While testing out a couple of Facebook applications yesterday, I came upon a few advertising approaches that I found disturbing. While installing the application, there were various ads that included Facebook action icons. Here I am, a typical Facebook user, in the middle of adding an application to my account (most likely something that would warm the hearts of Facebook execs) and I’m being diverted by advertising suggesting action is necessary. After a little research, it appeared as though Facebook is in the midst of testing out an ad network for applications.
Just to check, I clicked to see which of my three friends “think I’m dumb”—and I was taken to a third party trivia site. The key to this experience, however, was not that I never got to the bottom of just who thinks I’m dumb. It was the fact that I never finished installing that application.
At what point does Facebook regulate the types of advertising that occurs on their site? (read more…)
The 5 most-clicked links in SmartBrief on Social Media this past week:
- The 3 steps to video viral success
- Relationship marketing for the down economy
- Why you might not own what you publish on Facebook
- Best (and worst) social media practices
- Are baby boomers taking over Facebook?
Image credit, iStock (read more…)
Leads from your tell-a-friend forms are just as good as any other lead, but they’re often overlooked and underused. Focus on creating awesome tell-a-friend forms to help your fans spread the word about you, for free.
What to do:
- Put it on every page. A tell-a-friend form is no good if it’s buried on one page. Instead, put forms all over your site so people can recommend specific portions of your content.
- Write a great message. A great tell-a-friend message is fun and encourages the recipient to actually go and check out whatever their friend just pointed them to.
- Track and measure. Watch what content is getting recommended the most to learn what your best topics are and how you could improve other areas of your site.
RSS is a format for distributing frequently changing web material, such as blogs, twitter feeds and news related information. The initials RSS stand for three different types of web formats that have evolved into the most up-to-date version known as Really Simple Syndication. Previous versions include Rich Site Summary and RDF Site Summary.
RSS feeds are time savers for people who want to stay up to date with the newest information published on their favorite web sites. Instead of having to visit your favorite blog every 10 minutes to see if something new is published you would receive a notification from your RSS feed when there is a new post. You also can set up a RSS from your site so that people can receive your feed every time an update is made.
Ready to receive a RSS feed?
First you need to set up a RSS Reader which is software that enables you to receive RSS feeds from different web sites. (read more…)
- Ask for reviews. Sites like Yelp! and Angie’s List are where people go to find out if you’ve got a good reputation. Odds are you have a ton of happy fans that have never thought to submit a review for you. Sending a simple, polite request to your customers asking them to share their opinions of your services on these sites can do wonders for your positive word of mouth.
- Be proactive. Any travel agent can book a vacation — there’s no reason to tell a friend about that. But if you save a traveler’s butt when the unexpected happens, or if you get them a really great deal, they’ll tell everyone about you. Be prepared for the unexpected and take advantage of any opportunity to save a client.
- Pick a specialty. Having a specific, focused topic supports healthy word of mouth. Being the “all-purpose travel agent” is too broad for anyone to share or talk about.
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