The Social Path

Should you pull your advertising from Facebook?

2012-05-16T10:50:23-05:00

General Motors is pulling $10 million in Facebook advertising, but does that mean you should follow suit? Is this one of those defining “abandon ship!” moments?

Before I answer, let me first propose that we’re asking the wrong question. It’s not about “Should I stop advertising on Facebook?” The real question is, “Should I be advertising on Facebook in the first place?”

Here at Luckie & Company, we’ve generated literally billions of ad impressions for clients on Facebook, typically at a miniscule cost compared to other media options. And what we’ve consistently seen is that Facebook ads are incredibly effective — with a few caveats. Namely, your brand has to be committed to both Facebook and creative flexibility.

General Motors is citing poor sales-related ad performance as the reason to pull its money from Facebook, and I’m sure that’s true. But those of us who deal with Facebook ad campaigns every day quickly found ourselves wondering if GM was really trying hard enough.

By audience size alone, it’s clear that General Motors has struggled to keep up with its peers, especially at the global level. Let’s look at some numbers for comparison

Automakers | Facebook Likes

BMW: 9,914,313

Hyundai Worldwide: 2,430,572

Honda: 2,057,104

Kia Worldwide: 1,925,231

Ford: 1,502,385

Volkswagen USA: 1,169,401

Toyota USA: 935,990

Volvo: 415,784

General Motors: 378,491

Chrysler: 298,765

Fiat: 289,134

Renault: 239,127

Auto Sub-Brands | Facebook Likes

Mercedes-Benz (Daimler): 7,319,676

Audi USA (Volkswagen): 5,215,038

Mini (BMW): 2,969,017

Chevrolet (GM): 1,215,242

Cadillac (GM): 1,167,853

GMC (GM): 660,359

Land Rover (Tata): 386,392

Buick (GM): 411,908

Smart (Daimler): 283,079

Acura (Honda): 173,020

What these comparisons show us is that GM has been a respectable player in the Facebook marketing space, but clearly not a leader. The automaker admitted as much when it fired its social media ad agency in December (read more here), after which the agency complained that GM never understood the value of social media as place to build brand instead of just racking up sales.

So let’s get back to the real question: Should YOU pull your ads from Facebook? Or maybe kill that big campaign you had in the works?

Probably not.

Facebook ads remain tremendously effective (compared to the alternatives) at driving awareness and audience growth within Facebook. True, Facebook is saturating a bit, making it tougher for brands in lots of ways. More businesses are competing for limited ad space, and consumers are becoming jaded by the tedious and unexciting ads they see stripped down the side of each page.

Looking at the numbers

I had our agency's Facebook ad guru, Keith Browder, crunch some comparison numbers to see if Facebook is really losing its punch as an ad forum. Here’s what he found:

Comparing a Facebook campaign we’re running now to a similar one we ran this time last year, we’ve seen the click-through rate (CTR) rise from .04% in 2011 to .07% in 2012. Those numbers might sound low, but with the staggering number of ad impressions Facebook generates, it’s really not bad at all.

And while this case study sounds like good news for Facebook, it probably says more about our agency's ability to tweak creative and improve our targeting to yield better results.

Things are a bit less rosy on two other fronts: cost per Like and cost per thousand impressions (CPM). There, we saw the cost of new Likes rise from $1.30 each in 2011 to a number that hovers between $1.48 (for Sponsored Stories) and $2.75 for display ad units.

The nice thing about Facebook is that we can, at any time, adjust the current campaign to bring our costs down and increase our effectiveness. That’s a time-consuming process that requires experience and expertise, but it’s the only way to ensure your Facebook campaigns are consistently effective.

Apples, Oranges, Google and Facebook

Many pundits are using GM’s exit from Facebook as a reason to compare Facebook ads side-by-side with Google’s ad options. But any social media savvy marketer know that this is a real apples-and-oranges debate.

Google has a myriad of ad options ranging from search and mobile to YouTube pre-rolls and Google+ Circle targeting. Facebook, on the other hand, has Facebook ads, which have notoriously (and intentionally) few bells and whistles. Facebook has never wanted to be seen as primarily an ad platform, though Wall Street investors are sure to disagree once the stock goes public.

So in summary, if Facebook is important to your business, by all means keep advertising on Facebook. But keep some of these tips in mind:

• Facebook ads can’t be your only growth strategy. Ensure that your business’ page is being promoted on your products, in stores, on traditional ads or anywhere else you can reach your audience. And sure, try some Google search ads and see how they perform as a driver to Facebook, not just your home page.

• Be flexible. If your Facebook ads aren’t working, try something else. Change your targeting. Change your creative. Kill the ads that aren’t working and enhance the ones that are. Are you wasting money on audience-growth ads that hit existing fans? Are your thumbnail images cluttered and confusing? Are your headlines saying anything worth acting on? Be hard on yourself and set aside the time to treat your campaigns with professional diligence and creativity.

• Keep people within Facebook. The best ad units offered by Facebook are those that generate Likes, not click-throughs. So focus on Sponsored Stories, Like ads and display ads that explain the benefits of becoming a fan. It’s worth experimenting with Facebook advertising as a driver to your website, but I doubt you’ll find it to be the best option. Instead, focus on building and engaging your audience, then producing content that fans the flames.

And remember, no ad medium is ineffective by nature. Dismissing an entire outlet, whether it’s Facebook or radio or rich media, is just a cop-out. Think about what you’re trying to accomplish, then find the right tools for the job. From this perspective, the recent ad flap may say more about General Motors than it does about Facebook.

David Griner is the VP/Director of Digital Content for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Photo credit: H Aoki on Flickr.

Before you "pin" or "highlight" on Facebook Timeline, ask yourself these questions.

2012-05-10T12:48:16-05:00

The integration of Facebook Timeline brought a slew of new goodies that may not have come across your radar yet.

One of these tools is the ability to “Pin to Top” of the page or “Highlight” a post within a page, but the bigger question, more than just the simple mechanics of clicking a pencil or star, is how to decide which content deserves this gold standard of your fans' of attention.

When considering what to do with certain media or posts, it’s important to think about the original purpose for which the content was created as well as the audience that it was created for. You wouldn’t want a work safety video highlighted on your page, but an ad campaign that showcased a new product line would be a perfect fit. And you wouldn’t pin a policy or frequently asked questions to the top of your page every week; that content can be better placed on the About page.

Ask yourselves these questions before deciding to “Pin to Top” or “Highlight”:

Is it quality content?

You ultimately want your content speaking the language of those you want to talk to. Make sure it addresses them easily and succinctly. Also, that content needs to be delivered as simply as possible and easy to understand. It must speak directly to your readers, otherwise, why would they read anything more from you? Livestrong, an organization that serves people affected by cancer, does a great job of putting vital information in the forefront.

Is it relevant to my overall branding strategy?

Every company and entity should have a tone and a voice, especially online. It is important to know and understand what this is before you pin something to the top of a page for a week. It can be as simple as going back and thumbing through Web copy, previously published blogs, or memos to better understand how to cultivate content that is appropriate to Highlight on a page.

Is it promoting conversation and/or conversion?

Content that asks questions about your industry or product can be a great avenue for fan conversion into sales. For instance, the above Starbucks poll is not only a fun conversation starter, but a great way to learn more about your audience. Thought-provoking questions take time and have to be cultivated. The result is often something that is noteworthy to everyone even remotely interested in your company or product, which leads us to…

Is it timely?

The whole idea of Facebook Timeline is that it forces you to think of Facebook as something that chronicles every stage of your life — personal, brand, company, etc. With that in mind, you have to think of your content as having a life cycle as well. If it’s old, whether in theme or context, cut it out and get a fresh take that allows for the evolving of your brand as well as your customers or clients. Also, keep in mind what triggers an action from your audience. Help them solve a problem and you'll have a customer for life.

Bells and whistles are great, but what you do with them is what matters on Facebook. Eventually and undoubtedly, there will be a whole new selection of ways to publish content to your page. Remember, it will never be a one-size-fits-all approach. Take time to think about how best to utilize the content you have regularly and keep up with what works with your audience through analytics.

Catie Farrell is a Social Media Planner at Luckie & Company. She can be reached by email or follow @caetee on Twitter.

Image via trp0 on Flickr.

Job seekers, stop writing about yourself and start writing about your industry.

2012-05-09T15:39:31-05:00

“I am passionate about social media.” I’ve seen this line in dozens of cover letters, resumes and LinkedIn profiles that I’ve reviewed in recent weeks as we try to fill an opening for a social media planner.

But often, I find myself doubting that the candidates really mean it.

Why? Because when I take the time to read their blogs, their Twitter feeds and their Pinterest boards, I find musings on everything BUT social media. They talk about their opinions of movies, celebrities, politics, fashion, sports and music. They talk about what they’re buying, watching, hoping, eating, drinking and regretting.

But what they don’t write about is the industry they claim to be “passionate” about joining. And that leaves me with the impression that these candidates are looking for a paycheck, not a career.

This isn’t unique to social media marketing. I’d wager that hiring managers in all manner of industries are witnessing something similar — a seeming indifference among candidates who quarantine their professional lives in the sterility of LinkedIn, then go off and write about anything and everything but their career of choice.

Part of the problem is college. Of course freshmen and sophomores don’t want to be writing about their future work. They want to explore their new freedom as adults, meet interesting people and share their experiences. In other words, they want to have fun. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But once you’re preparing to launch your career, it’s time to start thinking of how potential employers are going to view you through the lens of your social media presence. This isn’t just about removing evidence of your more embarrassing escapades; it’s also about showing that you are someone with a curious mind and a capable intellect.

College grads aren’t the only ones at fault, though. Often, the same thing happens to a candidate looking to switch jobs or recover from a layoff. Maybe you haven’t been blogging about your field because you never felt it was necessary. Well, now it is.

Whether you’re a recent grad or a mid-career job hunter, here are a few tips that might help you get on the right track:

Start a new blog dedicated to your professional niche. There’s no reason to stop writing a personal blog, but creating a second site can help you focus on professional content without confusing your friends.
Use Google Alerts, Twitter searches and blog subscriptions to stay on top of your industry, then write about your findings. Most employers don’t have time to truly stay abreast of their fields, so it’s easy for you to come off looking more informed than they are.
Respond to thought leaders in your industry via Twitter and blog comments. It’s not about kissing up to them, it’s about showing that you have an opinion and a backbone.
Create original content. Why just retweet and reference other bloggers when you could be out creating your own case studies? Writing about someone else’s opinion shows you’re paying attention, but writing about your own discoveries shows that you’re earning your keep.
Look for opportunities to put your writing in front of new audiences. Sites like The Next Great Generation create fantastic forums for emerging talent.
Stay true to yourself. Don’t try to be so corporate that you drain the life out of your own digital persona. Write about your hopes. Write about your dreams. Write about your favorite nude archery goddess-birth opera at Burning Man. Just be sure that the content you’re creating online represents both facets of your life: the personal and the professional.

On second thought, maybe keep those Burning Man stories to yourself. Some things are best left locked behind heavy-duty Facebook privacy settings. At least until you’re hired.

David Griner is the VP/Director of Digital Content for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Photo credit: Chelsea Phillips on Flickr.

Google+ looks and works better than ever. Will that be enough?

2012-04-16T12:35:05-05:00

Search behemoth Google continues to struggle in its quest to dominate the realm of social networking. But with fresh coat of paint and a couple of new bells and whistles, Google+ is now once again poised to rival Facebook.

As you can see in the video below, the new Google+ redesign is all about images. The sharing stream now features larger photos and video. There's also a sleek customizable ribbon on the left side of the page that allows for customization. You can now drag icons like "Circles" and "Photos" and arrange them as you like.

The new look also has been incorporated into Gmail and Google Reader in an effort to boost Google+ functionality.

The redesign is attractive but the jury is still out on whether these aesthetic changes can lure faithful Facebook fans. While Google+ boasts an impressive-on-paper 170 million users, there are still plenty of questions about mainstream adoption. Comscore data recently showed U.S. users spending 3.3 minutes on Google+ each month compared to 7.5 hours on Facebook.

Google's new visual upgrade for the network is definitely a step in the right direction, but what do you think? Will it be enough to finally start luring users to spend considerable amounts of time on Google+?

Edward Bowser is Community Manager at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by email or follow him on Twitter.

Five fun fitness apps for your iPhone.

2012-04-13T09:02:06-05:00

Warm weather has arrived across most of the country, which means it’s time for the annual swimsuit season freakout! After months of loading carbs to stay warm during winter, it’s time to shed those heavy clothes — and pounds, too.

Many weight-loss methods, like gym memberships, can be pricey. We thought we'd look at a few cheaper (i.e., free) iPhone app options to get you healthy.

Calorie Counter by FatSecret

Let's start with workout basics — you have to change the way you eat. For years I used apps with a catalog of foods and restaurants but if the food wasn’t already stored you had to input the nutrition information. Then I had an app that scanned barcodes and provided nutritional info, but there was no way to store it in my food log. Thankfully, Calorie Counter by FatSecret does it all. You enter your personal information, your goal weight and activity level and the application calculates your calorie allowance. If the application doesn’t have the nutrition information for your food item, you can scan the barcode and it will pull all the information up and save it to your log. It’s sheer brilliance.

My Fitness Pal

This is a pretty popular application, and for good reason. The application accounts for your personal information and activity level, sets caloric goals, tracks nutrition information, and allows you to input your activity to account for calories burned. It’s the most-all encompassing application available.

Unfortunately, if the app doesn’t currently have nutritional information for foods, you’ll have to input it. It's not the end of the world but can be frustrating when you’re in a hurry. Also, while the app accounts for calories burned by certain physical activities, they are less than accurate. You’re better off pairing this application with another fitness-focused app.

Nike Training Camp

Intrigued by the boot camp and CrossFit-crazed masses but not ready to take the financial plunge? Dip your toe in the pool with Nike Training Camp. This application is perfect for people of all fitness levels. You chose the type of exercise you’re looking for – Get Lean, Get Toned, Get Strong, Get Focused – and then your fitness level. Then run through the exercise list provided.

Let's say you are looking to Get Lean, you know, knock off that pudge rolling over your bathing-suit bottom. The application shows the exercises you’ll execute, along with an explanation and a video example. Once you’re ready to get started, a timer starts and a voice walks you through your workout! It’s like having a free trainer on your phone.

Sadly, the application never asks for your body weight information or digs deep into your fitness level. That makes it difficult to really customize your workout. This also means the application doesn’t provide estimations of calories burned. However, this application, along with a diet application like Calorie Counter by FatSecret or My Fitness Pal could have you on the path to a South Beach bod in no time.

RunKeeper

RunKeeper is very similar to the running ap Nike+. Since we already have one Nike application here, we’ll highlight RunKeeper. The application tracks your runs with a GPS, so it knows elevation, distance and time. You can set audio cues for speed, pace, distance and if you’re really fancy, splits and heart rate if you have a monitor. Also, it provides a map of the area and your route in case you get a little too focused on your goals and end up lost.

RunKeeper doesn’t account for your weight so it can’t account for calories burned, but since it is specifically for running, it’s not terribly hard to find estimations of this and factor that into your diet application.

Pedometer FREE GPS+

It’s not the catchiest name in the bunch but you can't ignore the motivating factor of a Pedometer. Most of us spend more time sitting at a desk than we'd like to admit. Pedometer FREE GPS+ tracks your steps as you go and motivates you to get up and move even more. The app tracks steps, distance, speed, pace, and calories burned.

Simply turn on the app and pop it in your pocket. The application will track your steps. Simple enough. Even better, the application has a GPS so it can track your walking routes and save them in your history. You can see how you improve in time and steps taken. Some of us are starting at a pretty basic level after a long winter of hibernation; what better way to get moving than with the first step!

There's no easier way to prepare for summer than with your smartphone. Feel free to share any apps you're using to get in shape.

Kammie Avant is a social media planner for Luckie & Company. You can contact her by e-mail or follow @KammieAvant on Twitter.

Photo credit: Kenski1970 on Flickr.

Need a job? We're hiring a social media planner.

2012-04-12T16:35:00-05:00

If you’ve got a passion for social media marketing, a proven knack for organizing big projects and strong writing skills, you could be the next Social Media Planner for Birmingham-based marketing agency Luckie & Company.

You’ll be joining a team whose client work has been praised by everyone from Mashable to The New York Times, so you’ll need to show that you have the professionalism, creativity and enthusiasm to be an industry leader. Whether you come from an advertising agency, PR, interactive or journalistic background, we’re looking for someone with a solid track record of taking initiative and getting results. This position requires that you work full-time at the Luckie headquarters in Birmingham, where you will be managing the day-to-day operations of multiple client social media channels, often at the national level.

Requirements

3+ years of relevant experience in professional use of social media

Bachelor’s degree in journalism, PR or a related field

Clear examples of social media work for clients, preferably with an audience in excess of 10,000 fans or followers.

Active experience with blogging, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest

Excellent grammar, spelling and attention to detail

Provide links to your publicly visible blogs and Twitter feeds

Must complete criminal background check

Must be experienced with business use of:

Facebook Pages and Insights

Twitter

Pinterest

Google+

WordPress, TypePad or other blogging platforms

YouTube and Vimeo

Adobe Photoshop

Microsoft Excel

Google Documents

Ideal candidates also will be experienced with:

Blogger outreach

WordPress theme development

Microsoft PowerPoint or KeyNote

Radian6 or similar social analytics tools

Web traffic analytics tools

To apply, email a resume, cover letter, electronic samples and relevant links to melissa.wheeler@luckie.com.

Luckie is an idea-obsessed 140-person agency with offices in Birmingham, San Antonio and Atlanta. Our clients include AT&T, Schick, Little Debbie, Regions Bank,Glaxo Smith Klein, Gulf Power, Asheville Tourism, Alabama Tourism, Bayer Advanced and Chick-fil-A.

Edward Bowser is Community Manager at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by email or follow him on Twitter.

Finally: Facebook allows custom images and copy for links to brand tabs.

2012-03-27T15:43:26-05:00

It sounds so simple: If you want to keep users on your platform you'd probably want to make it easy to link to applications within your platform, right? Apparently, it wasn't that easy for Facebook.

For the last few years, linking to your own brand page tabs on Facebook was clunky, to say the least. Instead of pulling up custom images from the tab and allowing you to edit the title and body of the link, the brand page profile image, the brand page name and the brand page description were static.

Not so anymore!

Facebook has finally realized their folly. While the initial image, headline, and copy you see will all be for the brand page, you can now select the custom image from the tab that you'd like and highlight and edit the link's title and body before posting! It's the smallest things that make the biggest difference sometimes.

Thanks, Facebook!

Kammie Avant is a social media planner for Luckie & Company. You can contact her by e-mail or follow @KammieAvant on Twitter.

Photo credit: sfllaw on Flickr.

Fear not: Facebook Fan Gating is back.

2012-03-23T17:05:42-05:00

When Facebook recently rolled out the new Timeline look for brands, many social media professionals noticed a subtle and terrifying shift: "Fan Gating" no longer seemed to work.

As you probably know, Fan Gating or Like Gating is the tactic of requiring a Facebook user to Like a brand page before using an application or accessing exclusive content. It is one of the most proven and effective fan-growth tools for Facebook pages, especially those investing in high-quality apps.

Our initial testing of Timeline pages found a serious problem was suddenly hobbling fan-gated tabs. Once you clicked Like, the page remained the same. The only way to "unlock" the exclusive content was to manually refresh the page.

Other than asking visitors to "hit refresh at the top of your browser," there didn't appear to be many solutions.

But all that appears to be behind us. Facebook has quietly rolled out a return of proper Fan Gating in recent days, and our tests this afternoon showed them all working quite well (even legacy applications that were live before the TImeline switch).

If you're still experiencing Fan Gating problems, definitely let us know in the comments. For now, we're cautiously optimistic that this excellent tool for fan growth is back.

I should note that we still no longer have "Default Landing Tabs," which allowed your new Facebook visitors to see a Fan Gate instead of your wall. Facebook now sends every visitor to your Timeline, but that's OK. You can still use advertising and posts with links to drive viewers directly to your Fan Gated application.

Are there any other problems or quirks you've uncovered with Facebook Timeline for brands?

David Griner is the VP/Director of Digital Content for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Photo credit: Bonnie Natko on Flickr.

Facebook Timeline: 10 changes your business should prepare for.

2012-02-29T18:19:31-06:00

This morning, Facebook announced a dramatic and long-awaited chance for business pages: the Timeline format. Social media marketers who are excited for the switch can jump to the new look right now, otherwise you'll be forced to change when Timeline becomes mandatory on March 30.

While the most obvious change is the sprawlingly wide new "cover photo," there's more to the media-rich pages than just a swank new header image. There are some exciting - and frustrating - details that Facebook admins need to keep in mind as they prepare for the switch.

Luckily, it's easy to get started by clicking the "Preview" button at the top of your page and setting up your Timeline in a private environment. Then you can simply hit "Publish now" whenever you're ready.

So why wait? We've been playing with it all day on our agency page, and we've put together this checklist to help your business embrace Timeline today:

1. You Now Get a Big New Cover Photo

The most obvious change for brand pages is definitely the cover photo. This 810-pixel-wide image across the top of your page lets you express your brand personality, priorities or products in a dramatic new way.

One great thing about this new dominant photo is that you can change it as often as you please without confusing your audience. Previously, a brand only had its vertical profile image, which also served as your avatar for daily posting. This new format sets brands free to experiment and have fun.

Change it as often as you'd like, show off your fan of the week - the possibilities are absolutely endless. Just make sure the photo you select is large enough to fit in your 810-pixel space.

2. You'll Need a Square Profile Pic

The profile photo is now nothing more than a square thumbnail that appears alongside your newsfeed posts and as a small inset in your cover photo. Use this space wisely. Keep the icon simple, hi-resolution, and easily recognizable.

3. Get to Know the Admin Panel

At the top right of your new page you'll see a button that says "Admin Panel" above the Timeline. Click it and a fancy, update-at-a-glance box drops down. This Admin Panel includes a quick view of basic insights, new Likes, notifications and (finally!) an inbox for your brand page (but more on that later). A lot of these items had been difficult to use or were difficult to find. Thanks to the panel, these important features are now front and center for admins. It's a breeze to use and a nice feature.

4. You Can Now Send and Receive Messages as Your Brand Page

You heard that right, the new Admin Panel features an inbox for your brand page. Apparently Facebook finally listened to us at The Social Path (and others, admittedly) and addressed the need to be able to communicate with fans privately as the brand. As simple as this change is, it's by far my favorite feature in the roll-out.

To send a message to a page, simply look for the "Message" button next to the Like button (if you're not already a fan). Don't see it on brand pages you like? That means those brands have likely deactivated messaging. If you feel the need to do the same, click "Edit Page," then look in the "Manage Permissions" tab for the option "Show 'Message' button." But you might as well try it for a while and see how it goes.

5. 'Tab Apps' Have a Whole New Look

If you have any additional tabs beyond the basic Facebook offerings such as the Wall, you'll want to spend some time formatting them before the March 30 deadline. The icons are very large now and only four can be featured at the top of your page. The rest will be hidden in a drop-down menu. You can customize which four tabs are featured by clicking the pencil (which we all know now as the editing tool) and choosing which application to "switch" places with. Before you do that, however, you'll want to make sure that you have a decent icon worth featuring. Some previous icons from third-party apps are now incredibly small because they were sized for the former left-hand tab navigation.

Worst of all...

6. Landing Tabs Are Dead

if you've been using a "Welcome Tab" or "Landing Tab" that introduced potential fans to your company, then you're pretty much out of luck. The era of the landing tab is over. Your brand page now will always (at least in this current setup) default to landing on your Timeline. The cover photo can replace the customized images and experience that you want fans to encounter when they visit to your page, but applications that scream to "Like Our Page!" are no longer the star of the show.

This could mean much less of an emphasis on customized, elaborate application and a much bigger emphasis on posts to engage fans and build an audience. One thing worth noting is that the tab area has increased from a measely width of 520 pixels to a whopping 810 pixels. That gives us more room to work with in applications and will make them more like microsites embedded into Facebook.

7. Oh, and Your Timeline Isn't Actually in Order

I like a tidy, chronological Timeline. Imagine my frustration with the fact that, as it appears, there is no way to organize our Timelines so every recent post shows up in order. The choices are Highlights, Friend Activity, Posts by Others, and Posts by Page - none of which pay any respect to timeliness.

On our agency page, a Luckie employee tested this theory by posting a comment, which was buried far below posts from the page, fans, and even tags - some of which were made months ago. While the notifications box in the Admin Panel should help us keep up with fan comments, a popular brand page could easily lose track.

I'm sure this will be widely lamented by brand pages and we'll see a chronological option soon enough.

8. But Hey, Album Descriptions Are Back

It's the little things in life, folks. With the last iteration of Facebook photo albums, we lost the ability to share album descriptions on the wall, which made it hard to give readers context about the photos. With the appearance of Timeline, they're back. What a user needs to know about an album can't always be conveyed in just a title. The return of these few lines of text make a big difference for administrators trying to draw fans in. We had whittled our descriptions down to the bare bones and we're excited about spreading our wings once again.

9. You Can Fill in Your Company History

Just like with personal profile Timelines, we have the opportunity to tell the story of our brands from conception. Luckie & Co. has a long history and a great story, making this an exciting prospect. Take some time to map out your story - founding date, major milestones, product launches and all applicable information that may show up on, say, the brand's Wikipedia page. Use this as an opportunity to make your Facebook brand page the official hub of information and activity for fans - draw people to this forum that you can control.

10. Important Posts Can Be 'Pinned' to the Top

Maybe there is a photo, status, announcement or story that is currently the most important for your brand. Or maybe you simply want to make sure brand posts are featured above all fan comments. Select the pencil on the stories in question and "Pin to Top." Only one item can be your featured pin, so choose wisely.

Hopefully these 10 tips will help you get started. So far, we're pretty happy with the opportunities the Timeline format presents. It is a bit messy, though, so get ready to get your hands dirty in the next month while you spruce up images, streamline applications, and fill out your Timelines.

Kammie Avant is a social media planner for Luckie & Company. You can contact her by e-mail or follow @KammieAvant on Twitter.

A new metric for ad success: Keeping eyes away from apps.

2012-02-08T17:12:38-06:00

This past Sunday, I once again had the pleasure of being the "voice of AdFreak" on Twitter, as I live-tweeted about the Super Bowl ads for Adweek's blog. (I also made occasional contributions to the magazine's Super Bowl liveblog itself, which you can read a transcript of here.)

Amid the frenzy of tweeting about ads in real time, I became hyperaware of how the game and its celebrated commercials kept or lost my attention. When the game grew dull, I was able to cram in more online updates. When a great ad surfaced, I stopped typing and stayed glued to the screen.

I wasn't alone, as you can see in the chart above from analytics service Flurry, which tracks data from more than 160,00 iOS and Android apps. The graph shows how many mobile apps were being opened during every second of the game.

For example, during downtime, smartphone users would fire up the Twitter or Facebook apps to see what friends were saying. When the game got intense (or Madonna took the stage), phones went dark and the TV took hold.

Certain ads obviously drew in viewers. I was one of the millions who couldn't look away from the mysterious movie trailer that ended up being for the board game-inspired "Battleship." Coke's polar bears kept people away from their phones, as well.

There's so much insight to be gleaned from this data, though mostly it just illustrates two points:

• Major television events have become national social experiences, giving us all something specific to talk about. Short of major world events, what else these days brings together so many diverse voices into the same conversation? Whether it's the Grammys or big game, TV's biggest moments are unparallaled in their ability to get people talking in real time.

• Attention comes at the cost of discussion. This creates a tough challenge for the entertainment industry. You want your TV show to be a nationally trending topic on Twitter while it's airing, but you also want viewers paying attention, right? A viewer's natural inclination will be the chat during commercial breaks, which means there's never been more pressure on advertisers to keep eyeballs on the screen and off the phone for just a few more seconds.

Which leads us to another fascinating implication of this data: We might be witnessing a new metric for TV ad performance. Most advertisers simply look at a program's audience size and claim the impressions as their own. But this chart clearly shows that attention waxes and wanes, even if the audience never leaves the room.

Will your favorite brand's next TV ad be enough to keep people engaged, or will audiences find their eyes drifting down to the dreaded second screen?

David Griner is the Director of Digital Content for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.