2011 has been a big year for social – we saw Governments get toppled in part due to social organization, meetups & sharing, President Obama do a town hall via Twitter questions, Facebook announce a digital version of your life story and a half dozen major IPOs that show there’s real money being made. But while all of this attention has really taken social out from behind the shadows to show its importance, it’s also made a lot of people jump to meet sudden expectations rather taking the time to dive in to what it is that makes social so powerful – conversation.

So whether you want to call it a “New Year’s resolution” or whatever, let’s put the billboards, the fan counts and the hyped up programs aside and take social back to what makes it actually work.

Enough with the Giant Banner Splash Pages

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to explain your page’s value but somewhere in the process we went from curated content to full page ads and fangating people out of our content. If the goal of social is to engage current customers and win over prospects, the first thing people should see is that we are actually there for a dialogue… not to sell. No one should have to “like” to ask a question.

So keep the intro page up but make it about what your page is about, if you can pull off the development hours, bring some user generated content into the fold to show that it’s not just what are selling, it’s what people are saying and sharing.

Don’t Just Broadcast, Join the Conversation

Remember when your executives came up to you with that first Comcast Cares news story and asked what “we’re doing with this social stuff”. Comcast didn’t get all that press because they launched a Twitter account and started posting their latest shows times and offers… they got it because they jumped into conversations and not just ones aimed at them, they found people talking about them who didn’t even know they were on Twitter, and answered their questions too.

That was a good idea, in fact, it was just the tip of the iceberg as brands pushed the boundary to stop just being logos and become people who could ask questions of their own, follow up with a little personality to a comment and get into the conversation as a participant.

So while Twitter has been taken over by many support teams, Facebook and Google Plus’s comment after comment approach makes things hard to sort the more you grow, let’s get back into the mode of responding… to support, to questions, to positive statements and show our customers that we’re actually online too. If you’ve ever tweeted back at 2am or posted a Facebook reply on Christmas day about how to configure the remote for the new stereo you know just how well it goes over.

Share what others share, not just what is on that week’s marketing calendar

Facebook renamed them to likes [“likers”??], Twitter says followers, Google Plus has circles but most of us still them Fans because that’s what our goal was always to get. People with a passion and interest in our brand and guess what, we found them, often times a lot of them and they share content right and left way more than we could ever make or keep up with. But leaving it at the bottom of a wall or a public but directed reply is like walking right over the hundred dollar bill to get the five.

While little Timmy may not have the reach of the big name bloggers / celebs they both influence on their own level and both have a purpose to being reshared… one to get hype and attention, the other to make it very real, authentic. Let’s leverage them all but not in a 90 brand / 9 celeb / 1 user kind of way. It’s like the idea of making a “fan of the week / month / year” and putting them into the profile picture – it was a good idea when it first came out and it’s spread but why stop at one person, once a month?

Feature those contributions, those quotes, the fan photos. Heck, let’s go back to making that the feature of our page… albums about what fans are doing encourages more fans to share which ups our EdgeRank on Facebook and our Retweets on Twitter so we get seen more. Transparency Visibility… can’t go wrong there.

If you’re going to push offers, don’t expect interaction

The stats show just how big the gap has become…  brands think it’s about talking, consumers about deals & giveways and with the messages out there, why wouldn’t they?

There’s nothing wrong with saying your page is about discounts, another way of accessing your email or print coupon offers, but if you say that you have to realize that’s always going to be what your fan expects. There’s no magical shift that happens when someone clicks “like” that makes them actually like your brand for what you stand for and do… instead it’s a matter of how you got them hooked that determines what they expect and who they are.

If you want engagement, if you believe that the ROI of social media is that you can actually talk to your customer and have them talk to their friends instead of just screaming in their direction with an ad, don’t sell something else to lure people in – it doesn’t work.  Instead explain exactly what your page does, how you’re here to answer, to share, to build that community.

That doesn’t mean you should be offer-less but when you a follow a truly premium brand who rarely discounts, does only the most select giveaway and focuses on content, sharing, conversation 95% of the time, each offer becomes special and something people clamor for. It’s no coincidence that the less you discount, the more people react… share… and buy.

Go for interactions, not counts

And with that we’re brought to perhaps the most frustrating point… ending this quest for counts. Is having more reach good? Tempting as it is to say yes, that’s the old world broadcast thinking… what’s good is having the right reach. Unless you’re Coke, Pepsi or P&G and literally have a place in every household, there’s no way you’re going to get truly interested followers let alone fans from having “everyone” follow you.

One day Twitter and Facebook and Google and every other tool will have a great way to segment contributors, actual customers, serious prospects and general followers but right now they are all one population. That means they bring up or pull down each other — whether it’s in visibility through systems like Facebook’s Edgerank, the strength comments on a discussion or just having other fans motivated enough to reply back so you can get that peer to peer cycle going. Having more fans that are less connected hurts you under the social model.

So sure, measure your growth in fans but don’t do it on the basis of what the guy down the street has, do it on how you’re using the most organic, the most targeted, the most appropriate sources to find people who will like because they actually like your brand or are teetering on the edge of being there and looking for another fan to push them over.

At over 8% of US retail sales, ecommerce is no longer the wild west. Earning a sale requires a great offer but price isn’t the entire story…. customer expectations have grown and with so many options, insuring confidence, trust and validation are all vital elements to standing out ahead. While there’s no single golden key to success, and what works for one won’t always work for another, here’s a quick list of 15 vital to medium items which every etailer should consider for their site.

48-hour Shipping Window –Vital

Description: Guarantee items ship within 2 business days. Explicitly mark any item that takes longer to ship out so it’s clear up front that there is a delay.

Purpose: Customers expect items to head to them quickly. If items will take longer to ship from the warehouse, the entire process is slower. This leads to perception of long lead time, returns.

Display True Inventory – Vital

Description: Show accurate inventory levels on products updated in or near real time.

Purpose: Customers expect items to be in stock when they are able to order them. Sending notifications of an out of stock after the fact should be rare as it is a very negative experience. Keep any delays or stock issues up front and easily understood before the order.

Safe Shopping with Trust Seals – Vital

Description: Show a trust mark from Versign or a similar agency indicating the safety of ordering.

Purpose: With phishing, scams and a host of other online fraud, customers are often wary of unknown ecommerce sites. Adding trust marks from reputable sources helps alleviate this concern.

Cost: $200 / year for Verisign seal

Automated Shipping Notifications – Vital

Description: Automatically send email with tracking number when a product ships.

Purpose: Ground shipping can take up to 10 days so knowing an order has shipped becomes critical to insuring confidence and avoiding calls. These automated emails are also a strong opportunity to continue the relationship with the customer with a relevant support or brand related message.

Free Shipping with Qualified Order – High

“In a 2010 test, research firm comScore found that free shipping orders spent $125 vs $86 on average. That’s a 45% increase per order!” – comScore Research, December 2010

Description: Offer free ground shipping on all orders over $100

Purpose: Considered a “fee”, free shipping has long been found to increase conversion rates even if the price is seemingly built in versus other sites. Free shipping can be considered a marketing cost and should be tested aggressively at different levels to see lift.

Cost: Cost of shipping. May be mitigated by bringing some or all into product price.

User Reviews – High

“Some 70% of Americans say they consult product reviews or consumer ratings before making a purchase” – Business Week, October 2009

Description: Allow users to read or write reviews on each product placing star ratings on product detail and line list pages for user to user validation.

Purpose: User reviews have replaced the voice of the brand and often even experts as the go to source of validation for products. Providing sophisticated reviews is a must do.

Cost: PowerReviews starts at $99 / month. Shopping cart integrated solutions are no cost.

30 Day Hassle Free Returns – High

Description: Visibly state a 30 day return policy with no questions asked.

Purpose: Buyer’s remorse is one of the top concerns shopping online as you can not truly experience the product. Offering a hassle free return alleviates this concern for many customers.

Cost: Potentially increased return rate.

Rich Product Descriptions – High

Description: Provide a detailed description of each product painting a picture of the experience the system will deliver with rich, warm terms along with the necessary technical specifications to support super-customers & show masses the numbers are there. Keep descriptions consistent across products to make model comparisons easy.

Multiple Images – High

Description: Provide 5+ images per product, ideally with in-environment application shots to show the feel a product will use. Shoot any connections / adapters / labels that may exist and insure scale is visible for context. Keep shots consistent across products to make model comparisons easy.

Holiday / Peak Season Shipping Chart – High

Description: Provide ground / 3 day / overnight shipping cut offs for major holiday periods

Purpose: During peak events like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. shipping windows become critical and if it’s not clear an item will make, customers will select alternative options. Providing a shipping chart insures there is confidence in buying and reduces complaints if items do not arrive in time.

Social Interactions – High

Description: Facebook / Twitter / Google Plus social sharing widgets on product pages.

Purpose: Allows users to share a product they like in just one or two clicks with no effort. The counts of shares one each product also serve as social validation showing the product is liked.

Visible Alternative Purchasing Channels – Medium

Description: Show additional purchasing options from retail & etail partners

Purpose: Whether it’s combining orders with other products or accessories, or simply being able to go to a store and test a product, customers often seek alternative purchasing options. The customer will ultimately abandon if their channel is not supported so earning any sale is better than [unsuccessfully] forcing a direct sale.

Visible Phone Number – Medium

Description: Show the store’s website prominently on all pages in the header or footer.

Purpose: The presence of a number helps insure confidence that the store is accessible and trustworthy. In the event of an ordering issue this helps give a direct path to resolution.

Write a Review Shipper Insert & Email – Medium

Description: Place an insert into product orders encouraging a review of the item. Follow up with an automated email 2 weeks after shipment. [Kick it up: Offer off 10% on future order for comments and restate support & return policies.]

Purpose: Drives additional reviews & starts loyalty building as the customer returns to the site and provides data on their experience. Chance for issue resolution if the rating is negative.

Third Party Coupons – Depends

Description: Provide 5-15% off discount coupons via third party affiliates [requires affiliate program like Commission Junction].

Purpose: Many website visitors will search for “brand + coupons” or discover brands starting at a coupon site and a small savings may be the determining factor in winning orders. Smart couponing can be limited to particular SKUs and used to move overstock / last generation models creating a win-win.

Cost: Affiliate program provider fees plus per-sale cut + coupon discount.

Yesterday it was Twitter follow; today it’s Google +1. Add that to Facebook Like & Send, Tweet, LinkedIn Share and throw a basic email icon in for “old school” users and RSS for power ones and that’s 8 different options for your typical blog / site… and we haven’t even considered bookmarking or niche sites yet. The social button war is definitely on.

As a site owner it’s tempting to start on a redesign to incorporate them all; a little box or a row with nothing but icons to be sure you get every ounce of credit from every type of user but is that really the solution? Others have suggested a “share this” link opening up to a page of options that can grow to be nearly endless. I suggest something much simpler – follow your users to the right links.

Cooking blogs and adult humor sites with LinkedIn shares. Personalized shopping lists with bookmarking links. Dating sites with Tweet links. The mismatched attempts to get free traffic have become downright comical…

Rather than cramming all of the links you can on one site let’s all take the time to think about what options actually make sense for what content we’re serving up. What is the user there for? Who are they likely to spread a link too in their various networks? Just because the option exists doesn’t make it a good one to offer up on your site.

It doesn’t end with what may be used either, what is actually used is what matters. When your phone rings because John in sales always uses XYZ sharing service and told your boss it should be on the site that’s not enough. Spreading out your shares over 30 or 20 or even 7 services is diluting the weight. Size does matter. Spread matters too. As social sites do more to tweak their feeds to personalize and tailor content having weight on a few has become far better than a couple clicks on many.

We test offers. We test landing pages. We test add to cart buttons. Let’s try planning and testing our own sharing buttons with at least half the same rigor – what will people use not what can we ask them to use – social media is undoubtedly important but importance doesn’t negate a little planning.

In the first part of my post I explained how Facebook uses an algorithm called EdgeRank to help users see the posts they are most connected too. While intended to help end users, this system can kill as much as 70% of the visibility of a page, I even mentioned a client I’m working with who has seen their views go down despite a 5x growth in fans. So now that we’re agreed on the importance of having a good EdgeRank score, it’s time to discuss the Do’s & Don’ts to get there.

Now in all fairness you can’t escape EdgeRank as you grow; not even the top musicians and celebrities engage enough to escape unscathed. The core that follows your business on day one is only so big and in time you will get less interested fans coming in but there are things you can do to insure you don’t take a plunge like the company that contacted me did.

1. Target your fan acquisition efforts.

Whether it’s a sign on your restaurant tables, product insert or an ad on Facebook [which can be very good at getting relevant fans], ask yourself: is this message about acquiring someone who may be interested in my business or am I buying someone’s participation. Coupons, freebies all have to be measured – are they loyalty related [good as the customer has to actually like you to want to come back] or something a person may just find personally motivating like getting a onetime deal.

Using coupons helps get fans but limiting their frequency will drum up more discussion when you do have an offer.

2. Avoid cheap tricks, tools and overnight systems.

Whether it’s the promise from a so-called social agency to add a 100,000 fans through their “network” or having people become fans to help their favorite charity but then ending up uninterested in your brand which they now follow, tricks are bad. Even seemingly useful programs like a joint contest with a huge partner that fangates the entry system, can pile in people who just don’t care, don’t engage and pull you down. Anything that forces a LIKE should be questioned twice.

Best Buy isn't just promoting a contest -- they're using a huge a prize and an open-ended question to get a discussion going.

3. Closely monitor your post engagement and adjust.

Modern strategy says the customer now controls your brand perception and EdgeRank says they do own your Facebook success so while you have to get certain post types out there to drive your business, learn what format is working best in the nearly instantaneous testing ground that is your page. Focus on the post types that get responses – whether it’s a request for fans to upload a photo engaged with the brand, to vote on a new flavor, a cameo on a TV show, or a great coverage story that people like seeing you mentioned in.

4. Don’t overpost. Don’t overpost’ Don’t overpost.

Sure it’s exciting to have a huge event or perhaps you just have 5 different requests from different product teams in the same day but that’s no excuse to make updates right and left. People don’t want to be spammed. One message is ideal; two is ok, three if you have something great to share and never two within the same two hours. That means if you have an event cover the start and the end. Space them out, limit to 3, period.

5. Do respond to posts for pre-sales, support, and brand affirmation.

One of the factors people overlook in EdgeRank is page-owner participation. Facebook wants to see that you don’t simply post out but rather that you reply back to updates you generate and the comments your fans make. Be engaged; it’s what your fans expect anyways.

The North Face doesn't just monitor posts, as this post shows, they take cues to decide how to respond, even what language -- talk about personalized.

6. Do use geotargetting.

If you have an offer that excludes a state, don’t have users there see it – if they ignore it you lose relevancy, if they engage with it they’ll be negative – there’s no win to showing it to them. Facebook had fantastic targeting-in [if only they would add exclusion areas] which can apply to every regional offer, discount, or location specific event so use it liberally to limit posts, make localized versions and be as specific as time and your business allow for.

Facebook Geotargetting can be selected by country, state and city. Use it to make localized postings or share regional offers.

7. Stop thinking 9-5. Think your fan’s hours.

Studies have shown that brands that post “after hours” get as much as 20% higher engagement rates and if you know your audience, this can be much higher. When are your Fans on Facebook? When are they likely to be around your product? When are they bored with their phones [mobile is huge for commenting]? I’ve seen weekends, evenings, even Christmas have HUGE returns. Use time to your advantage to increase engagement.

Hot Topic has taken a human approach and built up a personality around their updates. They're not constrained by a clock and post when their team has something to say, the same times their customers tend to be online.

8. Do give people a reason to view your page, share it and contribute beyond a LIKE.

From apps to open ended questions to new updates shown through your page, there’s weight in views and even more in participation. The more reasons people have to leave the news feed and view, the more they write comments or post photos versus just “liking”, the more they are showing their interest in the page. Give them opportunities and reasons to speak up.

Comments vs LIKES on this Johnny Rockets post show that with a well worded post, you can get engagement even when talking about the brand.

9. Do encourage fans to tag your brand in photos.

No telling what this new feature will do to EdgeRank scores yet but it’s engagement, it’s brand focused, it’s something you can potentially get a lot of people doing easily with a clever post and that can’t hurt.

Nokia has been quick to use tagging to build out a new fan album which in turn is encouraging even more photo uploads and engagement.

10. Use the data given to you to monitor success.

Facebook’s is an end user site first but their business offering is growing daily so be mindful of the new tools they come out with and pay close attention to your insights tab – the numbers from views to engagements to active users matter – know them and use them to your advantage.

Facebook insights go beyond views. Pay attention to activity rates and the peaks to understand optimal timing / days for sharing. With a log you should be able to correlate each increase to an event or post.

At the end of the day EdgeRank is an attempt to replicate a human using each individual’s actions along with the collective fan base of a page, the actions of the page owner, and time to determine what “they” would most likely want to see first, second, or not at all. You have the benefit of being able to access the humans [your fans]– engagement is a two way street. If numbers slip, review your campaigns, your content strategy, throw in a few more engaging post types and don’t be afraid to ask – sometimes the most obvious issue is right there, waiting to be told to you.

And once you’ve got the score up, go walk into your manager’s room and explain how you’re readdressing your fan strategy to insure your brand is seen more by good fans rather than worrying about having more uninterested ones.

Related Reading

EdgeRank: The Secret Sauce That Makes Facebook’s News Feed Tick – Tech Crunch

6 Tips to Increase Your Facebook EdgeRank and Exposure - Social Media Examiner

EdgeRank: How Facebook Determines What Appears in the News Feed – GetElastic

What Does It Mean for Brands? – Social Media Today