The Facebook Timeline Brand Survival Guide

Posted on March 2, 2012 by graceynewman

I attended the Facebook Marketing Event yesterday at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. At this event Facebook rolled out the NEW Timeline and some new Advertising features.

First, the look is changing on March 30, so you need to create a create horizontal image that visualizes your brand. No promotions or call to actions are allowed! Check out the Top Facebook Timeline Brands selected by Ad Age for inspiration.

Apps/Tabs:
Apps/tabs are not dead, in fact they are highlighted better in Timeline:

- 3 thumbnails that are click-able appear under the right of the cover image. You can link to Apps with  a thumbnail and link to “more” and have 12 total Apps.
- This new visual creates a great reason to move forward with the tab  that highlights our show pages with tune in.
- You can still “Like Gate” content with in a Tab/App

Discontinued: Having a “Landing Tab” that users see if they are not a fan of the page will no longer work. Facebook wants users to have a consistent experience.

Timeline Features:
- You can go back and post “milestones”  in the timeline up to 200 years.
- You can also Backdate posts
- You cannot make posts in the future
- When filling the timeline you can avoid spamming fans’ feeds by clicking “don’t distribute”
- Top left section”friends that like this.” Facebook is placing heavy emphasis on friend activity to encourage more conversation.
- Facebook is introducing “official pages” this will solve the problem of fan or fake pages ranking above the official page.

New Ways to Highlight posts:
- You can Pin posts to the top of the timeline so the post you want users to see will appear above the most recent posts.
- You can also “star or favorite” posts so they will appear closer to the top on the page.
- Offers: You can now post offers to fans. Traditionally a coupon but I think we can use this to promote sweeps.

Advertising:
Content and Ads are Now the Same! The lines between what marketers now refer to as paid, owned and earned media are now officially gone. No longer will we be able to think of Ads and Content in silos. All ads in Facebook will begin as content posted to a Page. For now the current text/thumbnail Ads on the right will remain but, this will change very soon!

Filed under: Social Media, Tech Tips | Leave a Comment »

SEO in 2011

Posted on January 4, 2012 by graceynewman

I found this great infographic that outlines all the Google Algorithm changes that happened in 2011 and I added some more links for you, enjoy!

The January and February updates prevent the JCPenny SEO issue and the Forbes Link Issue from happening in the future.

The infographic mentions that Matt Cutts (Head of Google Spam Team) announced 10 changes to the algorithm, here is the link to read all 10.

Top Google Algorithm Changes of 2011 by HigherVisibility

Filed under: Personal Branding | Leave a Comment »

2011 Wrap Up: I wil be blogging more in 2012!

Posted on January 1, 2012 by graceynewman

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for my blog!

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,900 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 48 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Filed under: Personal Branding | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

How we talk VS how we write

Posted on June 7, 2011 by graceynewman

Isn’t it so much more interesting to hear someone speak about what they do versus read what they put on their resume?
Have you ever visited a website and read the ‘About Us’ section and became even more confused?
Why do companies do this? It wastes your time and their Advertising budget.

Some of you maybe familiar with the fast food brand Chick-fil-A. Their company mission statement is “Be America’s Best Quick-Service Restaurant.” That’s it! Not: “We up hold the highest standard of quality and serve you with prompt customer service…(insert run on sentence).”

Simple and to the point. Why is this so important?

1. Advertising is expensive
2. Consumers have short attention spans, it takes at least 5 times to absorb an idea
3. Consumers are very busy and can be easily distracted by other technologies

Make your ‘About Us’ page in easy to understand language, write it how you talk.

Filed under: Personal Branding | Leave a Comment »

How do you know all this stuff?

Posted on June 1, 2011 by graceynewman

I get this question a lot. And every time I answer with the truth “I studied and I study every day.”  I get the same loaded “oh.” When they say “oh” it sounds like “Oh… so you didn’t get a degree in this?” As if studying on your own and having real experience is  worthless compared to a MBA. Of course getting an MBA is one heck of an accomplishment. But, being self-motivated and studying on your own is a different kind of accomplishment…

In honor of Seth Godin, I call this Linchpin school… Let’s go to class. Who’s with me?

This post was inspired by:

The hard part by Seth Godin
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/the-hard-part-one-of-them.html

Filed under: Personal Branding | 2 Comments »

Interviewing Tips

Posted on May 30, 2011 by graceynewman

Below are questions that you should be prepared to answer. These are the basic questions that interviewers usually ask so be ready. You should also practice your answers in the mirror or recording your answers on a web cam would be even better. Yes, you may feel silly but it is great practice!

Questions:

1. Example of being confronted with a personal or profession crisis and how you handled it
2. Example of time that you took a leadership role
3. What you can bring to organization
4. What your long term and short term goals are or where you see yourself in 5, 10 and 20 years
5. What inspires you
6. How your past experience will help you in this job

Tips:

  • Find out who is interviewing you and research them
  • Arrive early and wait if you have to
  • Greeting: Make eye contact give a firm handshake
  • Be confident but not arrogant
  • After pleasant exchanges ask to take notes (and take notes)
  • Remember this is a 2 way interview, you need to decide if you want to work there
  • Do not fidget, be comfortable
  • Limit “Ums” and “Likes” – verbal pauses. It is ok to think about what you say before you say it (this is where the video practice will be helpful)
  • Bring 5-10 questions about the job
    Examples:
    -What is the management style
    -Why you WOULD NOT want to work there
    -What are the team or organizations weaknesses and strengths

At the end:

  • Ask the interviewer about the next steps in the process
  • Tell them you want the job and tell them why hiring you benefit the company
  • Ask if if there is any reason why you wouldn’t make it to the next round of interviews
  • Send a thank you email after the interview recapping that you want the job and why hiring you would benefit the company

Filed under: Job Search Tips | Leave a Comment »

Take my course and get a job – Success Story

Posted on April 8, 2011 by graceynewman

I received an amazing ‘thank you’ from a student that completed my Understanding Search and Online Marketing Course with MediaBistro. I love seeing that she was able to take what she learned, apply it and get the ultimate return on her investment… A JOB.

While taking Gracey Newman’s “Understanding SEO” course and her 3-hour seminar, I used a detailed SEO PowerPoint presentation prepared for the class to showcase my skills on ten interviews.  They were all blown away. Two weeks after the six-week SEO course ended, I was hired for a full-time position as a copywriter and digital marketing analyst at a major SEO/interactive digital marketing agency called Steak Digital.  This came after years of searching for a job on my own.  Pretty amazing. – Janie Ho


Upcoming MediaBistro Courses:
SEO Essentials: Secrets of Internet Marketing -3 Hour Seminar May 12th, 6:45-9:45
Understanding Search and Online Marketing -6-Week Course: Tuesdays, May 24 – June 28, 6:45-9:45

Filed under: Personal Branding, SEO, Training | Leave a Comment »

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