Facebook – All grown up but still growing

Facebook – All grown up but still growing

Who is Jeffrey Veffer? Active member of the Internet community for over 15 years with deep experience in Interactive content and video Part of start-up team for Discovery Channel’s website exn.net Set up streaming media business for Excite@Home Canada Founding member of Innovation and Strategy team at Bell Canada Background in Architecture and Design (yes really!) Company - http://brandsential.com Facebook - http://facebook.com/JeffreyVeffer LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/jeffreyveffer Twitter - http://twitter.com/jeffreyveffer Blog – http://jeffreyveffer.com ; http://combinedoptimism.org (and others!)

Active member of the Internet community for over 15 years with deep experience in Interactive content and video

Part of start-up team for Discovery Channel’s website exn.net

Set up streaming media business for Excite@Home Canada

Founding member of Innovation and Strategy team at Bell Canada

Background in Architecture and Design (yes really!)

A few hints for creating successful engagement (in any medium) Create valuable content for your users Fish where the fish are Join the conversation by giving others a voice Update regularly Photo credit – Loosends http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunaspin/3206373800/sizes/m/

Create valuable content for your users

Fish where the fish are

Join the conversation by giving others a voice

Update regularly

What exactly is Facebook? “ Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life” (Facebook.com) More than just a site, it makes it easy for everyone to make connections without having in-depth technical ability *Web 2.0 – loosely defined as the “participatory (or social) web.” It is a Web 2.0 * publishing platform (No HTML coding needed) It is a Platform: (and this is where is gets exciting!) It is email 2.0: you only get messages from your friends you trust. Trust is paramount in the social web

“ Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life” (Facebook.com)

More than just a site, it makes it easy for everyone to make connections without having in-depth technical ability

Lets look at some stats...

Lets look at some stats...

If Facebook were a country, it would be bigger than… Facebook would be the worlds 5 th largest country by population! (Facebook internal) More than 200 Million active users!

Facebook would be the worlds 5 th largest country by population! (Facebook internal)

Its not just for high school kids anymore… and the stats show more older users getting on In other words, there are more US Facebook users 26-44 than 18-25 today, so its not just about Youth Marketing anymore. (InsideFacebook) 35-55+ 13-17 18-34

In other words, there are more US Facebook users 26-44 than 18-25 today, so its not just about Youth Marketing anymore. (InsideFacebook)

Time Spent online Facebook is the clear leader in time spent on social networks, and by February, 2009 accounted for almost 5% of all time spent online by US users! (Neilsen) The average US user spends about 75 hours online/month so that means they are on Facebook for nearly 3 hours!

Facebook is the clear leader in time spent on social networks, and by February, 2009 accounted for almost 5% of all time spent online by US users! (Neilsen)

The average US user spends about 75 hours online/month so that means they are on Facebook for nearly 3 hours!

Facebook pages (or profiles for Brands) Developed because brands were using user profiles for their companies (contravening the user agreement) Pages look like user profiles – a brand’s “home” on Facebook and a place to make connections with fans of your brand by joining the conversation Pages can integrate multiple applications What does it mean to me? (Part 1)- Brands are using them to build awareness, drive traffic to a destination, create a new distribution channel and more! Facebook profile [has friends] Facebook group [has members] Facebook page [has fans] Applications

Developed because brands were using user profiles for their companies (contravening the user agreement)

Pages look like user profiles – a brand’s “home” on Facebook and a place to make connections with fans of your brand by joining the conversation

Pages can integrate multiple applications

What does it mean to me? (Part 1)- Brands are using them to build awareness, drive traffic to a destination, create a new distribution channel and more!

What’s a Facebook “Application?” An application could be anything- A game, a tool, a way to interact with users. The platform is free – you don’t need to pay Facebook anything for the application Need to consider context – most applications on the site aren’t overly complex but the successful ones keep users coming back Applications are viral – friends get notified when your users interact with an application AND Applications are extremely easy to share – users just invite their friends right from the application! FBML (the language that developers use to program apps) is similar (though not exactly the same) as HTML; so there are many developers that can write apps Platform stats- more than 5,000 applications have 10,000 monthly active users Source (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet#/press/info.php?statistics) What does it mean to me? (Part 2) – Tools to help you manage engagement

An application could be anything- A game, a tool, a way to interact with users.

The platform is free – you don’t need to pay Facebook anything for the application

Need to consider context – most applications on the site aren’t overly complex but the successful ones keep users coming back

Applications are viral – friends get notified when your users interact with an application AND

Applications are extremely easy to share – users just invite their friends right from the application!

FBML (the language that developers use to program apps) is similar (though not exactly the same) as HTML; so there are many developers that can write apps

Platform stats- more than 5,000 applications have 10,000 monthly active users

What does it mean to me? (Part 2) – Tools to help you manage engagement

What’s a Facebook “Application?” continued Wildfire launched a sophisticated B2B application that allows brands to manage campaigns in Facebook and on other sites (MySpace, Ning). The cost is as low as $1/day

Wildfire launched a sophisticated B2B application that allows brands to manage campaigns in Facebook and on other sites (MySpace, Ning).

The cost is as low as $1/day

Case Study 1- JLM Couture: Simple way to get started Bridal dress designer based out of New York selling a wide range of bridal designs The company doesn't sell direct to consumers but directs them to a retailer They created an application called “The Wedding Dress that Fits You Best” that is a light-hearted quiz asking you about your preferences then suggests the style that would be best for you Currently has 916 active monthly users They put up the link for it on their webpage Whenever users take the quiz, their Facebook friends are notified, spreading awareness virally

Bridal dress designer based out of New York selling a wide range of bridal designs

The company doesn't sell direct to consumers but directs them to a retailer

They created an application called “The Wedding Dress that Fits You Best” that is a light-hearted quiz asking you about your preferences then suggests the style that would be best for you

Currently has 916 active monthly users

They put up the link for it on their webpage

Whenever users take the quiz, their Facebook friends are notified, spreading awareness virally

Case Study 2- Tostitos: Zero to 17,000+ fans in one month Promoted Tostitos' Amazing Race-style cross country race to the Fiesta Bowl. Race itself featured two teams consisting of six fans from the University of Texas and Ohio State University who raced from New York to Arizona to win a $100,000 scholarship for their school. Simple concept – Get the most rabid fans to compete for $100k for their school by uploading video and pictures Featured a Facebook page and two embedded apps – First was for students to apply to be on the team; second is a viewer for users to scroll through all the content When race started, YouTube integration on Facebook allowed easy viewing of video uploaded “from the road” Took high degree of planning and logistics to seamlessly integrate Gave users value – beyond the $100k, built on users desire to support their school and get entertained in the meantime

Promoted Tostitos' Amazing Race-style cross country race to the Fiesta Bowl.

Race itself featured two teams consisting of six fans from the University of Texas and Ohio State University who raced from New York to Arizona to win a $100,000 scholarship for their school.

Simple concept – Get the most rabid fans to compete for $100k for their school by uploading video and pictures

Featured a Facebook page and two embedded apps – First was for students to apply to be on the team; second is a viewer for users to scroll through all the content

When race started, YouTube integration on Facebook allowed easy viewing of video uploaded “from the road”

Took high degree of planning and logistics to seamlessly integrate

Gave users value – beyond the $100k, built on users desire to support their school and get entertained in the meantime

Case Study 2- Tostitos continued Statistics: 17,779 people became fans of the Facebook page 56,531 page views 39,477 unique visitors 597 wall posts 1098 entries with photos for the contest 1925 entries to the contest were shared with a friends

Statistics:

17,779 people became fans of the Facebook page

56,531 page views

39,477 unique visitors

597 wall posts

1098 entries with photos for the contest

1925 entries to the contest were shared with a friends

Get on Facebook and see what other brands are doing to engage their users! Establish objectives for your engagement Measure, measure, measure (but the right things!)

Get on Facebook and see what other brands are doing to engage their users!

Establish objectives for your engagement

Measure, measure, measure (but the right things!)

Thank you! Visit us at brandsential.com [email_address]

Thank you!

Visit us at brandsential.com

[email_address]