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Archive for the ‘business consulting’ Category

Facebook Group vs Fan Pages for your 2013 action organization.

March 22nd, 2013
Author: Andrew

There is lots of remaining confusion about what is the best Facebook strategy to use for your organization.

I was recently asked by a great conservative Texan politcal movement what our strategy should be here. CDOT already has both a Fan Page and a Group, and new people volunteering to manage content come and go pretty often, so I felt I should re-research this topic again and break it all down for them. When Googling about it I saw most of the posts were 2 years old, but this one from Fathom had the best breakdown of the advantages of each. For the group however, I needed to streamline the advice. Perhaps this will help your organization as well.

Here is my summary as explained to CDOT via email about what is DISTINCT for each:

Fan pages (or simply ‘page’ in most of the FB headings)
1) ARE visible from the outside, which means the content there gets updated on Google. It is good to have this happening for issues of outside exposure.
- - that is why it is good to post our CDOT pages to it at least once a week.
2) Pages can be ‘liked’, thus James put the like box on the site. Good feature we should keep IMO.
3) Think of the Fan Page as where we post public announcements
4) Posts here are share-able. This is the power James has been referring to. The thing about it is that for the power to work (geometric exposure) people need to share the posts there on to their timeline as well. It is NOT automatic.
(being share-able makes a page pretty much like an FB ‘person’)

Group pages
1) ANY member of the group can post. That means it is a free for all regarding the content.
2) All posts put here are by default sent as a notification to other members.
3) You can as the administrator mass-mail all the group members. This is important for special events, etc.

So… STRATEGICALLY…
FB page:
I believe we should use it as a controlled extension of the site where we control the content focussed on violations and event announcements, our site page urls, etc.
For all involved with our organization, we should encourage regular sharing of the posts there.

FB group:
This should be promoted as a ‘get involved’ tool. Quasi-Inside discussions can be held about our focus, etc. but always be kept positive. This is the ‘next step’ for those who ‘like us’ (fans) to become part of the conversation

Exceptions to note:
- both pages and groups can have settings changed to share ’some’ of the attributes I declared distinct above, but the purposes of each are still intact.
- The notification options can be changed by the user for both pages and groups. They are simply defaulted to on for groups.

JanRain.. the social doorway for better business

May 22nd, 2011
Author: Andrew

Over the last 6 months, I have created a JanRain social login tool for two of my biggest clients, even extending the tool to the mobile version of Simple Foodie. The results were good, and I have been recommending it since to any client that has a registration requirement.

social login tools from CGI Pro

Over the last few weeks however, the question has expanded beyond the value of expediting registration and login, to the more direct value of having key social “hooks” on your website. The ‘like’ button is fine, the share buttons are great too, but in terms of seeking to make your site a trusted destination, having a social login anchor point is the best. People have a strong anchor in Facebook now. It’s use is no longer a phenomena, but standard practice. The novelty has worn off, and in its place there is a growing desire for its practicality in what I call its ‘anchor window’ value. An anchor window is a window or tab you keep open on your browser while others come and go. Facebook is tops here. So while your potential users are opening closing various windows as they research new companies to do business with, which ones are they going to remember and come back to? The ones most closely associated with their anchor window of course.

So even if you don’t have an integrated database or application centered website, wouldn’t it be valuable to lay your social ‘hooks’ into your site visitors? We can put JanRain right into your contact forms. To your customers, it is an easy way to send more contact info with less effort. For you, it opens the door for more detailed, in-depth interaction. For longevity, if we build the right tools in for future visits, it creates shortcuts for your clients to streamline repeat business with you.

Isn’t that what you want?

Race to the bottom? Who wants to win that?

April 27th, 2011
Author: Andrew

Everyday we are challenged with presentation decisions. Do we stay cheap and seek admiration for our frugality and meager margins in a tough economy, or do we invest in standing out to bring superior value for our customers? While these decisions need not be zero-sum equations, our world-view regarding how we run the race in the new paradigm, as well as where we are running, will determine everything. Either you are committed to innovating your way to prominence, or you are seeking a comfortable place of security with minimal cost.

Seth Godin says it best….

Exclusive interview with Seth Godin from GiANT Impact on Vimeo.

Here at CGIPro, we have wrestled mightily with the dillemma of accepting work we know falls below our vision of innovative excellence. We have catered to too many people who are comfortable racing to the bottom. A new day is dawning however. We are leaner, and ready for an exclusive clientele seeking innovative, interactive presentation as a key part of their race to the top.

We don’t have to be a highly expensive digital agency to achieve this. We just have to be properly committed to working with the right mindset.

If you want to race to the bottom, you can post your project on guru.com and find an Asian freelancer to work for $12/hr.