Top 5 Facebook Brands With the Most Likes: What they are doing right.

Some companies have a social presence, and some companies have a social empire.  Correctly taking advantage of social media can work wonders for anyone’s business.  To get an idea on how to make yours thrive, you have to take tips from the ones that are doing it right.  Now obviously, these are all million dollar companies that everyone has heard of, and they would probably have fans on Facebook in the millions, even if their strategy was non-existent.  But when any page hits 30 million likes, you know they are doing something right.  Hopefully you can take a few ideas and apply them to your business.

5. Red Bull-29 million likes

Red Bull’s social media draw comes not only from their inventive methods for fan interaction, but from their traditional marketing efforts as well.  Red Bull has done what a lot of brands fail to, which is choosing their target market, sticking with it, and claiming it as their own.  In this case, they have targeted the extreme athlete with brutal effectiveness.  Where other brands have shied away from this demographic due to the fear it was too edgy, Red Bull saw potential, pounced on it and never let go.  Now with their base audience already in place, they took advantage of Facebook by creating a community including pictures of extreme athletes, utilizing YouTube videos and creating eye-catching content.

4. Starbucks-31.5 million

A large percentage of Starbucks’ posts are pictures of their insanely overpriced, yet irresistible drinks.  It can only help the bottom line when millions of customers view a drink on their page and all of a sudden have a craving for the crack dealer of coffee shops.  Starbucks also includes deals and contests to boost interaction, as just pics of products are not going to hold their fans interests.  Especially, after they look at their credit card statements and notice $5 per drink a day adds up quickly.  They also utilize location-based app Foursquare at all their locations, and integrate all of their social media platforms.

3.  Converse-32.8 million likes

Converse’s page is all about fan interaction and they encourage feedback and engagement with a minimal amount of their own content.  They even let their fans have free rein on their page by allowing comments from anyone, as long as they follow certain “rules of engagement”.  This may consider risky by other organizations, as this allows room for pranksters and spammers, but in the end, most of these comments are ignored and their fans realize this is the price to pay with their open forum.

2. Disney-38 million likes

Disney is an iconic brand, image, and a lifestyle for some people.  Disney’s page utilizes this to their advantage by posting their characters and quotes from their movies all over their page.  In turn, Disney enthusiasts share these posts on their personal pages spreading their message all over the world with one click.

1.  Coca-Cola-49.2 million likes

Coca-cola is a worldwide phenomenon which doesn’t hurt in the fan department.  And to get to the number one liked Facebook page status, they incorporate several strategies, one of which was “America’s Favorite Park Contest” where they provided a $100,000 grant to the winner.  They also include pictures of Coca-cola products in various settings with the time of day.  For example, one picture shows a can of Coke in a hand at a pool stating “2:30 pm @ the pool” asking fans to check-in.  They also show famous athletes with a Coke in their hand to let you know it’s ok to drink 50 grams of sugar per can and still look and perform great.  (What they fail to tell you is these athletes also burn 2,000 more calories more per day than your average office worker).

 

 

 

I can now see who viewed my profile on Facebook?!

We, the Facebook faithful have waited years for this day.  Big businesses and tween girls alike have been wondering when this day would come.  For today is the day we get to open the curtain to reveal who viewed our updates and what creepers are checking out our beach pics.  Yes, you can now see who views your posts on Facebook!!!!!!!!

Please reveal what’s behind curtain number one!

Well, there is going to be disappointment and heartache, because if you were expecting a Mercedes, you just got a scooter with a broken kickstand and a missing mirror.  This feature is only available for posts within Facebook Groups.  Yes, so for the few of you who even utilize the groups feature, it will be limited to the friends in that group (I know, yawn).  Here is a pic of what the viewing feature looks like on groups straight from Facebook:

We were tricked!

Sorry for the let down, but let’s look at the bright side.  This may be a test for a universal introduction to all of Facebook.  This has yet to be seen, but keep in mind that Facebook has run these “tests” before, only to introduce these sorts of features on a larger scale.

Why wouldn’t Facebook introduce this feature site wide?

Think about how much of your time on Facebook is spent checking out posts and pictures of “friends” (and I stress the quotes) that you wouldn’t otherwise look at if they knew?  I realize most of you will deny it, but you know you’re only lying to yourself.  This means fewer people spending time on Facebook, which equates to less ad revenue.

How can small business utilize this feature if it ever becomes available outside of groups?

1. Well, Facebook already does a great job with their analytics, letting you know what demographics your views are coming from, and allowing you to adjust your strategy accordingly.  With that being said, knowing who is engaging the most on your site can help you in striking up interactions with people who have read your posts, but didn’t leave a like or comment.  For instance, you can direct a question at them or ask them to share with their readers.

On the flip side, you might scare certain fans away, as they might skip your future posts, so they are not mentioned again.  Therefore, I would utilize this tactic only for people you know, or those that you wouldn’t mind reading your content anymore.

2. This feature can also help you with trying to attain new engagement.  If you see that you are constantly getting views from the same fans or friends over and over, it would be in your best interest to include some content that appeals to other fans along with your current posts.

But for now this feature remains chained up in the Facebook Group closet, that few of us use or will ever see.  Depending on what side of the fence you’re on, you are either jumping for joy (stalker), or extremely disappointed (voyeur).  If you have an opinion, whether you are for or against the viewing feature, please let us know by leaving a comment.

How Do I Get More Traffic to My Blog? Some under-utilized and little known tips for more views.

I am your typical blogger and I post and I post and I post, but nobody seems to care.  Is my content that bad?  Do people not like me?  Am I incredibly boring?

Does this sound familiar?  Before you get all self-conscious and start your way over to the ledge, you should know you are not alone.  A lot of self-proclaimed experts will say content is the most important way to gain readers.  I say you can have the best content in the western developed world, but it doesn’t matter if nobody is there to read it.

If a blog with the best content falls in the forest and nobody is there to read it, does it make an impression?

Absolutely not.  Now don’t misconstrue my point because your content is very important, but the purpose of great content is to gain subscribers, not initial readers.  To gain readers, you must have exposure.  It’s just like any other business.  You can have the best idea, but without strategic marketing you will fail.  It also works vice versa.  You can have a mediocre product, but great marketing can make your  average product sell at an incredible pace.  Just take a look at the energy drink market.  It is saturated with so many different brands, but Red Bull and Monster seem to stay on top.  Is this because they taste so much better than the competition?  Nope,  they pretty much all taste like crap.  It’s because they are marketing geniuses and their name is branded to their target market everywhere you look.

Same goes for your blog.  I’ve seen many incredibly popular blogs with average content, and some unknown blogs with incredible content.  The difference is how you market it.  Let’s take a look at some ways to boost your blogs’ popularity, in turn boosting your business.

1.  SEO! SEO! SEO!

When it comes to new visitors, your search engine rank is the most important tool in your arsenal.  There is no substitute for coming up as the first link when someone is looking for info on your blogs’ subject.  The blogs that get this right are the most popular 90% of the time, no matter if they have average or stellar content.  Don’t underestimate the laziness of web surfers.  Typically, your average person will believe the first link is the best when they Google something and will not continue on to the 3rd page to find a better site.  Now, SEO is definitely not under-utilized, but some tools that make it easier are.  One tool that can help is an app called Market Samurai  http://www.marketsamurai.com/.  What this tool does is help you to determine what keywords will drive the most traffic to your site by increasing your rank on your search engines.  This is just one tool in the vast ocean that is SEO…..there is so much more that can be utilized to boost your rank, it’s overwhelming.  The key is to choose the best strategies for your particular blog.

2.  Participate in online communities where you will find potential readers.

Networking in person is an extremely important part of building your business.  Going to trade shows, attending local business meetings and making local connections are all extremely important when trying to find potential clients.  The same goes with an online community.  Joining communities where you can find like-minded people who would be interested in your blog is essential to building up your name.  A great tool to use to find out where future readers might be hanging out is Google’s DoubleClick Ad Planner.

Just type in a well-known site about your writing subject, and it will let you know what other sites the same readers are going to.  A word to the wise: Don’t just go in to your new community posting links to your blog.  This is a sure way to be outcast.  (Click here  for a great post which advises on how to correctly comment on other blogs to gain exposure).  You need to build your credibility and relationships with already established members, then slowly you can get your blog out there.

3.  Make content pinnable.

Pinterest is a proven platform to drive traffic to your site.  As you may or may not know, Pinterest utilizes images and visuals on their site.  Therefore, when you are promoting your posts on Facebook, include an image with your site address included.  Not only does this make your info pinnable, studies have shown that sharing FB posts with images receive more clicks than those without.

4.  Post unique content

One of the most feared questions when in a job interview is, “What set’s you apart from the other 1500 applicants that applied for this job?”  Your answer to this can make or break you.  Same with your blog.  What sets your blog apart from the other 500, 000 blogs on your chosen subject?  I recommend that for every 2 posts that can be considered easily found online on any given subject, you write one post that is unique.  For instance, if you have a dog boarding business and blog about behavior in certain types of dogs, you can be pretty sure that you are not the only blog with info on a labrador retriever.  Therefore, you should try to write a few posts here and there about rare dogs.  You can be assured that the number of blogs containing the behavior of a Portuguese Podengo will be lower than that of a labrador, therefore increasing your place in search engines and potentially gaining new readership.  Click here for info on how to construct great content for your unique post.

These are just a few of the littler known ways to get your blog noticed and gain some more  subscribers.  For more on this subject or anything else, feel free to leave a comment or visit connectededge.com for contact info.

LinkedIn Hacked: Why you should not use the same passwords for multiple sites

If you think you are not at risk because your LinkedIn account is not a big deal, think again. 

For those that don’t know, LinkedIn was hacked today and 10% of account passwords are now showing on a (you guessed it) Russian site.  For those that are brushing this aside because you only use LinkedIn once a month, beware.  I bet 75% of you have the same passwords for multiple sites.  This is a common occurrence, and cyber thieves know this all too well.  If they got into your LinkedIn account, they now know where you live, work, who you know and possibly your phone number.  Right now, they could be assuming you have a cell phone and are trying out your LinkedIn password to break into your phone account and retrieve your bank account or credit card info.  This is pretty simple considering the chances are you are using one of three carriers, and your username is probably your phone number.

For your reference, here is how to change your password on LinkedIn:

Hover over your name in the upper right hand corner of your page —->Click on settings

Then click on change password

The last step is to CHANGE ALL OF THE PASSWORDS TO YOUR OTHER SITES THAT HAVE THE SAME ONE.

LinkedIn: 2 New Features Businesses Need to Utilize

If your business is not on LinkedIn already, you are missing out on incredible lead generation and networking ability.  LinkedIn cuts out all the unnecessary personal interaction/filler of other social networks and focuses on getting down to business.  You always know there are 2 types active on LinkedIn. 1.  Those looking for work and 2. Those creating work.   Therefore, there are so many opportunities to be tapped into to gain leads.  Today, we will focus on the most recent features, Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics.

1. Targeted Updates

This is my favorite of the 2 features and allows businesses to target all communication and updates to others according to the following categories:

• Company Size
• Industry
• Job Function
• Seniority
• Geography
• Including/excluding company employees

2. Follower Statistics

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, LinkedIn now offers analytics for your business page.  You can view all of the important stats that will help you determine what you are doing right and wrong on your LinkedIn account.

Make sure to take advantage of these features when utilizing LinkedIn.  They are free and provided to make your user experience a bit more friendlier.

Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32323/LinkedIn-Launches-More-Robust-Content-Targeting-Reporting-Options.aspx#ixzz1v4F7gmRc

Facebook Timeline Appearance Part 2: Creating custom tab images

Picture this.  You are walking down a city street with 100’s of pedestrians that pass you by, most of which you do not give a second glance.  Then that one diamond in the rough catches your eye.  You do a double take and almost run into a street light post.  You want to know more about them.  What do they have to offer?  Are they single?  Do they have the same interests?

The rules of attraction are universal and can be applied to most anything, including your Facebook timeline.  What you say?  Yes it’s true.  You can turn your page into the one diamond in the rough that users can’t ignore.  The one that draws them in and makes them want to know more about you, your products, and your services.

At the end of Part 1, I promised that I would provide guidelines on creating custom tab images.  I realize that many of you may think this is not that important, and you have a valid argument.  But with the horrible, sudden end that Facebook dealt to default landing pages, the appearance of your timeline is crucial to getting the attention of fans.  No longer can you force likes, or guide users where you want (I miss those days too). Therefore, it is up to you, or whomever you hire to make sure your timeline evokes some sort of emotion in users and potential fans.

In part 1, we already reviewed how to optimize your profile and cover photos.  The last piece of the puzzle is your custom tab images, and how to integrate them into your timeline delivering a complete package.

Content driven tabs

Facebook allows up to 12 tabs.  This includes the first tab that will always be your photos and cannot be changed.  The remaining 11 allow for customization, and can be utilized to structure your page.  This feature should be taken advantage of, as it affords many opportunities to make navigation more user-friendly.  Below are some examples on how to effectively take advantage of your custom tabs:

1.  Link to your blog or website. 

Make it easy for your users to access other areas of your business.  The timeline should be a one stop shop, and a launching point to allow users to explore deeper into your product and services.

2. Link to other social media outlets.

Include links to Twitter or Instagram, for example.

3. Create a call to action.

Include an email sign up, feedback, or inquiry form.

As we see on Walmart’s page above, they have utilized their tabs brilliantly utilizing content related tabs including a store locater, and allowing for feedback.

Integrating your custom tab images into your overall timeline theme.

Now if you want to up your Facebook appearance game to the next level, integrating your tab design into your cover and profile photos is a sure way to attract a user.  Take a look at Evian’s page below.  Not only do they use great content ideas in their tabs, they have also matched them to the overall theme of pink.  This is the finishing touch that creates the whole package.  It’s kind of like adding the tire wet after giving your car a thorough washing.  It completes the package and makes you go aaaaahhhhhhhh!

That’s an attractive page and it is incredibly easy for you to accomplish a similar page at no cost.  Now take your knowledge, apply it and turn your page into a diamond in the rough.

You will need some step by step directions on how to creat the tabs.  No problem.  Check out this article which gives easy instructions on creating your exciting, new custom tab app.  Also, here are some more ideas to think about when creating your new timeline.

Facebook Timeline Appearance Part 1: How to make an awesome cover photo for next to nothing.

Well, for this weeks’ post, I was going to write about the new Google+ features, but it seems everyone is more interested in the new timeline format on Facebook. (Gotta give them what they want).  Therefore, over the next several weeks, I would like to work off of March 29th’s article and give you a few articles outlining how to make your timeline more visually appealing.  Today, we will visit cover photos.  And because imitation is the highest form of flattery, I will include examples of some great ideas other businesses and people are utilizing for your reference.

1. Visually enhance your timeline.

Now your content is priority, but if you want to be seen in a professional light, your page needs to look like you spent some money on it.  Here I’ll show you how to make your page look money, without being money…….and I won’t tell any of your clients (unless you want me to).

Cover photo

The first thing fans will see when going to your timeline, will obviously be the cover photo, and a cover photo can make or break your page.  When a potential fan goes to a small business page, it should be love at first sight.  Now there is 2 ways to accomplish this a)you have an incredible image with amazing colors that stand out. b)You have a cover photo with clever wording or idea, yet still simple.  Whichever you choose, make sure that your cover reflects your brand.  Let’s break these down further:

a) Great image that stands out and creates an impact on your fans

The timeline page from Old Spice is one of my favorite visual cover pages out right now.  It has it all.  From the bright colors and great graphics, to the integration of the profile pic into the background.  I don’t use Old Spice, but I still will like the page to see what they come up with next, and maybe take the bait on one of their offers.

Now since my focus is small business, I realize many of my readers do not have the money to pay a designer to have something elaborate like this made up.  I just wanted to use this as a guide.  We can create some cheaper options with the same effectiveness.

Simpler options:

Walmart does a great job reflecting their brand with their simple cover photo.  They have some of their products pictured, along with employees and some random smiling kids.  (Random cute kids can never hurt your cover photo.)

Above are some ideas that integrate the profile pic, which I think is incredibly effective.  These can be done pretty easily on Photoshop, saving you a couple bucks.  Here is a great article that guides you through creating a good cover photo.

b) Clever idea, without crazy graphics.

If you want to skip the graphics, you can come up with something less eye-catching focused on your clever idea.

Now, I do not now if the below is actually Mark Zuckerberg’s page, or a joke about how much a lot of users hate the timeline.  In either case, it is another example on simplicity, but effectiveness in your cover photo.  This is a great way to incorporate your profile pic into your cover photo without worrying about matching the pixels and both images:

Below, I borrowed an idea for my current cover, which includes all of my clients and most engaged fans.  It’s an homage to the people who keep my business going.  (Also, has a couple of cute kids).  This is clearly nothing elaborate and only took me about ten minutes with Paint, but it is effective.  It’s a reward without expense.

Hopefully, some of these examples will get you creative juices flowing and lead you on your way to a stunning page.

For your reference, I have included a cover image with the pixels outlined.  This will help you when trying to integrate your profile pic into your cover photo:

When creating cover photos, please follow Facebook’s rules, or you will run the risk getting your page shutdown.  Below are taken directly off their terms page:

All covers are public. This means that anyone who visits your Page will be able to see your cover. Covers can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines.

Covers may not include:

i.    price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it on socialmusic.com”;

ii.    contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your Page’s “About” section;

iii.    references to Facebook features or actions, such as “Like” or “Share” or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features; or

iv.    calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends.”

Also, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below, and I will answer them ASAP.

Thanks for reading!

Coming next week   Part 2: Incorporating custom tab images into your timeline

Facebook Timeline Deadline is Here: No more landing tab’s, what do I do now?

Yup, Facebook has gone and changed everything again (Guess their developers are trying to validate their astronomical paychecks). With the new timeline, fan gate’s and landing tabs aren’t dead, they are just a bit more irrelevant now.  Your ability to have a default landing tab is now not available, therefore, you cannot “make” users like your page before they can view it.  All users will be lead directly to your timeline cover page.  Here are a few things businesses can do to provide alternatives:

1.  Use apps to drive traffic to that specific URL

Each app used on your Facebook tabs is a third-party and will have its’ own unique URL.  Therefore, you can still drive traffic from the “outside” to a specific page tab using the URL.

2.  Utilize I-frame app to display content under another URL

You can still display your webpage on Facebook, it will just be under a tab.  Please see this article on how to setup I-frames.

3.  Get a little creative with your cover photos:

In Mari Smith‘s blog, she supplies a great idea of using your featured fans in your cover photo.

4.  Use Facebook advertising:

Creating an advertising campaign with Facebook is the only way to have users directed to a certain page.  Facebook ads are pretty cheap compared to other advertising outlets, so this is a good way get the exposure and likes on your page.

5. Pin a post:

Facebook allows for the page owner to pin a certain post which will remain at the top of your page.  This will be a brands highlight post.   Here is an example from Coca Cola’s page.  You can see it is pinned, because of the orange flag at the top.

With some of the guidance from above, you should be able to get creative with the new timeline and grow to love it.  Be patient, it will come.  If you have any questions or need some ideas, don’t hesitate to ask by commenting below.  Thanks for the read!  Below is a graphic from http://www.marismith.com/ which includes instructions on the new functions on the timeline.  I thought it was a great tool to guide you on your new timeline exploits.

Utilize Facebook Interests For Your Brand

If you didn’t know, Facebook Interests lists were launched last week.  But what is this you say?  (Yes, it’s yet ANOTHER damn feature to keep up with on your page).  Well, don’t get to flustered, as it is easy to use and will greatly benefit businesses.

How can I utilize this new feature?

Interests’ subscribe feature allows you to receive tailored newsfeeds depending on, you got it………what you’re interested in.  For example, let’s say you decide to interest Animal Causes.   Once subscribed, you will receive the most popular content from the authored user on this subject from many brands with FB pages.

Facebook Interests also allows you to organize everything you have liked into your own personal categories on your page.  You can pretty much organize your interests any way you want.  For instance, I have created a different music categories to organize my musician pages.

Starting to use Interests is pretty self-explanatory by Facebook’s standards:

1. Just find the add interests tab on your homepage.

2. Search for an existing interest page and subscribe, or create your own interests group.

3.  Once completed, you can go to that Interest group tab on your homepage and you will see your customized newsfeed.  Only the top headline from your Interests groups will appear on your home newsfeed.

What does this mean for my small  business?

As far as the benefits for small business, there are many.  For instance, you can create new Interest list based on whatever your business does and grow subscribers.  For example, if your business sells running shoes, you can create an Interest list, which includes updates from the best running companies from around the world and include your company among the group.

Also, if your brand is added to current Interest lists, you will gain valuable exposure and increase your reach.

Interest lists have great potential and we shall see in the near future if this feature takes off and how much being included on these lists will benefit brand exposure.  We are predicting this to be a major gamechanger on the Facebook Platform.

Is Tumblr Right for You?

Tumblr is slowly rising on everybody’s social media radar and rightfully so.  They’re in 5th place behind Linked In at 11.87 unique visitors among social networks.  But don’t let the numbers fool you, as this is not a site that caters to all business.  As in all media strategies, with the high number of options out there, it is important to pick and choose the right channels to reach your audience.  Here are a couple of key factors to keep in mind when deciding to utilize this platform.

1.  Tumblr is based on keeping it short and sweet.

When thinking about using Tumblr, keep the typical wordpress blog post out of your thoughts.  Tumblr is all about getting your point across with flash, and posts rely heavily on pictures and video with some attitude.  Users do not want to see a word heavy blog post such as this one.   Think of Tumblr as the children’s book of social networks:  Big on attention grabbing images, short on content.

2.  A lot of content goes a long way.

Tumblr works the best for companies that have a lot of content to share.  If you look at a list of companies benefitting from their format, you will see news sites, fashion industry, big business (IBM, Huggies) and large content sites (Mashable, College Humour) dominating the list.   While all seem like larger business, don’t get discouraged.  If you think you have the content to keep other users engaged, by all means, give it a shot.

Keeping these 2 important factors in mind, will help you figure out if Tumblr is an option for you.  As always, thanks for reading and I encourage feedback!