Facebook is changing and evolving all the time. Outdated features are being removed and new and more exciting features are added regularly.

These updates are added to make Facebook better and more convenient for its users.

If you want to succeed with using Facebook, you need to evolve along with it and learn how to manage it better. If you can use it better you will be able to take advantage of these changes and promote yourself better with it.

Three of the most important Facebook changes and how to make the most of them have been listed below.

Update 1. Subscriptions

Before, the only way users could get the latest updates from you or your company was through your Facebook page. People needed to like your page to get your latest updates. But now with the subscribe feature, people can just subscribe to your facebook profile. It’s like your profile has been made into a page. With this feature, your subscribers can check out all the public updates you post.

People actually like subscribing to public updates because a profile has a face and a personality, which is different from a page which sounds too official and salesy. When they subscribe to a profile it feels like they’re making contact with a proper human and not a brand. You need to take advantage of this and use your profile accordingly to form closer relationships with your subscribers.

So How do you use your Profile Effectively?

1. Promote your Profile

Promote your profile and encourage people to subscribe to your updates. Try and get as many subscribers as you can and increase your reach.

A good place to promote your profiles is on your website or blog. Facebook has introduced the subscribe button which can be placed on websites and blogs. This button displays the number of subscribes you have got too – all people have to do is click on the button to subscribe.

Another way to promote your profile is by displaying the owner of the Facebook page at the bottom of the facebook page. This will make it easy for people to locate the profile and subscribe to it. This can instantly increase the number of subscribers you have got, especially if your page has got a lot of “likes” already and is well managed.

The page owner can be displayed on the page by clicking on edit page which is located on the top right hand corner of your page.

Then visiting the “Featured” section and clicking on “Edit featured page owners.”

Here you can choose the page owners you would like to display on your Facebook page – choose the owners and save your changes.

You could also actively take part on Facebook to get more subscriptions – this can be done by “liking” or commenting on popular pages or on the updates of people you have subscribed to.

2. Share Different Kinds of Content:

When people “Like” a page they usually do it because they like something about it or because they want to receive updates from that page. Normally on your page, you share relevant content from your own blog and from other blogs. It’s the same with profiles you have to share useful content too, as people expect to see these updates – this is one of the main reasons why they subscribe to your profile, and when someone comments on these updates make sure you respond to them with comments and “Likes”.

Another important point you need to keep in mind, is to share anything interesting you come across. This could be funny pictures, interesting articles, etc. Your profile is different from your page and as it’s on Facebook, people will want some insight into your personal life. So make it a point to share some personal pictures, views, articles and images you come across.

Always make sure you use the public option when you want your subscribers to see what you share, as they can only see it when you share it with the public.

A great example of someone who uses their profile effectively is Mari Smith. If you visit her profile you will see that she not only shares her content and other’s content relating to facebook and social media marketing, which she is an expert in, but also all other kinds of interesting  articles and pictures. She also subscribes to other users and pages and actively “Likes” and comments on their updates. This is one of the reasons why she has more than 124,000 subscribers who actively “Like” and comment on her updates.

Update 2. Posting Facebook Updates

Before the posts that appeared in your news feed were the popular updates. These were the ones which received the most number of shares, “likes” and comments. The more the number of “likes,” shares and comments the updates received; the higher the updates were positioned, in your feed. This meant that the popular updates received the most attention. So if your post received many accolades it stayed at the top and received more and more attention. But with the recent facebook updates only the latest updates stay on top.

It doesn’t matter how many likes, shares or comments your updates get, they will still be moved down, as more new updates are posted.

So how can you take advantage of this new feature?

The best way to take advantage of this feature is to post more often. Normally people post updates only one or two times a day, but with this new feature you can actually post more often, maybe three to five times a day. You shouldn’t worry about people unsubscribing, as people will unlike your page only if your content isn’t helpful. If you share good, helpful content, more often, everyday, more and more people will subscribe to your profile or your page.

The best thing to do would be to share content from your blog once, content from another blog another time and ask your followers one or more questions which don’t lead to any link. People like being asked about their life and when you share an update which doesn’t lead to a link people will love commenting on it or liking it, it’s just like tweeting something without a link. When you tweet something like a quote or question which has no links, on Twitter, you will notice that many people will either retweet it or reply to it.

An e.g. of a Facebook page that does this right is the Social Media Examiner Facebook page. If you observe their Facebook page you will find that they not only share content from their blog every day, but also content from other blogs. They also post one or two questions each day. Questions like asking fans; how their day was, how effective is their social media campaign, etc. These questions receive responses through many comments and likes. All these updates by Social Media Examiner are interspaced by comments from their fans who appreciate all the great content they produce and asking more questions about Social Media which Social Media Examiner happily clear, making this a really good and interactive Facebook page.

So if you want to take advantage of the new feature, make it a point to post several updates each day.

Update 3. Tagging People

Now on Facebook you can tag your friends. When you type in@ and follow it with the name of the user they are automatically tagged. When you do this the person you have tagged is informed and they can check out why their name has been mentioned.

This might seem like something that’s not important and redundant, but it’s actually more important than you think. In the first webinar of Mari Smith’s latest webinar series, she mentions that relationship marketing is all about making people feel special.  When you tag someone and write their name in full, people will feel special about it and will treat you better or want to work with you. They will know that you took the extra effort to tag their name.

Even Leo Widrich of Buffer mentions this in his post “7 Twitter Habits to Adopt in 2012 to Double Your Followers”. In this post, he writes that on twitter when you tweet someone else’s post make sure you mention them and add a comment along with it – this will not only help you make a special connection with the user you mentioned, but will also help you get many twitter followers. This could apply to facebook too – when you mention someone’s name on facebook along with a good comment, you will not only make a special connection, but also increase your page’s likes or the number of subscribers you have got.

So at every opportunity you get make sure you mention your friend’s or your subscriber’s facebook name.

If you follow the above tips you will evolve along with Facebook and use it better to get more subscribers and build stronger relationships, which will prove helpful in the long run. Also make an effort to find out more and more about the latest facebook updates and use them to your advantage.

How About You?

What do you think about the latest Facebook updates?

Are there any other ways you can use these features effectively? What are your favourite updates?

Please leave your comments in the comments box below.

Guest Author: Mitt Ray is an inbound marketer and white paper writer. He blogs about Social Media on Social Marketing Writing. He blogs about white papers on The White Paper Blog and is the author of the book White Paper Marketing.

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Image by dearanxiety

It has been a big year in social media  and the relentless evolution of social publishing networks that are transforming how we communicate, market and do business.

The hesitancy to implement social media marketing is dissipating as many CEO’s and senior management have started to embrace the power of the social networks.

Some of the highlights included

• Google+ launched and reaches a user base of over 50 million by the end of 2011
• Twitter continuing to grow despite minimal changes and still no sustainable business model emerging (simplicity is still its number one feature)
• Facebook evolves into a more visual network with higher definition and larger photos featured in its new timeline feature
• Facebook commerce (F-Commerce) becomes established
• StumbleUpon makes a comeback
• Pinterest suprises everyone with it growth after only 12 months
• Tumblr starts to make headlines with its phenomenal user base

In looking at the most popular articles three things are apparent

1. Facebook is “the” social network that occupies most people’s focus and attention
2. Facts ,figures and statistics are always popular
3. Infographics are “hot”

Here are the top ten social media posts from 2011.

1. 50 Fascinating Facebook Facts And Figures

(64,446 views)

The rise and rise of Facebook is producing a scramble by marketers and companies to leverage its huge global database and traffic.

Google is looking over its shoulder as Facebook grows at over 10 million users a month and sits currently at number two on web traffic rankings according to Alexa.com.

Last year Facebook surpassed Google for the top ranking for total time spent online.

2. The 10 Best Facebook Campaigns

(59,911 views)

Facebook marketing campaigns seem to be going all warm, caring and fluffy recently as brands realize that solving problems and helping those in need can be a very effective marketing tactic.

Three of the Facebook campaigns in this list have an altruistic reason behind their campaigns, from donating $500,000 each to 20 schools to raising funds for the “Make A Wish Foundation”.

The marketing goals for the Facebook pages vary but quite often the simple goal of just increasing their fan count to their Facebook page seems to be top of the list as brands have worked out very quickly that being able to communicate to 1,000′s or even millions of fans via a simple status update is very efficient highly leveraged marketing. Companies have also realized that people’s main reason for becoming a fan for the most part is not so charitable, but is about having access to the latest special offers and freebies.

3. 20 Stunning Social Media Statistics Plus Infographic

(45,719 views)

Do you wonder why your productivity has dropped over the past 2 – 3 years?

There is a time sink and it’s not television!

Those of us who are connected to the internet and that is 2 billion of us, have been distracted by social multi-media publishing machines that are pumping out staggering amounts of content with enticing high definition images and videos!

You cannot escape their allure as they tempt you to log in when you are out and about with either with your laptop, iPad or smart phone.

These enticing, tempting distractions are robbing us of time that should be spent doing productive work like washing your car, cleaning the house or doing your tax… and I know how much you all enjoy those activities!

4. The 10 Best Social Media Campaigns

(18,735 views)

Since social media has become an integral part of our lives, marketers have used their creative talents to develop social media campaigns with various degrees of success which can be measured in a variety of ways.

One very successful social media marketing campaign that was run in 2009 was the competition for the “Best Job in the World” which was based on the simple concept of posting a one-minute video application on Tourism Queensland’s Web site explaining why you should be chosen as caretaker of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef and you might get to blog and cam your way through a six-month gig that paid about $100K U.S.

5. 30 Terrific Twitter Facts And Figures

(16,884 views)

Twitter has always suffered an image problem and is not usually taken very seriously by the general public. Its name doesn’t help with some people even saying that ‘Twitter is for twits’. Despite this glamor and brand problem this has not held back its growth after its humble origins and launch in 2006.

Since then Twitter has gained popularity worldwide and is estimated to have 225 million users, generating 65 million tweets a day and handling over 800,000 search queries per day. It is sometimes described as the “SMS of the Internet” and its 140 character limit keeps the messages short and simple.

Its attraction as a social web media platform is maybe in its simplicity and real time messaging that enables breaking news and information to hit the web instantly without filters and censorship.

6. 10 Top Small Business Facebook Page Designs to Inspire You

(16,732 views)

Facebook pages is the place where a lot of inspiring innovation, marketing and design is happening on the social web.

Major brands are often worth checking out as they can wow you with the the latest in innovation such as Facebook stores, inspiring embedded videos and designs that look like they cost a fortune. If you want to obtain some good ideas it is a good business practice to emulate elements of the most popular Facebook pages in the world such as Lady Gaga or one of the top company Facebook pages StarBucks.

7. Social Media Marketing – 10 Inspiring Infographics

(16,130 views)

n 2011 social media marketing continued to make its impact on business and brand promotions. Google+ was launched (with an investment of over $500 million in development costs), Twitter became embedded in the new Apple iPhone 4s and Blogging didn’t die.

Some surprising results and unexpected networks and social media platforms have made their mark this year .

• Tumblr is now attracting over 90 million unique visitors every month
• StumbleUpon driving over 50% of all social network traffic
• YouTube is attracting 50% more views than 2010 and threatening traditional TV advertising and marketing

8. How To Take Your Company’s Facebook Fan Page from Zero to 40,000 Fans

(15,761 views)

It was last year that I met a Facebook marketing specialist, Mike Watkins at a marketing event. I was impressed by his story about how he had taken the SUPRE’s fashion brand’s Facebook page from zero to 40,000 fans shortly after Facebook released the “Page” option to add to its “Profiles” and “Groups” membership options. I met him again recently for a video interview that I will be publishing in the next few days, in the meantime I would like to share his story.

9. 50 Awesome YouTube Facts and Figures

(15,322 views)

YouTube is a modern phenomena. The social media platform’s original concept is rumoured to have been inspired by the idea of being a video dating site with the unlikely title of “Tune In Hook Up”. In the end it launched as a simple video sharing site that has helped reinvent the web from a one way static channel to an interactive web eco-system (along with social networking channels such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter) that has enticed and compelled us to engage globally with other internet users using a variety of rich multi-media and social sharing platforms.

10. 50 Amazing Facts and Figures About Google

(14,154 views)

Google has become an integral part of our lives and the word has even become a verb as we are often heard to say let’s “Google” that. I have even heard the web giant referred to in hushed tones during heated discussions and when a controversial fact or figure is being debated across a dinner table or at the local bar as to whether it is true or false and a person will pull out their iPhone and say “let’s check Lord Google”.

What type of articles and topics do you want to read in 2012?

Read More:

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It was in 2005 that I noticed a trend that intrigued me and it was that teenagers were becoming obsessed with a social networking site called MySpace.

I didn’t create an account as it seemed a waste of time and I had more important things to do.

In 2008 I was invited by a friend to join Facebook and on signing in I was impressed by its clever programming and functionality that allowed you to connect with old friends and colleagues from college at the click of a button.

Over the next 12 months I observed that certain people became engrossed in Facebook and seemed to spend most of their waking hours updating their profile and uploading photos.

In 2012 that has not changed.

What has changed though is how it is used. Facebook is a place to play games like Farmville or Mafia wars. It is a website where you can now buy products and get specials. You can listen to music and upload videos. You can instant message and chat.

The creation of Facebook “pages” for business to participate has allowed the whole Facebook ecosystem to evolve at an accelerated pace.

Marketers have found it a vibrant place to engage and communicate with customers and it is socializing marketing.

So is it too much of a time sink that takes us away from things that should be done? Does social media in fact leverage our time and reduce the tyranny of distance?

Is Social Media a Waste of Time?

If you take a closer look then the benefits seem to outweigh the disadvantages.

Here are some of the upsides to social media

• 18% of people 50-64 years old use it to connect with others who have similar hobbies
• 17% use it to find “love”
• 50% use it to reconnect with old friends
• It is a source of entertainment as 250 million photos are uploaded  every day and there are 100 million videos to watch
• 41% of the class of 2011 used it to look for a job

Do you think social media is waste of time?

Why Social Media Isn’t a Waste of  Time

Courtesy of: Schools.com

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Facebook has become the online home for both people and business. It has become “the” social network .

Who would have thought that the result of Mark Zuckerberg’s broken heart in 2004 would would create a social network that is projected to reach 1 billion users in August 2012.

That is nearly one in two of every Internet user on the planet. (Maybe we should have more dramatic events in our personal life to provide the fuel and passion to change the planet and our lives!)

Should You Close Down your Website?

Some businesses have even made Facebook their primary web asset and closed down their website. (not recommended as Facebook has been known to suspend “pages” with no notice and no apparent reason).

Websites in the past were boring, text based, one way static platforms that didn’t allow conversation or communication (except for the ubiquitous contact form).

Many CEO’s are still loath to participate but this is diminishing as they are earning the reputation of being “flat earthers” for not realizing that the world is round and social. (remember Galileo who put forward the crazy notion of the world being round )

Facebook has changed the web dynamics and provides a ready to use multimedia platform and social network that communicates in real time with fans and customers. This provides instant feedback that is vital in a fast moving commercial world.

The “Big” Facebook Pages

So which brands and entities are the top performers on Facebook and collected tens of millions of Facebook fans?

Top Brands

• Coca Cola
• StarBucks
• Oreo
• Red Bull
• Converse Allstar

Top Superstars and Entities

• Lady Gaga
• Facebook
• Rihanna
• Eminem
• YouTube

How can You Increase Your Facebook Fans?

One of the best tips to increase your Facebook fans is to provide what is called “liquid content” which is content so contagious it cannot be controlled. This will make people visit and “like” your page.

I have had some fun lately on Facebook posting, images, quotes, cartoons and comics that are fun and sometimes seemingly frivolous but what I have noticed is that the engagement level has increased dramatically (by more then 50%).

This in turn drives your content further into the Facebook network and increases the likes through increased sharing. The other benefit is to improve your Facebook Edge Rank  and consequently more fans see your Facebook page updates in their Timeline.

The continuing evolution of a more visual web is what you should keep in  mind when creating or posting content. Highly visual content performs much better than text or links in driving likes and shares and commments. (but don’t forget to include deep linked content as it is your foundation)

The celebrities have the resources to pursue best practice with designers and developers on tap, but what are some basic tips to assist you with your goal of increasing your Facebook fan base.

7 Tips to Increase your Facebook Fans

These are the core principles that the major Facebook brands use to build their fan base and should provide you with some ideas to get you started.

1. Define Your Target Market

You need to know who you are talking to so that the words and content that you use are congruent with what they like.

2. Get the Tone Right

You need to act the same way your target market so as too gain their trust. Get to understand them

3. Identify which Types of Engagement are Effective

Have some fun and don’t be afraid to experiment. The reactions (or lack of) will be the guide for the engagement types you pursue.

4. Look at it as a Long-Term Investment

You are building an online asset and like investment in property or saving it will take time. So persist and be patient

5. Keep it Real, Relevant and Relaxed

It is important to be “you”. If you are a blogger then the Facebook page is an extension of your personal brand. Don’t force it

6. Create a Schedule for Updates

This doesn’t have to be complex. Once a day used to be the rule of thumb but I have been experimenting with 2-3 updates a day and it seems to be working well. A large brand such as fashion will need to

7. Monitor and Measure

Facebook Insights is a great tool that provides measuremenst of elements such as Facevook Fan growth and even Virality of your content.

So what success have you had increasing your fan count and what tactics have you tried?

The Importance of a Facebook Fan Base

Click Image to Enlarge
Source: The Importance Of A Fan Base Infographic

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Image by voodooangel

Nothing is forever and the rise of Google plus begs the question “When will Facebook be dethroned? ”

MySpace lasted 5 years as the king of social networks until 2007 after launching in 2002. Smart business heads such as Rupert Murdoch paid over a half a billion dollars for direct ownership, betting on the the future continuing success of MySpace and its longevity.

We now know that that business decision ended in tears, with MySpace being sold in 2011 for less than $40 million, as its user base continued to decline.

Facebook is not taking the private sale route but is going public this year with a market valuation estimated at $100 billion.

Google had attempted in the past to create a social media network as it knew that social networks were the future.

It launched Google “Buzz” and Google “Wave”, both of which were dismal failures.

In 2010, Google decided to get serious and invested over $500 million and incentivised management to achieve measureable social media success and its third attempt “Google plus” was launched  in 2011, into the crowded social media network market with no guarantees of success but knew that it had to do something to compete with the stickiness of Facebook.

Stickiness is a term that is used to describe the amount of time users spend on a platform engaged and using its features and functions.

Time Spent on Facebook

The numbers from Nielsen regarding time spent on Facebook compared to Google and other web properties are worth considering and reveal why Google had to launch Google+.

In May, 2011 Americans spent

• 53.5 billion minutes on Facebook
• 17.2 billion minutes on Yahoo
• 12.5 billion minutes on Google

In fact Facebook beats Google, YouTube, Yahoo and AOL combined, based on time spent on the platform!

Has Google Plus been a Success?

Paul Allen (who calls himself the unofficial statistician of Google+, as Google is very coy about its numbers) has estimated the following growth path of Google+ very accurately since its launch.

• July 13 – 10 million
• August 1 – 20.5 million
• October 1 – (Paul Allen estimates were a conservative 38 million) but Google’s Larry Page revealed that it was in fact over 40 million
• December 1 – 50 million
• December 27 – 62 million

He estimates that Google plus is adding 625,000 users a day and estimates that it will reach 400 million users by the end of 2012.

Is Google + a Hit Because of the Visual Web?

When Google built the Google plus social network it was obvious from the start that they had allowed for the increasingly visual evolution of the internet and social networks.

They have continued this focus by providing instant upload from the Google mobile android operating system that has 700,000 new activations every day.

An observation by Paul is also worth noting about the highly engaging power of photos for users and the Google+ users activity.

“One of the most exciting numbers I am tracking is around photos. Google+ users upload 5x more photos per day than Facebook users (perhaps because of Android instant upload). Google+ will be hosting about 10 billion photos by mid-January“.

You only have to look at the growth of Pinterest and also the much more visual focus of the new Facebook “Timeline” to realise the increasing  power of images and photography to engage people  on social networks.

Google+ and Facebook to Become a Social Network Duopoly?

It is hard to see that Google plus will surpass Facebook in the foreseeable future. But it is possible that with Google’s web and mobile properties of Google mail, YouTube, Blogger and the Android mobile operating system (plus other online assets) providing a ready user base of over 1.2 billion that it could rival Facebook.

This competing duopoly would provide a competitive environment that would lead to a continually evolving and healthy social media network ecosystem.

Maybe 2015 will see Facebook matched by Google+ as it does look likely it will pass LinkedIn as the second  largest social network this year.

Competition is always a positive environment that brings out the best!

What Happened in Social Media in 2011?

Source: ColumnFiveMedia

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• 50 Fascinating Facebook Facts and Figures
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• 50 Awesome YouTube Facts and Figures

Image by clasesdeperiodismo

It is projected that Facebook will have one billion users by 2013. The world has just over two billion internet users globally which means that nearly one in two people on the web is a Facebook user.

Facebook as a marketing medium cannot be ignored despite the misgivings of senior management (who grew up in the analog world of Print, TV and Radio) to commit marketing dollars to something their daughter uses to post Saturday night party photos on!

Many CEO’s do not know the difference between a “Brand” Facebook “page” and a personal Facebook profile!

The penetration of the digital social web world into our lives is not a fad that is going away, it is here and it must be embraced.

Bricks and mortar retailers are bringing down the shutters while online shops are feasting on their carcasses and going global with the viral marketing power of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Some Revelations

• 93% of Facebook users share shopping suggestions
• Brands are only responding to 50%  of brand page posts
• 80% of users who received a response to their post made a purchase as a result of the interaction
• 47% of companies have generated leads from Facebook
• 41% of companies have closed deals from Facebook
• Average cost of  obtaining a fan is $1.07
• Almost two-thirds of businesses surveyed use Facebook as their main marketing tool
• 87% of Facebook fans said they are satisfied with a particular brand. Only 49% of non-fans said they did
• The cost per click using Facebook advertising for e-commerce is 31 cents

1. Anatomy of a Killer Facebook Ad Campaign

Source: AES Connect

2. Social Media Makes the Sale

Source: AllFacebook

3. Digital Marketing Report

Source: Webmarketing 123

4. The Cost of Marketing on Facebook

Source: Flowtown

5. The Importance of a Fan Base

Source: KISSmetrics

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Image by _tar0_

Shopping is a form of entertainment for some and something to be more avoided than herpes for others.

Shopping brings some to tears, for the retail and fashion obsessed it is a joyous synergy and celebration of capitalism, consumerism and style.

Waiting for new designs to be launched at the favourite fashion store are waited upon by fashionistas with expectant excitement, like children waiting for Santa and his sleigh.

Sharing your shopping experiences was usually reserved to a chat over the phone with your girlfriends or while having a coffee or a quick liquid lunch.

Shopping has been social for a long time but now we have social networks that can enhance and accelerate that joy by being able to share in an instant with 200 friends at once on Facebook, rather having to wait for the weekend.

What is Social Commerce?

Social commerce is at a tipping point as Facebook brand sites with millions of fans integrate shopfronts into custom tabs on the social network platform and also enable sharing of those buying experiences at the height of the “retail high”

Social commerce is described as

“The use of social network(s) in the context of e-commerce transactions”

What is Omni Commerce?

If you want to get really funky the term “Omni-commerce” describes commerce as a multi-channel approach to retail that allows the consumer to buy from the channel that suits them at the time that is convenient, whether that be a mobile, a physical store or from the quiet of the laptop at your desktop location at home.

Nothing quite ensuring that your buyers can’t escape you whenever they have the urge to splash out on their latest fashion fix!

F-Commerce is Evolving

On Facebook the evolution of the socialization of commerce can be put into perspective by listing 7 key commercial dimensions of online social retailing that are now features of the Facebook commerce feature set.(as displayed in this diagram by Horizon Studios.

The combination of these elements combined with social and mobile (Geo-Location) is driving a retail revolution that at its ultimate offers to match the what you want with when you want it at your current location.

Is this “Retail Nirvana”?… the ultimate predictive personalisation of shopping and buying that combines

“What and When with Where”

Even Google’s Former CEO Eric Schmidt sees technology evolving to the point that

“…people will want Google to tell them what they should be doing next…we know roughly who you are, roughly what you care about, roughly who your friends are.”

The element to add to this is that with a mobile in your hand they “Google and Facebook” (and friends) also know where you are!

5 Top Facebook Fashion Brand Pages

So how are the top fashion brands on Facebook adapting to this technology revolution that will forever change the face of retail and how are they approaching social commerce on Facebook?

1. Victoria’s Secret

If you want to take a peek into how a lingerie brand manages to spread its message then Victoria’s Secret is a best of breed example. With over 16 million fans and deep pockets you may not be able to commit the budget and resources, but maybe you can take a staged approach to development.

The features worth emulating that are within its Facebook site are:

• A YouTube channel linked and embedded
• iPhone App
• iPad  App
• Ability to subscribe to the latest news and sales via email
• Get updates and alerts from your mobile
• Online video fashion show
• Reward cards
• Gift cards
• Wallpaper downloads for your desktop so you can have lingerie with you all day and into the night!
• Contests

2. Threadless

T-shirts maybe not be as sexy as lingerie but despite their humble origins as work wear, they have become as ubiquitous as denim jeans.

Threadless offer some functionality and elements that engage and reward their fans

• Vote for the T-shirts you like and add a comment (Crowd sourced research) – cost zero!
• Facebook shop (this takes you off site to their ecommerce store)
• Design challenge feature to further engage the customer

3. HauteLook

The rise of private membership limited time e-commerce sites drives the acquisition of email subscribers that allow you to push offers out to.

HauteLook specializes in the premium fashion brand vertical targeting women, men, kids, home, beauty, and travel.

Their Facebook page with over 470,000 likes is about creating awareness and sneek peeks into

The main feature of this site is acquiring more Facebook “Likes” to receive special Facebook Fan-Only benefits only. These include

• Facebook only sale events
• First look previews at upcoming events and products
• Facebook only coupons and prmotions
• Exclusive giveaways and sweepstakes
• Inter4views with fashion experts and designers

4. Lacoste

Lacoste is the second fashion brand in this collection that offers a Facebook shop and as with Threadless takes you to their ecommerce website for the actual product buying process.

Facebook for most brands is about spreading their brand Facebook like acquisition and engaging fans with special and exclusive offers.

One of the main drivers for consumers to “like” brands is to receive special discounts and coupons.

One feature that I like about this Facebook fashion page is its section on  ”How do you wear Lacoste” . It is about educating on how to dress with style.

5. Theory

Facebook is a multi-media social network so providing text, images and video are what your fans will expect. The “Theory” Facebook page provides a wide range of videos to display its fashion products.

Theory has several tabs that require you to like “Theory” to access exclusive content.

One other feature of this page is the iPhone app to be able to receive inside information and offers on your iPhone, which you will find under the “Theory Insider Poses” tab.

Takeaways

What are key elements we can learn from these Fashion Facebook pages that you could apply to your Facebook page

1. Offer exclusive content or offers to drive more Facebook “likes”
2. If your business model suits online shopping then include your store on your Facebook page A lot of e-commerce systems and platforms are now offering this feature this including “Magento”
3. Make your page Multi-media rich so as to engage your fans
4. Run customer research (eg Threadless) surveys so you can continually refine your design and production according to your customers feedback. It will save you time and money
5. A custom “Welcome” tab is much more inviting than landing on a “Wall” as ytour entry to a brand or business Facebook page

More Reading

• 5 Top Facebook Apps to Market your Business and Brand
• 15 Tips for Selling on Facebook
• F-Commerce: 10 Tips For A Successful Facebook Store
• F-Commerce: Is Facebook The New Shop Of The Future?
• The Top 10 Luxury Brands with the Highest Facebook IQ

Recently I bought a brand new SLR camera. It had all the right features,18 mega-pixels, interchangeable lenses and high definition video.

I didn’t do much research but purchased it because a work colleague who is a expert and passionate photographer recommended it to me.

After reading a compelling novel I am sitting around over a coffee and tell my friend that the book  is so good that I couldn’t put it down! Later that week they either buy it online or pick it up at their local book store.

I hear a catchy tune on the radio or on Facebook and I have to tell my friends about it and  also share it on my Facebook page.

The power of social proof and word of mouth drives a lot of our actions. We all are time poor and our observation of the actions of others drives behaviour and actions.

Facebook wants to take these personal recommendations from offline to online and take word of mouth to a whole new level.

A social graph of world of mouth and actions!

Facebook Wants to Own Your “Verbs”

In September Facebook announced some changes to its technology called the “Open Graph“.

We have all become used to using the word “like” on Facebook and even the words “shared” and “commented“.

The Facebook “Open Graph” is designed to take the generic “like” to a whole new level with specific actions of your friends able to be openly shared and shown on your Facebook page by allowing Facebook app developers to build these action words into Facebook.

One of the first verbs to be (a verb is an “action” word) tested and trialled on this new Facebook “Open Graph” that was announced at the Facebook f8 developers conference is “listen”

The power of displaying these “action” words such as “listen” is the ongoing development of  Facebook apps such as “Spotify” that openly share your actions on Facebook.

These “actions” are now becoming evident and are appearing in the “Ticker” of your Facebook page such as displayed in the screen shot above.

This makes it easy to discover what your friends are listening to and enjoy the music as well!

The Power of Facebook’s Open Graph

Facebook worked with a dozen developers to implement and test the new “open graph” with music which has a high social motivation to share.  This was done to display the power of integrating people’s actions into the ever deeper and broader social web with the key action of “listening”.

The results according to the Facebook Developers Blog are significant! Here are six social music apps that you may enjoy and be inspired by!

1. Spotify

Already one of the defining social music apps on the web, they expanded to the US this summer and “added well over 4 million new users” since f8.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. Earbits

Y Combinator-funded startup built by a team of musicians “saw a 1350 percent increase in the number of users” becoming fans of the band they’re listening to.

3. MOG

Their uniquely social business model has “led to a 246 percent growth in Facebook users” since f8.

4. Rdio

Their strong social ecosystem has “expanded with a 30x increase in new user registrations” from Facebook.

5. Slacker

Available across mobile, TV, auto and web, Slacker “saw a more than 11x increase in monthly active users in the month” following f8.

6. Deezer

Based in France, they’ve “added more than 10,000 users per day” since finalizing their Open Graph integration.

It’s still early, but these results show that the Open Graph can be a powerful discovery mechanism for users and drive significant actions, sharing and traffic growth for brands that tap into the leverage of Facebook’s open social graph.

What’s Next?

The possibilities for this are almost endless and will change the way we use the web and also will influence our actions on Facebook and websites where these “action” words are integrated.

Ebay, one of the worlds largest online stores has announced it will be integrating Facebook’s Open Graph into its eCommerce platforms and online stores.

“Available today for developers and retailers, Facebook functionality will be integrated into eBay Inc.’s X.commerce open commerce ecosystem. This gives third party developers access to eBay’s global commerce technology, including the Magento open commerce platform. More than 100,000 retailers worldwide who use Magento will soon have a seamless way to enable their customers to use new sharing options including ‘want‘ and ‘own‘ buttons as part of a new social shopping experience.”

Social business has truly arrived and people’s social actions will have consequences for commerce.

The Takeaways

There will be many ways these changes will play out as business and brands start grappling with the implications of the changes that Facebook’s Open Graph will bring to the web and commerce.

• Companies and brands will need to look more closely at developing “Apps” using Facebook’s Open Graph that will spread their brand and buzz with relevant action words whether that be “Run” for a Running app or “Cook” for a food brand.
• Online stores will need to seriously consider embedding social commerce in their online store ecosystem that spread action words such as “want”, “bought” and “owned”
• Charities and non-profits may want to look at building apps that include verbs such as “donated” or “volunteered” into Facebook’s Open Graph

What action words and verbs are important to your business, brand or organisation?

More Reading

• Do Shared Links Last Longer on Twitter or Facebook
• What 3 Content Types Drive the Most Interaction on Facebook
• How to Increase Your Blog Traffic by 55% with One Button
• 5 Motivations for Sharing Content
• 20 Ideas for Social Media Content that Engages
• Is it Better to Share on Google, Facebook or Twitter?
• 9 Questions to Ask your Customers When Creating Content

Google+ “Pages” is now available for  business and brands after initially announcing and launching its Google+ social network in June that initially only allowed personal profiles.

Google+ Announces Pages for Business and Brands

Google+ even removed and terminated brands that set up accounts using the personal profile. Some businesses were allowed to  stay for testing purposes including  the Ford Motor company.

Google+ is now officially launched and open for business!

• So what are the main features?
• What has Google included and excluded with the functionalities of Google+ for brands and organisations on launch?
• How do you get started with Google+ for your business?

What Google+ Pages Do Have

Google + pages will be a work in progress as most social networks are when they start. Facebook’s ecosystem is a much richer and deeper platform than when it started 7 years ago. Evolution is also a natural occurrence online.

So what are some of the major features that have been launched with the new Google+ “Pages”?

1. Allow Local Businesses to Create a Page

This enables customers to easily connect with with the business’s physical location and  include a map, address and phone numbers

2. Google+ Pages includes Circles

The default circles include

• Following
• Customers
• VIP’s
• Team Members

3. Conduct Hangouts

This duplicates the feature as seen in the personal profiles.

4. Share Photos, Videos and Links

This is the same as personal profiles and Facebook

5. Google+ Allows Multiple “Pages”

Similar to Facebook even though you access your “page” through a personal account you can choose what profile business or personal you want to act as.

6. Total +1 Counts

As distinct from personal profiles an overall Google +1 count will show on a Google profile “page”

This will provide “social proof”  of the popularity of a brands website which is a not a function for the personal profile G+ badge.

What Google+ “Pages” Don’t Have

The Google+ pages are a very simple start that at first glance looks almost immature (we have become accustomed to what is now a very complex Facebook platform.)

What must be kept in mind is that any social network is a “work in progress” that will continue to develop and grow.

So some of the “missing” essential features that people have become accustomed to on Facebook may appear in time as Google+ pages “grow up

1. Multiple Admin

This is not currently available but is coming apparently

2. Custom Vanity URL’s

Just like Facebook when it launched its pages you were given a very big “number” not your name or brand. There is no information on when that might change.

3. Google+ Fans will not be able to Post Directly to a Wall

Currently you cannot post directly to a page but only offer comments on a post

4. Google+ Pages do not Allow “Games”

I don’t know about you but I am not going to be shedding tears about this feature not being included

5. You Don’t have to Verify you are a Company or Business

At this stage you don’t have to validate your company credentials (I am sure this is an initial expediency measure to ensure fast take-up).

Google+ will be providing verification badges in the future that will assist in ensuring brand “pages” credibility.

6. Pages Cannot Follow People

You can only follow people after they have first been followed as distinct from Twitter’s rules

How to get Started with Google+ Pages

Just like Facebook you do need a personal account to get started

Step One: Start at Your Personal Profile

Open up your Google+ personal profile dashboard and start the process.

Step Two: Choosing Your Business Category

Start creating your page by selecting whether you are a local business, product or brand, company, institution or organisation and the other options.

Step Three: Adding your Brand Name

This includes adding your website URL (website link) as well as your business sub category and ensure that you make it public.

Step Four: Customising the “Pages” Profile

This is where you write what your business is about ands upload the company and brand logo

Step Five: Optimising, Sharing and Connecting

You can embed a snippet of code in your website or blog that allows people to link and connect to your Google+ “page”. It also provides you with the URL for your business “page”

If you are not confident with adding it get your developer to do this for you.

I look forward to seeing the unfolding the evolution of Google+ for business and brands as there will be a lot more to come.

This is just the start of the journey for Google+ pages and its integration into search, localization and mobile and the continuing development will offer a viable alternative that businesses and organisations should not ignore.

Will you create a Google+ “Page” ?

More Reading

• Will Google+ be the Second Biggest Social Network in 12 Months?
• 7 Reasons Why Google+ Drives Hyperactive Engagement
• How to Increase your Google+ Followers
• Google+ Sets New Growth Records
• Google+ Hits 25 Million Users in Less than One Month
• 50 Fascinating Facebook Facts and Figures
• The 10 Best Facebook Campaigns

Not every one needs an app. Not every app needs to be social. But Facebook just provided a lot more motivation for marketers to include a social hook in any app made for Facebook and mobile devices.

Reporting from the F8 Developers’ Conference in September, David Berkowitz of Ad Age says Facebook will soon generate a billion social actions every hour. The boost has to do with changes to Open Graph.

As Berkowitz explains,

“Applications using Facebook’s Open Graph now can ask for permissions to persistently post to a user’s Facebook profile, which has been rebranded as the Timeline. Better still, the actions themselves can be customized. Rather than simply ‘liking’ a story or page, Nike+ users can say they ‘ran’ a certain distance, or FoodSpotting users can say they ‘spotted’ a dish.”

Nike+ Social App

Foodspotting Mobile Social App

What’s Open Graph?

At the core of Facebook is the social graph, the connections people have with all the things they care about. Facebook created Open Graph protocol so that the social graph could include pages people “liked” anywhere on the web.

Open Graph protocol is metadata, or “data about data.” And Facebook is currently extending Open Graph to include arbitrary actions and objects created by mobile apps. Just as the “like” button has spread to websites far and wide, the arbitrary “likes” expressed in apps will now be part of the Facebook experience, as well.

More Than Likes

As Mark Zuckerberg says, Open Graph metadata “puts personal and semantic meaning behind the Web — I like this band. I am attending this event.” Or “ate” here or “spotted” that. The list of potential verbs stretches as far as the imagination, giving data more nuance and granularity.

Open Graph also may challenge the idea of traditional search engines themselves. By linking Facebook to all other websites with the “like” button, Facebook moved into second place behind Google in traffic.

So what will happen when Facebook links to apps with more and more “like”-like verbs? As Berkowitz stated, a billion actions per hour, a new kind of interactive social search engine.

If You Don’t Have A Facebook App, You’ve Disappeared

That’s why companies and marketers are rushing to make them: Many believe that customer actions on Facebook and mobile devices connected to Facebook will become the new standard for searching and finding information. Not just a standard, but an entirely new form of the web, really.

Enough companies are rushing into the app market that apps have become easier than ever to make, too. Companies like San Francisco’s Involver make a wide range of ready-to-use app packages.

• Professional level apps include ways to customize your company’s Facebook Welcome tab and bring in all your content from blogs, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
• Business level apps include ways for customers to add your badges to their Facebook page or an app for gifts.
• Enterprise level apps raise the bar, with promotional contest apps, social catalogs and ratings and review functions.

These are all extremely easy ways for companies to get off the fence on app creation and move in the direction the social web has already headed.

As with most things in technology, the network effect is strong and sharp and rarely looks back at anything other than antiques.

So are you using “Apps” for your business?  Are they mobile or Facebook “Apps”?

Read more:

• F-Commerce: Is Facebook The New Shop Of The Future
• 30 Fascinating Facebook Facts To Tell Your Friends
• How To Increase Your Facebook Page Fans by 1,000%
• How Effective Are Facebook Ads

Guest Author: Adrienne Olds is the Marketing Manager at Involver

Image by Ben Terrett