A Facebook trick

A Facebook fan box can make it much easier for people to become fans when they have already shown interest in what you do. We tried making the invitation more visible, and the difference was far greater than we expected. It was a small change that brought us many more fans, and a message to my own Facebook users also sold more tickets.

The video is from 18 March 2010. Facebook’s fan boxes, the term "fan" and the menus I describe belong to the platform as it was back then. These are my experiences from that time.

A Facebook fan box made the invitation clear

Kim from SPAMfighter had an idea for our SLOW-PCfighter product. After people downloaded and installed the program, a box appeared thanking them and asking whether they would become a fan on Facebook.

That invitation had not achieved much. But then we added Facebook’s own box. It showed some of the people who were already fans and gave you a clear way to become one yourself. I cannot remember the function’s precise name in the video, but that is the fan box I am referring to.

Kim did not have high expectations; he just tried it. We then saw the number go from something like two fans a day to around 70 a day for SLOW-PCfighter. That is a bloody lot of people choosing to become fans of a product that makes their PC faster.

They had just downloaded and installed it. I also wonder what might happen if we asked them to become fans after they had experienced the program on their own computer. The timing of the invitation is interesting when people are already engaged with the product.

I also tried it on thorborg.tv

I had not done much with Facebook myself because I did not really have the time. I might get one or two new fans a day, even though I encouraged people to become fans on thorborg.tv.

So I added the box to my own site to try it. Suddenly, 10–15 fans came in. That was completely wild compared with what I was used to. So I wanted to share the trick with others working on Facebook marketing.

In the video, I explain how I found the function back then from my Facebook fan page through "Edit" and the options for promoting the page. I could choose which fan page the box should display, adjust its appearance and get a piece of code to put on the website.

On thorborg.tv, it was in the right-hand column. That was my concrete way of showing it in 2010. So the old explanation of the menus should be read as part of the story, rather than instructions for Facebook’s current menus.

In the video, I say I expect others getting very few new fans could also multiply the number using the box. That is based on our experiences, not a guarantee of what will happen on every website.

An extra message sold around 15 tickets

Fans are also people you can communicate with. I had already talked about Aminotastic through my other channels, but I also tried sending a message to Facebook users from the fan page.

That sold around 15 extra tickets for Aminotastic. I thought it was a really good result for a relatively small effort. I was almost certain many of them had already heard from me, but the extra message still got some people to act.

Back then, the option was in the fan page’s editing area. That function too belongs to Facebook as it looked in 2010. The point of my story is that an extra relevant contact can make something happen, even if you have already mentioned the offer elsewhere. Also read E-pusher for my experiences of online sales and marketing.

Stark contrasts on a drive in Florida

Halfway through the video, I am distracted by a woman beside the road. She is walking with a sign and collecting money. She looks like a completely ordinary person, but I take her to be homeless. I also see others with signs, and I encounter that sort of thing in many places here in Florida.

It makes me bloody sad. I think about people who have lost their homes and their way of life. Of course, I do not know what has happened to each person I drive past. But the contrast hits me.

Denmark feels like a more secure country to me. At the same time, I say in the video that I am worried the policies being pursued could mean we start seeing more of the same back home. That is my concern at the time.

When I am stopped at a red light and can give something, I am happy to give a dollar or two. It is not much, but I think it can help with a little food. There are so many that I cannot help everyone with large amounts.

I am sitting in my lovely car, recording a post on my iPhone and telling other entrepreneurs about marketing. Right next to me are people who may not be able to afford food. It is a stark contrast in a large, well-developed country.

At the end, I return to the Facebook trick. Try the opportunities that can help you strengthen your business. My appeal is to make an effort for your own future. And in the original post, I remind people about Aminotastic on 27 March 2010, where the theme was personal branding.

Best wishes, Martin. PS. Remember AminoTastic on 27 March. You will learn a lot about personal branding there. Http://www.aminotastic.dk

Location:W Plaza Real,Boca Raton,USA