Oh No!!! Facebook Killed the Landing Page! Well, Not Really...It's Just Different

Dear Facebook,

You drive me crazy, but I still love you.

Sincerely,
Bill DeRosa
That's the short succinct letter I would send to Mark Zuckerberg if I had to put it into less than ten words. The latest changes on Facebook are not a simple new button or sorting tab...its a major interface update called Timeline. In addition, Facebook has or is in the process of releasing a ton of new tools or advertising programs to help pages get more visibility and better targeting for their content and ads. I like Timeline a lot and the direction Facebook is going. It would seem, on the surface at least, they are trying to make their platform more valuable for Page owners, and a better experience for the users.

The tough part for many page owners was the loss of a Landing page/Welcome tab. This was a fantastic place to tell people: who you are, what you do, "benefits" of why they would like your page, and a call to action ("Like" us...). It also had a pre-qualification component built in to let people decide based on your page description whether they really want to hit that Like button or not. And if you know about Edgerank, qualified engaged Likes are far more valuable than the Like itself. As well, it is a branded component of your page to really separate you from the pack. Finally, without a Landing page, people are typically just dumped into conversations on the Wall, and may not really know what your Page is all about.

The Timeline Cover Photo, while perfect for branding has a lot of restrictions, so this cannot make up for a properly built Landing page. Here are the rules for your cover photo:





So are the Landing pages/Welcome tabs gone? Nope…big misconception. How they work is a bit different, however.

Let's dig in.



What you see above are our metrics for external referrers to our facebook page from 1/31 - 2/2712. This shows how people outside of facebook found our page. In the past, they would have landed on our Landing page/Welcome Tab. Now they can't...or can they?

Click the link below:

Talking Finger On Facebook

Did you land on our Wall? Or our Landing page? Unless someone came in and edited my blog to mess with my head, it was the latter.

Every Landing page and most apps have a specific URL associated with them. Having people from anywhere outside of Facebook land on your Landing page/Welcome tab is actually quite easy!

1. Go to the Landing page
2. Copy the complete URL address
3. Paste it wherever you are creating a link

I already went around to all of our platforms (Google+, YouTube, Twitter, website, even my LinkedIn and email signatures) to change the URL's to point to the landing page. It didn't take too long, and now everyone will still go where I want them to on our Page. Walla.

As well, any Facebook ads you run can be pointed to that Landing Page. Just simply copy and paste the URL into the destination field. So any ads you run, drive them there!

While that covers all external referrers, internal to Facebook it isn't going to help (if anyone figures out how to do it within Facebook, please let us know!) but what you CAN do is make your Landing page/Welcome tab the second tab in. Such as we have on ours:




Note the "Welcome to TF" tab. Now while people within Facebook may not land on this anymore by default, it is still available and still useful within the platform. As people get used to the new interface, I guarantee they will start looking for the apps and tabs in this area. If you title it well (Im actually iffy now on "Welcome to TF" and may change description to "Learn More About TF" or something clever- suggestions welcome!) people will be curious.

While you may lose a small portion of people within Facebook actually landing on your Landing page, I hope we have shown you some ways in which these will still be valuable assets for your marketing. So if you have one, don't fret! Just change what you are doing. If you are in the process of making one, go for it!

One final note, once someone hits the "Like" button, the page will not flip as before to the Wall. So in your description, or your call to action, you may want to instruct them a bit. " 'Like' us, then click here to go to our Wall".

We are currently redoing our landing page to accommodate the new call to action, but we really wanted to get this info out to you asap! So check back in a day or two to see the updated, full size and rocking landing page we are working on.

And if you send a letter to Zuckerberg, tell him Talking Finger says hello.

-Bill

Moo-ve on over, boring marketing strategies!

Today I was reading an article on Mashable about a start up company getting some major buzz. The company has not yet launched a single product, yet they have over 10,000 registered users to their website, 750 followers and over 3000 mentions on Twitter.

What makes the brand without a product so special? Simple: their website has a game called "Click the Cow". Its pretty self-explanatory, but visitors literally click the picture of a cow and earn 1 point. If they tweet about the page, or "like" it on Facebook, they get 100 points. The leader on their "Utterly pointless leadboard" has over 878,000,000 points!!!

Without selling a single product, this new company already has a strong following. I decided to check the website out, and all you can really do is register for a username, so I did. I have no idea what the website will be about, but I am already curious.

That is the crazy thing about social media, buzz can generate just from about anything. Regular marketing tactics don't work as well, and often, the most out-of-the-box or weird tactics catch users attention! That is what I love most about social media, you can be as creative as you want to and actually be YOU! Transparency is key, and if you can show users the fun, crazy you, they will be more likely to relate with you. So next time you have a crazy idea, just go with it, you never know what might catch someone's interest! Have fun!

Everywhere I Go...

{EAV:8b80eb30119da3de}
Just the other day I took my mother to her appointment at her chiropractor and noticed they had a sign taped to their door that said, “Like us on Facebook”. Another place that did something similar was The Paul Mitchell School of Hair. They had a sign up for people to write reviews for their haircut experiences on Yelp. I am starting to see things like this more often at a faster growing pace. I think people are just starting to realize the true importance of social media because I feel that it is at it’s peak right now. I just started a Marketing class at Gateway Community College and after the class ended I told my Professor about Talking Finger and what we do for businesses and she had mentioned that the textbook doesn’t mention anything about social media and that it should because of it’s growing importance. Social Media Marketing is almost comparable to Underground Rock Music. It’s there, but not everyone knows it exists just yet. But when they do it’s going to blow up even more.
-Chris Durso

Newest addition to the TF Family!

Hello!

My name is Dana and I am the newest addition to TalkingFinger! I first met these guys during the summer when I interned with them, and I am glad to be back!

I recently graduated from Southern New Hampshire University in December, a semester earlier than planned. I majored in marketing and minored in both social media marketing and fashion merchandising. My roommate and I were actually the first two day undergraduate students to graduate with a minor in social media marketing because the program was introduced just last spring.

First two undergraduate day students to get a minor in social media marketing!

I love that social media is so versatile and can be used by anyone. All over now, companies are directing people towards their Facebook or Twitter instead of their website. QR codes are popping up everywhere; even containers of strawberries and grapes now have them printed directly on them. Applications on smartphones also make it easy to access all social media outlets practically anywhere. 

After taking note of all of this, I knew it would be a good idea to look into the social media aspect of marketing. I feel that if a company does not look into social media, they will be left in the dust behind their competition. It is also a great way to connect with others and allows you to meet people you never would have had the opportunity to meet with otherwise. 

I am excited to be back and to learn all I can about social media from Bill and Erik. They are some of the best social media marketers out there and I am happy to be working along side them.

Trade Show Marketing and Social Media

The ever growing influence of social media marketing has opened up whole new worlds of available initiatives that can be integrated into your trade show marketing, both to increase attendance and engagement, as well as the bottom line. Proper utilization of these platforms and an organized strategy can dramatically increase the overall success of your trade show efforts.

Here are some practical tips to implement immediately for your next show, broken down by social platform:

Facebook:

1. Use your Fanpage to create an Event! Don't just post on your Wall that you are exhibiting, this has very little shelf life if your page is active. Creating an Event has many benefits: It is automatically posted to your Wall with a clean look. When someone registers, they get a continual reminder of the Event in their home feed. As well, their friends are notified that are attending, giving you even greater exposure. It is also easily shared among users. Do this a few weeks before the show. Be sure the Event includes a nice image and description including booth number, show info, and any initiatives for give away's (such as scanning a QR code or Twitter contests) to entice them to visit you! A bonus for those utilizing Facebook properly: If you have a personal profile set up correctly to have "lists, you can then use these lists to INVITE people through Facebook as well.

2. Create a Photo Album specific to the Trade show, and label it as the name of the show. This will help you organize pictures over time, and as well, it makes it easy to send people to a specific place on your page to look through pictures by show. In this album, post pics of your display, the staff, the crowd at the show…everything that shows your presence. Be creative!

3. Post a reminder a week before the show on your Wall. Be sure to TAG the show in your post if they also have a Facebook presence. This will put a post on THEIR wall as well. Be sure to include your booth number in this post. As well, if you are doing any give away's or other social initiatives (such as Twitter or QR codes) be sure to include this in the post.

4. At the show, if you can utilize the Facebook video app (and you happen to have a computer with a webcam) shoot a quick "hello" vid to announce you are there. We do this at every show, and we get a ton of feedback on it! A shot from a recent show:

Blogs:

If you currently have a blog, here is your chance to write the inside story about your trade show presence. Before the show, talk about the preparations you are making. Include any display upgrades (or that NEW display!), some give aways you are pondering on, or the pains of developing new graphics. After the show, post about the experiences you had during the show as well as after show activities, dinners and more. Blogs are meant to be the unfettered voice of your company, the place where you let your hair down a bit and let people connect on a personal level by reading about your trade show experience. Use pictures and/or video to enhance the experience. Be sure to use outbound links as well to your other platforms (for example, put a link to your Facebook page Event tab to have people register before the show, or to a full photo album on Flikr or Facebook after the show) as these are powerful for SEO.

Twitter:

1. Find out what Hashtag and Twitter handle is being used for the show marketing and interactions, and use them in your Tweets. This makes your Tweets available to not only your followers, but anyone following the show.

2. Tweet out during the show to give people a "real time" interaction with you. This brings them into your world, and if some clients or prospects couldn't come this time, it may entice them to come the next. Don't overdo it. Five or so relevant Tweets is enough per day. Use pics in a Tweet once in a while to enhance the experience.

3. Use Twitter for part of your give aways! Asking people to mention you to be entered into a drawing is a simple way to garner more attention and create some more followers. An example is given from a recent show we exhibited in. This was printed on 8x11 sintra and placed in our display area.

YouTube:

If pictures are worth a thousand words, videos are an encyclopedia set. Aside from the Facebook video post I suggested earlier (which may not feasible for many without a webcam ) you should be utilizing YouTube to create a video compilation for before, during and after if possible. Most smart phones have great vid cams now, perfect for YouTube! Video can be a powerful SEO and engagement tool. You could videotape the set up of the display and run it through iMovie or similar to create a time lapse fun vid, a member of your team doing a presentation, or just a quick pan of the exhibit hall. Again, this a great chance to be creative!

Flikr

You can use flikr to host all of your pictures. I still suggest putting a photo album on Facebook as users like the simplicity of going to this platform. The reason we add Flikr, is that when photos aretagged properly (such as with the show name) they are now Google searchable. So if someone searches for images for the PPAI show for example in Google, your properly tagged pics may come up, giving you additional exposure. Facebook photos are not found outside of Facebook.

QR Codes

We love them! QR codes started a couple of years ago with limitations due to the technology available in smart phones. Now, they can do almost anything you wish. Use them to bring people to a specific website, to download .pdf's, download a vCard, even use to create contests, sweepstakes or drawings! An example of a recent QR initiative we did is below, where we had people scan a QR to be entered into a Starbuck's card drawing. From this, we were able to gather a lot of info about them, and they are now connected to us. This was printed on a 30x30 coroplast and placed in our display space.

Foursquare

Geo-location/mobile marketing continues it's growth with more and more people on smart phones. Utilizing a platform like Foursquare, exhibitors can set up a location, and ask people to "check in" to enter drawings and connect. Some facilities may inhibit the reception of such location based apps, so best to be sure of the location if you can before you implement a large initiative around it.

We hope these basic tips will help you start or improve your social media marketing integration! Please contact us at 203-491-0306 to discuss specifics, or email us at generalmail@talkingfinger. Also, see our very interactive Facebook page filled with tips and tricks and information. We engage all day and night at Facebook.com/TalkingFinger

And post YOUR thoughts below, or on our Facebook page!

Hey Dood, Where's Your Website?

Several months ago, I did a post about companies who have opted to only put a Facebook Fanpage up on their television commercials instead of a website or other contact point. Since then, the use of this marketing platform has done nothing but grow, with many smaller companies, movies and TV shows now adopting this method.

They are also using Twitter and YouTube for their main points of contact.

Next time you watch some television, see how many YOU can find.

https://www.facebook.com/Proactiv

https://www.facebook.com/scopemouthwash

https://www.facebook.com/americanexpress

https://www.facebook.com/SNFonNBC

https://www.facebook.com/stride-gum

https://www.facebook.com/scion

https://www.facebook.com/HERSHEYS

https://www.facebook.com/Pringles

https://www.facebook.com/kraftmacaroniandcheese

https://www.facebook.com/AuntJemimaFrozenBreakfast

https://www.facebook.com/libmancompany

https://www.facebook.com/Homegoods

https://www.facebook.com/Snuggle

https://www.facebook.com/msnbcLockup

https://www.facebook.com/simplyorangejuice

https://www.facebook.com/wonderfulpistachios

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Enterprise-Rent-A-Car/17003167554

https://www.facebook.com/lumberliquidators

https://www.facebook.com/dodge

https://www.facebook.com/KillerEliteMovie

Facebook's New Look

I didnt plan on making a blog post…but Im sitting here checking out the new Facebook profile, and I have to admit, I'm really liking it! Just as I was complaining not two days ago about the changes with settings on our Home feeds that killed chronological order (since returned :-), I have to marvel at the superb job on the navigation and ease of use, as well as the totally cool features and apps available for them. Plus I think it just looks frikkin sweet.

I still need to experiment more with the privacy settings, and one or two other elements, but otherwise I'm impressed. It will take a little while for the average user to figure it all out, and seasoned vets of the digital landscape only a brief session. People coming back from a long hiatus from facebook will be a bit challenged. Especially the changes in privacy and "what am I sharing" questions with some terminology and list changes.

In any event, just wanted to give you a little of what my early perceptions are. I plan on sitting and writing my full thoughts once I explore it's capabilities a bit more, and what it could mean for businesses...oh yes! There is a method behind the madness (or something like that).

UPDATED: We created a great video series to help you through this change, including how to create and manage lists, privacy, using the Timeline feature and much more. Part one starts here: Timeline Video

And if you want YOUR new profile NOW, visit our Facebook page. There is a video to explain how you can upgrade now.