Yesterday, the social network announced another new update to the news feed – your home page when logged into Facebook. This is the first big update Facebook has rolled out since Facebook Timeline launched in 2011. Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, sees the news feed as “the most personalized newspaper,” evolving with users and the way we are sharing content. The more relevant news feed gives us more information and more to do within the Facebook walls. If you are anything like me, you check Facebook a few (ok, multiple) times a day and scroll through your feed until you hit a post or two that you have already seen; then you move on to the next web page or activity in your day. Now, when you hit the end of interesting posts in one feed, you will have another feed to explore. Facebook is going to keep us engaging on the site longer.

So, what’s new?

Bigger Images
Everything is bigger, but a main focus of the new redesign will be on images, link posts, and videos – both from users and brand pages. Facebook and Instagram images, which consist of 50% of shared news feed content, will now be larger and more appealing. There will also be a separate feed showcasing only the posts that have photos.

Multiple Feeds
Speaking of separate feeds, there will now be multiple feeds available for users to toggle. Facebook users will now be able to subscribe to specific feeds: all friends, close friends, music, photos, news, games, and brand pages. For example, the music feed will show what music friends are listening to on apps like Spotify and Rdio, concert updates, news from artist pages, and album releases. There will still be a chronological main news feed – where brand page posts will still remain.

Mobile Consistency
One important aspect of this new Facebook look will be that it is even more mobile friendly. The new look was largely inspired by our increased use of different mobile devices. According to Facebook, the site has seen a large spike in mobile engagement recently with more than 680 million monthly active mobile users. This means that no matter what device you are using to pull up Facebook in a browser, the look will be consistent – similar to what we currently see when we use Facebook from a smartphone or tablet application.

Bigger, More Prominent Ads
The new redesign should open an opportunity for advertisers to serve ads similar to the rich media units they are used to on other websites. We will most likely see brands take advantage of offering big pictures and videos, a feature that hasn’t been provided to brands yet. Ads will blend in more with the content our friends are sharing, making them less annoying and more likely to encourage engagement. They will also likely cost a lot more. Everybody wins.

Want the new look? Get in line. Check out the information Facebook has shared on the new feature, and join the waiting list.

Are you going to embrace the new look? Let us know your thoughts.

The post The New Facebook News Feed: Bigger and Better appeared first on 435 Digital.

Myth: Good Content is Enough to Build a Following

The biggest misconception that we often run into is that social media should be responsible for generating an audience all on its own and that good content will have people crawling over each other to ‘Like’ your page. It’s true that content is extremely important to attracting and keeping followers, but content alone can’t bring an audience to a page that they don’t even know exists.

It’s crucial in the beginning to reach out to your employees, friends, and family to build a base following for your profiles. Their new ‘Likes’ will then show up on their newsfeeds for all of their friends to see. This is an easy way to increase your reach and for potential customers to come check out your page.

Unlocking the Facebook Admin Dashboard with Likes

One thing a lot of people don’t realize is that it takes at least 30 ‘Likes’ on your Facebook page to unlock the admin dashboard, which shows you analytics related to what’s happening on your profile. This will show you page views, help you know what content is working, and reveal the demographics of your fans. Here’s a look at some of the info you’ll find in the dashboard:

The admin dashboard will also show you information about:

• Total likes
• Friends of fans
• People talking about this
• Weekly total reach
• Each individual post and its reach
• Virality
• % male and female
• Countries and cities of the audience
• Language they speak
• Page views per day
• And more

While asking friends, family, and employees to ‘Like’ your page is an excellent starting point to build your audience, it’s just the beginning. There are many other ways that you should be supporting your online efforts with some offline marketing to build up your social media following.

Ideas to Grow Your Social Media Following Offline

Again, it’s not enough simply to have a Facebook page. You need to drive traffic to it and increase likes to be seen as trustworthy and professional. It is critical that your social media profiles are linked from your website. Beyond that, I have several ideas to share with you on how to increase your audience using offline marketing tactics:

• Placing your Facebook Page URL on your receipts with a message that encourages people to follow you there for up-to-date info on your business.
• Creating flyers that you can display on your counters or registers that includes the URLs to all of your social media profiles. Restaurants should feature this info on their menu.
• Place the logos of the social media outlets that you use on your business collateral to let people know they can find you online.
• Promote your online promotions with in-store signage. For example, ‘Like’ us on Facebook for 20% off [insert product or service here].

Overall, social media should be something that is fun to do. It is important to be active on social media even if you think your activity does not drive bottom line results. The numbers show that social media is, in some way, growing your business.

• 67% of B2C companies and 41% of B2B companies have acquired a customer from Facebook
• Companies that use Twitter average 2x more leads than those that don’t
• 45% of marketers note social media has a below average cost-per-lead compared to other channels

Go out there and have fun with your social media. It will be contagious.

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Have a great weekend!

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One major way to get some engagement is to post behind the scenes photos to show off what you’re doing. If you didn’t already know, photos get the most traction on social media, be it Facebook, Twitter, Google + or Pinterest. You want your fans to feel as if they are already a part of the organization (even if they aren’t yet). You also want them to know why they should donate/contribute to your nonprofit. The more behind the scenes material you post, the more the fans will know what really takes place within your organization. Candid photos will also help build a personal relationship with your followers. You can start by posting photos of volunteers at an event you are hosting.

Another way to connect to social media fans is to provide them with the history of your organization. Your Facebook timeline makes it easy to backdate photos and specific happenings in the past. Dig into your archives and post up some historical photos to show how long you’ve been doing what you are doing.

While you don’t always want to toot your own horn, it is important that your Facebook page be a resource where fans can gain knowledge of your organization. This being said, any sort of press release, news article, blog post, etc. that is put out about your organization should be up on your Facebook page.

Engage your fans. Ask them questions about what type of content they would like to see on the page. Ask them their opinion on a pressing topic about your industry. The poll option on Facebook makes data collection a simple process.

Another way to engage your fans is to post testimonials or success stories. People love to hear what other people have to say about your organization. When looking into donating to an organization, it helps to know why others have chosen to support your cause.

Finally, you want your fans to know someone is listening. Do not let a statement go unanswered on your social media accounts. While you might not always agree with what the person has to say, it is good to address the comment. Be human, be funny. Post away!

The post Social Media for Nonprofits: What Should They Post About? appeared first on 435 Digital.

Have no fear, you’re no less popular than yesterday. Facebook is finally cracking down on fake profiles.

In recent months, social media strategists have complained loudly about the seemingly huge number of fake Facebook profiles (or “bots”) that unfairly inflated likes for certain brands and made analyzing a Facebook ad campaigns increasingly difficult.

While brands may have cringed at the number of lost “likes,” social media managers everywhere jumped for joy, as the long-overdue bot cleanup will will make it easier for admins to evaluate which content is working well with their “real” fans. And by “real,” we mean “actual human beings who exist in the universe.”

“Facebook said “On average, less than 1% of Likes on any given Page will be removed” if they’ve abided by its terms and haven’t shadily been buying Likes from hackers.

One business owner told us he saw a Page go from 7100 Likes to 5800 in a day, an 18% drop. That’s an extreme, though, and that Page may have been buying spam Likes or tricking users into becoming fans.”

Lower but more accurate Like counts actually help Pages. Admins might not be able to tout their Pages’ size the same way, but they’ll be better able to assess what content is resonating with their audiences.

Is this recent crackdown going to make it difficult for a new user to create a profile? Are we going to see multiple hurdles put into place now that ‘Operation Remove Fake Profiles’ is underway? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: Facebook went a long way towards improving their credibility within the social media community by getting rid of profiles with no real value.

How much impact will the Operation have on brand pages down the road? We can’t wait to find out.

The post Are You Feeling Less-”Liked” Then Usual? Facebook Cracks Down appeared first on 435 Digital.

Senior Social Media Specialist Julie DiCaro moderated the panel, in which Paid Search Specialist Rich Funk, Account Manager Sarah Reid, and Social Media Specialist Joan Daluga dispensed their vast knowledge of Facebook Ads to a packed house. The 435 Digital Team walked the audience through the difference between various types of Facebook Ads, discussed best practices, and even gave advice on what might be going wrong when an ad ceases to be effective.

Highlights from the panel:

“Brands should be posting engaging content on a regular basis. If you don’t want to be social and interact with customers, don’t use Facebook or Facebook Ads.” — Sarah Reid

“There’s no point in spending money to direct people to a Facebook page that is collecting cobwebs.”  – Sarah Reid

“While Facebook is particular about the copy and images used in Facebook Ads, the Facebook representatives do have some discretion and not all ads are approved by the same person. If your ad gets denied the first time, re-submit it for approval in a week or so. It might get through.” — Joan Dalulga

“You want your ads to be able to run and not immediately run out of budget, so consider your bid price and targeting when you set up your ads. Don’t budget past what you’re comfortable with, as Facebook Ads can add up quickly if you’re not paying attention to your settings. If one ad is getting significant traction, you can always up the budget or re-allocate funds later on.” — Rich Funk

“In order to get a good sample size for ad testing, let your ads run for two weeks before you starting changing things up. But don’t let ads run more than 3 weeks without changing up your ad copy or image. Facebook recognizes “stale” ads.” — Rich Funk

“Be realistic in what you expect to gain from Facebook Ads. Like all social media, Facebook Ads are not about the hard sell, especially if you’re driving traffic back to your Facebook page to get more “likes.”" — Joan Daluga

“If you want to ‘set it and forget it,’ Facebook Ads aren’t for you. These need to be monitored and updated on a regular basis to keep things fresh.” — Sarah Reid

After the panel concluded, some of the 435ers headed on over to the VIP reception at Rockit Bar and Grill. The appetizers were great, the drinks were copious, and we got to spend time meeting and networking with our colleagues from around the nation. Kudos go out to Zocalo Group, the Chicago Tribune, Brickfish, and Billy Dec for throwing a great party!

Up next for the 435 Digital Team? We’ll be hosting another panel on Wednesday afternoon, this time on integrated digital marketing strategies.  Even though the panel is technically sold out, we anticipate there will be some additional room, so please drop by!

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While most of the activity is checking posts from friends and posting one’s own updates, more and more people are interacting with brands and organizations on social networks. About 58% of users in the U.S. read posts from companies, and around 32% say they are likely to click on ads while networking.

The number of people engaging in social networks through mobile devices – phones and tablets – is massively increasing. The 64.2 million is up 77% from the year before, and the 38.2 million engaging daily is up 88%. With increasing smartphone adoption, these numbers will continue to grow rapidly.

With the upcoming Facebook integration with iOS 6, these numbers will soar even higher.

With iOS 6, Siri can now post Facebook status updates. If you had iOS 6 right now, you could ask Siri to post to your Facebook wall that you’re reading a great blog post from 435 Digital – or that you’re leaving in five minutes to try out the new Korean BBQ place just a few doors away.

In Apple’s new App Store, you’ll be able to “Like” a song, which will appear on Facebook. This might lead more people back over to Apple’s App Store.

Twitter is already integrated; with iOS 6, Facebook will also be integrated. If you want integration with Google +, you’ll surely need an Android device.

Whatever mobile platforms and devices people are using – mostly iOS and Android in the U.S. – any business that wants to reach people through social networking must get serious about not only their social presence but also their mobile-ready websites.

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Among web developers, social media marketers, and search engine optimizers, the opportunity to meet with Google reps is like Christmas come early. Since we spend our days working within the confines of their products, we relish the opportunity to pick their brains, (beg for) request functionality, and pick up clues about upcoming changes to our favorite Google services.

This week, 435 Digital had the opportunity to meet with Amy Ravit Korin Google’s Google+ Local Regional Community Manager Lead in the Mid Western US, and Ashley Glassman Google+ Local Community Co-coordinator.

Amy and Ashley visited to discuss the numerous features of Google Plus Local and what this new service means for users of (now retired) Google Places. Needless to say, there was a lot of excitement amongst the staff preceding the meeting. (Having 435 Digital pick up our lunch was also a plus. There were those among our number who had more than 5 but less than 10 sandwiches.)

By now most web-savvy business people are aware of the move Google has made away from the old Places product, but there still seems to be some confusion as to what Google Plus Local will offer over Google Places, and why it is important to adapt to the new program.

Google Plus Local changes and new features:

• Yelp, Urbanspoon, YellowPages and other third party review sites are out. Recently acquired Zagat is in. (Side-note: it sounds like “the cat”, with the emphasis on the “gat”.) The new basic rating will combine user ratings on scale of 1-3 on various criteria and roll them into one overall score of 1-30. More on the criteria can be found here: Zagat and Ratings
  
• Reviews from sources outside of those submitted through Google reviews no longer matter. This means businesses can focus their social media efforts around acquiring user ratings solely through Google Plus Local.
  
  
• More options for conversation between businesses and customers. One of the biggest benefits to using Google Plus Local is the ability to reach out to customers through a business Google Plus page. In addition to the standard “write a review” call to action, users will have the option to follow the business, +1 their pages, and partake in “Events” and “Hangouts” through Google Plus. This is a vast improvement over the previous platform as it allows businesses and social media managers much more access to interactive customers and various methods to engage them.
  
  
• A great opportunity to work with a Google-backed service. Using the number one search engine’s social media platform is a good idea. Google has been pushing for more and more personalization in the search engine results pages for a long time. Users who are logged into their Google Plus accounts while browsing have the option of viewing results customized for them based on their browsing habits; who they have “plussed” and who their friends and family have plussed. It isn’t a stretch to believe that Google will place a higher value on Google Plus results within their overarching search algorithm. Having every opportunity for your pages to be plussed and your popularity to be vetted by the big G is advisable.
  
  
• Better integration with all of Google’s products, including those to come. A Google Plus user already has easy access to all of their favorite Google Apps from one user account. Analytics accounts, Adwords, Google Docs and Drive. Now Google Plus Local joins the rest. Amy suggested that we see Google Plus as the thread connecting all of Google’s services together. This leads one to believe that Plus Local will be a big part of future services like the Project Glass and other yet to be announced Google products.

The Moral of the Story

Since the meeting I have been spending much more time reviewing and reading through Plus Local businesses. Through this reviewing process it has become apparent that many companies are letting the opportunity to be an early adopter slip by.

Here are some key steps to getting a headstart with the Google Plus Local service.

• Sign up for a Google Account
• Register your business or intitate the verification process.
• Read and review all user-submitted material
• Add attractive photos and videos to your account.
• Start engaging with your customers through daily communication

Taking the time to acclimate to the new platform, reaching out to customers, and adding value to your Plus Local presence will go a long way in any effort to increase brand recognition and customer engagement.

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Foursquare is a location-based social networking app and website for mobile devices that allows you to keep up with what your friends are doing, discover and rediscover what’s nearby and unlock deals. Foursquare users, often called players, do this by checking into a venue when they arrive and competing for the mayorship, which is the person who checks in most often over a set period of time.

Businesses can, if they choose, offer discounts and deals to people who check in, people who become mayor or both.

Here’s an example. Say you own Smith’s Soup and Sandwiches on South Second Street. You can use Foursquare to entice customers to check in and compete for the chance to unlock discounts. You could offer a customer who checks in 10 percent off their bill and provide something bigger – like a free grilled cheese sandwich – to the mayor. (Side note: If you own a sandwich shop and don’t have grilled cheese on the menu, you should strongly consider adding one).

Why would you want to be a part of the Foursquare craze? Simple. According to the company, nearly 15 million people use Foursquare worldwide. More than 1.5 billion check-ins have been recorded since the network launched in 2009, and millions check in every day. Plus, more than 750,000 merchants have claimed their venue – the page customers go to check in, interact and claim discounts and prizes.

Back to the grilled cheese for a second. If my friend is mayor gets a grilled cheese sandwich just for using Foursquare, he’s likely to tell his Foursquare-playing friends and so on. It’s word-of-mouth combined with gaming that sells itself. That’s why businesses can and should be creative with the kinds of discounts and deals they offer. The more they stand out, the more they’ll be talked about.

Foursquare offers a free set of tools to help businesses and brands best utilize the platform for their needs. If you’re not ready to jump in, I recommend finding a similar business or competitor using Foursquare and see how it uses it. That might just open your eyes.

The post Foursquare: Good for business, good for customers appeared first on 435 Digital.

Your choice. Assuming you picked the second, here are 10 types of tweets that will help you be a Twitter superstar in no time.

Boring
Snore. Tweets that give Twitter a bad name such as “I am eating a sandwich.” This type of tweet is uninteresting and doesn’t encourage interaction. Twitter started this trend by asking the world a boring question: “What’s happening.” They should have started with “What has your attention?” That could be the difference between tweeting “I’m eating a sandwich” and “I need your help to find the best burger in Chicago.” Which of those tweets interests you more?

Introductory
Introduce a Twitter user to either another user or a group of people. Example include: “I’d like everyone to meet @soandso, who is new to our team here at the Tribune” and “Hey, @Suchandsuch please meet @soandso, who is also an avid golfer.” Introductory tweets are a great way to build community quickly on Twitter.

Spammer
Trust me. You don’t want to be viewed this way. Spammer tweets aren’t necessarily tweets that come from an automatic spambot feed. Sometimes, spammy tweets can come from a user who only seems to shill for his or her own projects or products. An often cited formula for avoiding being a spammy twitter user is to follow the Rule of Thirds: Talk about your own products a third of the time. Share other links and ideas in your niche for another third. In the final third, reply to people, answer questions and ask questions of your followers.

Quote
Consist of an attributed quote and that’s all. Example: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on – Robert Frost.” This type of tweet is common, but should be used very sparingly because it generally does not encourage interaction with others.

Retweet
Retweets (or “RTs”) are simply re-sharing the content sent from another user. These can be done by hitting the “retweet” button to share the original tweet and automatically source the tweet (“RT @scottkleinberg Today…”). The retweet can also be accomplished by sharing a link obtained from another user, recreating a version of the tweet, and including “MT (modified tweet) or via @username” in the tweet.

Marketing
Let’s talk about these. In and of themselves, they are harmless, straightforward communication about a product, deal or brand. For example: a hardware store twitter account could tweet “This week only: all BrandX paint and rollers 50% off” and that would be an example of a marketing tweet. The problem arises with marketing tweets when that is all or the majority of tweets posted by a given account. This isn’t likely to be a problem if the tweeter follows the aforementioned Rule of Thirds. Sticking with the hardware store example: this account could also share how-to guides and tips, relevant industry news, and address customers service and/or advice questions. Everyone buying paint wants to know how to get it out of the carpet.

Giveaway or Benefactor
Tweets giving “insidery” info on deals, freebies, contests and other giveaways. Most giveaway tweets are designed to go viral by being widely retweeted to share the information.

Link
Tweets sharing links to compelling or entertaining articles, images or blog posts. Such links can be original content from the user, or outside content he or she wishes to share with followers. Be sure to mix link tweets with other types of tweets for maximum impact.

Question and Answer
User asks a question of his or her followers and this hopefully results in answers. Question tweets can range from rhetorical questions (which can be entertaining, but generally aren’t extremely useful because they do not encourage interaction) to polling followers about product and purchase recommendations (Buying a new dishwasher. Any recommendations?)

Customer service
Can be either from the customer raising an issue with a service or product, or from a company acknowledging a widespread customer issue, or working to satisfy an individual customer’s issue.

Watch “30 Second Social,” the web video series hosted by Scott Kleinberg and Amy Guth, for more tips and tricks about Twitter and other forms of social media.

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