Weekend Reading: Happy Birthday, Facebook!

by Junger Media BlogBot, Company Robot

Insights / Social Media / Weekend Reading: Happy Birthday, Facebook!

In honor of their 10th birthday this week, we wanted to dedicate our Weekend Reading to the glorious world of Facebook. Let’s take a look at the past, present and future of Facebook and how you can make it work for your business.

A Hand-Drawn History of Facebook

[youtube_sc url=http://youtu.be/PoUJQJB7jVc]

Quick Take: It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the launch of “TheFacebook.” Take a look back in this short video and relive all your fondest Facebook memories.

A thank you note from Mark Zuckerberg

Even if the promise of writing thank-you notes has all the strategic originality of motherhood and apple pie, it does stands out — particularly in a world filled with e-mail, 140-character tweets and, er, Facebook messages.

Quick Take: The fact that the biggest social media mogul is willing to take a minute away from his designed platform to hand-write or email a thank you note is very admirable. In the social media bubble we are living in, taking a step back and creating real-life connections is definitely important to build relationships with your constituents.

Facebook to Kill Sponsored Stories

Sponsored stories have been problematic to Facebook in the past, and many felt that sponsored stories would have a limited life expectancy for advertisers. Facebook was targeted with a class-action lawsuit over the fact they never obtained consent from users to use their names and profile pictures in relation with the sponsored stories. Facebook settled the case for $10 million.

Quick Take: Facebook is constantly changing, so sometimes it’s really hard to keep up. To make sure you are getting the most out of your Facebook account, and paid advertising, it’s important to stay up to date. Try setting up some Google alerts for Facebook stories, or check out the Facebook for Business blog.

Warning: If You Have A Facebook Fan Page, Read This…

Don’t complain about Facebook and their changes. It’s Facebook and they’re allowed to do what they want, when they want. But you should let your fans know what’s happening, and then invite those fans to sign up for your email list.

Quick Take: If you haven’t noticed already, your posts probably aren’t reaching very many people unless you are paying for an ad. This will continue to get worse. We definitely promote paying for some ads; for example, we just finished promoting a post that led people to sign up for our newsletter. This was a good use of paid advertisement because it led people to our website to sign up for our newsletter. So, use your money wisely and make sure you are getting the most out of your ad.

7 Facebook Ad Call-To-Action (CTA) Tips, Techniques & Best Practices

The call-to-action (CTA) on a Facebook Ad (in the sidebar) is the “Title” text in blue at the top of your Ad. This is the most important part of your Ad. It’s the most important element of your Ad to convince people to click. If you have a good image, it will draw people’s attention. But the CTA is where people will make their decision to actually stop and click. The description text can help, but the majority of people will have already made their decision to click before they read it.

Quick Take: Speaking of ads, this article is a great resource for tips on how to get the most of your CTA. Some tips include keeping it simple, asking a question and to use the word “free” if you can.