Are People Talking About Your Facebook Page?

Do you have a Facebook Page? Maybe you created one for your blog, business, consulting services etc. Then you may have noticed some new data on the left-hand-navigation of your Page – ____ talking about this.

What does it all mean and how do you get more people talking?

The number below the actual total Likes of the Page is a benchmark of how many people are engaging with your content. Content is in the form of status updates, photos, questions and videos. In a nutshell… [Insert number] talking about this = total number of people recently engaged with your Page’s content (i.e Commenting on posts, “Liking” posts, answering questions, tagging your Page, tagging your Page’s photos).

The more engaging your content is, the more people will “Like” your Page. When your fans engage, their activity appears in their news feed and helps your message disperse. Here are some ways to create more engaging content in order to boost that number.

• Post open-ended updates. For example, Fill in the blank. My favorite thing about Fall is _____.
• When you post a link, include the image that accompanies it. (see example below)
• Use the Facebook Questions feature and ask your fans questions.
• Post video.
• Interact with your fans when they post in the comment threads.
• Do a contest.
• Encourage your fans to “Share” your content. At the end of your status update, simply state, Please share or Pass it on!
• Encourage your fans to share content too. For example, Post a photo of your favorite doggie Halloween costume.

Cancer Awareness IS Social. #cancersucks

It’s October so you’re either seeing alot of orange, black and purple for Halloween OR you’re seeing alot of pink. I bet you’re seeing both! October and breast cancer awareness are like peanut butter and jelly, crudites and hummus, tortilla chips and guacamole. You think of one and the other resonates.

Social media plays an instrumental role in the public outreach of cancer awareness across the board, not just for breast cancer awareness.

Here are some examples of social media efforts for cancer awareness:

• Movember USA: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Mustaches!
• SU2C: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Launch a Star for as little as $1
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Check out their 31 Days of Pink. Love that!
• Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Check out their Volunteer for Progress campaign.

It’s not the number of Facebook fans or Twitter followers that warrant the success of social media and cause outreach. Sure, there is alot of “reach,” but what if only a small percent of fans/followers take action and spread the message? That’s not very successful. A stellar awareness campaign involves effectively promoting the organization’s efforts and providing EASY ways for people to take action. The social media efforts of an organization should be aligned with the offline efforts in order to have a cohesive message. I think the above organizations do that and so do many others!

What are some organizations that you think do a great job of using social media to raise awareness? Leave a comment below.

Follow and use these hashtags to join the cancer awareness conversation on Twitter: #cancersucks, #breastcancerawareness, #movember, #GotheMo, #pinkforoctober, #vol4progress, #cancersurvivor, #childhoodcancer, #cancerprogress.

Spotlight on Oreo

Consider yourself warned…this post may make you hungry for Oreos and milk!

We’ve all grown up with Oreo, right? Finding a box in the kitchen cupboard, a couple of cookies packed for school lunch or after game treats. Well, Oreo has come along way and I am glad to see it’s thriving on social media. I think there are some best practices to pick-up from Oreo too. Maybe even some dunking styles…who knows?

Although, I am sad to report that there were no Oreo mobile apps to be found. I would have liked to see one. Perhaps a photo app that automatically adds a stack of Oreos and milk into any photo you like. Or an app where you can enter your mood for the day and/or moment and Oreo assigns an Oreo product to you. For example, Allison is in an Excited mood. Time for Double Stuff Oreos!

Facebook

A few things stand out to me that I think or worth highlighting. https://www.facebook.com/oreo

• The Page logo is more than branding, it’s interactive! Oreo is simply asking “Post or tag Oreo in your photo to give us permission to make you Fan of the Week or use it in our Photo Bar“. Love it. In fact, I am thinking of submitting a photo too! What is also brilliant about this “ask” from Oreo is when fans tag Oreo in photos, the action appears in their News Stream, which is greater exposure for the brand.
• Oreo is emphasizing the personal element of eating and enjoying an Oreo with it’s Oreo Moment’s Gallery. Some or many of us have fond memories of eating Oreo cookies with Grandpa, cousins or neighborhood kids or any friends and family.
• It’s status updates are open-ended and interactive. Either asking fans a question, posting a recipe involving Oreos or sharing a fun photo. Also, the updates are short and to the point. Such a best practice!

YouTube

As you might suspect, Oreo uses it’s YouTube channel to share it’s U.S. and international commercials, and behind the scenes footage. YouTube definitely increases the longevity of the commercial life-cycle, which is nice if Oreo enthusiasts want to reference a commercial or embed one into a blog post (like yours truly).

Twitter

Wow. How fun would it be to do Twitter for Oreo? Just tweet, retweet, reply and track Oreo keywords all day long. Tough life, I bet.

It’s clear a bulk or Oreo’s customers are on Faceboook; there are over 22 million fans on it’s Page and just a little over 14,000 followers on Twitter. How can Oreo help those 22 million fans get connected with the brand on Twitter? Oreo can certainly get more strategic with it’s Twitter efforts to help build that follower base.

Here are some ways:

• Do a monthly Twitter chat. For example, #OreoChat and talk about different Oreo products, dunking styles and poll Twitter followers for new flavors, new packaging design and ideas for a new Oreo game (online gaming is so IN). This gives fans the opportunity to make their voices heard directly to Oreo.
• Promote the #OreoChat on Facebook, email blasts, the website and other outlets.
• Promote social media presence on the packaging itself. A package of Oreos can have a shelf life of about 1 month or so, why not promote social media on the front and sides of the package?
• Cross promote, cross promote! On Facebook Oreo barely mentions it’s Twitter handle. The activity happening on Facebook is not identical to Twitter, so why doesn’t Oreo promote Twitter so fans can enjoy double the fun?

With all that said, I do like Oreo’s homepage. Social media is promoted at the top of the page and there is a three-tab stream connecting site visitors to Facebook and Twitter.

What is your input on strategic ways Oreo can grow it’s Twitter base?