Facebook Business Pages to Receive Private Messages
Facebook is testing a new feature with Asian-based admins - allowing business Pages to receive private messages from their fans. This will enable businesses to get to know their individual fans and interact more closely with their customers. The rules could easily change as Facebook tests the new feature, but for right now the customer must initiate the private message to start the conversation. To prevent spamming, the brand page admins cannot initiate contact, but once the conversation has been started, it is open for both parties to continue the communication as they wish.
This looks like a good opportunity for businesses, but there is a potential downside. It could result in less engagement from fans on the Wall, as they take their thoughts and comments to a private message instead. If that's the case, this may even result in lower rates of growth for business Pages because less engagement on the Wall means fewer stories popping up on users' News Feeds. It could possibly reduce the negative comments on the Wall, leaving it filled with positive fan comments. It's too soon to say, but we'll be interested to see what happens.
What do you think? Is this a smart move for Facebook business Pages - a positive step for customer service and customer relationships? Or do you think it's invasive and the one-on-one communication should be left to phoning and emailing?
Branding in the Age of Social Media
As more and more companies are becoming active on social networks, AYTM Market Research decided to survey 2000 Internet users to find out how people are using social media to interact with brands. It looks like Facebook is where you are most likely to find your customers on a daily basis, as well as interacting with your brand - as long as you are giving them a reason to. And Twitter is your friend, with almost twice as many users saying that their tweets about brands are only positive! Are you sharing the type of content that consumers prefer to get from their favourite brands? And are you delivering it in their preferred channel?
Brands Can Get a Piece of your Timeline
Even though Facebook hasn't made Timelines available for business Pages yet, this isn't stopping a couple beverage brands from being a part of the action. Mountain Dew is offering a free download of customizable images for users' Timeline profiles.
And Schweppes took it one step further by offering users the ability to customize their entire profile. They can create cover images or choose pictures and alter them to their liking with a set of tools such as filters and add-ons. Would you use a brand's image as your profile cover photo?
Google + Brand Pages Start Showing up in Your Primary Google Search Results
As promised in the launch of Google+ brand pages, Google has started to integrate the brand pages into primary search results. As long as the page is eligible for Direct Connect, it will show up when the company is searched on Google. Not only will there be a direct link to the company's Google+ page under the associated web page in search results, recent posts from the page will also appear as annotations. This presents an opportunity for brands to highlight their company updates and any promotions happening. However, there is one potential snag in this plan. Herb Kohl and Mike Lee have approached the Federal Trade Commission to dig into Google's search business practices to see if the company is within its rights or using their search power to persuade brands to create a Google+ page.
Canadian Tire's Christmas Spirit Tree
Canadian Tire is measuring our holiday spirit with the first Christmas tree powered by Christmas spirit in Union Station, Toronto! The way you can help light up the tree is by writing a Christmas message. Every time someone mentions Christmas online, it illuminates the tree. So when Christmas spirit is at its highest, the tree shines at its brightest! The lights are broken down based on the channel where the message was shared: white is from a social network, red is from a blog/forum, blue is from christmasspirittree.ca and green is from a news media site. Visit the live online streaming of the Canadian Tire Christmas Spirit Tree to see how we're doing in holiday spirit this season!