This will be my final installment of our “changes to Facebook” series, admittedly a bit later then I promised but alas we all get busy from time to time. In this final chapter I will discuss Ads and the Admin page.
On the users page in the top right corner a feed (or ticker) will be generated based on social content, such as “Larry Jones likes YourCompanies post”. It is a simple way of spreading the word to friends of fans, of course the challenge lies in posting content that your fans will “like”.
Sponsored stories act a bit differently. They come to fan’s homepages, mobile devices rather then appearing on the ticker.
There is also something new called the “log-out experience” wherein a user can chose to logout through your company’s Facebook page and be taken to a website of your (the company’s) choosing. Personally I don’t see a giant benefit to using this function, but I suppose it can’t hurt.
In place of the “Deals” from the old Facebook we now have “Offers”. They will appear in the newsfeed and can be a sponsored story but don’t have to be. You company will define the terms of the offer (availability, deal, etc) and fans will click to redeem via an email sent by Facebook. Offers are a great way to sell some products and get more fans that want to receive these offers, and they’re free!
The final bit of this blog is about where the magic happens, don’t worry, I don’t mean in an “MTV Cribs” sort of way, I am talking about the Admin page. I find it to be pretty intuitive in its operation however here’s a few important things that can be controlled from this page. First of all you can of course manage your content and users. You can create ads and offers. From here you will have the ability to share Facebook posts and email other users. There are some handy graphs and stats that if used properly can provide some interesting insights to how your page is being received. You will have the option to request Facebook for a name change. In the messages area messages can be turned off if you don’t want fans or non-fans writing on your timeline. You can reply to messages via the admin page however you cannot message individuals first.
My main advice with the admin page is to explore it for a bit and become aware of all the options and functions of the new Facebook.
So what is my final take on the Facebook timeline? I think it’s got its pros and cons. I think that there is some great potential for advertising and getting your brand established. I certainly wouldn’t rely on it solely to promote your company but I do think that any company serious about making their presence known on the web should definitely spend some time making sure that their Facebook page is attractive and populated.
Thanks for reading and as always your friends here at Timberline Interactive are always happy to help with any of your web business needs so don’t be shy, drop us a line at Marketing@tli2.com
Facebook for business. Changes, part one.
As many of you may know, Facebook is under going yet another change. While it’s available now if you’re ready for the switch, on March 30th all business Facebook pages will be forced into the new “Timeline” format. Now, there are going to quite a few changes and in an effort to keep these blogs from taking up your entire morning reading I am going to cover these changes in a couple (two or three) separate installments.
So today I am going to go over the Profile and Cover Images and Apps (formally known as “tabs”).
The Profile Image is the smaller image that appears on top of the cover image (banner image) in the bottom left hand corner. First of all the image needs to be square. It should be able to stand alone, as it will appear by itself often, but should also work well with your cover image.
The Cover Image is the large banner-like picture that appears at the top of the homepage. Unfortunately there are quite a few restrictions as to what this image can be. First of all the max image size is 815px width by 315 px height and a minimum size of 399 px wide. If you exceed the max or don’t meet the min Facebook will resize your image. Next you can not have any calls to action, that means no prompting to “like” the page, share the site or visit their website. You can have no contact info and no pricing or discount/sales information. You should stay consistent with your branding and can certainly have logos, taglines and product images but that is about the extent of the advertising you can do with this image space.
Apps used to be called tabs, and you can make your own, find premade ones online or just use those provided by Facebook. The thumbnails for the Apps are located beneath the like and message buttons on the right below the Cover Image. The thumbnail images are customizable at 111 by 74 px (anything smaller will appear centered surrounded by whitespace) with a 1 px internal border and, when clicked on, will expand to take up the entire page at width of 810 px. On the homepage up to four thumbnails will be displayed next to a drop down menu display your remaining (up to 12) Apps. The first (leftmost) thumbnail will be photos and cannot be changed from being in the first position, however you can choose what photo is featured in the thumbnail. The second will be, by default, “likes”, however, you can choose to place it anywhere in the order that your Apps are displayed, this goes for all other Apps as well. Basically you can choose the order of appearance of your Apps, with the exception of the first, being photos.
One of the unfortunate changes made to the Apps feature is that you can no longer set a default landing tab (App). Whereas before you could set your page to take visitors directly to the “like us” or “become a fan” page, now visitors will be taken right to the homepage. You can send out links to take people directly to an App but general visitors (like someone that used the search bar) will be taken to the homepage. The reason that this is unfortunate is that people when people are taken directly to the “become a fan page” is much more likely to do so than when people have to click on the thumbnail to get there, thus hurting your ability to network. You can have a lot of fun with Apps, using them to make games, client stories, recipe books and so much more.
In a few days I’ll have another post up to take you further down the Timeline. I hope this one was helpful and I certainly strongly encourage EVERY business to make a Facebook page as social media is a very powerful marketing tool, and in the kingdom of social media Facebook is king.
As always, if you need some help setting up your new Facebook timeline or need any help with your business website and marketing contact us at marketing@tli2.com , also don’t forget to check out and “like” us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/timberlineinteractive
The Only Audit You’ll Ever Ask For
Websites should be attractive, consistent with your company’s branding, and designed to sell. Sometimes a few little tweaks to your look and function can make a big difference in how well you are serving your clients.
Everyone wants their website to look top notch. Who wouldn’t? We all want to be represented in the best possible light. But let’s be honest, there will always be someone out there that has a newer, more creative, fancier looking site. Keeping up with the Joneses is tough on the internet, and constantly doing full site redesigns is not only difficult but expensive and time consuming. Now I am not saying a total overhaul is never a good idea, certainly if you haven’t had any major design changes in 5 years it’s probably time to invest in one. Short of starting from scratch lies a different option.
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It’s very difficult to judge your own website (or any visual representation of yourself or company), it’s often either one of two extremes. You either can’t stand it so much that you can’t see the positive aspects or you love it so much that you can’t see the flaws. That’s why on occasion it’s a really good idea to do what we like to call a “site audit”. Don’t worry we aren’t talking about the IRS rummaging through your files. All I mean is having a professional take a detailed look at your site. We look at your general visual design as well as the functionality, searchability, and how well it is selling your products. After doing so we provide a detailed report of recommended changes, why we suggest them, and an estimate on the amount of time it would take us to implement these changes. You certainly are not obligated to make these changes, or you may just pick one or two for now and keep the rest as a wish list!
A few of the areas that we will take our magnifying glasses to will be:
Basic visual design
Navigation functionality
Checkout processes
Search engine optimization
Product page organization
And much more
We have had quite a few of our clients take us up on this opportunity and make some of our suggested changes much to their benefit in profits and traffic. Don’t get left behind, drop us a line at marketing@tli2.com!
a pinteresting update
Our beloved client April Cornell added the Pin It button to their product pages and within the first day reported a major spike in sales! Way to go April!
See the blog below (two down actually) to learn more about Pintrest. Don’t hesitate to contact us at marketing@tli2.com if you have any questions!
Make the most of what you don’t have
I walked into a bakery the other day searching out my favorite cookies, (oatmeal chocolate chip) unable to locate them in the glass case I approached the sales person and asked if she had any. After taking a look around and checking with the baker she returned and informed me politely that they had just sold out of the last batch (it was admittedly late in the day). Perhaps sensing my disappointment she then offered me some fresh-out-the-oven blonde chocolate chip brownies. I had money in my hand, and I was looking for a treat so I said sure and walked home with a half dozen.
Now what would have happened if after asking for the cookies the young lady had just said “I can’t find any” and walked away? Most likely I would have left disappointed and found my cookies elsewhere.
This situation happens all too often on the web. How many times have you been to a website and used the search bar to find a product only to be met with a page that says something like “sorry no results could be found for your search” and leaves you at a dead end? You’ve worked so hard to get people to your site and they are ready to buy something and you’ve basically said “I can’t find any” and walked away.
Why not instead offer some of your other products? Have your failed search page say “Sorry we don’t have what you were searched for. Perhaps you would be interested in…” It doesn’t always work but it’s surely better then the alternative. It also gives you the opportunity to show off some of your other products that the viewer may not have been previously aware of.
Check it out in action here by searching for “jetpacks”, I assure they don’t carry them. www.memphisnet.net
If you would like to talk to us about setting this up on your site drop us an email at marketing@tli2.com!
Till next time, stay well and busy, make friends and money! Oh, and by the way, the brownies were great!
A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words
In the fast placed world of social media and its relationship with your online business there is a new rising star. Pinterest is becoming more and more popular with internet users and retail companies.
So what is Pinterest?
Simply put, Pinterest is a place to share pictures. But it does go a bit deeper than that. So a user makes an account (currently you must be invited or sign up for a invite waiting list) using their Facebook or Twitter account, (which you can disconnect later if you wish) Pinterest looks to see if any of your friends are using Pinterest and adds them to your “follow” list. You can also choose to follow more people/companies as time goes on. Your “boards” are essentially categories in which you post or “pin” pictures, say, of your products with a short comment. Your followers will either see your pins on your company’s page or on the “home” page that feeds in all followed users pins. Once a pin is made users have the ability to “like”, which simply adds to the tally of “likes” under the picture and depending on their settings, shows up on their Facebook and/or Twitter account. A user can also comment on the pin and/or “re-pin” which takes the picture and adds it to their own board, allowing their followers to see it.
Pinning it.
So there are a few ways to pin. You can simply upload a photo from you computer, easy enough, but what if you want to pin a picture you are looking at online, do you now have to download the picture then upload it to Pinterest? Nope, they have that covered, when you sign-up (or later if you want) you install a small program whose icon sits next to your bookmarks. Whenever you see an image online that you like and would like to add to one of your boards you simply click the “pin it” icon and all the images on the page pop up for you to choose from and you add your comments and poof, it is added to your site for all to see. The final way, and one I think all retailers should have, to pin an image is to have a button on your product page (like the Facebook or Twitter button) which allows any visitor to pin it to there own board.
Why should my company join?
Why not? Any way that you can get your products more attention should be done, right? Right. This is especially true with the pin it social button. It is all well and good to post products to your own boards but the real viral power comes when people pin them to there own board. Your Facebook friends probably already know about a lot of your products but when they pin them to their own boards it allows a whole new group of people to see your stuff. When their friends re-pin and their friends re-pin you have just exposed potential thousands of new people to your products.
When someone pins a picture or product to one of their boards they not only can link to your site but can also include a price. Not to mention these links will vastly improve your SEO, the more links out there to your site the better.
Another great SEO benefit is that, unlike other links such as Facebook, your analytics will be able to tell you exactly which product interested a potential client, giving you a good idea which products should be displayed prominently on your site.
Another great idea is to hold a contest. Challenge your clients to get the most re-pins or to show the best picture of one of your products in action. Handing out a 50 dollar gift certificate to the winner may be well worth the exposure that the contest generates.
Where do I go from here?
Check it out for yourself! Or drop me a line at Cburkle@tli2.com. I will be happy to give you some advice, set you up with an account or apply a pin-it button to your product page, trust me it will be well worth it.
Power of the written word
What do you do before making a purchase? Personally I do a few things. I look around for a good deal, I try to decide whether or not I really need said item, and I research, research, research. Part of my research is understanding the item, for instance, I recently set out to purchase a new television (my old one somehow managed to get a remote lodged in it during a certain sporting event). I realized I didn’t know the difference between plasma and LCD, so I looked it up and decided what technology was right for me. Then it came time to decide on a model. Let me tell you, there are a lot of TV models out there. I found a few that matched the specifications that I wanted and narrowed down my choices. This is the point at which the most important part of my research happens, product reviews. How many times have you done something or bought something simply because someone recommended it? People want to hear that others were happy with their experience in their own words.
So if you looking to make an online purchase and you don’t actually know anyone that owns the item where do you go? Savvy folks may have a favorite review site. Some may just type it into a search engine. Why not make it easier for your clients by adding review area to your product’s page! And how do you populate this review area you ask? Two ways, you can have a “write a review for this product” link on your product’s page and/or the more effective version, you have a self triggered email that requests a review from the recipient. You would be very surprised how many people will take a minute or two to write a few sentences about a product they love. Which brings up an interesting point. What about bad reviews or those few bad apples out there that might write something rude? Simple, your administrator must approve any review that gets posted to your site. Not to mention poor review gives you the opportunity to comment back to the unsatisfied party and the chance to show your great customer service. I also encourage you to put a few “three star” reviews as apposed to all “five star” just to show the validity of your review area. So how do you get this wonderful service? Simple again, you can add it to your site along with other custom email services in the email 6 pack upgrade (to be addressed in an upcoming blog) or by it’s self by contacting us at marketing@tli2.com!
Worried about not getting the bang for you buck? A client of ours recently added it to their site and within the first week had over 70 great comments over a bunch of different product pages. Take a look at bostoncoffeecake.com! The reviews are in the tabbed area under the product area.
In the end this is a great way to promote your product, encourage sales, and put a smile on your face for a job well done!
New Years Resolutions
The team at Timberline would like to extend a thank you to all those that worked with us though the holiday season! We know everyone was busy as people do more and more of their seasonal shopping online. In the doldrums after the holiday rush it is almost hard to remember how much we were all scrambling to make sure everyone was prepared to accommodate their respective clients. Perhaps this relatively slow time would be best used reflecting on the past month or so. Time for some new years resolutions! Maybe less sweets, more gym time, or throwing that pack of smokes in the garbage? That’s up to you and your version of Jiminy Cricket. What I would like to suggest is a bit different. I am encouraging you and your co-workers to take a look at the past year of business with emphasis on the end of the year. What went right? What went wrong? What would you have liked to have that you just didn’t get going? There is no time like the present to get started and your friends at Timberline are standing by to help you reach your goals! So drop us a line at marketing@tli2.com and we can start the progress train a’rolling. Make that wish list and let’s work together to ensure that we not only have as good of a year as last, but we increase productivity, efficiency and income! We hope that everyone had a happy, safe and fun holiday season and we look forward to working with all of you throughout the upcoming year!
Is Your Email Branding Consistent?
You work hard on your image on your website, but if you’re like many people, the branding on your emails may have slipped by unnoticed. Email design is important, it sets the tone. Your emails don’t just convey your company’s message they also help to build engagement with your brand. We now offer an Email Overhaul package where we’ll review all your outgoing email templates (abandon cart, wishlist notification, etc.) and will unify the branding for you to ensure that they are consistent and match your website look and feel. Email Andy today to find out more details on the Email Overhaul package and get started.
Caleb Burkle: Good question Dave. I am by no means a lawyer and I certainly would ta...
Dave: I've been reading a lot about the legal ramifications of pinning copyr...
Antonio Pike: Google announced a few weeks ago its version of the Facebook "Like" bu...
William Rill: Great write-up. I was getting itchy to jump down here and make a comme...
Eric Winter: I just wanted to add a note regarding analytics and Ad Extensions. F...