Facebook

Facebook is going to the make some changes on the Fan Pages.  The upcoming design changes that will take place on August 23rd. On this day Fan Page tab widths will shrink from 760 pixels to 520 pixels across. Also they will remove application boxes and application info sections as well as reduce the width of application tabs to optimize for the new profile and Facebook Pages format. You can find our more about the changes here.

Related articles by other Blogs

• 3 Ways Facebook’s Pending Page Changes Affect Marketers (hubspot.com)
• Design Changes for Facebook Fan Pages Scheduled for August 23rd (ghdialogue.posterous.com)

Great post from the Ignite Social Media blog which published a list of the top 50 branded Facebook pages as of June 10, 2010. Above you can see the top 25. Facebook remains number one.

Some interesting links from the past week.

1) Hitwise UK reports that Times Online see an decrease in traffic following the launch of the new website and paywall. Major competitors (Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail and BBC News) gain market share.

http://weblogs.hitwise.com/robin-goad/2010/06/times_paywall_initial_data_and.html

2) Google Acquires ITA travel software.

http://www.tnooz.com/2010/07/01/news/google-ita-software-deal-the-travel-ecosystem-as-google-now-sees-it/

3) How we see Facebook?  Another eye-tracking test to see what Irish people pay attention to when using Facebook.

http://mulley.ie/research/MulleyFacebookStudy.pdf

4) More questions and answers ab0ut the search alliance.

http://www.ysmblog.com/blog/2010/07/01/more-questions-and-answers-about-the-search-alliance/

5) Google News’s Makeover

http://googlenewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/extra-extra-google-news-redesigned-to.html

Facebook launched their PPC advertising a few years ago and since then it has evolved a lot. After working on variety of PPC campaigns on Facebook we have listed 13 tips that will help you get the most of your Facebook ads. Always keep in mind the user and that Facebook is not like Google Adwords.

1. Run a variety of different ads highlighting different aspects of your value proposition.

2. Specify the post-click action in the creative; unlike with search, the user may not yet
have a clear post-click plan.

3. Experiment with copy, image, and targeting, testing different combinations of all three.

4. Use images not logos. Blur the lines between content and advertising. Images of people
work well.

5. Avoid fatigue by refreshing your ad creative.

6. Be relevant by targeting specific audiences with ads and landing pages that speak to
them. Target ‘lots of little.’

7. Be concise. Try 5 words or less.

8. Ask questions.

9. Emphasize scarcity, exclusivity, and time limitations.

10. Promote the attractive pricing you are offering.

11. Use images proportionate to allotted image space.

12. Appeal to users. Higher CTR will yield lower CPCs for you.

13. Play around with a wide variety of bids to get a feel for inventory levels at each CPM.