1. Design creative.
2. Give creative and pot of money to media agency.
3. Run Campaign.
4. Deliver report at the end of the month.

We cannot run Social Campaigns this way.

1. Design 28 versions of creatives.
2. Run each version for 4 different sets of audiences.
3. Check effectiveness.
4. Tweak CPC bids.
5. Change borders.
6. Check effectiveness.
7. Stop ineffective ads.
8. Create 12 more variants of effective ads.
9. Check effectiveness.
10. Tweak ads.
11. Change background colours.
12. Check Effectiveness.
13. Deliver daily report.
14. Start again.

Social campaigns CANNOT be created, run and managed the same way as traditional digital campaigns. You need a team that understands advertising, the product, analytics, is patient, is creative and most importantly a team that has an incentive in driving down the CPC (or any other measurement criteria)

Google has answered back recently with its ‘+1′ button recently you can use it to influence search results.

And now, here is an application that will help you ‘Like’ Google search results on Google!

This nifty little application adds a FB like button to every Google result and lets you know how many people and how many of your friends have already liked this link. I am sure however that Google is not attaching much importance to the number of ‘Likes’ as of now in choosing which search results to throw up.

In the same screen shot, you can also see the Google +1 button and that, I am sure will be used to decide which results land up on top.

Battle of the Likes! Who will win?

To install this app on IE, Chrome or FireFox click here.

1. Brazil added more FB users in the last month (3.3 million) than ANY other country (including the United States!).

2. After a slow start, India is now galloping and is the 5th largest Facebook country in the world at 24 million people.

3. Among the top 40 FB markets, India has the lowest adoption rate at 2% of the population. (Wow! The potential!)

4. Philippines was the only market in the top 10 to decline! (stagnation)

5. With almost 53% penetration, Singapore is for the first time ahead of Hong Kong. (51.6%)

6. New Zealand was the most expensive market to advertise on Facebook with a cost per click of $1.76

7. It is more expensive to advertise on Facebook in Singapore ($1.07 per click) than it is in Hong Kong ($.57)

8. It is more expensive to advertise on Facebook in HongKong ($.57 per click) than it is in India ($.58)

9. The Texas Hold’em Poker page has more fans (41 million) than Facebook itself (39 million)!

10. There are now more than half a million Facebook Pages in existance. That is a lot of community managers!

In all of this excitement, Linkedin has sort of been treated like the poor cousin (Linkedin is valued at a paltry $3 billion), not worthy of so much hype and definitely not worthy of being talked about in the same breath as Facebook.

Linkedin does have a lot going for it though and I for one am not sure who the ultimate Social Networking king will be. Sample this…

1. User base: While Facebook hurtles towards 700 million users, Linkedin crossed an important milestone of its own. A 100 million users is nothing to laugh at. One could also argue that the Linkedin user base is ‘better quality’ because most of them are employees, college students and entrepreneurs and NOT bored housewives and curious kids.
2. Revenue model: Facebook makes most of its revenue currently from ads but given the opportunities, this can change quickly. Linkedin’s revenue model looks more ‘solid’ with paid memberships, ads and recruitment solutions each playing an important role.
3. Ads effectiveness: Facebook allows for an incredible amount of control and targeting options while running an ad campaign but Linkedin offers what Facebook cannot – the ability to target people according to their designations, industry and organization apart from many other options.
4. Credibility: The perception that Facebook is for fun and Linkedin is for work exists (and is somewhat true) and because of that a typical user is likely to be more influenced by what he/she reads on Linkedin compared to Facebook.
5. Groups: Facebook pages are incredibly successful and Linkedin has no answer to that product as of now. But again, Linkedin groups are so much more effective than Facebook Groups and Facebook seems unsure of how to position ‘Groups’ vis a vis ‘Pages’.
6. Purpose: There is a sense of purpose when I choose to spend time on Linkedin. I am either looking for people to hire, or checking out job opportunities or simply looking for collaboration opportunities. I do not go to Linkedin looking for cutesy videos and smart alec status updates. Does that make the time spent on Linkedin more valuable?
7. Linkedin API: Facebook’s killer move was to open up its platform to all developers and allow them to create applications. This resulted in a better experience for users and therefore more time spent on Facebook. Linkedin has been late to the party but seems to be taking the right steps. It has already announced changes and new interesting apps should be on their way soon.
8. Facebook Fatigue: Is it just me? I have come across many friends talking about how Facebook has now started to become boring and unexciting. Is the novelty wearing off? Linkedin on the other hand is not likely to be affected by the ‘fatigue’ syndrome because there is almost always a purpose and a reason when someone chooses to spend time on Linkedin.
9. Easier catching up: Linkedin has been slow while Facebook has been moving quickly and effectively in its quest to ‘Facebookize’ the internet. Linkedin is now catching up with its own set of ‘Share’, ‘Recommend’ and ‘Profile’ buttons and soon the Linkedin ‘sign in’. Along the way, Facebook has also educated users, developers and corporates and so in a way has paved the way for Linkedin to catch up faster.
10. Competition: Google has been trying unsuccessfully to create something that could compete with Facebook. They are surely not giving up. They will spend as many dollars as it takes to come up with an answer. Given their track record and the culture of innovation, they will surely be back after the disasterous Google Wave. Linkedin on the other hand does not have a direct competitor with such deep pockets. Plaxo and the others are still not comparable.

This growth for Linkedin though will definitely not be at the expense of Facebook. (I feel that Facebook is now on a different trajectory. It is no longer just a Social Network but a default platform/ carrier of content across different platforms.)

The majority of those who are using it as a customer service tool are however not using the full potential of what is possible. For many brands customer service on Facebook simply means replying to the fans’ questions, rants and complaints on the main wall (example – the AsiaRooms page), this is simply not effective because of the following reasons.

1. The responses get buried under new wall posts quickly and therefore not useful for fans who might have the same queries but on a different day!
2. The responses are not search-able and therefore the same questions need to be responded to many times
3. Since the responses get buried quickly, the community does not really get a chance to jump into a discussion and contribute
4. Any new fans who join the page will only see a main wall full of complaints and rants, not exactly the positive note that most brands would want to start off with.
5. It is extremely difficult to keep a track of the quality of responses over a long period of time.
6. SEO benefits
7. It is amateurish and appears (and is clumsy)

The alternative is to use a custom application to provide customer service. Apart from building one of your own, there are a variety of plug and play options that are available. Here are a few that are good.

• GetSatisfaction.com
• Assistly
• Parature
• Genesys
• Right Now

Another variation of ‘using a tool’ is to ‘listen’ to conversations/ comments on Facebook and then respond to them through the usual channels. Organizations like BuddyMedia, SalesForce.com,and LivePerson advocate this route but I am not a fan.

Having helped a number of top brands use Facebook for customer service and having experimented with a variety of methods and processes, these are some best practices that I have discovered along the way.

1. Use a custom application to run the show and for reasons mentioned above do not run customer service off the main wall.

• Flexible: Your chosen tool should be flexible to suit your needs and the needs of your customers.
• Intelligent and intuitive: The customer service team should not have to answer the same questions again and again!
• Scalable: If the number of queries shoots through the roof (which is actually a good thing) the tool should allow for more and more customer service professionals to respond to queries with zero or minimum additional cost.
• Work off multiple platforms: What if your Facebook page gets blocked, or if you have customers who hate Facebook. The tool that you pick should also work off your website, blog or whatever else you or your customers may prefer.
• Simple: Your community manager or customer service team should find it simple and easy to operate this tool. (Rule of thumb – it should mean less than 4 hours of training)
• Use the community as an asset: What’s the benefit of a Facebook page if you cannot leverage off the collective wisdom of your community to solve problems of your customers. Apart from the customer service team, all fans should be able to respond to queries that are posted by a user. This is a very valuable feature that instantly converts a standard support system into a community based support system.

I definitely recommend GetSatisfaction but I would to see them add the ability to have a multimedia response quickly.

2. A tool is just a tool

Using the best app in itself will not help to increase customer satisfaction. The right tool is simply one of the many factors that will result in success

3. Do not just import a set of guidelines

Most brands have a ’200 page manual’ on dealing with customer complaints and they assume that it should be possible to simply change the cover page and use the same manual for providing support on Facebook. Unfortunately, it does not work that way and there are many new aspects to take care of – some of them are

1. Response time: The expected response time on Facebook is a lot shorter than email or website based support systems.
2. Tone: There might or might not be a change required here.
3. Scenarios: The fact that these queries and responses are out in the ‘open’ there are so many more scenarios that can develop on Facebook that we should envisage while creating or modifying our customer service guidelines for Facebook

4. Do not just ‘add on’ a responsibility

The customer service team need a proper orientation, training and hand holding while they move into this new environment. Do not just add on another task to their to-do list.

5. Solve problems, not simply redirect them

You should not treat this medium simply to ask your fans to ‘write to this email ID’ or ‘call this number’ or ‘fill up this form’. In other words, do not simply redirect traffic to your existing platforms but actually solve problems right on this this new platform. Not doing so will be frustrating and will waste time for not only your customers but also your customer service team.

6. Be ready for an increase in ‘bad stuff’

Most brands expect a ‘decrease’ in overall complaints and issues when they enable customer service on Facebook and are surprised when usually there is a jump in the total number of complaints that come in. It is important to recognize that the Facebook customer service platform is not ‘causing’ an increase in the complaints but simply makes it easier for customers to find you and reach you!

7. Don’t be scared, be prepared

Most brands are simply scared of enabling customer service on Facebook (or even having a Facebook presence) simply because they do not want to deal with the complaints and criticisms that might follow. The right way to approach is issue is that when people complaint or share a grievance with us they are giving us an opportunity to set things right. If we do not ‘listen’ to these grievances it does not mean that they will go away. They will exist on forums, blogs, on Facebook and on Twitter and will do us greater harm.

8. Prep the top management

The customer service department in most organizations is not really the centre of the top management’s attention (unless something goes terribly wrong). Well that changes very quickly when you start solving queries on Facebook. Because it is out there in the open and because every CEO right now wants to figure out ‘how to use Facebook’ to run his or her business better (and also because the CEO’s kids probably try the customer service feature and send in some quick feedback) you will find that the top management suddenly has a lot more time for ‘Customer Service’. Nothing wring with that – there expectations need to be managed so that the truthful and ‘in you face’ feedback about the brand is not a shock to them.

9. Prepare for the backlash from the customer service team

The customer service team will resent the public scrutiny of their responses, the long time it takes to respond and the constant interference of the marketing, sales, PR and the senior management in their work. They need to be shown the bigger picture and explained why this is happening. It is very easy for them to feel frustrated and ‘rebel’ against this new fangled system that ‘does not work’!

10. Focus on opinions, not just complaints

A huge benefit of such a system is that it throws up not just complaints and issues but also ideas, feedback and product ideas. It is important to share them quickly and effectively with the right people in the organization!

While I believe that Facebook is a more effective tool than Twitter for customer service, Twitter has its own uses but that is the subject of another post!

The good news is that there are social networking sites that have been set up solely for the purpose of providing a safe and networking environment for kids. Here are a few good one’s!

1. Club Penguin: It’s run by Disney, is fun and extremely addictive. Parents need to approve a child’s account. (Also my son’s favourite)
2. Togetherville: Use can your existing Facebook account to create an account for your child. Targeted at children below 10. They will also charge you 1 cent on your credit card before your account can be verified.
3. WhatsWhat: This is perhaps the most secure social networking site for children. Parents need to submit their credit card info just to be able to set us accounts for their children.
4. Scuttle Pad: Targeted at kids from 6-11. They can only communicate via preset communication options.
5. Gianthello: Most Facebook like in its features, it provides the richest social networking experience and may be more appropriate for older kids.

Stay safe and have fun!

1. Auctions: Ebay could be in for a tough time if Facebook decides to add a ‘social auctions’ feature. There is big money to be made of course and Facebook’s base of over 600 million people means that they will never be short of the next used iPad to be auctioned off. Of course they will use Facebook Credits as the currency for the options.
2. Voice Calls: Can Facebook be the Skype killer? Facebook could offer a Social Voice service that could simply mean tougher times ahead for Skype and a lot more money for Facebook.
3. Shopping: Social shopping anyone? Currently there are fledgling attempts by many companies to try and sell products directly off Facebook Pages but it is inconvenient and clumsy. Facebook will certainly look for more ways in which it can make Facebook credits popular. Creating ‘Facebook Shops/Stores’ with features that make shopping social and fun could give Amazon a run for it’s money – or maybe Amazon will just open a store front on Facebook as well.
4. Paid Apps: iOS of course had massive success with the App Store. Facebook could be working on a similar model where developers could choose to sell apps using Facebook credits as currency of course and Facebook getting a cut from every app sold.
5. Music: They have already started selling movies. What stops them from selling music – watch out iTunes!
6. Pages: Brands spend thousands and even millions trying to build a large community of fans and nurturing the same. What if Facebook starts charging a thousands dollars a year for some premium Facebook Page features. I am very sure thousands of brands will happily pay up. A robust Analytics solution could be just one of the many premium features possible.
7. Private corporate networks: Could the Facebook network be replicated within organizations where all discussions and engagement are closed and secure. This would be a viable alternative to the variety of ‘employee communication platforms’ that companies use.
8. Transactions: Once Facebook credits takes off what is there to prevent Facebook from taking a swipe at PayPal and trying to dominate the online commerce market ( a lot of which may happen on Facebook Shops anyway!)
9. Deals: Watch out Groupon! This cannot be far away.
10. Paid Mail service: Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail Storage – all charge around $20 per year for email service. Many may switch to Facebook once this service is available!
11. Photos: Facebook photos was one of the first ‘killer apps’ of Facebook and contributed massively to its growth. Could it provide additional services for printing pictures , personally designed albums and gifting? Sure it can!

Have more ideas for Facebook to make money? Share in comments please.

• The first pipe was called marketing. One one end of marketing was the brand and on the other end was the customer. The pipe itself passed through TV channels, magazines, newspapers and other forms of traditional media. The flow was guided by advertising agencies, digital agencies, direct marketing agencies and research agencies.
• The second pipe was Public Relations. On one end was the corporate communication team and on the other end was the same customer. This pipe passed through journalists and influencers of all kinds. The flow was guided by PR agencies.
• The third pipe was Customer Service. On one end was the customer service team and on the other end was still the same customer. The flow was guided by internal teams and consultants.

These three pipes rarely crossed each others path. As a result, the guides – advertising agencies, PR agencies, digital agencies and customer service teams never spoke with each other.

These pipes are now breaking down and merging into one. This one pipe is called the Social Media pipe. On one end are the customers and on the other end are the marketing teams, PR teams and the customer service teams.

The guides who never used to speak with each other are now fighting over who will have the rights to guide the new fat pipe. On most occasions they have to work with each other.

The merger of these pipes is beginning to have far reaching effects on the structure of marketing, PR and customer service teams and of course on the roles of the guides! The fun has just begun.

In the new world no one need to rely on The Straits Times and on CNN to be able to reach out to the world. They can do it for free with Facebook, Twitter or their blog. Marketers are also realizing that they can connect ( sometimes more effectively and genuinely) in their own words without relying on an army or copywriters and art directors to create the ‘message’.

The implications are that both the media and the communication agencies are more vulnerable and dispensable than they ever were. Will they adapt. Early signs are better for agencies than for the media!