Mike and I first met in December 2008 via our mutual friend, Denise Wakeman, at a social media event in San Diego. We immediately hit it off and I’ve been delighted to team up with Mike and contribute to his ventures ever since!
Four of the Social Media Examiner team members:
Amy Porterfield, Denise Wakeman, Mike Stelzner (founder) & Mari Smith.
[Pic taken at Seth Godin event by LinkedOC, Feb 2010]
Meanwhile, over the past six months or so, Ihad been thinking about starting an internet TV show. Many friends of mine would say, “You should do an internet TV show!” I’ve loaded several fun videos to my Facebook Fan Page. I was a guest on BraveHearTV and got the chance recently to shoot a TV infomercial for Jim Britt along with host, Valerie Brooks-Flores, (details coming!). I just love the medium of TV to communicate so much more.
I looked at all kinds of approaches for TV shows and, quite frankly, the logistics seemed overwhelming. I’ve always been inspired by the amazing Gary Vaynerchuk and his wildly popular WineLibraryTV. Gary definitely has a fabulous personality for TV!!
Social Media Examiner TV is born!
Well, there’s much to be said about the power of intention. Over a recent business lunch, Mike and I had one of those simultaneous, spontaneous sparks of genius … and Social Media Examiner TV was born!! This episode is the first of three pilots and we’ll begin running regularly after that!
In this episode, I review the awesome new iPad app, Flipboard—an amazing way to consume your social media news and see your Facebook and Twitter contacts—along with my passion for Facebook’s 500 million users and the game-changing social plugins. Plus, we take a look at how Foursquare could help your local business.
Take a peek at our inaugural show below – be sure to max up to full screen (click the wee four-arrow icon in the bottom right corner). [And, look for a funny line at minute 6:30; it still cracks me up!]
If you enjoyed this pilot episode of Social Media Examiner TV, please do tweet about it (use hashtag #SMEtv), share it on Facebook or even embed this episode on your blog.
By the way, here’s my excited tweet when I met up with Ross Epstein, Regional Marketing Coordinator for Jimbo’s Naturally:
When I got back to my home office after filming this first Social Media Examiner TV pilot, I was so ecstatic and made a video for my Facebook Fan Page on the subject of manifesting what we want.
When you have clarity on something that you want to create (the “What”) and why, you can leave the “How” part up to the Universe. We often get caught up in the “How” and try to control all the details. But when we’re committed to serving the greater good, magic can really happen in an even bigger and better way than you might’ve first imagined.
Please do leave your comments below — I’d love to hear what you think of this first TV show. Feel free to add your suggestions for future show content and your comments about Internet TV in general.
In fact, do hop over to this post on Social Media Examiner’s blog today. Plus – guess what?? In future episodes, you’ll have an opportunity to get your questions answered! And, if you leave a video response on YouTube, Mike and I may just put your video into one of our future episodes!!!
If you’ve ever had an issue, bug or situation you needed to contact Facebook about, chances are you may have felt frustrated at how difficult it is to a) find HOW to contact Facebook and b) actually get a response.
Facebook used to provide some semblance of support via a series of email addresses, e.g. info@facebook.com.
However, in an effort to better serve its members and scale the support, the only way to reach Facebook is through a vast array of custom forms.
Thing is, all those forms are scattered throughout the Help Center and you can often go on a wild goose chase attempting to find the right one.
Help is at hand! I scoured Facebook (and Google!) for you and have compiled this helpful directory of Facebook’s contact forms. As I become aware of more, I’ll add to this directory.
Please do make your own suggestions and provide any feedback in the comments section below.
Report That Your Facebook Personal Profile or Fan Page was Disabled
Facebook disables both personal Profiles and Pages for violating their Terms of Use. They can often be rather heavy-handed though! Use one of these forms as appropriate to submit a report:
If, once your account has been reactivated, you have difficulty finding fan Pages again that you were an Admin for, see this Help section for a special FIX button: http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=16595
NOTE: Once your group reaches 5,000 members, the option to message them will be removed. This measure is in place for technical reasons and to prevent spam.
Submit Your Facebook Ads Success Story! If you’d be interested in having Facebook develop a Facebook Ads case study about your experience, write a description within 500 words as to how Facebook Ads helped you. You’ll receive a $50 Facebook Ads coupon if Facebook use your success story!
419 Scam – Friend Report
Use this form if you think someone has accessed a friend’s account and changed their password with the intention of obtaining money from you and their other friends. http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=419_friend
I trust this compilation is helpful to you! Please do add any suggestions and questions in the comments below!
Also, remember you can often find solutions to your issues by doing a simple search of Facebook’s Help Center. Use the appropriate forms listed here in the event you cannot find a solution and need to contact Facebook.
Plus, as mentioned above, you’re welcome to post your comments/questions on my fan Page and I’ll do my best to answer for you: http://facebook.com/marismith
Special mention to several active members of Facebook’s Help Center (I’m not sure if they are staff members or fellow enthusiasts. In any case, thanks!)
Do you have your copy of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day yet?! If not, hop over here for how to order and details of your free online workshops!
NEWSFLASH: After yesterday’s disappointing news that Facebook Fan Page Admins could no longer direct non-fans to a default custom landing tab unless they had a minimum of 10,000 fans… in less than 24 hours, Facebook has changed the new “rule” backagain.
The same Facebook staffer who made the forum post yesterday updated the forum today with this post:
Hello,
As of last night, we’ve removed the recently-added authentication requirement for setting custom landing tabs on Pages. The requirement was instituted as part of a Pages quality initiative, and we apologize for the inconvenience this caused to our developer and business community. We are re-investigating the situation, and will not make any further changes without first giving our community standard notice and lead-time.
Thanks for all your feedback,
Matt Trainer
Facebook Developer Network Team
The motive behind this change – and back again – is unclear. But, it’s certainly clear that the ability to direct visitors to your Facebook fan page custom tab can have a direct payoff to the bottom line:
InsideFacebook.comwrote today about BrandGlue split testing the efficacy of a landing tab. They found the conversion rate to be 47% with a landing tab and around 23% without. That is a BIG difference!
Phew, at least the thousands of small businesses, developers, consultants and agencies can breathe a sigh of relief that this very important feature has been restored!
I just wonder how much influence Matt has to adhere to “[we] will not make any further changes without first giving our community standard notice and lead-time.” What is standard notice and lead-time?!
[UPDATE #2: May 20, 2010: A few members of my community alerted me their Default Landing Tab had "reverted" back... or was working now.
So I conducted a test: I logged out of Facebook, then pulled up about a dozen fan pages with fewer than 10,000 fans that would normally land on a Welcome tab. Some did, some didn't.
There doesn't seem to be any pattern. I'm guessing Facebook are rolling out this new "Default Landing Tab Only for Authenticated Pages" rule in phases. Or, perhaps they've listened to us and are rolling back?!]
[UPDATE #1: As a workaround to this new inability to direct non-fans to your custom landing tab, you could make your own redirect link, e.g. http://marismith.com/fanpage goes to my fan page and could just as easily go to any tab. (You could also use any link shortener, e.g. bit.ly)
Remember, each tab still has its own unique URL and all your tabs/apps are still intact.
This approach with your own redirect link could work well for promotions outside Facebook.
However, any promotion inside Facebook (e.g. @ tags) would automatically go to whichever default landing tab you've set - either Wall or Info. I recommend Wall.
Once you reach 10,000 fans, you'll be able to set your cutom landing tab. Though, so far, a couple members of my community have mentioned they cannot make the change and they're over 10k fans. Sounds like the change is buggy.
Props to my fab friend, Mike Stelzner for the redirect link suggestion.]
~~~
Original post follows:
For some time, I’ve been raving about the benefits of having your non-fans land on a specific, custom landing tab on your Facebook Fan Page.
When you send visitors to your Facebook Fan Page, previously, you could have them land on a Welcome Tab, for instance – the purpose of which was to help visitors understand what your business is about and to compel them to want to join your Fan Page.
The option to set this was fairly easy – click on Options underneath the publisher on your Fan Page wall, then click on Settings and select the landing tab from the drop down menu:
However, in a rather odd move, today Facebook quietly let a few disgruntled developers know in the Facebook Developers Forum that they would no longer be offering the option to have a custom default landing tab. That is, unless you have a minimum of 10,000 fans or you have an account rep at Facebook.
Amidst all the hoopla of the privacy concerns and morass of Community Pages, this default landing tab change just seems grossly unfair to the small business owner, in particular.
As Nick O’Neill writes, “We’d assume that this change was made for two reasons: to combat spam and more importantly, to boost revenue…”
Hmm.
To clarify, ALL of your custom tabs still exist. And – this is important – each tab still has its own unique URL. So, theoretically, you could shorten the URL’s and split test landing tabs as I’ve talked about before.
If you don’t have an account rep, here’s the contact form per Facebook.
How do you feel about this change? Was the default landing tab for non-fans a big part of your Fan Page promotion strategy? Let me know in the comments below:
Props to my bud Dave Kerpen for the phone call today about the Developer Forum post, and to my Twitter bud Ryan Burns for drawing my attention to this change last night (at first we thought it was a bug!), and to my bud Nick O’Neill for promptly blogging about the issue.
[UPDATE] – we had a marathon seven-hour Virtual Launch Party today (May 3). Here’s a wee video greeting I recorded for my Facebook wall on my iPhone:
First, Chris Treadaway and I co-hosted a three-hour presentation via TinyChat where we discussed many of the chapters in our book, along with the recent changes announced at Facebook’s f8 conference, and the implications for marketers. The replay of this part will be available shortly! (I recorded my desktop with TinyChat via ScreenFlow and will give it a slight edit).
Then, I went on to lead a four-hour webinar meeting and greeting many of my peeps, and where I continued on to give Facebook marketing ideas, tips, tricks, Ninja secrets, dive deeper into the Facebook changes, do fan page critiques and more. You can view the replay of this part here.
Our book officially comes out on Monday, May 3, 2010. Copies are already shipping and we are climbing the charts on Amazon.com!
Virtual Launch Party – You’re Invited!
On Monday, May 3, we’re hosting a VIRTUAL LAUNCH PARTY from 10:00am PST / 1:00pm EST onwards! Come meet Chris and me and a few surprise guests – we’ll be LIVE virtually!
Drop in any time during the day for Facebook marketing Q&A, book excerpts, interviews,prize drawings, lots of fun - you name it! We’ll even have virtual champagne!
Let us know you’re coming via the Facebook Event page – RSVP here.
An Hour A Day series
You may already be familiar with Sybex’s popular “An Hour A Day” series, which include:
Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day is the ideal comprehensive guide for marketers, business owners and practitioners alike. I’m sure this book will end up flagged, scribbled on and dogeared as you study it! Chris and I outline all the ways businesses can maximize everything Facebook has to offer, from simple quick techniques to full-on campaigns.
Table of Contents:
Screenshots taken from my iPad on the Amazon Kindle app for the iPad! Yes, our book is available on Kindle (and eBook / Nook).
Expert Contributors to “The Future of Facebook” Appendix:
Chris and I are truly honored by and grateful to the following six professionals, all of whom contributed valuable expertise to our book:
With Facebook’s product changing so frequently, Chris and I wanted to offer special follow up support for our readers. You can join us in a special series of online trainings, designed to help you get the absolute most out of this book and from your own Facebook marketing efforts!
In our three-part online webinar series, we’ll walk you through exactly how to:
Assess the power of the new Like button for your site
Create a compelling Facebook Fan Page
Source consistent, relevant content to keep your fans coming back for more
Build your raving fan base using creative ways to drive targeted traffic
Increase your brand awareness and brand sentiment
Easily drive traffic back to your website and blog
Engage your fans and turn them into paying customers
Rapidly build your opt-in email list
Place effective Facebook ads that make people take action
And much more.
This workshop series stars on June 3, 2010 and is entirely virtual, so you can attend via your computer from the comfort of your home/office. Each session will be recorded and replays will be available with unlimited access.
Chris and I will share screenshots and our desktop as we guide you through the exact steps you need to build a vibrant, profitable presence on Facebook.
Here’s how to register:
It’s super easy to secure your place in the free 3-part Facebook Marketing online class:
Advance praise for Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day
Chris and I are truly grateful to the following professionals for their support and encouragement:
“This is the ultimate Facebook marketing guide. It provides the most important strategies to take full advantage of Facebook’s best features, make your Facebook presence pop, and generate profits. A must-read!”
“The best marketing engages buyers with valuable information at the precise moment they are receptive. That’s why my chiropractor shares video exercises with me on Facebook! And it’s darned effective, too. If you want to learn how to tap the communications tool of choice for hundreds of millions of people around the world, study Facebook Marketing. The real-world examples from organizations of all kinds are especially valuable for those who still need to be convinced (like your boss).”
-David Meerman Scott, bestselling author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR, now published in 24 languages
“Facebook is a powerful new marketing platform and thanks to this book it just got a whole lot easier to understand and tap.”
“The social media world is full of people saying they know this tool or that tool. But there’s a reason the first name a lot of people think of when they think of Facebook marketing is Mari Smith. This book shows you how the world’s largest social network can be leveraged for your business. And it’s written by one of few people out there who actually has shown companies how to succeed on Facebook. If you’re trying to leverage Facebook to reach your customers, this book should be on your shelf. It’s on mine.”
“This is the only book that walks you through every step of creating, implementing, measuring, and optimizing a successful strategy for engaging on Facebook. Featuring proven strategies and techniques, this approachable guide walks the walk. It shows marketers at all levels how to roll up their sleeves, jump in, and get winning results quickly.”
“Mari Smith quickly became THE go-to expert before the crowds flocked to Facebook, realizing how powerful this channel is for business. Mari, teamed up with Facebook analytics expert, Chris Treadaway, have created an absolute masterpiece! Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day is long overdue, and every reader is lucky to have this book at their fingertips so they can tap into the mind of these pioneers and accelerate their success on Facebook by applying these tips.”
“Even though (or perhaps because) it’s transforming the way businesses interact with customers and prospects, Facebook is often confusing, and counter-intuitive. Not any more. Chris and Mari have created the Holy Grail, a book where nearly every page is worthy of an underline, highlight, or dog ear. With some companies posting to Facebook twice a month, and others posting banalities four times daily, the content strategy guidelines alone make this book indispensable. Buy two copies – keep one for yourself, and mail one to a company whose unfocused Facebook approach drives you crazy.”
“Mari and Chris have a very unique gift in that they can’t take the very complex and sophisticated paradigm of marketing on of the world’s largest social networks and present it in a way that anyone can understand and more importantly, put into practice.”
-Brian Solis, author of Engage, the complete guide for businesses to build and measure success on the new web
“I love books that start with strategic planning. Just about every Facebook title I’ve seen is obsessed with secret tips and tricks, without ever encouraging the reader to identify what they’re trying to accomplish in the first place. Chris and Mari have done a splendid job putting those tips and tricks into a meaningful context and I know I’ll be studying my copy to improve my own Facebook presence. If you’re looking for the full picture, the “why” along with “what” and “how”, then this is your book.”
“Every marketer knows they need to be on Facebook and other social networks, but few know how to do it right. Chris and Mari have created what is essentially a user’s manual for anyone managing a brand or advertising a business on Facebook. Whether you’re new to social networking or a savvy user, this book provides the tools every marketing professional needs, from getting setup the right way to managing successful, targeted advertising campaigns. The book’s step-by-step format makes what many consider a daunting undertaking seem like a more manageable process for even the busiest marketers by helping you prioritize your time online.”
“Not only does FBMHD provide a practical framework for Facebook marketing, but it also offers a 360-degree perspective on how social media connects with a cross-section of marketing disciplines. By reading and using FBMHD, social savvy marketers gain the strategies, tactics and tools to cross the chasm from a hope-it-works community to a well-performing channel for marketing and communications.”
And, just to whet your appetite while you’re waiting for your book to arrive (unless you’re anything like me and get the Kindle/iPad version right now!), here are several tutorial blog posts that you may find helpful too:
If you have any comments, questions, concerns, challenges, (rave reviews!) – anything to do with Facebook Marketing, please do share in the Comments below:
[UPATE: Thank you for your interest in ISMA – this organization is in process of being dissolved. You may read about the transition below. If you were a member of ISMA, you will continue to receive access to all materials via my website on a special platform – please keep an eye on your email Inbox for information.]
This is not an easy post to write, but here goes — after much deliberation, my partner in ISMA and I have decided to dissolve the International Social Media Association. There are many reasons behind this decision and it was certainly a tough one to make.
Mark and I have enjoyed this journey together since September 2009 and are most grateful to our more than 3,000 members. Between the tw
o of us – along with Mark’s entire family – much effort has gone into building ISMA to this point.
However, like I say, for a number of reasons we have chosen to wind up our partnership and ISMA.
All our members received a special, heartfelt email message this morning with details of our announcement.
Live Q&A Broadcast
In order to communicate the transition of ISMA in person and answer any questions our members and other industry professionals may have, I will be LIVE on Ustream TODAY, Friday, April 30th at 1:00pm PST / 4:00pm EST.
I will broadcast live for approximately 90 minutes. The show will be recorded and the replay will be available at the same link if you’re unable to join me live.
UPDATE: I have embedded below the replay of the live Ustream broadcast:
What Went Right?
Rather than dig in and analyze what went “wrong,” I’d rather focus on what went right. [Props to Ian Newby-Clark, psychologist at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada for this great reframe in Psychology Today.]
Facebook beginnings
By way of background, I began my journey in the social media industry back in early summer of 2007. For the previous seven years, I was a relationship marketing specialist – focusing on internet marketing, information product creation, copywriting and emailmarketing. I would travel, speak, consult and lead online trainings – similar to what I do now, sans social media!
When I was introduced to Facebook, I was convinced that I didn’t need yet another online social network to help me network. I’m already a natural networker. However, I dove deep into this magical world on a team of beta testers for a Facebook app.
Social media = paradigm shift
Of course, what we had begun to experience as a society and beyond was a complete paradigm shift in how we function, communicate and do business on the planet. Suddenly, it was ALL about the relationships. Not what you know, but who you know. And – often more importantly – who knows you.
Words like “authentic” and “transparent” were all abuzz. As consumers, we began to expect that individuals and companies would be more open, more sharing, more inclusive. Social media became “word of mouth on steroids,” as my friend Gary Vaynerchuk calls it.
Towards the end of 2007, I was creating Facebook training products, leading seminars and traveling to speak about Facebook marketing.
Best practices
But, I felt uneasy about what was beginning to look like a giant free-for-all: a new industry without best practices. There were so many unspoken rules of etiquette. With all due respect to the well-intentioned marketers who push the envelope and try new ways of using these new technologies, I just felt strongly about leading by example… and, I envisioned creating an organization grounded in best practices. I had a vision to create Certification Programs and an international community of like-minded, supportive professionals.
What went right is that I followed my heart and took action. What went right is I surrounded myself with a solid, supportive team. What went right is we attracted over 3,000 wonderful members and each week we were able to bring them wonderful industry experts who generously shared their knowledge and expertise.
We built community. We built a special place for loyal professionals to support each other. We spawned new businesses, new collaborations, new relationships.
I will always be deeply grateful for this profound opportunity to go for my dreams and birth an amazing social media association. I couldn’t have done it without the relentless support of Mark Eldridge and his family. And, we couldn’t have come this far without our members.
Closing a door is never easy. Yet, as you well know, another door always opens. This isn’t an ending – it’s a beginning. I won’t rule out other associations in my future. And, I’m certainly open to joining forces with other social media industry leaders… but not before I free up a wee bit more time in my hectic schedule!
My major focuses right now are:
The launch of my first published book -Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day (Sybex, May 3) co-authored with Chris Treadaway. Do come join us at our virtual launch party on Monday, May 3! Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day is a comprehensive guide for marketers, business owners and practitioners alike. Discover all the ways your business can maximize everything Facebook has to offer, from simple quick techniques to full-on campaigns. Order your copy today and get a free series of online classes!
My favorite event of the year: the extraordinary onlineSocial Media Success Summit – brainchild of my dear friend, Mike Stelzner – which begins on May 4 and runs for four weeks. (It’s entirely virtual!) The Summit features twenty-four of the world’s leading social media experts, practitioners and leading brand representatives. See my post here for additional details. And, take a look at my video on YouTube: Ten Reasons to Attend the Social Media Success Summit.
My own two-day live training programs: Social Marketing Mastery Immersion coming up on June 11-12 and again September 3-4 in San Diego. Attend live at a great San Diego hotel, or virtually via webinar!
A long-awaited collaboration with my dear spiritual mentor, Esperanza, called Conscious Social Media. VERY excited about this – I can share details in just another few days!
Plus, continuing my travels to speak around the globe on social media success and lead training programs on Facebook marketing.
Plus, continuing to lead private trainings and provide social media strategy consulting for my dear clients.
I look forward to evolving and growing with you, my peeps!
Do feel free to add your comments, questions, concerns, ideas and feedback below! I’d love to hear from you.
Are you satisfied with theresults you’re currently getting from all your social media efforts? Would you say there is room for improvement?
Though we’re clearly reaching critical mass point with social media market penetration, there’s still a morass of confusing information as to what works, and what doesn’t.
There are social media policies, and which sites to use, and the right content and engagement strategies. And whether to automate, delegate, ghostwrite. or not. It can all be very overwhelming and many people are stuck in a place of sheer inertia for lack of proper knowledge, training and experience.
When it comes to social media marketing, most businesses begin with no clear objectives or strategy. They jump in with the technology piece first: they set up a Twitter account, usually due to peer and media pressure. But they don’t really know how to listen or engage effectively.
Then they throw together a Facebook fan page and it sits there gathering virtual dust. Next comes the blog, YouTube channel, LinkedIn account, Ning site, live video with Ustream, and whatever new-fangled tool comes along.
But, in order to be effective in attracting and engaging quality customers using social media, you must have the following components:
Clarity on your exact target market and which social networks they prefer to use most often
Knowledge of what online and mobile tools are available to you (apps, widgets, plugins, clients, etc.)
Knowledge of the cultures, best practices and etiquette of the various social networks (there are vast schools of thought on the right and wrong way to use social media)
Clear objectives (such as: drive traffic to your blog, enhance customer service, grow your email list, sell more widgets, gain targeted media attention, crowdsource new products, etc.)
A strategy to achieve those objectives
A social media implementation plan
Resources to pay for training and ongoing social media management, whether third party or in-house
A company social media policy
An ongoing engagement plan
Systems to track and measure results
Strategies for reputation management, and
A scalability plan.
Whew, is it any wonder business people feel overwhelmed and stuck. I hope this list is of value to you. However, if you’d like some help – if you’re ready to ramp up your social media marketing and gain tremendous measurable results – I have good news for you: it’s almost time for my favorite online event of the year.
Mike gathered together twenty-four of the world’s leading social media experts, practitioners and leading brand representatives to be Summit instructors.
Each session is a LIVE webinar with visuals; no fluff, just deep useful content that you’ll be able to apply to your business right away and see results.
Effective ways to market your company with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, social bookmarking sites, mobile marketing and more
How to track and measure the return on investment for social media programs
A step-by-step method for creating a smart social media marketing plan
How to build a loyal social media following
How to bring more customers into your local business with social media techniques See all the sessions here.
Just check out this incredible lineup, each of whom will share their proven social media tactics, strategies, techniques and tools. (Names hyperlinked to each presenter’s Twitter page so you can go follow them! Links open in a new window.)
This entirely VIRTUAL event starts May 5 and sessions run during the month of May. SAVE 34% on your ticket through April 20th!
Last year, nearly 1000 marketers and small business owners from around the world attended the Social Media Success Summit. It was a huge hit. Businesses were transformed. In fact, 97% of attendees said they’d attend again!
This year’s focus is to empower attendees to build social media marketing plans, track your social media results and learn from other successful businesses. This is more than just an event. It’s also a way for people just like you to come together, share their experiences, meet the experts and network.
Remember, the Social Media Success Summit is alive ONLINE conference that you can attend from your home or office. PLUS, *all* sessions are recorded and you get access to every single replay, just in case you can’t attend a session live or wish to go back and review!
(By the way, whether you get a ticket or not, you can access a free online training session called "How to Grow and Engage an Audience).
Will you be attending this exciting virtual event? If you already have your ticket, congrats!! Come on over to the Facebook Event page and begin your pre-networking. Feel free to add photos of you with any of the 24 speakers to the Event page – you’re welcome to create valuable visibility for yourself and, in turn, let others know about the Summit! I look forward to “seeing” you on the sessions and my hope for you is this too will fast become your favorite event of the year too!
I’m about to set off on a wee tour – which originally began as a private mastermind retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 12-17
Then, my friend, Peggy McColl, asked me to speak at her amazing Viral Explosions book launch extravaganza in Ottawa, Ontario, April 16 and 17. It’s such an amazing event, and my big sis lives near Ottawa so we get to meet up!
And, my friend, Joel Comm contacted me to let me know the Loveland Chamber of Commerce *really* wanted me to come speak at their next Social Media Social. We ended up selecting a date that worked for all of us, and I added on extra time on the front end of my trip! w00t!
So, if you’re in the Northern Colorado area, or Albuquerque or Ottawa – I’d love to meet you IRL (in real life!) at these upcoming events:
WHEN: Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 5:30-7:30pm WHERE: Embassy Suites Loveland, Clydesdale Parkway, Loveland, CO 80538 COST: Loveland Chamber investors: $8 to pre-reg; $10 at the door. Everyone else: $12 to pre-reg; $15 at the door RSVP: CLICK HERE to register. [NOTE: I have 4 guest passes left. If you know for sure you can make it, DM me for a guest pass!!]
Mix, mingle and meet the people behind the avatars and Twitter handles! I’ll be giving a short presentation on social media marketing, especially a few of my Facebook and Twitter ninja tricks. PLUS, the Loveland Chamber are serving Aqua Mari’tinis in my honor – gotta love that!! Follow the @LovelandChamber and @NoCOSocialMedia on Twitter.
[Pic: @JoelComm & @MariSmith at the Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, Jan 2009]
WHEN: Friday, April 9, 2010 from 6:30-9:30pm WHERE: The Lobby Denver, 2191 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80205 COST: No fee, but Happy Hour Specials & food available for purchase, of course! RSVP: http://twtvite.com/springtweetupdenver [Please let us know you're coming asap so we know how many to expect!]
NOTE: It’s opening day for the ROCKIES, parking may be a wee bit tight. Carpool and take public transit if you can.
“To mark the beginning of Spring to see old friends and new, and to welcome Mari Smith to Denver.”
Thanks to my Twitter bud, Ashley Kingsley, for spearheading the organizing of this fun tweetup!! To see who’s attending, just go to the Twtvite page here.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 from 7:30am-9:30am [7:30-8:00am - Check-in & continental breakfast; 8:00-9:30 am - Mari Smith presentation] WHERE: Hotel Albuquerque,800 Rio Grande NW COST: $25 NMAMA members / $40 non-members RSVP: CLICK HERE to register.
JAVA TALK Workshop – Facebook Fortune & Twitter Treasure. How to grow your business using the top two social networks. 90-minute presentation for local business owners and entrepreneurs.
Huge shoutout to @KimGusta who happened to see me tweeting about my retreat at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya and she tweeted/DM’d me inviting me to speak to the AMA. Gotta LOVE Twitter, social media and the sheer power of networking!!
Presented by Peggy McColl. Includes mega book launch party extravaganza for VIRAL EXPLOSIONS
WHEN: Friday April 16, 2010 from 6:30pm-11:00pm (FREE book launch party) Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 8:00am – 6:30pm (The ULTIMATE Success Event) WHERE: Chateau Cartier Hotel (relatively close to downtown Ottawa, Ontario) COST: Friday’s party is FREE! Saturday’s seminar is just $199! RSVP: CLICK HERE to register.
To kick off the official launch of Peggy McColl’s 7th book, Viral Explosions, and ensure you have everything you need to make this your biggest and best year ever . in Life and Business!
LIVE entertainment by Diego the Humor Hypnotist! And Magician, Elliott Smith! And, Singers, Alison Comrie and Kristen Stephen!
Presenters at The ULTIMATE Success Event include Gay Hendricks, Joyce Bone, Scott Stratten, Mike Koenigs, Brian Proctor, David Riklan, Arielle Ford, Steve Shapiro, Ken Brown and more!
This will be one magical event – I look forward to seeing you there! Register now if you can attend.
Let me know in the comments below (and/or on Twitter) if you’re able to attend any of these fun four events!!
Let’s assume you have your Facebook Fan Page up and running now. (If not, see FANtastic Fan Pages for ideas and help). Some of the basics include adding a custom graphic, installing apps – particularly Static FBML, adding custom content including a landing tab, and ensuring you’re adding relevant, quality content on a regular basis. I’ll be covering all of these subjects and more on this blog and also on SocialMediaExaminer.com.
If you have visitors to your Fan page and they are not yet fans, I call them non-fans, you ideally want those visitors to be directed to your custom Welcome Tab rather than your Wall.
The idea behind this is you want to have a clear and inviting page that provides these visitors with an immediate sense of who you are, what you do, why they should become a fan, AND you want to provide a call to action with a nice visual to your Become a Fan button.
If the visitor is already a Fan they’ll automatically be directed to your Wall as the landing page so they can read your updates, see what your community has to say and share their thoughts.
Before you can set up your fan page to make the distinction between fans and “non-fans” you’ll need to create a Welcome tab:
Add the Static FBML App
FBML stands for Facebook Markup Language. It’s Facebook’s own version of HTML. You want to install this application because it allows you to configure your Fan Page with custom tabs. If you are good at traditional HTML you will pick up FBML very quickly.
If you don’t have any experience with HTML you are not alone and I highly suggest you work with a web developer who can quickly and easily add all of the custom apps you want without the headache and frustration of learning this new language at a time when you are trying to grow your business and fan base. But, if you love that type of challenge, more power to you!
Here’s how you add the Static FBML application so you or your web designer can start configuring your landing page:
In the master Search box at the top, type in FBML.
Click on the square Facebook FBML icon to go to that page. Under the icon on the left side of that new page, Click on Add to My Page (as shown in the screenshot below).
You will then see a pop up window with thumbnails of any fan pages you’re an Admin for. Click on the button that says Add Static FBML next to the fan page you want.
Create Custom Content
After you install the Static FBML app, go back to your Fan page and click Edit Page under your image. You will now see new applications to choose from – click on the edit link for the FBML app. (By the way, if you just created your fan page and/or it is not published yet, you may have difficulty finding where it went! Here’s a direct link to the Pages Manager – you might want to bookmark it).
There are essentially two simple, blank fields to this app and that’s it. It’s so simple, it seems complex! The first small field is where you enter the title of the tab you want. Then the larger field is where you paste in the raw HTML code.
If you are fairly savvy about adding similar HTML text to a WordPress site then this will be a snap, but again, don’t be afraid to enlist the help of a web developer.
For do-it-yourself folks, try Windows Livewriter (for PCs only) – it’s a free WYSIWYG desktop blog writing software (I use it for all my blog posts) where you can create the content you want, then view the raw HTML source code and copy/paste. Or, if you’re more advanced, software like Dreamweaver will be a good choice.
NOTE: Something really cool to know about the Static FBML app is you can add additional iterations of the app for as many custom boxes/tabs as you wish! Along with a custom landing welcome tab, SocialMediaExaminer.com have another FBML iteration containing an opt-in box by itself plus another iteration with a series of navigation buttons to their main website:
Adjust the Settings
Once you have created and added the content you want, you can add this new tab to the list of tabs on your fan page by clicking on the double arrows that appear on your tab bar on the far right.
To “lock” the positioning of your first several tabs in place, click on the tab itself and you can actually pick it up and drag and reorder. Once you’re finished reordering, this new order will remain “set.” (The only tabs you can’t drag and drop are Wall and Info).
Now that your Welcome tab is set up, it’s time to adjust your settings for the appropriate landing page for your fans and your non-fans. There are a couple places to do so; here’s the simplest:
On your Wall tab, look just below the Share button of your Publisher and you’ll see a tiny link for Options. Click on that, then click Settings.
Use the drop-down menu next to Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else, and select Welcome so that all non-fans are directed to your Welcome page first.
Custom welcome tab – your Welcome tab is for non-fans and the key objective is to provide the call to action so that people become a fan. The really fun trend with Welcome tabs is to make them multi-media – a short (1 minute or less) welcome video, an audio post, etc. This is such a great personal way to connect with your new visitors. Of course, you can name this landing tab whatever you wish; it doesn’t have to be “Welcome.”
Add an Opt-In box
An Opt-In box on FB is much the same as one on your website. It is a way to offer free products or services to your visitors in exchange for their email address for future marketing purposes.
You may choose to use the same give-away product as your website or offer a different one. If you want to track where your contact list originates or you believe the demographics of your fans may be different than your website visitors, you might want to offer different giveaways for each opt-in box.
Otherwise, I would recommend sticking with the same offerings for both your website and fan page. Again, if you are good with HTML, it will be a breeze for you to use the Static FBML application to add your opt-in box, otherwise put this on your to-do list for your web-designer. (Note – this opt in box will be programmed just like the one on your website – using the same auto-responder program such as aWeber, 1ShoppingCart, Constant Contact, etc.)
If you go visit my friend, John Assaraf’s, Facebook fan page (screenshot above) – you’ll find he actually has three different opt-in boxes on three separate tabs: Welcome, Ask John (genius!), and RAK.
Add a Welcome Video
My friends, Steve Spangler (Ellen’s Science Guy!) and Ezine Articles founder, Chris Knight, both have excellent welcome videos on their fan pages. The videos are short, compelling, and explain exactly why you would want to become a fan of their Facebook Page! Steve has a YouTube video embed, Chris has an .swf file embeded
Check out more Advanced Pages
There are many custom Facebook fan page app services available – many for enterprise level – but also many serve small to medium size businesses. Take a look at:
I love the wacky things Volkswagen do with their page – they used to have a landing tab with an app that would assess all the information from your personal profile and tell you which VW you should be driving! Now, they have a funny PunchDub game:
And Alice in Wonderland’s fan page is way fun – you can make yourself into the Madhatter and post to your profile:
I also like Threadless‘ fan page – their landing tab isn’t necessarily geared to converting each visitor to a fan; rather, you land on an online store and can purchase teeshirts, share on your profile with the ubiquitous Share button, and even comment on each teeshirt and choose to post the comment to your profile:
Now that your custom landing tab is in place, I’ll be writing about some of the fun and strategic ways to increase your community of fans on upcoming posts. Meantime, I’d love to hear what unique things you’ve done so far to welcome your potential fans. Have you seen some really neat welcome pages that you want to share with the rest of us? Add your comment below!
I was recently approached by the team at Vpype to test out their brand new Facebook app that allows you to stream LIVE video directly from your Facebook profile or fan page to your friends and fans!
This app is a gamechanger! Live video streaming meets Facebook. and the best part? It’s FREE!
Vpype allows you to:
Schedule regular shows
Broadcast live anytime
Broadcast as yourself or broadcast as your fan page
Select specific friends to broadcast to (think private conferencing, trainings, etc!)
Archive your shows
Embed any show
Browse through your Facebook friends’ show recordings
.and more.
So, last night around 7:30pm PST, I put out a tweet, updated my Facebook profile status and began broadcasting – within a few minutes, we had over 40 participantsview the show (ultimately 247 live views) and engage in the chat room from around the U.S. and as far as Singapore, Iceland and Gold Coast, Australia! (See this prompt recap of my Vpype debut by Marianna Fridjonsdottir in Iceland!)
The Vpype Facebook app displays on your Fan Page as a tab called "Shows."
By the way, here’s a hot Facebook fan page tip: All tabs to the left of Wall and Info can be reordered by dragging and dropping. In the screenshot below, I’ve placed my Shows tab inbetween my Blog and Welcome tabs:
Possible uses of the Vpype Facebook app – some are my ideas, some I asked my peeps in the chat room:
Live Q&A for fans on your fan page
Private conferences
Family chats
Daily/weekly show with guest experts
Short tips/tutorial videos – live or pre-recorded
New product demos
Classes
Video book reviews
Virtual party
Cooking demonstration
And a few excerpted enthusiastic comments:
We only ran into just a couple hiccups; for some viewers the stream was sticking from time to time (but that depends on variables such as internet speed on the viewer end, of course). Also, the chat area froze one time and I ended up hitting refresh – which temporarily stopped my live broadcast, but the users stayed connected and we ended up picking right back up where we left off. However, the second part didn’t seem to record.
Also, I first published this post with the video embedded – but was a wee bit alarmed to see the video plays on load! So, I took it out.
You can watch the show here. And, I’ve pasted below a screenshot of what the embed looks like. (Btw, the default width is 750px which is rather wide and needs to be sized).
A few items on our features wishlist as a result of this debut show:
Embedded player does NOT play on load
Default embed size is 600px
Notification of who joined/left
Participants’ names/avatars linked to their Facebook profile
Ability to pause the chat area (similar to Tweetchat)
Broadcast inside the "frame" of a fan page tab
Ability to assign mic/webcam rights to others for live video interview
Get Help With Facebook Groups & Events
Report Problems with Uploading Photos and Videos
See the directory of Suggestion forms on Facebook 
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