The Facebook Marketing Book: Now In Stock

As this blog is a testament to, I love Facebook. Like, really love Facebook. I discovered the joys of poking and picture tagging my freshman year at Boston University. My roommate and I would spend hours procrastinating on what would now be considered a pretty bare bones version of the social network. Flash forward to life after college and I’m working at a small web design firm, where my future husband and I begin consulting with clients on how to use Facebook for business.

Cut to now and you’ve got my latest collaboration with the hubby: The Facebook Marketing Book from O’Reilly. Dan and I co-wrote this book in the midst of planning our wedding and it was definitely a labor of love. (We even made edits while on our honeymoon.) This book is your step by step guide to building a Facebook brand presence and making a Facebook marketing campaign more manageable. It’s got tons of tips and tricks for using apps, developing a content strategy and monitoring and managing your Page.

Win a Copy of The Facebook Marketing Book

What book about Facebook would be complete without a Facebook Page? Not this one! Check it out, and leave a comment on Facebook for your chance to win a copy of our new book. Just let us know why you want a copy and you’ll be entered to win. We’ll choose 5 winners at random by Friday, January 21, 2011 to get a free copy of the print edition. (The only catch? You’ve got to have an address in the continental US to be eligible.)

Not-so-lucky with winning? That’s OK. You can buy the book now on Amazon, in print or for your Kindle.

Why The New Facebook Profiles Are Not-So-Nice

Every day my Facebook Newsfeed is filled with more mentions of friends updating to the new Facebook Profile. This, of course, is what Facebook was banking on: you see your friends trying something new, and you want to see what all the fuss is about. But how many realize why Facebook is trying this new profile design? My guess is, not many.

The new look is designed to create more clickable links that are featured prominently in a user’s profile. Workplace, hometown, relationship status and other pertinent information are now displayed at the top of the profile on all tabs. This compels people to add more info to utilize the space, and convinces friends to stick around longer as they click through more links to other parts of Facebook.

The novelty of the new profile, as well as the widely publicized photo trick, makes people play with the new features and convince their friends to jump on the bandwagon. And while it seems like the new profile offers fun new features that help you quickly see new updates and content from friends, it’s really just “tricking” users into sticking around longer. With each new link Facebook creates within a user’s profile, Facebook guarantees longer time on-site. But at what cost to the average user?

Happy Holidays!

Wondering what to do with all those wedding photos? Dan Zarrella and I had an idea.

Merry Christmas…

…and Happy New(lywed) Year.

Happy holidays, from our (new) family to yours.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

If you’d like to go through all 8 of the Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy, check out the presentation below. (I go into more detail in the individual blog posts, but this is a nice overview.) And if you happen to run a Buffy conference or event, don’t be shy with the invites. I would love to come and meet fellow fans (Team Spike!) or talk about Facebook marketing, as it relates to Buffy or not.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy: The Buffy Principle

Last, but certainly not least, is the Buffster herself. Buffy never ran out of new ways to save the world and was full of all kinds of (often almost illogical) ideas on how to battle demons. But she got it done. Take Glory for instance, Season 5’s Big Bad. Buffy tried hardcore fighting, witchcraft, a robot and a giant hammer before finally jumping into an inter-dimensional portal to save the world…while Giles killed Glory’s other (human) half.

Of course, that combination also killed Buffy, at least for the time being. But as we later find out, she was happy and peaceful in death, knowing her friends were safe. And this wasn’t the first time that Buffy hit the road when things got tough. She moved to LA after having to kill Angel, and Sarah Michelle Gellar was a key player in ending the show after Season 7. She has stated that she wanted to go out while Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on top, and they did. Learn from both Buffy and Sarah, and try something new. But be ready to give it up, too.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy: The Faith Principle

Buffy’s favorite bad girl, Faith, opened the slayer’s eyes to the way the world really works. Or, Faith’s world, at least. Always rough around the edges, Faith quickly embraced her inner bad girl after accidentally killing a regular human. A few jobs for the evil undead mayor later and Faith was officially part of Season 3’s big bad, just a handful of episodes after fighting alongside Buffy.

Faith never trusted people, good or bad, and was quick to switch sides when a better opportunity appeared. After reforming for good, she even jumped ship to appear on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel. She’s scrappy, and always on the lookout for her next opportunity…or threat. Faith remembers where she’s been, but she doesn’t live in the past and is always ready for her next adventure. When it comes to Facebook, that’s an important skill to remember.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy: The Giles Principle

As the only major adult character on Buffy, and a librarian to boot, Giles had a lot to teach the Scoobies, not just about vampire slaying, but about life. Of course, what teenager wants to listen to an old guy tell them to behave? None. Giles realized this, as did Joss Whedon, the show’s creator. And while there was much to be learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Whedon kept it interesting, never preaching his lessons.

Whedon used lots of extended metaphors to subtly approach subjects that other popular shows, like Dawson’s Creek, tackled head on. It’s no coincidence that Angel turned back into his evil self after Buffy finally slept with him. And Willow’s magic exploration began as a symbol for her relationship with Tara, which then morphed into an analogy for drug addiction prior to their breakup. Yet through it all, Giles (almost) never said I told you so. He always taught the lesson he hoped to impart…but he did it in such a way that Buffy thought she learned it herself. Because who wants to be nagged all the time? Not the show’s fans, and certainly not your customers on Facebook.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy: The Angel Principle

While it may have run for several good seasons, if there’s one thing Buffy (and Angel) have taught us it’s to tread carefully when it comes to spinoffs. Maybe Angel really did need to find his own place, but the Buffy/Angel spark just doesn’t carry across series. Viewers may have grown to love Angel, but never as much as Buffy. And that’s important to remember when you start thinking about branching off your brand.

One of the biggest questions I get is “how many Pages, Profiles and Groups can I manage?” Well, according to Facebook, as many as you want. But that doesn’t mean you should. Not only are you wasting time and effort, you’re fracturing your brand and dividing your SEO and marketing efforts.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy: The Cordelia Principle

Ah, Cordelia. The girl every Buffy fan loves to hate. An unwilling (and unwitting) member of the Scooby Gang, Cordelia’s biggest concern was whether a vampire attack would break a nail, not a neck. But while it pains me to say it, even she has a lesson or two to teach about Facebook marketing. And no matter how many teeny-bopper vampire shows get picked up, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains a fan favorite. Many of his “rules” about vampires have been taken as truth on these shows as well, and True Blood bears striking resemblance to Buffy in many of its plotlines.

Cordelia’s main goal in high school was to remain popular and maintain a loyal following of friends she later referred to as “sheep.” She was constantly complaining about people stealing her look or copying her style, but she really loved the attention and enjoyed being seen as a trendsetter. (Those outfits may look lame now, but they were cool back then. I swear.) Her best advice? Keep doing what you’re doing, no matter who copies you.

Facebook Marketing Lessons from Buffy: The Xander Principle

Who didn’t love Xander on Buffy? (Except for Cordelia. Most of the time.) Quick with a joke and lovably goofy, Xander was the perfect sidekick to Buffy’s total bad-assness. For Buffy, he was a helpful hand more than once. For Joss Whedon, he presented the perfect levity for some otherwise dark episodes, providing comedic relief when things got a little heavy. And the fans loved him for it.

Xander was often the vehicle for delivering inside jokes and bridging the gap from fans to film. Inside jokes and fan terminology frequently found their way onscreen through his dialogue. He could always be counted on for a laugh, even at himself, and his self-deprecating humor quickly endeared him to fans.