Social Sharing: It’s Cool, But Does It Work? BY ANDREJS + APRIL 28TH, 2011 ADVERTISING AGENCY BLOG Content producers increasingly hope that social media will get the word out for them. They hope that their content will go viral. But studies show that email is still the way most people share most content. And search is still the top method of finding websites. Yet social sharing is capturing more attention. Outbrain, a company dedicated to getting online content to the people who need it, reports that only one-tenth of external referrals come from social media sites. They found that most (41%) come from search and nearly one-third from other sites. Social media sites drive traffic in only a few categories. Social media users focus on news and entertainment stories, which account for nearly three-quarters of all social media referrals. Maybe the media showers so much attention on social sites because they get such disproportionate benefit from those sites. Social media referrals are also less engaged, according to Outbrain. They have higher bounce rates and fewer page views per session. Outbrain calls a person who views at least five pages per session, a “hyperengaged reader.” They found that referrals from content sites are twice as likely to be hyperengaged as those from social media sites. Outbrain researchers figure that people coming from content sites are already in reading mode and, therefore, ready to keep reading. Likewise, people coming from search sites are actively seeking information, and, therefore, eager to read. On the other hand, people coming from social media sites are less likely to head to a content page and less engaged when they get there. Social Sharing: It’s Cool, But Does It Work? BY ANDREJS + APRIL 28TH, 2011 ADVERTISING AGENCY BLOG Content producers increasingly hope that social media will get the word out for them. They hope that their content will go viral. But studies show that email is still the way most people share most content. And search is still the top method of finding websites. Yet social sharing is capturing more attention. Outbrain, a company dedicated to getting online content to the people who need it, reports that only one-tenth of external referrals come from social media sites. They found that most (41%) come from search and nearly one-third from other sites. Social media sites drive traffic in only a few categories. Social media users focus on news and entertainment stories, which account for nearly three-quarters of all social media referrals. Maybe the media showers so much attention on social sites because they get such disproportionate benefit from those sites. Social media referrals are also less engaged, according to Outbrain. They have higher bounce rates and fewer page views per session. Outbrain calls a person who views at least five pages per session, a “hyperengaged reader.” They found that referrals from c.

1. Social Sharing: It’s Cool, But
Does It Work?
BY ANDREJS + APRIL 28TH, 2011
ADVERTISING AGENCY BLOG
Content producers increasingly hope that social media will get
the word out for them. They hope that
their content will go viral. But studies show that email is still
the way most people share most content.
And search is still the top method of finding websites.
Yet social sharing is capturing more attention.
Outbrain, a company dedicated to getting online content to the
people who need it, reports that
only one-tenth of external referrals come from social media
sites. They found that most (41%) come
from search and nearly one-third from other sites.
Social media sites drive traffic in only a few categories. Social
media users focus on news and
entertainment stories, which account for nearly three-quarters of
all
social media referrals. Maybe the media showers so much
attention
on social sites because they get such disproportionate benefit
from
those sites.
Social media referrals are also less engaged, according to
Outbrain.
They have higher bounce rates and fewer page views per
session.

2. Outbrain calls a person who views at least five pages per
session, a
“hyperengaged reader.” They found that referrals from content
sites are twice as likely to be hyperengaged as those from social
media sites.
Outbrain researchers figure that people coming from content
sites
are already in reading mode and, therefore, ready to keep
reading. Likewise, people coming from
search sites are actively seeking information, and, therefore,
eager to read. On the other hand, people
coming from social media sites are less likely to head to a
content page and less engaged when they get
there.
Social Sharing: It’s Cool, But
Does It Work?
BY ANDREJS + APRIL 28TH, 2011
ADVERTISING AGENCY BLOG
Content producers increasingly hope that social media will get
the word out for them. They hope that
their content will go viral. But studies show that email is still
the way most people share most content.
And search is still the top method of finding websites.
Yet social sharing is capturing more attention.
Outbrain, a company dedicated to getting online content to the

3. people who need it, reports that
only one-tenth of external referrals come from social media
sites. They found that most (41%) come
from search and nearly one-third from other sites.
Social media sites drive traffic in only a few categories. Social
media users focus on news and
entertainment stories, which account for nearly three-quarters of
all
social media referrals. Maybe the media showers so much
attention
on social sites because they get such disproportionate benefit
from
those sites.
Social media referrals are also less engaged, according to
Outbrain.
They have higher bounce rates and fewer page views per
session.
Outbrain calls a person who views at least five pages per
session, a
“hyperengaged reader.” They found that referrals from content
sites are twice as likely to be hyperengaged as those from social
media sites.
Outbrain researchers figure that people coming from content
sites
are already in reading mode and, therefore, ready to keep
reading. Likewise, people coming from
search sites are actively seeking information, and, therefore,
eager to read. On the other hand, people
coming from social media sites are less likely to head to a
content page and less engaged when they get
there.

4. How To Succeed At Facebook Advertising
Posted on May 26th, 2011 11:24 AM
http://www.allfacebook.com/how-to-succeed-at-facebook-
advertising-2011-05
Gordmans opened two new stores in Minneapolis and promoted
them with several Facebook campaigns, working with
BlitzLocal.com.
They created two different types of campaigns: one advertising
an event, and another advertising a tab. Both were targeted at
the city level. Because the scope was so
narrow, tests included adding the city name as part of the ad
image itself. Overall though, these ads definitely helped in
garnering more visitors.
Sponsored Stories Outperformed Regular Facebook Ads
There are two types of sponsored stories – a sponsored like,
which targets friends of your fans, and a Sponsored post, which
shows messages to existing fans. Gordmans
ran a highly targeted sponsored like ad:
locations
-hunting

5. While most Facebook ads are lucky to get a 0.05 percent
clickthrough rate, this campaign drove a .4 percent CTR on the
first day, which fell by 45 percent within 48 hours
to .2 percent. Generally, anything at or above 0.1 percent is
highly optimized. Sponsored likes also cut the cost per click by
70 percent and cost per fan by 83 percent
overall. That’s like getting a 77 percent discount off from
Facebook.
http://www.allfacebook.com/how-to-succeed-at-facebook-
advertising-2011-05
In two days, this ad drove 515 clicks for $76 and gained 418
new fans. That works out to 18 cents per fan and a click-to-
conversion rate of 81 percent.
Most brands out there are getting fans at between $2 and $10,
the former via self-serve and the latter via premium ads.
$0.18 for a new fan, one that is giving your brand permission to
talk to them, is a great cost of acquisition.
Gordmans found the key to success with Facebook advertising
is leveraging the endorsement of their existing fans. People
are far more likely to click on events that are associated with
what their friends are doing.

6. Highly Engaged Content Equals Positive Fan Growth
The creative refresh demand of social requires you to be able to
iterate much quicker, to refresh your content and creative
much more quickly than other types of online marketing.
Gordmans knew they needed to rotate ads to keep them fresh.
Facebook ads are typically served to the same users multiple
times, often in the same day, so they quickly tune-out repeat
ads.
Gordmans also used the Webtrends Apps platform to develop
fresh and engaging applications rewarding customers for
engaging through fans-only promotions. While apps have about
a 10-to-14 day shelf life before people start to drop off in
interaction, ads have around three-to-five days before you see a
dramatic drop off. But because Gordmans’ wall postings
resonated well with the brand, only five percent of fans have
unsubscribed from the page.

7. Geo-Targeting Works
The average human attention span is about 30 seconds. In fact,
successful Facebook advertisers try to relate images to their
audience, for example by serving an image of
a local landmark or in Gordmans case including the city name is
another way to garner more attention.
By injecting the city name in the ad image in conjunction with
the geo-targeting, the ads were more appealing and relevant.
Gordmans found that geo-targeted ads with the city name on the
ad image performed better than the ads without it. With geo-
targeted ads that offered fans the opportunity
to check in and claim deals, Gordmans was able to drive
customers to their brick and mortar stores.
More Earned Media At A Cheaper Rate
By measuring the number of impressions the Facebook page
generated over time, then estimating a $5 cost per impression,
we can determine the earned media value of
the brand.
Earned media represents impressions generated for free, from

8. efforts outside of the traditional ad spend, which includes viral
and word-of-mouth publicity such as likes and
shares.
This type of exposure has a high quality because it leverages
the trust of friends. With over 38 million impressions over a
period of 79 days, at the aforementioned $5 CPM,
we get $190,000 earned media value for that time period, which
represents how much ad spend would have been required to
achieve the same number of impressions via
paid media.
Extended out over a year’s time, the value is $879,000 per year,
or $4.5 million in perpetuity, assuming we’ve applied a 20
percent discount rate to the projection of earned
media over time.
What’s Next?
Now in the works is a new Facebook places strategy— to drive
check-ins, shares, and coupons.
Gordmans has had a lot of success in running Google Adwords
campaigns with a focus on letting users redeem coupons.
Running
similar campaigns on Facebook will reinforce the Google
campaigns, and with Facebook’s social twist tied into the
coupon

9. redemption strategy, they expect to see excellent results.
Veronica Stecker, is marketing and social media planner at
Gordmans. Dennis Yu is co-founder and chief executive officer
of BlitzLocal.com.
http://www.blitzlocal.com/
How Fiji Water Brand Stays Accessible On Facebook
by Jennifer Moire on May 23rd, 2011 8:51 AM on
www.allfacebook.com
We spoke to Jenna Rose Robbins, director of marketing and
social media at Fiji Water, about how the company engages
with its passionate fans via Facebook.
How does your position as the lead Facebook page administrator
differ from what the traditional webmaster used to
do?
Managing a Facebook page is quite different from being a
webmaster because it’s far more immediate, in terms of
responding
to both requests and trends. A Facebook page administrator is
the consumer-facing voice of the brand, while a webmaster is
more the technical wizard behind the curtain. Websites
introduced a new flexibility — and immediacy — to marketing,

10. and
social media only upped that ante.
Brands are now expected to respond to their fans and consumers
in real time and should take it upon themselves to engage in
the conversations about their products that are already
happening. Now that social media has made the online
conversation a
two-way forum, brands now need to have a voice that is far
more approachable than the “brochure” copy that comprised the
webpages of yore. Facebook offers a convenient platform to do
so.
What is the company’s strategy for spurring engagement and
generating likes especially
during slow periods?
Keeping our current fanbase engaged is key. We know how
much our brand means to them, so
we like to make sure we maintain our connection with them as
often as we can, even if it’s just
through discussions of current events. Plus, we have so many
regular online programs, both
small and large, that there isn’t that much downtime between
slow periods.

11. Do you have a favorite campaign you’ve launched on Fiji’s
Facebook page?
Until now, the majority of our online campaigns have been
based on our website. However, we
have a few Facebook campaigns in the works that we’re
incredibly excited about, and they’re
all about rewarding our fans for their loyalty and listening to
their interests.
Fiji is a brand that inspires a lot of passion, to the point where
we’ve seen people get into spats on Twitter about who’s the
biggest Fiji fan, so we want to make sure we reward that level
of loyalty. We’re hoping to launch a campaign around that idea
by the end of summer. We also note our fans’ other interests,
such as their pets — you wouldn’t believe how many photos
we’ve received of a furry friend and a bottle of Fiji. People are
almost as passionate about Fiji as they are their pets, so we’ve
come up with a fun campaign that marries those two.
What special skills or knowledge does Fiji Water look for when
hiring for social media positions in general, and for
Facebook in particular?
Voice, tact, and gut. They need to get the Fiji brand and
understand who we are as well as who we aren’t, and convey
that to

12. our audience in a voice that underscores our USPs. There are a
lot of conversations going on around our brand that, although
positive-sounding to those having them, are not the sort of
conversations we want our brand to be associated with.
Knowing
how to navigate these conversations, and choosing which to
engage in and which to avoid, is as important as speaking the
Fiji
voice.
Graciously turning down the opportunity to participate in these
conversations, as well as fielding other off-brand requests, is a
refined skill that not everyone can handle. There’s a lot of gray
in this area, so gut feeling plays a key role.
http://www.allfacebook.com/how-fiji-water-brand-stays-
accessible-on-facebook-2011-05
http://www.twitter.com/JenMoirePR
Do you have any favorite Facebook tools that you like to use?
We’ve been using polls a little more often, both for fun and to
gage fans’ interest in marketing ideas. But we generally keep it
simple and use the basics, such as the event calendar and photo
albums. We have a third-party agency that has helped us
build our fan-gated contest app, which has proven to be a huge
success, so I’m sure we’ll continue to use that.

13. How many people work with you on Fiji’s Facebook page and
presence? If more than one, how do you divide tasks or
projects?
There are two of us who officially work on the page. I handle
the everyday strategy and fan response, while Ben Upham, our
associate manager of social media, posts content from our other
online destinations (e.g., the Fiji Water blog) and researches
innovations for Facebook, such as new apps or social media
management systems.
Since my responsibilities also include other marketing areas,
such as events, it makes sense for Ben to focus on some of the
more long-term projects, so they can have more attention. We
discuss strategy and any large projects such as contests
together.
What does Fiji do differently, if anything, with its Facebook
page presence as compared to other bottled water brands
or other beverage brands such as Coca-Cola?
Fiji strives to differentiate itself by being accessible. We talk to
our fans, not just at our fans, by initiating conversations on
subjects other than our brand.

14. For instance, during the Super Bowl, we posted to our wall
during key points of the game and asked our fans for their
reactions, because we knew our fans (at least those in the U.S.)
were watching and we wanted to engage with them during a
moment that we all could share in real time.
Almost each of those Super Bowl posts garnered more
impressions than any other Facebook post in the previous six
months.
Also, even though we regularly receive photos of celebs
carrying our product, we rarely post those because it’s too much
about us and doesn’t offer much value for our fans.
An exception was recently made when Michael Bolton sent us a
behind-the-scenes photo from the set of his Jack Sparrow
video with The Lonely Island. We knew how viral the video had
become, and how much chatter was going on about it around
the web, so we posted the photo and asked people to name the
celeb. The result was one of our most popular non-contest
posts to date. People loved the timeliness and goofiness of the
meme, so we built upon that.
10 fascinating Facebook facts --

15. and what they say about us
May 26, 2011|By Pete Cashmore, Special to CNN
A study released this week revealed that 47% of Facebook users
have swear words on their pages. A
survey last week, meanwhile, showed that undergraduate men
who talk about alcohol on Facebook
tend to have more friends.
Whether it's our level of tolerance for swearing or the link
between alcohol and bonding with friends,
these Facebook studies provide intriguing insights into our
online behaviors.
And yet I'd argue that Facebook surveys have a more
fundamental role. With more than 600 million
people actively using Facebook, these studies in fact provide a
deeper understanding of our evolving
cultural norms: our values, our morals and our changing
relationships between one another.
Don't believe me? Here are some fascinating Facebook facts
that just might serve as a peek into our
21st-century values.
1. 56% of Americans think it's irresponsible to friend your boss
on Facebook
A survey released in February 2010 showed the majority of
Americans don't find it socially acceptable to
be Facebook friends with their boss. The study of 1,000 people
by Liberty Mutual's Responsibility Project
suggests that despite an increasing overlap between our work

16. and home lives, we continue to value a
separation between the two.
Meanwhile, 62% of those surveyed said it's wrong for a
manager to befriend an employee on Facebook.
And yet 76% of respondents said it was acceptable to befriend a
peer on Facebook, suggesting what we
truly value is that our work be judged on its merits rather than
getting ahead based on personal
relationships.
2. Facebook links about sex are shared 90% more than average
Facebook confirms the adage: Sex sells. From February until
May 2010, social media scientist Dan
Zarrella processed 12,000 links to news sites and blogs. He
discovered that links about sex were 90%
more likely to be shared on Facebook than any other subject
matter.
He also discovered that links with positive sentiment were more
likely to be shared on Facebook than
those with negative viewpoints.
3. People in Facebook relationships are happier than single
people
In February 2010, Facebook marked Valentine's Day by
comparing the relationship status of its users to
their happiness -- this was surmised based on the level of
positive or negative sentiment in the user's
Facebook updates.
The result: Those in relationships were found to be slightly
happier than single people. Those who were
married or engaged were also happier than single people on

17. average.
However, Facebook users in an "open relationship" -- where the
partners are not exclusive to one
another -- were significantly less happy than single people.
Monogamy, it seems, makes us happy.
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Facebook facts -- and what they say about us/tweet/
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-
26/tech/facebook.facts.cashmore_1_facebook-users-facebook-
friends-facebook-updates?_s=PM:TECH
4. 21% of people would break up via Facebook
A June 2010 survey of 1,000 Facebook users -- 70% of whom
were male -- found that 25% had been
"dumped" via Facebook (via their significant other updating his
or her relationship status).
Twenty-one percent of those surveyed said they would end a

18. relationship by changing their Facebook
relationship statuses to "single." While worrisome, the survey
does show the majority of people do not
split up via Facebook.
For this uncomfortable task, it seems, we still turn to more
personal forms of communication. This
particular study also appears to suffer from a little male bias --
a July 2010 survey found that 9% of
women have initiated a breakup via Facebook, versus 24% of
men.
5. 85% of women are annoyed by their Facebook friends
For women on Facebook, friends can sometimes be irritating. In
a March study conducted by Eversave,
85% admitted to having been annoyed by their Facebook
friends. Of these annoyances, the most cited
was "complaining all the time" (63%).
Other pet peeves included "sharing unsolicited political views"
(42%) and "bragging about seemingly
perfect lives" (32%).
While I've yet to see a similar survey focused on men, it's
probably safe to assume these feelings are
universal: Our friends are a source of joy and occasional
irritation.
6. 25% of households with a Facebook account don't use privacy
controls
A June 2010 survey from Consumer Reports stated that "in one
of four households with a Facebook
account, users weren't aware of or didn't choose to use the
service's privacy controls."

19. While Consumer Reports chose to interpret this finding in a
negative light, I'd propose a contrary view:
Seventy-five percent of households did take the time to
understand Facebook's privacy controls,
suggesting that privacy remains important to our society.
The same study stated that "Twenty-six percent of Facebook
users with children had potentially exposed
them to predators by posting the children's photos and names."
Again, the positive view would be that 74% of Facebook users
with children did not post their photos
and names -- suggesting that we value privacy.
7. 48% of parents friend their kids on Facebook
On the question of whether it's OK to friend your kids on
Facebook, parents are roughly split down the
middle -- 48% have chosen to do so. Respondents in a May
2010 survey by Retrevo admitted that this
could be "awkward at times."
Parents were also asked about the minimum age at which their
children should be allowed to sign up for
Facebook or MySpace. Twenty-six percent of parents replied
"over 18," 36% said "16 to 18," 30% said
"13 to 15" and 8% said "under 13."
Opinions may be changing rapidly, however. A Consumer
Reports survey released this month says the
majority of parents of kids 10 and under "seemed largely
unconcerned by their children's use" of
Facebook.

20. 8. 47% of Facebook users have profanity on their walls
As previously mentioned, a new study by the reputation
management service Reppler has found that
47% of Facebook users have swear words on their walls, with
these profanities being posted by a friend
56% of the time.
In other words: Nearly half of Facebook users are comfortable
with swearing. The most common
profanity on Facebook? No prizes for guessing: It's the "F-
word."
9. 48% of people say they look at their ex's Facebook profile
too often
In a January study by YouTango, 48% of respondents said they
look at their ex's Facebook or other
social-networking profile too often. The statistic illustrates one
danger of social-networking profiles --
ex-partners are more accessible than ever.
But the survey also points to a degree of self-awareness among
the respondents. While new
technologies provide new temptations, it seems that many of us
are able to control these behaviors.
10. 36% of under-35s check Facebook, Twitter or texts after sex
An October 2009 study by Retrevo suggested that social
networks are becoming an increasingly
important part of young people's lives. Among under-35s, 36%
admitted to "tweeting, texting and

21. checking Facebook after sex." Forty percent of respondents
admitted to doing so while driving, 64% said
they do so at work, and 65% use these communication channels
while on vacation.
Here, we might conclude that the next generation is driving
society into a less desirable direction: a
world in which digital devices are never put down, even in the
most inappropriate of situations.
And yet if Facebook is our guide, I'd say our cultural norms
have remained intact. We continue to value
professionalism. We find great rewards in human relationships -
- and most of us try to exit them
honorably.
On the whole, we continue to value privacy. We try to look out
for our kids. And as we have been since
time immemorial, we continue to be fascinated by sex -- after
which we go straight to Facebook to find
out what our exes are up to.
Are Facebook Friends Of Brands Likelier To Buy?
by Jackie Cohen on May 24th, 2011 11:01 AM at
www.allfacebook.com
Mere friendship doesn’t necessarily make fans likelier to buy.
Some 36 percent of people feel more inclined to purchase a
particular brand’s product after

22. forming a friendship with the entity on Facebook.
About 61 percent are just as likely to buy the product as they
were before befriending the brand
on Facebook, and three percent become less likely to make such
a purchase.
The pie chart below using findings from a fall survey by DDB
WorldWide and OpinionWay.
The simplicity of Facebook’s like button doesn’t require people
to engage with a brand after that
first click, eMarketter explains.
So what does a brand need to do to put Facebook friends in
more of a shopping mindset?
Continue to market to these friends who’ve already clicked like.
As eMarketer says: To be successful in this post-like phase of
Facebook marketing, companies
will need to excite their fanbase with compelling posts,
interactions that spur a sense of
community, and rewards for their ongoing support. Brands that
do not make Facebook
marketing a priority will risk seeing their hard-earned likes
churn away.

23. http://www.allfacebook.com/are-facebook-friends-of-brands-
likelier-to-buy-2011-05
http://twitter.com/allfacebook
http://www.allfacebook.com/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2011/05/emarketertoday.png
Web Exercise 9
Focus Text – Chapter 15
In recent years, social media has become extremely important to
not only consumers but also to
businesses. This particular exercise focuses on Facebook. This
assignment asks you to read more than
most of your other exercises have, but I feel comfortable that
you will find these resources to be
interesting and thought-provoking. Please read all of them. As
you participate in social media, you will
become more aware of marketing tactics surrounding your
profile.
First, consider these bits of information to get a “big picture”
idea of how extensive facebook is:
ctive users. By
April 2009, there were 200 million
active users, and then by July of 2009 Facebook had over 250
million active users. Just over a

24. year later, in July of 2010, Facebook had doubled in reach to
over 500 million active users. This
is ONE IN EVERY THIRTEEN people on earth! (according to
onlineschools.org and
facebook.com)
-minute video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJXOavGwAW8
(Titled “TheWorld Is Obsessed With Facebook” by youtube user
alextrimpe)
Then, read the six following articles (many are only 1 page)
saved in this folder (preferably in this
folder):
– “10 Fascinating Facebook Facts”
– It’s Cool, But Does It Work?”
”
- also
visit www.facebook.com/fijiwater
Then, please respond to the following questions in the Web
Exercise submission area within this folder.

25. Be sure to consider the readings from Chapter 15 and the
readings accompanying this assignment when
answering the questions—be specific and use examples.
1. What is the importance of Facebook for marketing
communications?
2. Briefly, how are marketers effectively using their Facebook
pages?
3. How do consumers interact with brands on Facebook? What
is the key for this to be successful?
4. What can marketers do to encourage ongoing involvement
once a consumer has “liked” a brand or
page?
5. Think about your own consumption habits. How much are
you influenced by the mention of brands
through social media? Influence can come from the company if
you have “liked” their page, from ads
along the sides, or from status updates or posts from your
friends that advocate or banish a particular
brand. Do you pay attention to brand names in posts? (This does
not have to be specific to Facebook, but
may also be extended to Twitter or other forms of social media
that you engage in).
http://www.facebook.com/fijiwater