custom pages, but they must be added as a tab that users click to visit.

Companies with official pages can still add custom HTML to the left-hand sidebar via an application that asks or urges users to visit their custom tab. But no one can be dumped to a custom page straight away.

There was some outcry from advertisers and corporate entities following this move, as there is with any change the site enacts. Any platform with so many users can expect some level of discontent whenever the familiar is eschewed and new tactics are put in place. But in this case, I’m inclined to side with the “Tough cookies” crowd.

I’ll leave the arguments about how Facebook’s privacy policy affects the relationship between producers, advertisers and consumers to MoveOn.org and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Being on Facebook is voluntary, and there is no reasonable expectation for privacy beyond that which you would find anywhere else on the public internet.

Facebook wasn’t build for brands to use as their personal playground. It was created, much as the internet as a whole, as a tool for communication and collaboration. After beta testing on Mark Zuckerberg carried his Utopian dreams of sharing everything, all the time, to the masses when he opened the castle walls to allow anyone to join.

Once the site could be used by brands to engage however they pleased, Facebook was thrust into the business of giving away free websites. Giving brands the ability to create custom landing pages, complete with Flash and HTML elements, took away the brand control Facebook had already well established. Suddenly, brands could engage consumers, run promotions, and just plain make money from the site with no recompense back to the mothership.

Now branded and official pages default to displaying the Wall, where the contributions from visitors and fans (Likers?) take center stage–just as Facebook was initially built. This enforced structure is in keeping with Zuckerberg’s publicly declared (and lately decried) philosophy of openness.

Yes, perhaps it makes it tougher for a brand. Yes, perhaps it’s bad form to reel out the rope only to yank it back in, as Facebook seems to be fond of doing.

But advertisers need to remember that it’s not our world, we just live in it. A hammer wasn’t invented for us to slap a logo sticker on, it was invented to be more efficient than a rock at driving a small spike into wood. Facebook wasn’t invented for us to shout our message at people, it was invented for those very people to talk with each other.

Want to make the most out of Facebook? Use it in conjunction with your own website, vanity URLs, Foursquare, Twitter and the like to deliver a clear, consistent message and enable your visitors to engage with you however they see fit. Give your loyal fans special deals and promotions to reward them for advocating on your behalf. Augment your traditional media by giving consumers a place to go where they can actually do something rather than be passive receivers of your message.

But don’t expect Facebook–or any other communication tool–to be modified or re-purposed to cater to your needs. Facebook isn’t for you, and neither will the next big thing be so. Play along or take your ball and go home.

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I have plenty of “friends” and connections on social networking sites who I don’t actually know all that well or talk with on a regular basis. I’m at 598 on Facebook, 208 on LinkedIn, 165 followers on Twitter, and however many people actually bother to read my posts on the Raidious and Marketing Tech blogs.

What does this mean? Not a whole heck of a lot. Friends, connections and followers aren’t like dollars: having more doesn’t get you more of anything.

Unless you actually do something.

You can tweet all day until you’re blue in the face, share your Google Reader items (link building!) and all that jazz, but unless you get out there and make things happen all of that sharing means precisely nothing.

I am a big proponent of the idea that with a modicum of work and dedication, a person can make things happen while others are content to watch (and talk about it). In college I started out trading shows with other bands from other cities in the hardcore/post-punk scene. My band would play with bands in their city, and they would play with us here in Indianapolis.

Pretty soon, we had a great network built up. Then bigger bands I didn’t know started calling asking me to book shows for them. In a few short years I went from booking shows in people’s basements to filling small- and medium-sized bars and clubs.

Then in 2001 I got the opportunity to organize a show for the legendary band Fugazi. Long story short, with a lot of help from friends in the local community and a ton of work, we sold out a 700-capacity hall, had professional lights, sound, and security, and it was one of the highlights of my musical life.

Why did I, little old me, get the chance to do this? Because I was willing to work for it. Because I developed a reputation for being a straightforward, fair person with whom to work. Because I focused on what I cared about. Because I tried to give the city of Indianapolis experiences that it might not have ordinarily had.

Social networking sites are today’s analog of the underground/independent music scene spawned in the 70s and through its heydey in the early 2000s. People with common interests and influences connect with each other through a shared platform and experience. Some of these people are mere acquaintances, some of them may be dear friends and trusted colleagues.

By connecting with this diverse group with shared ideals, you instantly have a pool of resources you can call on. By putting in the hours and work to bring that community tangible experiences, you draw all of them closer together. And you’re engaged in the most wonderful human experience: putting something out into the world.

Organize a meet-up group. Attend a conference and actually talk with people without trying to sell them something. Volunteer to give lectures and workshops at local schools and businesses. Share yourself, not just your opinions.

“Draw a crazy picture,
write a nutty poem.
Sing a mumble-grumble song,
whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
that ain’t been there before.”

– Shel Silverstein

(I think about this poem often. I’ve reproduced it here without consent, so go buy a book or two to make up for my transgression. But these words are important to me and I really wanted to share.)

Now that I’ve managed to work two music puns into the title alone, let’s get to the point: name the first topic that enters into your mind, and I’ll show you some science behind it.

Ready? Go.

“Twitter,” you say. (Nice of you to feed me the exact topic I was looking for. Way to play along. Next round is on me.)

Readability Grade Levels (courtesy Fast Company)

Boom. I direct your attention “Nine Scientifically Proven Ways to Get Retweeted on Twitter” over at Fast Company.

The above post does a great job at summarizing the 22-page report conducted by Dan Zarrella, viral marketing scientist at Hubspot and author of the upcoming The Social Media Marketing Book. So rather than parroting what’s already out there, let’s discuss the meat-and-potatoes.

One question companies frequently ask is “Where are the numbers? What’s our ROI for investing time and money into platforms like Twitter?”

(Okay, that’s two questions. But they’re related. Deal with it.)

Zarrella’s nine month study of about five million tweets and 40 million retweets provides a great glimpse into the feasibility of applying metrics to Twitter. This wan’t just some weekend-warrior quick once-over. You can read the full report here.

The study looked at factors such as vocabulary, punctuation, choice of URL shorteners, and time of day that contributed to retweetability (find that word in Webster’s, I dare you).

The overall point?

The conversation doesn’t stop once you send out a Tweet to your followers.

If you’re on-point and intelligent with your tweets, your followers are more likely to retweet to their followers, and so on and so forth.

The propagation of tweets can thus occur exponentially. And if you’re serious about monitoring, measuring and responding, you (or your hired digital content services company) will use real tools and metrics to provide these numbers for you.

So rather than hollering “Hello!” off a cliff and waiting for an echoed response, by using metrics and employing strategies back up with scientific inquiry, you’re doing the equivalent of using GPS to find your compatriots hidden in the forest across the canyon.

And that, kids, is science. Tweet dreams are made of this (musical pun number three).

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• The Science of Re-tweeting (designmind.frogdesign.com)

or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet

The only entity the public tends to regard with less trust than government is the corporation.

As the age of open and instantaneous communication and 24-hour information availability progresses, consumers become increasingly pragmatic/realistic/suspicious of the companies selling the goods we use.

Humans Helping Humans

Trying to avoid the fact that you’re selling something is stupid and pointless. It’s better to treat people as just that–people–and relate on a human level to help foster relationships.

Speaking to and with customers with a human tone is key here. People expect to have complaints answered with a form letter and perhaps a gift card, and have compliments go off into the aether without acknowledgement.

Surprise people with a real, human response; thank them for their compliments or for giving your products word-of-mouth endorsement, and respond with compassion and care to peeves.

Brand Voice and Conscience

Think for a moment about the Lord of the Rings trilogy: how difficult was it for Frodo and Sam to trust Gollem, when he was constantly talking to his own reflection, debating good actions versus evil ones, and constantly sending mixed message? Why couldn’t Gollem earn their trust and respect when he was leading them to their destination and protecting the ring?

No one can relate effectively when they have multiple personalities and no conscience. A clear, consistent message is essential to establishing trust.

It’s the political tactic of staying “on message,” even in the face of adversity. When you as a company are open and honest about your intentions, and communicate how you turn those intentions into actions, you help to establish a consistent voice and conscience.

Help People, Don’t Sell Them Stuff

You’ve just finished a meal and dessert at your favorite restaurant. You’re ready to pay the check when the waiter brings another, different meal to your table.

When you protest, the waiter says “But I already brought it out, and you really liked the first one so much. C’mon, just eat it and I’ll add it to your check.”

Social media shouldn’t be used to cram your widgets down people’s gullets. If you’re being discussed on Facebook and Twitter, respond by sharing insights. If folks are complaining, offer to correct the problem as best you can.

Further Reading

Here are some other Twitter-specific nuts-and-bolts techniques that can help bring you closer to your customers and them to you.

• Five Habits of Successful Executives on Twitter
• Best Practices for Corporate Twittering
• Finding the Right “Brand Voice” on Twitter