An Idea for Facebook To Increase Revenue

I don't often think to look for Fan Pages on Facebook. I enjoy getting updates from bands I listen to (some are using the update feature very well) and displaying my support for certain brands or people, but I usually don't actively seek them out. The times I usually "become a fan" are when I notice in my mini-feed that a friend has added a band or group that I also like (maybe the mini-feed wasn't such a bad thing after all?) . A lot of my favorite bands don't have Facebook pages and if they added one, I wouldn't know about it. Here is where an idea Tim and I were talking about comes in.

Facebook should develop a tool that sends users alerts when new pages they might be interested in are created. For example - One of my interests listed is "broomball" (Not sure what broomball is? Check it out here). If a "Broomball" fan page was created, I would be interested in it, so Facebook would notify me of the page's creation ("Hey! A new fan page was created for Broomball. Check it out.").

With the way Facebook already customizes ads on your page based on your profile information, this step doesn't seem like it would be that hard to accomplish. If everyone who was interested in the "Back To The Future" movies knew there was a fan page and joined, a lot more people would be interested in clicking the fan page's ads for "Save The Clock Tower T-Shirts" thus increasing Facebook's revenue. Since people are more likely to click on ads if they are within their area of interest, this new tool would seem to encourage more click-throughs. If Facebook was able to get everyone onto fan pages they liked and clicking ads they were interested in, they could really increase their income.

What do you think?

The Power of Suggestion: What’s Missing?

There are several components to a Facebook Fanpage; and like Facebook itself, the one most frequented is the wall. People talk here and the brand director reads it and hopefully listens. But when businesses try to integrate a lazy marketing tactic such as begging the question, “What do you think?” it comes off as desperate.

As a consumer, I feel too pressured to make a decision right then and there, and when the topic is too broad and there’s no incentive to respond, I don’t want to participate. I need a narrative that will strike an emotional chord, not bland marketing. I need to know your product has my best interests at hand, so if I’m green and I find out from a wall post you’re not recycling your plastic bottles, I won’t give you the time of day. Better yet—I’ll become an enemy.

If businesses really want to grab consumers— online or off – they should continually ask themselves: “What’s in it for my fans?” Crest Whitestrips got it right.

Speaking to the misdirected companies on Facebook, how about a contest for the consumer who gives the best suggestion on the seven varieties of a new product, or perhaps something a little more creative like what a sweet tea business can do with all its wasted plastic bottles. How about a stunt PR tactic—a sensationalistic “World’s Biggest Bottle Statue” brought you to by the brand that needs a better place for its bottles. I guess it all goes back to traditional PR on a 3.0 platform.

If you’re wondering why you’re not seeing threads on a discussion topic part of your Fan Page, then buy me a toaster. I really need one.