2. Introduction
The Facebook ecosystem
Five guiding principles
· Build a strategy that is social by design
· Create an authentic brand voice
· Make it interactive
· Nurture your relationships
· Keep learning
Facebook by objective
· Foster product development and innovation
· Generate awareness
· Drive preference and differentiation
· Increase traffic and sales
· Build loyalty and deepen relationships
· Amplify recommendation and word of mouth
· Gain insights
Helpful Resources
2
3. Best Practice Guide
Introduction
At Facebook, everything we do is about making the world
more open and connected. This has a profound impact on the
way people communicate and interact. We are continually
developing authentic ways for people to connect with one
another as well as with the businesses, brands and institutions
they care about, both on Facebook and across the web.
Facebook allows marketers to stay connected with people
throughout their day whether they are on their computers or
mobile devices, at home or at work, watching TV or shopping
with friends. This allows businesses to create rich social
experiences, build lasting relationships and amplify the most
powerful type of marketing – word of mouth.
Connecting with people is just the beginning. In the pages
that follow, you will find best practices for reaching your
businesses objectives on Facebook.
3
4. Best Practice Guide
The Facebook ecosystem
1 Build 3 Amplify
The first step is building your presence with a Facebook Every time someone interacts with your business, that action
Page. Pages allow you to create an identity for your business in gets published into the News Feed, creating word of mouth.
the social graph - the map of the connections among These organic stories are extremely effective at getting
people and the things they care about. If you others to engage and take action, and can be
have physical store locations, link your Page IN
SI shared with a much larger number of potential
with a Place. 1 BUILD G
and current customers by using
HT
S
Facebook Ads and Sponsored
You can use Social Plugins, the Stories. Facebook Ads include the names
Graph API and Apps on Facebook of friends who have already connected to
to create social experiences involving your business. Sponsored Stories enable
your products and online properties you to increase the distribution of News
2E
3
that are engaging and personalized. Feed stories about your business.
NG
AM
AG
PL
FY
E
2 Engage Together, these tools give you the
TS
I
GH I
NS
Creating these Facebook touch points I effectiveness of earned media, at the
allows you to start building your fan base scale and predictability of paid media. Every
and engaging with your customers. campaign you run has a lasting impact via the
Facebook Like Ads are the quickest way to relationships you build along the way. This is the new
acquire fans. Publishing and engaging in conversations word of mouth and research has shown it’s twice as effective
with your fans will allow you to deepen relationships and gain at driving results.
valuable insights.
4
5. Best Practice Guide
Five guiding principles
1
• Social should be baked into everything you do, • Facebook should be integrated with your
Build a strategy that not added at the end of a campaign or done on broader marketing efforts and part of how you
is social by design the side reach your business objectives
2
Create an authentic • People on Facebook are clear and open about
who they are - be the same by providing
• Facebook is an ideal place to bring your brand
personality to life through an authentic and
brand voice straightforward information about your business consistent voice
3
• People spend time on Facebook communicating • Think about the aspects of your brand that are
Make it interactive and sharing with others, so always engage in inherently social and create content that people
two-way conversations will be excited to pass along
4
• Just like in the real world, building relationships • Keep content fresh and easy to consume, use
Nurture your with people on Facebook takes time and ads to stay in touch, and reward people for their
relationships requires a long-term investment loyalty through Deals and promotions
5
• Facebook allows you to get feedback from • Use reporting tools to learn about your fans
Keep learning people in real time, giving you the ability to and the content and products they find most
iterate on the fly interesting
5
6. Best Practice Guide
Facebook by Objective
Foster product development and innovation
Generate awareness
Drive preference and differentiation
Increase traffic and sales
Build loyalty and deepen relationships
Amplify recommendation and word of mouth
Gain insights
6
7. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Foster product development
and innovation By combining OnStar’s virtual
advisor in-car telematics
service with Facebook’s
Graph’s API at the end of 2010,
Facebook allows you to learn about your target audience and to understand their interests and General Motors was the first
car manufacturer to offer
friends. For this reason, Facebook can be used to generate new product ideas and innovations. Our drivers the opportunity to
post and listen to audio status
platform tools allow you to build entirely new social product experiences like an online store that updates from the car through
a simple push of a button.
displays only your friends’ favorite products, or a car in which you can access your News Feed. You Chevrolet promoted the
innovative service in its “Best
can also enlist your Facebook community to help crowd-source your next product idea. First Date” 2011 Super Bowl
television commercial. OnStar
is rolling out the product by
Introductory tools Advanced tools inviting customers to sign up
for the public beta test of the
service on its Facebook Page.
Pages Facebook Ads Sponsored Stories Questions Events Graph API Apps on Facebook Social Plugins
steps to foster product development and innovation
RBS Insurance enlisted its
Run a creative Drive awareness of and Identify and refine your Build a social product Be present and active Facebook community to
campaign to solicit participation in the target audience with experience by using on your Facebook Page determine the features that
input for your campaign by promoting Campaign Reporting the Graph API and throughout the product should be included in a new
iPhone app for its Direct Line
new product it across your marketing and Page Insights Social Plugins development cycle insurance product. It drove
a. Run a contest or event to channels a. Optimize your Facebook a. Enable people to like a. Use publishing and people to a custom application
on its Facebook Page, where it
gather input on Facebook a. Run a Facebook Ads campaigns by testing individual products and Facebook Questions to could present new concepts to
by building an application campaign that includes which audiences are more content across the web get feedback, iterate and existing and new customers.
to gather submissions Sponsored Stories for responsive to different with the Graph API generate future product The result was over 600 unique
App Used creative and marketing ideas comments on app features
b. Have the community vote b. Use Social Plugins and product names.
and provide incentives for b. Promote the campaign b. Use this information to like the Activity Feed,
participation in your other marketing direct future marketing Recommendations,
channels such as TV, email, efforts Comments and Live Stream
print or on your website to make experiences off of
Facebook social
7
8. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Generate awareness
Once you have created a Facebook Page that allows your unique brand to shine, it is time to generate To build brand awareness of
its relatively new Green Works
awareness of your Page, latest product, or current marketing effort. To do this, you can leverage cleaning products line, Clorox
ran a Facebook Ads campaign
Facebook’s tremendous reach and targeting capabilities with Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories. to grow its fan base and drive
traffic to its website. The ads
These products offer the benefits of earned at the scale and predictability of paid. That’s because they offered coupons and allowed
people to vote on “Green
are shown with stories about friends who have already engaged with your business on Facebook. This Heroes” in their community.
The effort resulted in about
is the new word of mouth and it’s twice as effective at driving awareness. 30,000 fans on the Green Works
Page and a 12 percent increase
in awareness of the Green
Works brand, according to a
Nielsen study.
Introductory tools Advanced tools
Sponsored Stories Facebook Ads Pages Places Events Social Plugins Graph API Apps on Facebook Deals
steps to generate awareness
In the Spring of 2010, Mars
Create a Facebook Integrate Social Plugins Post interesting content Run Sponsored Stories Use Facebook’s unique Chocolate North America
Ads campaign that and the Graph API, such with clear calls to to promote people’s reach and targeting launched M&M’S Pretzel.
encourages people to as the Like Button, action that encourage actions from the capabilities to optimize Mars used Facebook to seed
awareness and demand
take an action that will into your website and interaction and sharing News Feed to the right and iterate on your for the new product by
be seen by their friends mobile experiences a. Applications on Facebook column of their friends’ campaigns developing a custom Facebook
screen application called the M&M’s
a. Keep ad destinations a. This allows the actions can be used to build viral a. Try different targeting Pretzel Vending Machine. The
on Facebook people take off of Facebook awareness campaigns a. Sponsored Stories for App techniques: Likes and application enabled 40,000 of
to show up in the News Feed Used allow you to amplify Interests, Friends of the brands fans to get a free
b. Encourage liking to build b. Promote launches or sample delivered to them
and be amplified through every time someone Connections and standard
connections and make promotions with Deals or and allowed them to invite
Sponsored Stories interacts with your app demographic
future campaigns more Events on Facebook two friends to also receive a
effective b. To maximize message recall, free sample. As a result, Mars
b. Sponsored Stories for Page
distributed 120,000 samples to
Posts can be used test different creative for its customers within 48 hours.
c. Keep text simple, highlight
to ensure your fans see each target group
special offers, tell users
your posts
what to expect, have a
strong call to action
8
9. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Drive preference and differentiation
Facebook is a great place to build preference and differentiation for your brand over competitors. In an effort to reinvigorate its
brand among the 18- to 34-year-
On Facebook, people discover your brand through trusted referrals from their friends. Then drive old audience, Shane Company
launched a Facebook campaign
preference by interacting with and rewarding your fans. Think of your Facebook Page as a key touch to re-engage with them and
become more relevant. It
point that you can leverage to bring your brand to life for your customers in real time. used Premium Poll Ads to
invite people to nominate
their favorite diamond shapes
and vote for their favorite
marriage proposal scenario.
Shane also invited fans to tell
their own stories on its Page.
This stimulated discussion
and interaction between the
Introductory tools Advanced tools audience and the brand in a fun
way that reinforced the brand
as “your friend in the diamond
business.” Over 20,000 people
responded to the polling Ads,
reinvigorating the brand.
Pages Facebook Ads Questions Social Plugins Apps on Facebook Graph API
steps to drive preference and differentiation
Understand what Define the gap between Launch an integrated Think about how to Check in with
people currently think your current perception brand-building integrate Facebook into your customers to
of your business and and your brand’s campaign to drive your products, website understand what
why they think it is desired perception or preference and or mobile apps to make is resonating and When adidas Originals
launched its global, cross-
unique and relevant point of differentiation differentiation them more personal whether you have
media campaign in early
a. Listen to what people are a. Create a campaign that and unique been successful 2010, the leading apparel
and footwear brand decided
saying about your business supports your desired a. Use the Graph API to enable a. Monitor your Wall and
to use its Facebook Page as
on your Page and use perception across your people to shop based on use Page Insights to see a home base from which it
Questions to survey them typical channels (TV, print, what their friends like what’s working could display and distribute
radio, Facebook, etc.) all of its exciting new audio-
b. Use Page Insights to b. Use Social Plugins to create b. Run a Nielsen Brand Effects visual content and product
understand what they are b. Create Facebook Ads and a social experience for study (where available) information. By creating highly
interested in Sponsored Stories with people engaging with to ask questions or run relevant content, the company
Friends of Connections built a community of advocates
your brand polls to understand how
who supported the brand and
targeting to show people perceptions changed
c. Use Apps on Facebook to has seen a steady increase in
how their friends have post-campaign Originals store traffic.
bring your brand to life on
already interacted with
your Page c. Use your own brand
your brand
tracking measurement tools
9
10. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Increase traffic and sales
Facebook turns purchasing into a social decision by enabling people to show what they like and have In the summer of 2010, Levi
Strauss & Co. began a cross-
purchased, both online and in the physical world. On Facebook, you can create viral promotional media campaign to launch its
Fall 2010 Workwear Collection.
events, publicize offers or run Deals. Every time someone RSVPs, clicks, or checks-in, that action As part of the campaign, a 40
percent-off offer on Facebook
gets shared with all of their friends. This combination of word of mouth and your ability to deepen for one Work Wear item drove
a two-fold increase in traffic to
engagement with your customers at the point of purchase (either on your website or in store) is levi’s.com within 15 minutes of
being posted on the Facebook
incredibly powerful at driving traffic and sales. Page. For an in-store discount
offer, Levi’s clocked about 400
interactions with an Event Ad,
but it got 1,600 people showing
up in its stores with RSVPs,
Introductory tools Advanced tools showing there was a four-times
viral multiplier of what the
brand was able to do with its
ad spend.
Facebook Ads Sponsored Stories Pages Places Events Graph API Premium Apps on Facebook Deals
Sampling Ads
steps to increase traffic and sales
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Decide on a sales goal Run a creative Create a social Drive people to point Drive people to point created a Deal that incentivized
and the promotional campaign to share that experience at the point of purchase online of purchase off-line its customers to check in on
activities that will help promotion through of purchase their mobile device, while at
a. Use Facebook Ads with a. Make sure your Page the cinema, to receive a free
you get there Facebook Ads and Page a. Use the Graph API to allow offers that take people to is connected to a pint glass and the chance to
publishing people to like specific the point of purchase – be geographic Place see a free movie screening.
transparent that clicking Every time someone checked
a. Consider using an products b. Use Deals and Premium in, that story got published to
application or exclusive tab the ad will take you off all of his or her friends, creating
b. Integrate post purchase Event Ads to drive people
to create a promotion that Facebook a powerful word-of-mouth
sharing so that once a user in store
requires people to like your effect. The offer successfully
has checked out, they have b. Every time someone drove people into the cinema,
c. Run Sponsored Stories for
Page or share the content the option to publish to likes a product on your with over 5,100 people
Place Check-ins to amplify
b. Use Sponsored Stories their Wall website, boost the story checking in. Through this
word of mouth Deal, the company distributed
to ensure the friends of with Sponsored Stories for
c. Create Deals to drive people nearly 10,000 pint glasses and
someone who interacts Domains
in store and have them saw a much higher level of
with your campaign, see check in so the action gets engagement on its Page.
that action published back to their
friends
10
11. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Build loyalty and deepen relationships
Facebook is fundamentally about relationships. The people who like your Page are saying that they Sephora uses the publishing
feature on its Facebook
want a relationship with you. This connection allows you to build and deepen relationships with your Page extensively to foster
conversations with its clients.
most loyal customers and allows them to spread the word about your brand to their friends. Because The company has created
an Offers tab on its Page
of the information people share about themselves on Facebook, you can create highly custom and where fans get information
on special deals. Sephora
personalized experiences to drive engagement and loyalty over time. uses the Graph API on its site
to allow customers to like
and recommend individual
products to their friends.
Sephora has created a highly
engaged community that
discusses and shares products
Introductory tools Advanced tools
on its own.
Pages Sponsored Stories Facebook Ads Questions Social Plugins Apps on Facebook
steps to build loyalty and deepen relationships
Since research showed that
Remind people that you Develop an authentic Ask questions, listen Use the Graph API and Let your fans know many of its customers were
are on Facebook and personality and voice and be responsive, Social Plugins to create they are special and already on Facebook, Sub-Zero
there to communicate take part in a two-way more personalized reward them for their and Wolf Appliance, decided
a. Create a publishing calendar to establish a brand presence
with them conversation and relevant online relationship with a Facebook Page. There,
b. Post stories that people care
a. Promote your Facebook a. Use Facebook Questions to experiences to build a. Thank them for their people can read content on
about, ask questions and kitchen designs, recipes and
Page in offline marketing drive engagement and learn loyalty engagement
encourage participation related topics. The company
collateral has created an ecosystem
c. Publish in the early b. Appoint someone on your b. Run Deals and special
of customers and prospects,
b. Integrate Facebook into morning or late evening team to monitor your Page promotions to your kitchen designers and Sub-Zero
your website with Graph daily and interact with Facebook community and Wolf dealers who are all
API to make sure your people in an authentic way participating in discussions and
c. Provide them with exclusive sharing content on its Page.
customers are part of your
information, updates, and
Facebook community
events
c. Use Facebook Ads
and Sponsored Stories
to stay top of mind
11
12. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Amplify recommendation
and word of mouth Silly Bandz wanted to attain
1 million fans and to allow its
customers to interact with
its products. In order to do
Everything you do on Facebook is viral because all actions are published into the News Feed and are this, it used a combination of
Facebook Ads and integrated
lasting. People expect to discover things on Facebook through their friends. Rather than thinking the Graph API into its website
with product Like Buttons.
of driving recommendation as an independent objective, sharing should be built into all of your Every time someone clicked on
one of the ads or liked one of its
Facebook activities and campaigns. Here are some of the Facebook tools that help amplify word of products, a story was published
back to all of his or her friends,
mouth and recommendation. creating a powerful viral effect.
As a result, Silly Bandz was
able to surpass its 1 million fan
Introductory tools Advanced tools goal and learned a lot about
the products its consumers are
most excited about.
Sponsored Stories Facebook Ads Pages Events Deals Social Plugins Graph API Apps on Facebook
steps to amplify recommendation and word of mouth
Healthy Choice wanted to
Encourage people Create great content Integrate Social Plugins Use Facebook Ads and Learn and iterate
grow its Facebook community
to like your Page that encourages sharing and the Graph API Sponsored Stories to a. Use Page Insights to and get more people to try its
a. This opens the and keep it fresh with the Like Button create word of mouth determine the content frozen foods. It launched an
innovative progressive coupon
communication a. Post video content to on all of your online at scale people are most excited campaign. The value of the
channels between you and stimulate sharing properties and at any a. These products allow you to about engaging with discount increased with the
your customers point of purchase show your brand’s message and sharing number of people who liked
b. Use a publishing calendar Healthy Choice’s Facebook Page
b. It also creates an a. This creates more to your target audience with b. Use Campaign Reporting
that includes exciting and signed up for the coupon,
association between opportunities for actions stories about their friends to determine what type of creating a viral multiplier
product announcements
your brand and that that will be published who have already engaged creative and targeting gives effect. By incentivizing people
and promotions
with your business to share the offer Healthy
individual into the News Feed and you the best results
c. Be active in two-way Choice was able to get almost
content that can be used 60,000 people to connect to its
conversations in Sponsored Stories Facebook Page – a 900 percent
increase over its original fan
base, and was able to distribute
50,000 coupons.
12
13. Best Practice Guide > Facebook by Objective
Gain insights
Facebook allows you to learn about your customers both by observing their actions and by engaging - -Flowers.com uses the
Graph API to integrate the Like
with them directly. It is a great place to learn who your customers are and what they think about Button throughout products
on its website. It has used the
you. Facebook makes it easy to incorporate your customers into your product development cycle popularity of items to make
merchandising and product
and marketing campaigns and iterate quickly. You can do all of this in real-time, globally. When used development decisions. In
addition, the company is
actively, these insights can help improve your business by helping you stay aligned with the people frequently asking its Facebook
community what it would
you serve. like to see from the brand and
using ad optimization models
to determine the best creative,
targeting and mix of Facebook
Ads and Sponsored Stories for
Introductory tools Advanced tools the brand.
Pages Questions Campaign Reporting Page Insights Apps on Facebook Brand Effects and API data can
steps to gain insights
In March 2010, VisitBritain,
Use Campaign Reports Learn from Learn from the two- Learn by integrating Use advanced began a Facebook Ads
for your advertising Page Insights way conversations that Facebook login and campaign metrics campaign to raise brand
campaigns and occur on your Page API with your online awareness and attract
a. See the demographic a. When you run large potential visitors to the UK. The
Sponsored Stories breakdown of who is a. Watch, listen and respond measurement tools advertising campaigns, campaign drove customers to
a. By testing different interacting with your when you use Facebook a. Track individual behavior, use Nielsen Brand the Love UK Facebook group
Page and what they are Effects studies (where on VisitBritain’s Facebook
targeting options, you Questions, Apps on engagement and Page, where it posts something
can learn more about interested in Facebook or publish purchasing available) to track related to the UK to discuss
your audience the effectiveness of every day. It has learned
your campaign on brand about its customers, as well
building objectives as generated a groundswell of
opinion and debate about the
UK. Unlike billboards where you
have no idea whether people
like them or not, VisitBritain
appreciates the fact that
without a massive spend, it
can write a post and know
within 10 minutes whether it is
resonating with people or not.
13
14. Best Practice Guide
Helpful Facebook Resources
About Facebook Pages Developer & Platform Resources
Facebook Stats www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics Create a Page www.facebook.com/pages/create.php General Resources www.developers.facebook.com
Press Room www.facebook.com/press.php Pages Page www.facebook.com/FacebookPages Examples of Site Integrations
developers.facebook.com/showcase/
Pages Best Practices
Helpful Facebook Destinations www.facebook.com/FacebookPages?v=app_7146470109 Facebook Platform Page www.facebook.com/platform
Most Popular Facebook Pages pagedata.insidefacebook.com/ Developer Blog developers.facebook.com/blog/
Facebook www.facebook.com/facebook
Vertical Directory of Pages www.facebook.com/pages/ Facebook Application Directory
Marketing Solutions www.facebook.com/marketing www.facebook.com/apps/directory.php
Alphabetical Directory of Pages
Facebook Studio www.facebook-studio.com www.facebook.com/directory/pages Social Plugins developers.facebook.com/plugins
Facebook Ads www.facebook.com/facebookads FAQ for Facebook Pages Graph API developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/
Facebook Pages www.facebook.com/facebookpages https://www.facebook.com/help/?topic=pages
Open Graph developers.facebook.com/docs/opengraph/
Facebook Platform www.facebook.com/platform Terms and Guidelines www.facebook.com/terms_pages.php
Authentication developers.facebook.com/docs/authentication/
Applications on Facebook Usernames for Facebook Pages www.facebook.com/username
Post Purchase Sharing
www.facebook.com/applicationsonfacebook
Usernames for Facebook Pages FAQ developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/dialogs/
Facebook Live www.facebook.com/FacebookLive https://www.facebook.com/help/?page=900
Facebook Credits developers.facebook.com/credits/
Webinar Center Reporting IP Infringement on Pages
SDKs and Tools developers.facebook.com/docs/sdks/
www.facebook.com/adsmarketing/index.php?sk=webinarcenter www.facebook.com/copyright.php
Developer Roadmap developers.facebook.com/roadmap
Popular Facebook Blogs General Legal and Permissions Live Status of Platform developers.facebook.com/live_status
The Facebook Blog (official blog) www.blog.facebook.com/ Facebook Brand Permissions Developer Discussion Forum forum.developers.facebook.net/
www.facebook.com/brandpermissions Developer’s Policy Wiki developers.facebook.com/policy/
Inside Facebook www.insidefacebook.com/
Promotions Guidelines Permissions
All Facebook www.allfacebook.com/ www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php developers.facebook.com/docs/authentication/permissions
Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
Advertising & Sponsored Stories www.facebook.com/terms.php
Local
Create Facebook Ads www.facebook.com/ads/create/ Copyright Infringement
www.facebook.com/legal/copyright.php?howto_report Places Information www.facebook.com/places
Guide to Facebook Ads www.facebook.com/adsmarketing/
Facebook Places Page www.facebook.com/facebookplaces
Ads Page www.facebook.com/FacebookAds Recommended Facebook Providers Facebook Places Help Center
Sponsored Stories www.facebook.com/sponsoredstories www.facebook.com/help/?topic=places
Preferred Developer Program
External Ad Policy guidelines developers.facebook.com/preferreddevelopers Find Deals on Facebook www.facebook.com/deals
www.facebook.com/ad_guidelines.php
Ads API Tool Providers Deals Info for businesses
Help Center for Ads www.facebook.com/adshelp developers.facebook.com/adsapivendors www.facebook.com/deals#!/deals/business
Deals Help Center www.facebook.com/help/?page=18844
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