facebook, Online Marketing | SBX Media Edmonton

22 Sep 2011

Stuff We’re Trying – Offerpop

Tags: facebook, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Stuff We're Trying | Leave a comment

Let’s face it. Facebook is trying really, really hard to “be” the internet. It’s become the online hang out for you and your friends, it’s become a place that you share and store your pictures and videos, it’s your first stop when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you check before bed. Facebook wants you to spend as much time as you can on their site so they continuously introduce new features to help achieve this goal. Some of these features are great… others… well… not so much.

Facebook is also starting to really cater to marketers. They’ve come to realize that their site has become a goldmine for people like us. We’re the guys that buy the ads. If we’re happy and spending money, Zuck and the boys are bringing in the cash. Facebook is also working on making their platform more developer and marketer friendly. The work that they’ve done on their “tabs” application has opened up some new doors and it’s now possible to do just about anything within the Facebook platform.

Sample of the Contesting App for Twitter. Click image for larger sample.

Facebook application development has become a hot market lately. The idea of hosting a photo contest, sweepstakes, download promotion, etc within a Facebook page is an intriguing idea for those of us wanting to use the platform as a marketing tool. Creating your own application can be a bit of a daunting task. Not only does the application need to work properly and look good, it must perform within Facebook security rules.

Enter Offerpop…

There are a million different application developers out there but Offerpop is the one company that we’ve decided to run with. They have produced a series of Facebook applications that are both effective and easy to use. We’ve been able to use a variety of their applications with our clients and have been very pleased with the results.

Sample of the "Tug of War" Offerpop app

I really like that Offerpop creates applications with a purpose. Sure it’s fun to run a photo contest but there needs to be a reason for doing it. Offerpop allows you to fan gate your promotions and they ensure Facebook comments and other sharing tools are integrated into their applications. They know that their applications are being called upon to grow Facebook pages and market companies so they make sure their products are up to the task.

We’ve used most of the Offerpop Facebook applications over the past few months. We’ve been very satisfied with them so far and haven’t had any major issues with them. The campaign prices are very reasonable and they have a trial period that allows you to try before you buy.

Looking for applications to spice up your Twitter profile? They’ve got those too!

Overall… If you’re looking for a way to take your Facebook page to the next level, be sure to give Offerpop a try!

18 Feb 2011

5 Easy Ways to Build Your Facebook Fanbase From Scratch

Tags: building fans on facebook, facebook
Posted in Blog, Social Media Marketing | Leave a comment

For many new businesses to Facebook, one of the most difficult things to do is build a Facebook fanbase. To Facebookers, the more fans you have, the more credible and worthy your brand likely is of their attention. This leaves businesses just starting out on Facebook in a difficult position… so what are the best ways to build your fans from scratch?

Here’s our top 5:

5) Promote your page on all your collateral

The best collateral to advertise on, is those that live on the web, your e-mail signature, your Facebook profile description, add a widget on your website, on twitter etc. It doesn’t hurt to advertise your page on print collateral as well. Keep in mind that before you hit 25 fans, you won’t have a customized Facebook URL. So get 25 fans first, then start promoting externally.

4) Encourage your family and friends to become fans

A simple message to your close family and friends regarding becoming fans of your new page is a great way to reach that 25 fan threshold. Once you hit it, you may want to “suggest a page” to some of your other friends with a personalized message – to build a little more following.

3) Write engaging content

Social media needs to be “social”. If your simply talking at your fans about your products, or events – they’ll see through it and ignore you, or worse “unlike” you. To engage your fanbase, ask their opinion, ask questions, and most importantly, interact with them yourselves. You need to be the catalyst for conversation.

2) Run a Contest

This is sort of a gray area, because Facebook has Contest Guidelines that you should follow. Some common contests include “Fan of the Month” – where one fan gets recognized publicly, usually with some sort of reward – or, “Voting Contests” – where you invite your fans to vote on their favorite product, picture, etc. The best contests are those that can create a little buzz, the more people comment and “like” the more personal pages your link gets displayed on.

1) Use Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are hyper-targeted, and very useful. Once you have built a decent following, write some simple ads and target individuals likely to enjoy your page. Even with a minimal budget, you get new fans fast. Be sure to switch up your ads and targeting from time-to-time, this ensures your reaching all your potential fans.

28 Nov 2010

Going Viral

Tags: facebook, going viral, how to go viral, how to make viral videos, Search Engine Marketing, SMM, Social Media Marketing, twitter, Viral youtube, Youtube
Posted in Blog, Quick Tips, Social Media Marketing | Leave a comment

There’s been a lot of talk over the past few years about going viral. But what does it take? How do you make a viral video? Well, let me stop you right there. There is no secret formula for going viral. There are however, similarities between the videos that do.

With the emergence of many new social media networking platforms and their inter-connectivity through “like” and “share” buttons going viral is becoming easier than every before. This inter-connectivity is bringing people together, and creating new communities in every corner of the web.

So what’s common across almost all viral videos? Really only four things:

• An initial launch in an online community, with connections to place like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and more.

• A unique and interesting angle or concept.

• It becomes a topic of conversation.

• A celebrity, or someone with a lot of connections shares the video.

These commonalities are not absolute, but it covers the brunt of viral videos out there. The Numa Numa Dance on Youtube, The Old Spice “ The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, Diet Coke and Mentos and so many more follow these simple rules.

Here’s the final thing to keep in mind, the makers of viral videos never intended them to be as such big hits as they were. You can’t make something go viral, it has to happen on it’s own.

Need a gauge on your virility? Have a look on Viral Video Chart.

25 Nov 2010

Why Facebook May Just Kill Gmail

Tags: facebook, facebook mail vs gmail, facebook vs gmail, SMM, Social Media Marketing, the future of facebook, the future of social media
Posted in Blog, Social Media Marketing | Leave a comment

When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook is a huge powerhouse. Now with Facebook launching the initial details behind their Facebook Mail this past Monday, there is no doubt in our minds that they will retain their powerhouse status.

Facebook Mail’s biggest feature, besides tying in to your personal Facebook profile is its ability to categorize your e-mail. Here’s the deal. As a default, you only see the e-mails or messages from people who are your friends; anything else gets filtered into a separate folder. Say goodbye to spam. You can also customize which e-mails get sent where from senders outside of your Facebook friendslists.

Facebook Mail will also combine all of your emails, Facebook messages, SMS and other chats and conversations in one place. This one-stop-shop is aptly being called the “Social Inbox”. This simple inter-connectivity would allow you to interact on twitter from Facebook, or your phone or anywhere. The point is – Facebook is working to become the hub for all social communities, messaging and e-mail online.

Zuckerberg insists this new feature won’t make Gmail obsolete, but it’s really hard to say, if Facebook create the ultimate “social inbox tool”, it may do just that.

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