{"id":28415,"date":"2012-01-29T00:14:44","date_gmt":"2012-01-29T00:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28415"},"modified":"2012-01-29T00:17:41","modified_gmt":"2012-01-29T00:17:41","slug":"facebook-fans-from-like-to-really-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/facebook-fans-from-like-to-really-like\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Fans \u2026 From Like to Really Like"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                    google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the <strong>opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> \u2013Mark Poppin,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>Facebook Fans<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-14.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28417\" title=\"Untitled-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-14.jpg?resize=251%2C263\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Listen Up \u2013 <\/strong>You were told in school to keep your mouth shut, pay attention, listen, and learn.\u00a0 The same thing applies if you want to be the teacher\u2019s pet and the most popular kid in school\u2026listen to the community.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>You may have heard by now that folks spend more time on Facebook than any other website.\u00a0 By a whole lot!<\/p>\n<p>To be more precise, it\u2019s 53.5 billion minutes a month on the world&#8217;s largest social networking site.<\/p>\n<p>When Zuck announced at F8 \u2013 the Facebook developer\u2019s conference \u2013 that the site now had more than 800 million citizens, he said he wanted them to be even more involved with the Site. In fact, he wanted Facebook to become the destination where people tell the story of their life.<\/p>\n<p>We, and you, might think that\u2019s over sharing, but the growing community is changing the way companies relate with customers.<\/p>\n<p>Companies are establishing their Facebook pages in record numbers and feeling their way along as they build, expand, leverage those relationships.<\/p>\n<p>No one is exactly certain how much all those eyeballs and likes are worth.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still too early to say how much a Facebook friend and his\/her recommendation can generate, but that\u2019s not inhibiting the rush to be there.<\/p>\n<p>Companies like Coke, Starbucks, Nutella, Papa John\u2019s, Pringles, Skittles, Zynga, Zappos, Electronic Arts feel it\u2019s worth the effort.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fan Value<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While Zynga racked up more than $290 million last year from their visitors\/users, others have determined how much their fans are worth to the company:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0Starbucks &#8211; $1.20 per fan<\/li>\n<li>Coke &#8211; $0.96 per fan<\/li>\n<li>Pringles &#8211; $0.02 per fan<\/li>\n<li>Adidas &#8211; $2.40 per fan<\/li>\n<li>Red Bull &#8211; $1.14 per fan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s because a positive online brand experience creates loyal customers.\u00a0 They in turn tell friends and family about the brand and the sphere of influence grows.<\/p>\n<p>Companies \u2013 large and small \u2013 are finding that closer relationship with customers and potential customers affect not just sales but the entire business.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-24.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28418\" title=\"Untitled-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-24.jpg?resize=365%2C479\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-24.jpg?resize=365%2C479 365w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-24-228x300.jpg 228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Pays Off \u2013 <\/strong>Facebook company\/product pages provide companies\/brands with an excellent way to engage with consumers and help them become brand advocates.\u00a0 Having consumers who Like you is the first step.\u00a0 In fact, that\u2019s when the real work begins.\u00a0 <strong>Source \u2013 Forrester Consulting<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Being active on Facebook has a tangible effect on a company\u2019s sales \u2013 87 percent of the people who search for information on products\/services reinforced their purchasing decision, according to the Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker.<\/p>\n<p>Many firms are also active on Facebook as a means of countering or nullifying online information \u2013 80 percent of the people changed their buying decision because of negative online information.<\/p>\n<p>The bottom line is a solid fan base is good for business.\u00a0 But it goes way beyond simply asking folks to tap the Like button so you can show your boss how many Facebookers like your brand.<\/p>\n<p>They expect something in return!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-34.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28419\" title=\"Untitled-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-34.jpg?resize=483%2C515\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-34.jpg?resize=483%2C515 483w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-34-281x300.jpg 281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Something in Return \u2013 <\/strong>Getting a few thousand people to Like your brand takes an overall plan and careful execution.\u00a0 Increasingly, they want to be more engaged with the company\/brand as well.\u00a0 <strong>Source &#8211; ExactTarget<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>That\u2019s when the work begins\u2026getting and keeping Facebook fans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Moving In<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The task isn\u2019t as daunting as it looks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your company\/brand already has an on-line presence \u2013 newsletter, website, publicity\/ad presence \u2013 use these to build traffic to your Facebook page.<\/li>\n<li>Use the free tools that are available like Facebook Questions that lets you ask questions and your company name, page link are added.\u00a0 For best results ask questions a wide range of people care about \u2013 avoid things like politics and religion which can make enemies on all sides of the subject.<\/li>\n<li>Use inexpensive, effective Facebook ads that are targeted at your niche market.\u00a0 This is becoming especially effective for regional and local firms because the information is tailored to people who can act on it, take advantage of it.<\/li>\n<li>Keep your Facebook page relevant so visitors see what fans are getting for \u201cLiking\u201d your page.\u00a0 Show them the special fan-only coupons, specials, product\/news updates.\u00a0 If the information is relevant, they\u2019ll send it to their news feeds.<\/li>\n<li>Conduct contests, promotions, special events that attract attention; and when they win the worthwhile\/meaningful prize, share the news, information with others.\u00a0 Let them share the information with other Facebookers.<\/li>\n<li>Let your fans become your marketing, publicity agents by encouraging them to tell their experience with your product\/service, giving them \u2013 and you \u2013 positive exposure.<\/li>\n<li>Develop an exclusive fan area where Like members have access to special fan-only promos, contests, events, activities<\/li>\n<li>Whether Facebookers click the Like button or not, keep your content, your news, your information fresh.\u00a0 Keep developing and offering ideas, how-tos, offers, industry\/company\/product news and summaries that encourage people to return again and again as well as post links to their Facebook pages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Is it really worth all that effort?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Value of the Effort<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Study after study shows that people have been influenced to buy \u2013 or not buy \u2013 a product or service based on their online experience.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly half of these people share the information \u2013 good or bad \u2013 with others in their community.\u00a0 Just remember that there no matter what you do, there will be millions (you hope) who visit your page, some very regularly, who simply won\u2019t become a fan and hit the Like button.<\/p>\n<p>There are a lot of things people like, but they don\u2019t slap an \u201cI Like\u201d sticker on all of them.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean they dislike you.\u00a0 They just aren\u2019t willing to give you permission to use their Like.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-44.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28420\" title=\"Untitled-4\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-44.jpg?resize=443%2C378\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-44.jpg?resize=443%2C378 443w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-44-300x255.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Why Not \u2013 <\/strong>There are a lot of reasons Facebookers won\u2019t \u201cLike\u201d a company or product.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u2019s as simple as they feel it is some type of endorsement.\u00a0 Other times, they really don\u2019t like the company or product.\u00a0 And today, it doesn\u2019t take much for people to Unlike you.\u00a0 <strong>Source &#8211; ExactTarget<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>That\u2019s okay too, as long as they come online to get product information, read the reviews, check out the ratings, read the product\/service articles, ask others in their Facebook friend circles and\u2026.buy.<\/p>\n<p>Remember the goal isn\u2019t to rack up as many Facebook \u201cLikes\u201d as you can to show your boss how good you are, but to build relationships with people out there and maintain, strengthen, expand those relationships.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s always better to error on the side of caution so people don\u2019t \u201cUnlike\u201d you.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-54.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28421\" title=\"Untitled-5\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-54.jpg?resize=263%2C199\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Turning Up the Heat \u2013 <\/strong>The great thing about social media is that instantly people can spread news, information around the globe.\u00a0 Yes, that includes bad news too.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Don\u2019t jump on Facebook just because everyone else is there.\u00a0 Remember what your mother said, <em>\u201cIf everyone else was jumping off the cliff, would you do it to?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Approach your Facebook page just like you did when you built your website, when you joined online forums, when you joined your club, when you entered a new class, started a new job.<\/p>\n<p>Watch\u2026look\u2026listen\u2026lurk.<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t take you long to see the mistakes of others and that\u2019s far easier than learning from experience\u2026don\u2019t let \u2018em kid you, that\u2019s no fun!<\/p>\n<p><strong>No-Nos<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Avoid the obvious:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The key reason people \u201cUnlike\u201d is that the person or brand posts too often.\u00a0 One or two posts a day is sufficient as long as the posting is interesting, informative, helpful<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t litter your Facebook feed with your Tweets because not everyone cares about your every thought and Facebook is for news, information people can read and use<\/li>\n<li>Set a default landing tab with a clear call to action.<\/li>\n<li>Schedule your updates, especially if you\u2019re using a third-party API because Facebook lumps them together into just one update so engagement can drop by 70 percent<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t post the same type of content continually because Facebook EdgeRank will manage your post impressions based on affinity, weight, time decay<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t delete fans\u2019 posts on your wall.\u00a0 If it\u2019s a negative or \u201cuncomfortable\u201d post talk with the fan \u2013 offline if possible \u2013 and resolve the situation.\u00a0 Remember, your Facebook page is on a public forum.\u00a0 Hiding the problem or ignoring it doesn\u2019t make it go away.\u00a0 Usually that makes things worse<\/li>\n<li>Avoid the hard sell.\u00a0 The objective of your Facebook page is to build and extend relationships.\u00a0 Want to sell em?\u00a0 Point the fans to your website for your specials, your sales<\/li>\n<li>Encourage \u2013 don\u2019t eliminate \u2013 your fans\u2019 ability to post comments.\u00a0 Your Facebook page is there to engage with customers and prospects.\u00a0 That usually happens first by listening.\u00a0 At least that\u2019s the way it works in our home<\/li>\n<li>Social media is so important to management today that people are hired for the sole purpose of increasing Facebook Likes, Twitter followers.\u00a0 Raw numbers are kinda\u2019 important but it\u2019s more important to know how much interaction you\u2019re having with your fans and the substance of that interaction.\u00a0 Michael Jackson has 11 M+, Mafia Wars has 6.5M+, Vin Diesel has 7M+, Megan Fox has 6M+.\u00a0 Does that mean anything to you?\u00a0 Heck, does it mean anything to them?<\/li>\n<li>Have a set of community rules and guidelines because remember it\u2019s your place of business, your house; so people understand that people have to be sensitive to others ideas, opinions and that items like profanity, cyberbullying and similar actions aren\u2019t tolerated, allowed<\/li>\n<li>When community members are carrying on a conversation, don\u2019t interrupt them unless the \u201cdiscussion\u201d gets out of hand.\u00a0 Instead, wait for the appropriate moment and provide expert assistance to stimulate positive conversations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just remember there\u2019s no almighty Facebook expert out there.\u00a0 He or she is just like you, using the tools that are increasingly available and searching for just the right mixture to build their fan base(s).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-64.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28422\" title=\"Untitled-6\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-64.jpg?resize=177%2C296\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>Watch what others are doing right, wrong.\u00a0 Listen.\u00a0 Learn.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"># # #<\/p>\n<p><strong>by: G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> Marken Communications Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; 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A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":28422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7],"tags":[5062,5060,5061,5063,4652,3952],"class_list":["post-28415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-technology","tag-build-relationship","tag-facebook-fans","tag-fan-value","tag-over-sharing","tag-sharing","tag-social-marketing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}