Posts tagged ‘facebook’
Contests 2.0
How naming a building put Mercury Development on the social media map:
The latest social media trend for boosting your company’s Facebook fanpage? Contests!
They’re happening all around us but as we’re busy spreading messages to our friends to vote for our submissions on so-and-so company’s page, the ticker in the left-hand corner is spinning.
Unless you’re a global brand with a huge following, the easiest and most lucrative way to build your Facebook fan base is by holding contests. A lot of companies have caught onto this and are using online voting on their Facebook pages to their favor.
Case in Point: the Mercury Development naming contest. I’m sure you or a friend took part and if they made it to the final choices, you took part in spreading the word for others to help them win.
Prior to the contest, Mercury Development probably had a modest fan base of 500-800 tops, but within a few weeks they rose to a hefty 13,400 fans. I saw it with my very own eyes each time a friend’s link lead me back to their page to vote for so and so.
Not only was this a social media success, but it also changed conceptions that a construction company CAN use social media to their advantage. But it’s not just about starting a random contest and hoping for the best. There are some lessons that we can take from the contests’ success:
1. Offer a big prize to get many people interested in taking part. Mercury Development offered $20,000 cash prize. That’s more than many of us here in Lebanon make in a year. That’s a car. That’s rent for a year. That’s more than enough incentive to take part.
2. Make it easy to take part. $20,000 for naming a building project? How much easier can that be? The final winner was the girl who submitted “Trillium” – not a ground-breaking name but it fit the part.
3. Make Facebook voting a priority for winning. Winners are essentially the ones that receive the most votes. If it’s only a small percentage of the score, participants won’t feel as inclined to harass their friends, family, anyone they know on Facebook,.. to vote. It’s all about numbers and self-promotion. They are basically advertising for you by digital word-of-mouth – aka their Facebook pages. So whenever someone comes to vote for their friend, they’ll have to *like* your page first and bam! a new fan who would have probably never stumbled onto your page if it wasn’t for the contest.
4. Keep regularly updating your company’s page. Remind contestants of deadlines and to keep voting. Doesn’t take much effort or time to show there’s someone running your company’s Facebook page. You gotta get ‘em while the contest is hot and spread the word to as many people as possible. The closer you get to the deadline, the bigger the jump in votes.
The folks at Mercury Development took a bold risk with this contest, especially as they are essential a construction company who are not usually renowned for their social media strategies and online visibility. Instead of paying $20,000 for ads and standard marketing, they put all their money into this contest. And that in itself was a risk, but it’s paying (them) off and lead to plenty of buzz.
They now have 13,400 Facebook fans (who will be there for a while unless they specifically go back and unlike the page) who’ll receive updates once the apartments go on sale and information about future projects. Promotion for the contest is paving the way for promotion for the building sales themselves now.
This contest made me rethink the possibilities for any company to have a presence if done the right way (and with a big enough prize offering). But keep in mind when planning your contest that it’s not just about a catchy contest and acquiring a ton of fans. It’s also about thinking a few steps ahead to keep those fans buzzing about your company even after the contest is over.
The New Memorial
What happens to our Facebook accounts when we die? I ask myself that question each time my friend Alber’s profile picture appears in one of my sidebars. I’m eerily reminded that Alber is no longer with us, yet a part of him still lives on Facebook. With 17 friends in common, he makes an appearance quite often too.
Simply opening his profile page is a painful reminder. I teared up when i noticed his last album, entitled “last vacation trip”, was in fact his last vacation trip. I miss him dearly, but is keeping his account active after this long really the healthiest thing?
For others, the profile is a venue for sharing their thoughts and reaching out to him. The most recent post dates June 1st. (For those who didn’t know him, Alber passed away last March)
Habibi Alber, I miss you so much. More than you can ever imagine… Habibi, I know that you are in a good place. Rest in peace Alber. love you very much..
I’ve also found comfort in posting on his wall after he passed away, but still find it weird. Do we continue to live on via our Facebook profiles? Are Facebook profiles the new memorial of our age? Is this the family’s way of keeping his memory alive? And does anyone actually sign into his account every now and then to check things? Will people need to add instructions to their wills from now on? “And as his passing words, he requested Marilyn take full control of his Facebook account..” Imagine!
Thinking about all this gives me goosebumps. Death is not an issue we’re usually comfortable thinking about, much less discussing. It looms quietly in the background somewhere. And would I really want my Facebook profile outliving me? On the one hand, I want to be remembered. Who doesn’t? But is what I have right now on my profile, what I want to be remembered for, for ETERNITY?
I’ll leave you with that haunting thought for now.
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I came across an article in The Guardian that describes Facebook’s approach to “memorializing” profile pages of friends and relatives who have died. “The site invited family members to report when one of its users had died, to enable it to remove sensitive information such as updates and contacts.”
Read more about this here.
Dummy’s Guide to Gift Buying
Next time you’re stomped for a birthday gift idea, check out that person’s previous Facebook statuses. Little did I know that both my brothers (who live on complete opposite sides of the US) would be inspired by one innocent status I posted back in December:
“[me] is looking for some good business advice for a startup – like writing business plan, estimating revenue, market value, etc.. ? Message me please. (I will reward you generously with yummy food).”
Why would a head-in-the-sky designer ever need to resort to business formulas you ask? ‘Cause I gots to get paid yo! hehe No, actually, I am currently working on a little side project. Business is a whole new territory for me, and as a chronic status-updater, this seemed the best way to reach out. What ensued was a series of comments and offline messages offering to help. (Thanks!)
And three carefully wrapped Dummy’s how-to guides to financial management and business waiting for me under the Christmas tree. And another for my birthday. (Umm.. Thanks.. I guess) My elder brother actually took the liberty of attaching the status that inspired it all onto the cover:
Got to admit, this one really cracked me up! Now that I’ve figured out their system, I’m carefully writing next December’s statuses for more exciting gifts like a ferrari, puppy, all-expense paid vacation.. (Hint, hint: I know you’re reading this bro)
Connect the Dots
I have been noticing lately that in Lebanon it’s relatively easier than other places to make a name for yourself and get your work out there. Not only is Lebanon tiny geographically, but even if you’re in Timbuktu and you run into a Lebanese person, chances are you know them somehow. And then they’ll know all the other Lebanese in Timbuktu and the dots are connected. If the Lebanese can do one thing really really well, it’s talk. Word-of-mouth and a Facebook fan page is sometimes all you even need!
No doubt the competition is fierce. Working as a graphic designer, I meet countless others here just as talented and just as hungry to succeed. Creativity and artistic talents run in our veins. If you’ve ever been to a Saifi village art fair, you’ll know what I mean. Each season, countless designers compete to sell their intricate handicrafts. Some are pure garbage, others over-priced garbage, but in general, very creative works.
Of course, we can’t forget the famous wasta phenomenon (which isn’t always fair but can help direct you to the right people). Combined with hard work and genuine talent, wasta is merely the epitome of networking and who can’t use more of that?
And sometimes it all just boils down to luck and who you meet at the right time, wasta or not.
Facebook deTOX
This one’s tough. As of Sunday 3 a.m. I’ve officially deactivated my Facebook account. Among other things, one of the reasons is that I’m just too addicted to it. Just like anyone. On top of checking it constantly, I have an application for it on my BlackBerry so yeah, I’m checking it on my phone when I’m the T, walking, bored…
Isn’t it amazing how much we use Facebook for social contact these days? People rarely need to use the phone or text anyone, it can all be said via Facebook. Have we just become that lazy? I don’t mean this negatively, but more to show how little effort we need to make because of it.
The other day I was having a chat with some of my co-workers about Facebook and I realized, when we’re a bunch of old farts, our entire life will have been tracked on Facebook – photos, conversations, friends,… Facebook has become an online autobiography of who we are and the circles within which we exist. That’s rather remarkable. I wonder what it’s like when someone passes away… Do they deactivate that person’s account? And what if they didn’t? Will that person continue to exist virtually through the extensive web of Facebook?
Facebook has become an extension of who we are and who would’ve thought this day would come this soon. It’s already transforming the way we live and it’s slowly becoming a time capsule of every person’s life, as they are living it right now. In a few years, I’ll be able to sign into my account and see photos I posted when I was 23 and read an archive of messages I’d received throughout my life. If that doesn’t shake you up, I don’t know what will. At least, I hope it freaks you out a little. 
For those concerned, I’ll be back on Facebook soon. I wonder how long I’ll be able to last. (I’m already fighting hard to resist opening it and it hasn’t even been 24 hours)
