Over the past 6 months, Facebook has released a seemingly unending flow of upgrades for its Ad platform.  These have ranged from promoted posts,  mobile/desktop segmentation, inline ad manager notifications and most recently, a simpler user-interface so that small businesses can better self-serve ad types. During this now post-IPO period, there has been next to no news or updates around privacy and control.  While Facebook may be making businesses and brands happy – is it doing anything to prevent what could soon be a massive exodus from the platform?

Massive exodus you say? That might be a little harsh – but there is a bit of a storm brewing and if a combination of factors line-up, we could well see Facebook dethroned.  I’ve described these 3 factors as ‘straws’ that if all piled together could ultimately break the Facebook (Camel’s) back.

Straw #1: Ridiculously complicated messaging control & privacy

As owner of social media agency, I consider myself to have a better understanding of Facebook than the average person.  That being said, when I tried to update my personal privacy settings to create unique messaging groups (like in Google+) – I fumbled around for ages before figuring out how to do it.  Even after I did, I still wasn’t sure if I actually did it correctly! Furthermore, now that I’ve set groups for close close friends/family and acquaintances – the only thing that Facebook has put on the screen to remind of that is a little ‘gear’ icon (see below).

The following is a snapshot of how Google+ approaches messaging control. I don’t think they do it perfectly either, but the point is that you should know, without a doubt, where every post you send out goes. There should be NO confusion.  It shouldn’t just be ‘possible’ to control, it should be mindless! While this ultimately won’t make people leave the platform, it could certainly lead to less usage and engagement.

Straw #2: Social Cam and frictionless sharing

I’m pretty sure there isn’t a person on Facebook these days who hasn’t felt duped by the latest news apps.  Firstly, the majority of articles/videos that trend in apps like Yahoo! News and Social Cam have images of scantally clad women,  disgusting zits being popped or toilet humour.  Naturally, this leads to people clicking on them.

They are then faced with a ridiculously confusing screen that talks to you about this app having access to different parts of your profile (again, our friend the ‘gear’ appears).  Most click it because they just want to read the article or view the video, not read through this jargon.  Little do they know that they are now agreeing to broadcasting their activity to everyone else in their network.  Don’t get me wrong, I think there are some definite benefits to frictionless sharing, but I would imagine that there are very few people on Facebook who wants their 300-500 friends to know that they just watched a video called “I heart bOObies.”   This confusion and invasion of privacy could be just what it takes to push people away from Facebook, especially if they don’t know how to turn it off.

Straw #3: Over-advertising clutter

Finally, a pure over-barrage of advertising within Facebook could be another contributor to its decline.  Amongst the 3 ‘Straws’ that could break Facebook’s back – this is the least likely, as people have become very accustomed to being surrounded by advertising. Whether that be walking in a downtown urban centres such as Times Square, reading magazines or watching TV.  While people learn to ignore ads, it has never been something that will drive people completely away from a platform, as long as they are still getting value from it.  That being said, if ads and promoted posts hit a critical mass in our newsfeeds, it will ultimately diminish the usefulness of looking at the newsfeed, eventually leading to less use of the platform itself.

Facebook is certainly not going anywhere soon and I’m confident that it will continue to be the leading social platform for years to come.  What will happen though, is a gradual chipping away of members and a slow migration of users to more intimate networks.  If you don’t believe me, download the latest PATH iOS update and tell me it doesn’t feel like you’re really sharing with your friends again, instead of broadcasting through a sea of spam.

In that past week some serious online hacking has gone on. Between Mat Honan, Reuters and the Major League Baseball Facebook accounts, we’ve seen a series of online hacking that has hopefully served as a wake-up call for many of us.

Mat Honan faced the worst of it when his Amazon account, Apple ID, Google accounts and Twitter were all hacked allowing the hackers to access his very confidential information, not to mention the ability to erase his entire MacBook, iPhone and iPad, which of course, they did. It’s a serious situation that Honan found himself in and his story has many valuable lessons. You can read Honan’s story here.

Reuters was hacked both on their blog, with the hackers posting at least 2 false stories in favour of the Assad Regime, and within 24 hours Reuters had lost control of their Twitter account to the same hackers.

The MLB faced a series of Facebook hacks on many of their teams’ fan pages. The Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, the Miami Marlins and the San Francisco Giants all found themselves victim to a rogue Facebook administrator.

The good that has come from all of this

On the bright side, these major hackings – especially Honan’s – have led to the realization of how easy it is for a hacker to, within mere minutes, gain complete access to our private information. I’m talking AppleID, credit card numbers and more. Both Amazon and Apple have released statements saying that they are in the process of changing their policies pertaining to the way users access their account information.

Amazon has stated that users will no longer be able to change their personal information, such as email accounts and credit card numbers, by phone. This is a step in the right direction.

Apple has stated that users will not be able to reset their AppleID over the phone, and that they are currently in the process of reviewing their processes for resetting account passwords. Another step in the right direction when it comes to safe-guarding our extremely private information.

As for Facebook, well, they simply released a statement to ABC news saying that:

“Recently, several pages made unauthorized posts as a result of actions from a single rogue administrator of these pages. Our team responded quickly and worked with our partners to eliminate the inappropriate messages caused by this attack. This was a unique, isolated incident and we are always working to improve our systems to better protect our users and their data.”

What can you do to protect yourself and your company from hackers?

It’s great to hear that companies are taking the security of our private information and access to our accounts more seriously, but it shouldn’t end there. There are steps that you should be taking to protect yourself as well.

Here are 5 simple steps that you should take to protect both your and your company’s different online accounts:

• Use two-factor authentication for Gmail
• Keep your WordPress and other platforms updated and current at all times
• Use different passwords for each of your different accounts
• Try not to cross-link important accounts
• Back up your data daily

What communication strategy should you have in place in case you ever find yourself in a hacked situation?

If you wake up one morning to discover that your Twitter or Facebook account has been hacked, here are 4 steps that you should take immediately in order to communicate quickly and swiftly with your audience:

• Issue a statement immediately from your other social media accounts, and from the hacked account if possible. Within this statement:

– Apologize for the incident and any offense it may have caused to your fans and followers
– Let them know that you’re in the process of looking into the incident
– Give them links to other platforms that they can follow you on for news and updates

• Contact the platform immediately for their help to shut the account down
• Once looked into, release an official statement clarifying that you were hacked, how (if you know) and correct any wrongful comments, tweets, posts, that were published on your account by the hackers
• Figure out what happened and do what you can to prevent it from happening again – and then educate your audience

Being hacked is a serious thing, but there are ways for you to go about protecting yourself and preparing your company to react and respond in this type of situation.

When shopping for real estate, there are two components that determine how much you can afford: the price of the home and the interest rate you are able to secure. Based on comments from the Federal Reserve at the close of the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting this month, housing may be “extremely affordable” for at least the next year or so.

Federal Reserve Open Market Committee comments

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets eight times a year to discuss economic and financial conditions, determine the appropriate stance on monetary policy and assess the risks to its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. At the conclusion of each meeting, the panel issues a statement with commentary about its discussions and decisions, and as a result, most headlines will read something like “Fed lowers interest rates!”

Last week, the Fed made some interesting comments in its press release including:

• The Federal Funds Rate would remain unchanged at zero to 0.25 percent.
• Despite signs of improvement, the housing market remains depressed.
• It will continue “Operation Twist,” a program where it sells bonds with a duration of three years or less and uses the proceeds to purchase longer-term bonds with durations of six years or more, which helps lower long-term interest rates while keeping inflationary pressures at bay.
• Market conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the Federal Funds Rate at least through late 2014.

Federal Funds Rate vs. the mortgage rate

When the Fed decides to lower interest rates, it lowers the Federal Funds Rate — the rate at which banks can borrow money from the Fed. Note: This rate is not the mortgage rate that you see. In fact, there is actually little correlation (other than a general one) between a lower Federal Funds Rate and a lower mortgage rate because mortgage rates are set by the buying and selling of mortgage-backed securities on Wall Street.

But while the Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates, the panel’s actions and comments do influence the mortgage market. When the Federal Reserve speaks about the economy, the market listens very carefully and prices of mortgage-backed securities change accordingly.

Expect low rates through 2014

Based on the comments from the last FOMC meeting, the economy is slowing. The Fed expects to leave the Federal Funds Rate at an exceptionally low level through at least late 2014 and has a couple of tools it can use (such as Operation Twist) to keep interest rates low while keeping inflation at bay.

All of which will loosely translate into mortgage rates remaining low for the foreseeable future.

Last week, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average dropped to a new record low of 3.34 percent, and even if mortgage rates went up a full 2 percent while the Fed kept the Federal Funds Rate at zero, that would mean mortgage rates would be at 5.5 percent — still a very, very affordable rate by historical standards.

It’s not news that the noise on the social platforms is getting louder. It’s becoming harder to stand out from the crowd. Many Facebook pages are finding themselves at a social table for one with little conversation going on despite all those “likes” they begged for in the early days.

Quality over Quantity!

Anyone who follows me knows that ever since I hopped on Facebook for business I have been preachin’ that it is not about the likes. It’s not the number of likes that will grow your business. It’s the quality of those likes, why they liked your page in the first place and most importantly what happens after the like. You can check out this post I wrote in 2010 and it is still relevant today!  “What Happens After the Facebook Like? 20 Tips to Engage Your Audience After the Like!

Imperfect Perfection

So the next question many ask me is “then how do I stand out from the crowd? How do I brand myself without being too over promotional?

Many think that it’s going to cost them an arm, leg and their Q3 budget to develop an online brand strategy that rocks. Yes, it is going to take time, resource, smart planning and eventually some cash.  However, there is much you can do to maximize your investment. You can start with baby steps and build as you go.

Remember when it comes to marketing and branding, there is no such thing as “perfection.” Learn to embrace imperfect perfection. A marketers work is never done. If you wait to launch until it’s perfect, chances are you will miss the bus entirely.

If you are new to branding, you should also check out a blog I wrote recently “How to Build a Social Brand That is a Sweet Orange in a World of Bitter Apples.”  It’s loaded with solid tips for building your social brand.

Here are a few tips to help you rock your brand on Facebook without going for broke! Most of these tips are applicable on any site, not just Facebook.

5 Essential Attributes of Rockin’ Brands:

1. Deeper than a logo: Your logo is not your brand. Your brand is the essence of who and what you are. It’s everything from your CEO to the receptionist that answers the phone. It’s your tweets, avatar, Facebook cover image and even the description on your LinkedIn business page.

2. Consistent: Did you know it takes 6-7 brand impressions for someone to remember your brand at all? Yup, so that means every impression must count. The more consistent you can be the more easily each and every brand impression is going to leave a memorable imprint in their brain. Even if budgets are tight, find a way to build consistency across the various platforms.

3. Unique: There is only one you so be that person and business. Do not copy your competition or partners. Focus on your unique value you bring to your target markets, partners and community as a whole.

Don’t just throw up your boring logo or a picture of your CEO. Think in terms of emotional brand connection. How can you truly connect with your target audience? How can you ensure you are a brand they remember, click like and want to come back and visit? Being a cookie cutter copy of everyone else is not going to get you there, sorry!

4. Relevant: Your brand must mean something and resonate with your target audience. They need to be able to connect with who you are, what you say, what you do and how you make them feel.

5. Simple: I love brands that make people think but at the same time are easy to understand.

 

10 Tips to Brand Yourself on Facebook (and any social network platform in reality)

1. Profile Photo: Your profile photo (aka Avatar)  is the small image right beneath the Facebook cover image. This is an important image as it appears in news feeds and pages when you comment. It appears right next to your comment. You may need to mess with it a little bit to ensure that your logo or face is positioned correctly and can be seen or read in news feeds. Be sure to check it on several different types of devices such as a computer hooked up to a large monitor, laptop, iPad, and mobile phone.

2. Cover Image: Your cover image presents an amazing opportunity for you to present your brand to the world. It is a first impression that all visitors are going to see at least one time. Give them a reason to come back! Don’t just grab the closest photo you can find and slap it on there. Take some time to ensure you select an image and/or concept that is fresh, unique and represents you and your brand appropriately.

Try mixing it up frequently to keep your fans inspired and entertained. If they know you keep it fresh and it connects with them chances are they may be back to see what you have done next.

Both the cover image and avatar should support your brand promise, vision and mission. This is where the consistency begins. Colors, tones, design, overall look and feel should be consistent. If you fall down on consistency starting with your avatar and cover image you are headed for trouble. Keep them clean, simple, free of jargon and something that makes your fans say “wow!”

However, even with this don’t wait for perfection. Get something up there. If you are short on design resources go for simple over complicated. Make the message simple, inspiring and memorable.

Download a free template I created in both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator formats here.

 

 

3. Application Thumbnails & Icons: Each application offers the ability for you to assign a small image to it. Each of these images can be branded in a simple and unique way that can support your brand! Choose images that are descriptive of the content in the application / tab. Ensure they are simple and relevant.

Most application provides an opportunity to upload a custom thumbnail image as well as the smaller icon that is shown beneath the application thumbnail.

4. Applications / Tabs: The application pages are an excellent opportunity to integrate your brand. You can utilize many different apps that will help leverage content you have developed and published on other social and web platforms that you own or manage. This includes blogs, website etc. You can also create custom application tabs which include custom content, video etc. Even though Facebook no longer supports the custom default landing tabs you can still grab the unique url for each tab and leverage it as a landing tab when pointing to it from other social networks, status updates, blog posts or websites.

Take the time to research appropriate apps for your market, partners and community. Have fun with them and don’t be afraid to try something different? What’s the worst that will happen? People won’t click like? Who cares! They won’t click like if you bore them to death anyway!

 

5. Video: Creating a custom video that represents your brand can be an amazing way to organically attract the right audience. You can see the latest video we created with the launch of our new agency, Marketing Nutz, here. The video highlights what we believe in regard to social media. We believe the heartbeat of social media is YOU. It’s the people, the conversation and connections made that keep the social heart beating lively. The more work you do up front on your brand foundation, the easier it becomes to create content in different mediums.

6. Content: How long has it been since you reviewed the description, about section and other content on your Facebook business or personal page? Many people and businesses set up their pages when they are still learning how Facebook works. They often forget to go back and modify the content so it properly aligns and represents their brand.

Even if you think your content on these sections is fine, I challenge you to go back and double check within the next week. Take a minute and refresh the content and be sure it is the best possible representation of you and your brand.

Check the urls and other contact information to be sure it is accurate and up to date!

7. Status Updates: Many people over look the simple status update or don’t see it as a branding opportunity. Remember, your brand is not just your logo. Everything you say, post, tweet and update can and will be used for or against you when it comes to brand perception. Your brand are the people you hang out with both online and offline. Your partners, clients and even Friday night dinner friends if you’re posting photos to Instagram and tweeting them to the world!

Take the time to plan an editorial calendar if possible. Doing this will help ensure your status updates align to your goals and objectives and are not simply Random Acts of Marketing (RAMs).

The more you can inspire your fans with good content, the more they are going to click like, comment and share with their friends. The more they do this, the higher your edgerank score will be and thus your chances of Facebook presenting your status update in the news stream of your fans increases. Facebook is definitely becoming an animal to manage when it comes to edgerank. The best thing you can do is focus on your audience, their needs and how you can help them. Spend more time focused on adding value than you do on tweaking the edgerank algorithm. The only guarantee with social media is change. So go figure, just as you think  you have mastered the Edgerank algorithm… guess what!? It’s going to change!

 

8. Contests: Contests are a great way to integrate your brand in a fun way. Are you launching a new product or logo? Leverage Facebook as a way to poll your community on their top preference. Or even use it to help them select a tag line, product name or logo. There are many apps that can help you do this without a whole lot of custom development or effort.

We have hosted some very successful campaigns for our clients even on limited budgets for helping them name products, businesses, select a logo etc. They can be a great way to engage your audience pre-launch and start to build a community who helps build you and your brand from day one. The benefit of this is that if you are humble and share your ups and downs as you grow, then when you win, your community celebrates with you, as they helped you get there!

9. Images & photos: Obviously the social networks are becoming more and more visual. Pinterest receives 1.3 million visitors a day! Ensure that images are a core component of your brand strategy. Select at minimum a handful of images that support your brand. Use them consistently on social profiles, for product descriptions etc.  Images can really drive home key messages and be the glue of consistency you need to make the most positive brand impression possible.

Use images as a foundation to demonstrate that you have developed and integrated a consistent brand across the various platforms. You can write a blog post and insert a branded image. You can then share that blog post to Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn etc. Each time you share the post the featured image will come right along with it. As a result it increases the ROI of the blog post, investment in the image and your brand as a whole. It’s a great example of why integrated marketing developed with a plan based upon goals and objectives delivers far better results than a set of random acts of marketing (RAMs)!

Did you know photos are the most viewed content on Facebook? Next time you are at an industry event or host a fun team meeting, take some photos! Post them to your different social profiles such as Pinterest, Flickr, Instagram etc.  Leak them to Facebook over time. Maximize their life time. I like to load a few at a time over a couple of weeks if it makes sense. Sometimes it is better just to upload them all at once depending on the event and purpose of the photo.

10. Be Available! Don’t just launch your page and never go back or only visit once a week. Ensure that you have the email notifications setup if you do not frequent Facebook often. Most people who ask a question want an answer fairly quick. If they happen to ask a question on your page and don’t get an answer, chances are they will hop right over to your competition. Every conversation you can have with your fans is an opportunity to build relationships. Don’t look at it as a negative. It’s a good thing when people come to you as a go to source of information. Embrace it and ensure you have proper resource to cover the demand and respond in a timely manner.

I don’t think there is anyone better at “being available” 24/7 than Mari Smith! She ensures that someone is always available on her fan page to answer questions. If she is going to be out of town she assigns a resource to cover the page and questions and tells her community who it will be. I know I can always get an answer from her within 24-48 hours MAX even if she is out of town. Love it!

Remember, everything you say and do is a brand impression. This includes being available and ready to engage, inspire and connect with your community on a regular basis!