It seems as though Facebook has been around since the beginning of time. At this point, can anyone really remember a world without social media? Just because social media has become the norm, Facebook most notably, doesn’t mean that all of the features of these networks are common knowledge. With the recent launch of Timeline, many brands and consumers are still discovering all that Facebook now has to offer. For brands, this exploratory phase can be an asset. Discovering something new with your customers will always promote a stronger connection than your brand simply telling them what’s what.
Target
All brands have their target audience. Whether you’re attempting to connect with girls between the ages of 18-24, or boys from Tokyo. While Facebook doesn’t make it possible for you to determine whom you would like to target by age, yet, you can choose which country and language demographic on which you would like to focus. Go to your ‘status’ box, click ‘Public’, then select Location/Language from the drop down menu. Select which country and/or language you would like to see your post the most, and you’re all set! While this may not seem nearly as helpful as being able to target your audience based upon the number of years they’ve existed on this planet, it actually can be equally beneficial. Ponder this, when Gwen Stefani launched her fashion line L.A.M.B she was probably taking aim at fashion trendsetters, and young females between 14-29. It’s great to have that in mind, as always, but in today’s globalized world a message that will translate to 16 year old girl in Moscow as being cool and trendy might not have the same effect on a 17 year old girl in the United States. Why have your target’s age be what drives your marketing efforts? You already know how to figure out what’s trending, make it more personal to your customers. They’ll appreciate the effort, and you’ll enjoy an increase in sales.
Pin
No, this isn’t about how to integrate your Pinterest and your Facebook more effectively; that post will probably come later. The problem facing some brands with the new timeline layout, is that the control over content on your page is a little trickier. Timeline forces brands to provide diverse and consistent content on their brand page, or be lost in the fray. This is great for consumers, but then how can a brand effectively promote something without clogging up fans’ newsfeeds? Pin it! Simply click the pencil icon on your post (it will appear in the top right corner when you move your mouse over the post), select ‘pin to top’ from the drop down, et voila! Your post will remain at the top for seven days, or until you decide to pin another post to the top. That’s the catch, you can only pin one post at a time. This feature will allow your brand to have some sort of control over what the focus on your page is for fans, but allows the customer to be satisfied with constant, hopefully diverse, content.
Reposition
So you’re trying to diversify your content; you’re even posting some really cool pictures! But when you submit them, or highlight them (click on the star in the top right corner of your post) , getting the angle right can be a bit of a nightmare. By clicking the pencil icon in the top right of your post, and selecting ‘Reposition Photo’ from the menu, you will be able to frame your photo as you like it. For fashion brands, this new feature is a life-saver! With this you can now focus on the pants, the shirt, the necklace, even the make-up if you so choose. All in all, it gives the page admins a little more control over their content; and that’s always a good thing.
Poll
Go on any major blog, they all feature polls for those who visit their site to participate in. We’re not talking about some poll that’s specific to your brand, that would be boring; ask them something a little more personal, a little more current. If you’re a fashion brand, try asking how everyone feels about the color of the season, or the return of the ’80s on the runway. Whatever really, just be engaging!
Will you be using any of these aweZOme new features, or did you like things just fine the way they were before?
