Facebook Connection Targeting

Looking for a creative way to increase your conversion rate in your Facebook PPC campaigns? Here’s a quick tip on using the connections filter.

One of the three types of connections you can target is, “friends of people who are already fans”. As a result, the ad will show up with an endorsement from your friend, incredible right? You will not find a more powerful type of ad in Facebook’s arsenal. I’ve included an example of what the ad would look like below and yes I’m a fan of the Captain.

If you decide to try this type of ad let me know how your connection targeting goes.

Google Me vs. Facebook

The Internet is a buzz with a possible contender for Facebook. The 500,000,000 member social media empire is starting to hear footsteps and I for one am grabbing a front row seat for the fight.

Can Google even compete with Facebook? There first attempt at social media started with a huge buzz and then fizzled. I really wanted Buzz to hook me like Facebook did but after a couple of weeks I was bored. Will Google’s next attempt at social media be any better? If I was Google and I’m not, I would duplicate Facebook as close as possible. One of Facebook’s biggest problems has been privacy and Google is no stranger to privacy issues either. But if Google can hit the ground running and offer better privacy to their users then Facebook could lose some of its market.

I’m pulling for you Google, there needs to be more than one empire in the social media circle. At the very least, the competition between Google and Facebook will create new advances in social media which we haven’t even been able to dream up yet.

Raise Your Marketing To The Next Level

I've been doing some marketing for a company that has a great product, great people, and a really good business model. When you can work for a company that has a lot to celebrate, marketing is an easy thing to do. That is, unless you have to move an entire brand from good, to great!

How exactly to you migrate a product or brand to a whole new marketing level?  You begin with your audience and positioning.  Said another way, determine the needs of your market and how your company addresses those needs.  More importantly, what's unique about your product or company?  This is where you have leverage.

Once you've determined what's unique about your product and brand, you can promote it using both traditional and new media.  With a clear understanding of your 'unique selling proposition', you can improve the effectiveness of all you do.

Here are a few ways to leverage your unique positioning among your target audience:

1.  Create marketing materials that reflect your unique selling proposition.

2.  Position your web site to include content and interactivity that reinforces your key messages.

3.  Leverage new medial like Social Media marketing to communicate your distinct advantages.

4.  Select advertising partners that support your messaging.

5.  Communicate key messages through blogs, affiliates, and other partners.

There are lots of ways to market your unique qualities as a brand or the products and services you offer.  Start with a clear understanding of your market, the segments you're trying to reach.  Look at the competition.  What makes you unique?

Once you've determined your unique qualities, write them down.  The next step is to develop an integrated marketing plan that focused on your key differentiators - which should be in the form of key message points.  Choose media that will get your point across again and again.  Repetition is key.

Be unique.  Be different.  Deliver value.  Over time,  your brand will rise above the rest!