Facebook gating to encourage users to like your page

Facebook gating is the practice of having two different welcome pages on your Facebook Page. One will be seen by users who have liked your Page, and the other will be seen by those who have not yet liked your Page.

To avoid confusion between a page of a site and a Facebook Page you will notice capitalization on the Facebook ‘Page’.

By offering an enhanced experience to those who like your page you can encourage first time visitors to hit that important button. For example, offer a piece of content or a chance to win something to those who click to like you.

You will need to be able to deal with HTML at an intermediate level to do some of this so if you get stuck or need a hand feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to help. @chinashopbull

To begin you will need to have a Facebook Page. Chances are if you are reading this you already have one, but if not, click here to start your own.

To add a gated welcome greeting to your Page you will need to install a suitable app. To do this, first click on the ‘Edit page’ button on your Page, as seen here.

Then click Apps in the left hand menu.

Then click ‘Browse more applications’ at the bottom of the new page.

You will be presented with a range of exciting apps that you can add to your Page but don’t get distracted now! Type HTML in to the search bar on the top left and tap your enter key.

Amongst the search results you will find various options that will help you create a great welcome page. I use Static HTML.

Click on Static HTML (or another option but the rest of the How-To may not make sense)

On the Static HTML page, click ‘Go to app’

And on the next window you can select where to install the app.

You should now have installed the app to your Page and will find it in the left bar menu on your page.

Click the star icon and you will see a window open that looks like this:

All you need to do is pop your HTML in to the two windows depending on what you want to show to each types of views (liked and yet to like) and click on ‘Save and View’. Just remember to keep your content within 500 pixels wide!

Finally, you can choose whether you want to preview the content in pre-like or post-like mode.

So now you know the process and how simple it is, you just need to choose your offer to tempt your visitors, make a couple of small html pages and you can start converting visitors who may have otherwise bounced without clicking the Like button for you!

If you need any help or have any questions find me on Twitter @chinashopbull. And if you have any comments leave them below!

How can my business use Facebook image tagging?

Facebook have announced an enhancement to the ‘tag’ feature that allows you to link your friends to photographs of them on the social networking site. You can now tag ‘brand’s and products’ and ‘people’ pages in your images, linking their page to your image. In coming months other types of pages will be added, so how does this help your business?

It may seem obvious that Nike, Coca-Cola and other big names’ pages will benefit from this change, but what about the small business owner?

This could be a nice basis for promotions by small business. Here’s some ideas:

• A cafe owner could offer their customers a promotion (free coffee?) every time they tag the eatery in a photo
• A beautician can incentivize their customers to tag their freshly waxed legs on holiday or great hair on a night out
• A band could offer a free mp3 download to fans who tag their song that was playing when an image was taken
• A fancy dress supplier could run seasonal promotions by asking their community to tag fancy dress images with their brand name in return for prizes. Best Halloween costume? Most convincing Santa costume?
• A painter and decorator could ask customers to tag their work in the background of a photo taken in the freshly decorated room.

These ideas could be applied to all kinds of business and I think open some interesting possibilities for engagement with your customers.

I’d love to hear your ideas and feedback below and if you haven’t already, make sure you connect with me on www.twitter.com/chinashopbull

Google Wallet – food for Google Local Search

Google are approaching the table with another exciting innovation; the Google Wallet. This app for your Android powered device will allow you to pay for your purchases with your existing debit and credit card accounts in stores by simply touching your device on a pad. Oh, and it can serve your loyalty cards too!

While watching Gary Vaynerchuck‘s video about this exciting move I got to thinking:

“Why are Google going for this?”

“Is this a data play?”

“How does this fit with other Google products?”

Google local search is expected to be the next big move for Google alongside developing social search. But where do Google find the data to back local search? They can scan social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, implement their +1 button and ask business to sign up to the business local listings. But there is something else they can do that will quickly create huge piles of local data and that is tap in to what the public are purchasing, where they are purchasing it and when.

Imagine how this data can feed search results. You are in the middle of a town, and your phone knows this by GPS. You fancy a coffee and wonder which vendor to visit? Out comes your phone, you open Google and search “coffee”. Google combines your location, Google business listings, social data, where you regularly use your loyalty cards and the big one: what outlet sells the most coffee to somebody fitting your profile at that time of day and in that area? With this combination of Data, Google can make relevant suggestions in the search results.

But wait there’s more! You’ve heard of Groupon and Living Social who deliver daily deals to your email inbox but have you heard of Google Deals? Maybe not yet, but it’s coming! Google are looking for a way to enter Groupon and LivingSocial’s space and with the Google Wallet they have an amazing opportunity. Not only will your device work as a payment system, but by combining Google Deals it can inform you of relevant deals and discounts in store.

I can picture it now, no more debit or credit cards in my wallet, no more carrying loyalty cards for 5 different coffee shops and multiple supermarkets and petrol stations, and relevant timely recommendation, discounts and deals.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

I would be really interested to hear your thoughts and see links to other discussions around this idea.

How to get a vanity URL for your Facebook group in 3 steps

To get your own short, friendly, sharable web address for your Facebook group you just need to do 3 things. It’s this easy:

1)      You need to have a group page but I suspect you already do if you are reading this? If not, and you are having trouble tweet me www.twitter.com/chinashopbull and I’ll happily help you through it.

2)      You need to have 25 or more likes to your page. This is usually easy, simply leverage your friends and colleagues with a status update asking them to like your page.

3)      Once you have 25 or more ‘Likes’, visit https://www.facebook.com/username/ and follow the simple instruction.

There you are. Follow the 3 easy steps and you too can have a simple URL to go on your business cards, in your email signature and to use anywhere else that you can promote your business, service and ideas.

What’s in a Meme?

The term Viral has found its place in day to day English language. Even my own mother understands and uses the term to describe a video that is spread via the internet. And now the term Meme is raising question of “what’s this then” and “is this the new word for a viral?”

So what’s a meme and how is it different to a viral?

Viral – a video, image, book or other item that gets shared and searched for to an extent of being recognised by a general population or group. Ie. The Bible or a video of a cat doing something unusual or funny.

Meme – an idea that spreads through a population through various vehicles, including via viral channels. For example wearing jewelry, religion and “cats are cute when they do things”

And as the Internet automates filtering of what we view we can add Teme to describe an idea that is selected by a digital system without human intervention and distributed by a digital channels.

That which is imitated, and information that is copied from person to person. Susan Blackmore

For more detailed background check out Susan Blackmore’s Ted talk

Winning with Social Media

I have been thinking about a way to explain the core of a good social marketing strategy to my colleagues and other interested folks and this is my response.

I hope you find the following interesting and as always I’m keen to hear thoughts, feedback and additional ideas.

If you like my work and have not already done, connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter.

What I learnt at Kittencamp

On Wednesday evening I joined a bunch from Bristol’s creative community for Kittencamp, a networking evening centering around a talk on the latest and greatest memes. Specifically; cat based memes. To be honest I’m not huge on the “I HAZ” cat obsession that interest so many on the internet. But I put these immediate feelings aside and made my way to the library room at Goldbrick House to find out what Kittencamp is all about. Upon arrival I was greeted with a glass of bubbly wine before being taken through to the library. I was given a pin badge to act as my pass to an open bar sponsored by Viral Ad Network. Things were already looking exciting. Dave Ashby of the Versus and Liquid Lizard projects was already there and talked me through what would be taking place. An hour of networking time, then this event would see a special one-off Cats Vs Dog “meme off”. Chris of Team Rubber (in a cat costume) would compete with Rex Martin from Aardman (in a self-made dog costume) to play out the funniest meme with the assembled crowd voting. This would be followed by a talk by Team Rubber Creative Director Matt Golding before more drinking and chat with interesting folks.

The networking time was a lot of fun, and I got to know some of the Nudge Digital team, talking PPC with Bella and enjoyed chatting with various members of Team Rubber. Everybody was incredibly nice and interesting. Not often you get a better mix than that at a social event.

Then came the meme’s.

Chris and Rex took their turns playing out clips including the Nyan Cat

and some Nyan cat responses

Rex found excuse to play out some his own awesome clips too

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Rex won the battle and it was time for Matt Golding to speak.

Matt gave an incredibly honest and informative talk about the recent successes with their Thor viral and the trials of the production. A clip that has seen over 2,000,000 views.

But what did I learn?

I was reminded once again that Bristol is a creative hub that attracts some wonderfully friendly and talented folks.

Plus, single women have cats and blokes with too much time on their hands make viral clips about cats doing amusing things. There should be a whole lot of dating going on and that’s why I want to launch LOLZ DATING. Matching single women and their cats with guys who have too much spare time!

Wedding Photography in an economic recession

With talk of credit crunching and finances receding I have noticed a few worries addressed in Photographic magazines. With so many ‘wedding photographers’ out there ranging in ability, experience and style, many wonder if they will be able to continue to earn over the coming months and years.

There could be a wholly positive side to this recession.

The great photographers will continue to work. There will be demand for these professional artists and the clients will be willing and able to pay for their services. However as the quality of the photographer reduces, so too will their potential to earn. This will force the acceptable level photographers to reduce their fee to something more acceptable. In turn this will push the lesser able to either work for very little while they build their ability or give up.

Photography and the client will be the winner, as will the good name of wedding photographers. Something which has been recently tainted with charlatans and wannabees.

How to save fuel in your Lamborghini Murcielago: fly it in a plane

Yesterday I read a story that a Lamborghini Murcielago owner has shipped his car from Qatar to London via air freight for a service. A 6,500 mile round trip costing approximately £22,000.

As a Lambo’ fan who is focused on one day owning a Lamborghini Countach this doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. Of course there are plenty of green-o-philes who are disgusted.

As usual I got to wondering what was the truth behind this? Is flying a Lamborghini Murcielago to the UK really all that inefficient?

Now I admit most if not all these figures are taken from unconfirmed sources, but then, this is just for fun:

A quick hit on Wikipedia and it seems Qatar airways use Airbus A300′s to transport cargo.

An Airbus A300 gets 9mpg when fully loaded.

An airbus A300 carries 75,000Kg of freight.

A Lamborghini Mercielago gets up to 13 MPG.

A Lamborghini Mercielago weighs 1665Kg.

Now this opens two arguments: either a Lamborghini when fully laden gets only 4 miles per gallon more than a full Airbus300, or working at MPG per Kg it is almost 30 times more efficient to fly the car than to drive it.

With figures like that, how can the ‘greenys’ be mad?

Company Christmas cards are bad … mmmkay?

With only 148 days to go it’s time to begin thinking about Christmas!

Too often I have seen businesses send out piles of Christmas cards which are more corporate then Christmasy. Almost as bad, some with members of staff grafted in to a snow scene by somebody seemingly new to Photoshop.

Instead this year why not offer something useful to your customers?

Advent calendars attract daily attention, are displayed in a prominent position and are attached to good feelings of Christmas passed.

Why not offer your customers an elegantly designed calendar which they will gain from?

Of course the front should be decorated with a suitably festive image which relates to your company or cause. Inside each door a relevant smaller image should be ready to pop out. However, rather than placing a low quality chocolate inside each door, instead have a promotional code. Each day a new code will relate to a discount which may be enjoyed for that day only. Discounts, freebies, what ever it takes to get your customer talking to you.

This idea could be run on-line to perhaps even more effect. Everyday present a new promotion, and reinforce it with a daily email and blog entry so your customer can receive news of it via RSS feeds to their desktop or mobile phone. Within days your customers will look forward to recieving your message, and a conversation can begin.