Chapter 4

Using Facebook for Mobile Marketing

In This Chapter

Understanding the need for mobile visibility

Investigating Facebook’s mobile presence by the numbers

Optimizing posts for Facebook’s mobile News Feed

Getting your Facebook presence found by mobile searchers

Using Facebook mobile ads to draw new customers

Measuring your results

As mobile platforms — tablets and smartphones — become the devices of choice for millions of users, marketers have no choice but to take notice. Among various mobile properties, Facebook now has high visibility for both its mobile applications and its advertising, in spite of its well-publicized early stumbles.

In this chapter, we look at the importance of expanding your Facebook presence into the mobile environment and how that may affect your posting and search strategies, as well as your advertising tactics. We pay particular attention to the value of using Facebook for mobile advertising in a highly competitive environment. In addition to providing directions for implementing your mobile ad campaigns, we look at how to measure the results of your efforts.

Understanding the Rapid Growth of the Mobile World

There is no question that mobile devices — including tablets, smartphones, and cellphones — are becoming more popular than desktop computers. In many parts of the world, there are now more mobile devices than people. Facebook, like many other Internet companies, has profited from this rapid growth in mobile adoption. Figure 4-1 indicates this rate of growth.

Mobile users are particularly active, as shown in Figure 4-2, with lots of smartphone users searching for local information, comparing products, and making purchases.

Regardless of whether you’re a Facebook fanatic, as a marketer you can’t ignore the mobile environment for your company’s website and social media. You need a presence where your prospects and customers are.

Optimizing Your Facebook Presence for Users on the Move

Assuming that all these facts and figures have convinced you to pay attention to marketing in the mobile environment, what do you need to do? First, optimize your Facebook presence for mobile consumers with a few simple steps.

Users can view your Facebook Page and posts from their mobile devices in two ways:

• Using a browser on their smartphone or tablet to reach m.facebook.com
• Downloading and using the Facebook app, which is available for all mobile platforms

Adjusting your Facebook posts for mobile users

In any mobile environment, your posts look different from how they appear on a desktop. Photos will be downsized, and long posts may be truncated to fit. The appearance of posts also differs between m.facebook.com and the Facebook app.

The left image in Figure 4-3 (left) shows a News Feed on m.facebook.com (browser version), while the right one shows how a News Feed post appears to someone using the Facebook app.

Pinning special offers or content from your desktop ensures that customers who come to your page on a mobile device will see key information right away. Scrolling is time-consuming on a small screen.

Because of the limited real estate on mobile devices, pin an engaging, visually appealing post or special offer to the top of your Timeline.

Here’s how:

1. Log in to your Facebook account with a desktop computer.

   The News Feed is the first page you see when you log in.

2. Under Pages in the left column, click your business Page.
3. On your business Page, decide which post you want to pin.
4. Hover over the upper-right corner of the desired post, and click the arrow.

   A drop-down menu opens.

5. Click Pin to Top, as shown in the left of Figure 4-4.

   Your page on your mobile site should now refresh with the post you pinned at the top; the pin is indicated by a little ribbon in the upper-right corner of the post, as shown in a mobile display on Figure 4-4 (right side).

Take pity on your mobile users! Less is more when it comes to mobile posts. Keep posts concise and to the point, leaving out unnecessary details. Use graphics when possible — small files, please! — to make your pinned post more visually appealing.

Pinning special offers or content ensures that customers who come to your Page on a mobile device will see key information right away. Scrolling is time-consuming on a small screen.

Adjusting your Facebook Page for mobile madness

The News Feed isn’t all that changes. Other parts of your Facebook Page will look different to mobile users, too, depending on whether they use the Facebook app or come in through their mobile browser.

If you don’t already have it, download the free Facebook app from facebook.com/mobile.

To adjust your Page from the Mobile Browser:

1. Log in by going to m.facebook.com.
2. Log in to the personal account that serves as the admin for your Page with your usual e-mail address and password.
3. Tap the three-bar button (sometimes labeled More) in the top-left corner of your screen, as shown in Figure 4-5 (left).
4. Under Pages, select the Page you wish to view or edit.
5. You will be taken to the Page tab, where you can preview or edit your Page.
6. You can also choose the Activity tab (which shows user engagement) or the Insights tab (which shows basic stats for the past 7 days).

To adjust your Page from the app:

1. Tap the icon for the app on your mobile device.
2. Enter your e-mail and password.
3. Click the three-bar More icon located at the bottom-right corner of the screen, as shown in Figure 4-5 (right).
4. Under Pages, select the Page you wish to view or edit.
5. You will be taken to the Page tab, where you can preview or edit your Page.
6. You can also choose the Activity tab (which shows user engagement) or the Insights tab (which shows basic stats for the past 7 days).

When you preview your page, you may see a map of the business location, contact information, reviews and ratings, check-ins, and/or Likes based on the activity of your Friends.

When you first created your Page, you selected a page type such as Local Business or Place, or Company, Organization, or Institution. The details you will see in the mobile preview depend on the type of page you created. For example, there won’t be a map for an artist, band, or public figure.

Constant Contact’s blog (http://blogs.constantcontact.com/product-blogs/social-media-marketing/facebook-mobile-tips) recommends tagging pictures with your business address as well as encouraging customers to upload photos while they’re checked in. The blog is full of other good tips.

Check out your Facebook Page on a mobile phone and on a tablet often. How can you improve it?

Getting your Facebook Page found in a mobile search

You’re hungry. What’s good? Look online. In fact, lots of people use Facebook to find local businesses online. These tips will help:

• Keep your contact information up to date, including your business name, address, map location, and operating hours.
• Users can tap to call on a mobile phone, so display your phone number prominently.
• Choose a category; that’s often how users search.
• Use a call to action to remind viewers to check in when they visit your Facebook mobile Page.

To make your mobile life as a page admin a little simpler, download the free Page Manager app from the iTunes Store or Google Play Store. With the app, you can review page activity or check mobile analytics directly from your own mobile device.

Using Facebook Nearby

Many mobile Facebook aficionados prefer to use Places Nearby (Facebook’s own app for mobile search), as shown in Figure 4-6 (left). Users not only can search for your business name or category, but also see what’s around them on a map. Unlike a more neutral search on Google or Yahoo!, Facebook organizes search results by the actions taken by a user’s Friends, including ratings, reviews, personal preferences, and check-ins.

When users tap on a business name, they are taken to the business Page, as shown in Figure 4-6 (right).

To get to Places Nearby on the app, tap the More button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Under Favorites, select Nearby. In the browser version, tap the three-bar (More) button in the top-left corner of the screen. Under Favorites, select Nearby Places.

Because the results in Places Nearby may not be the closest by distance as they are in other mobile search engines, you can leapfrog your competitors by having more Facebook user engagement than they do. Encourage visitors to check in on Facebook whenever they’re in your store. Use calls to action on the Page itself, on signs, or even considering offering an incentive to check-in. Free cookie, anyone?

It’s worth paying attention to your search presence. With your smartphone, you can use major search engines and Facebook Places Nearby to regularly look for your business.

Taking Advantage of Facebook Mobile Ads

Facebook has come a long way, baby, from the early days of scorn for its mobile offerings. As we discuss earlier in this chapter, its mobile site is second only to Google as a mobile destination, and its mobile revenues are growing apace.

From a marketing perspective, it’s hard to beat the numbers for Facebook mobile advertising, as shown in Figure 4-7. Facebook mobile ads have a higher click-through rate (CTR) and lower cost per click (CPC) than Facebook Ads on desktops. If you’re trying to reach an audience using Facebook, it’s important to factor the mobile option into your marketing mix.

Use your precious advertising dollars only in environments that your target market uses. For instance, you might not want to bother with Facebook mobile ads if you’re targeting teens, whose attention has shifted to other platforms. As always, keep close tabs on the demographic and interest profiles of your users. You can take advantage of the Facebook and third-party analytics tools described in later in this chapter and in Book IX, Chapters 2 and 3.

Displaying Facebook Ads in mobile News Feeds

Facebook mobile ads appear only in users’ News Feeds, unlike desktop ads, which also appear in the right column. As a result, Facebook mobile ads have less competition than in the traditional desktop format, and your ads always gets prime real estate when they do appear. Hence, their better performance.

Optimize your Promoted Posts and Page Post Ads for mobile users as well.

You can configure all types of ads to display in a mobile environment. You can use standard product ads, event ads, offers, or even ads to promote Likes or Page views. Ads can also promote downloads of a proprietary custom app. For example, a custom app might allow mobile users to order a pizza for pick-up from a specific business right from their smartphones. The left image in Figure 4-8 shows a typical mobile product ad in context, and the right side of Figure 4-8 shows an ad that drives users to install a custom app.

Because apps can be expensive to program and maintain under multiple operating systems, custom apps aren’t recommended for most small- to medium-size businesses. Franchise operations are one exception, however. But, all a franchiser may need to do is advertise a custom app developed by the parent company.

Displaying Facebook Offers, Likes, and more in mobile News Feeds

Similar to Facebook Offers on a desktop, Offers ads show up in users’ mobile News Feeds. Basically, they perform as a coupon that users can claim right from their smartphones or enter as a promo code when buying from your online store. Figure 4-9 on the left shows an offer for Coastal.com within the context of a News Feed on the Facebook app.

Mobile ads aimed to getting viewers to like a page are designed to increase your Like count. As with the equivalent ads on the desktop, these ads have a built-in Like button for one-click action right from the user’s mobile feed. A typical Like ad appears in Figure 4-9 on the right side.

Mobile users account for one in three new Page Likes! Don’t be shy about asking for a Like.

Similar to Page Post ads on the Facebook desktop, these ads appear can be created as links, photos, text, or video posts, depending on your marketing goals.

Generally, photo, text, or video posts are used to create brand awareness, and Like ads are used to get website conversions (sales or leads).

Setting up a mobile ad campaign in Facebook

To make it easier to track results, set up a new, separate campaign for your mobile advertising. At the very least, create separate ads for mobile use within your existing campaign.

You create mobile ads in the Ads Create tool the same way you create desktop ads.

1. Navigate to the Texts and Links sections in the Ads Create tool.
2. In the right panel, click the Add button on the Mobile row to display your ad in mobile environments.
3. Add the Desktop News Feed and Right Column if you want your ad to appear in either of those places as well; otherwise, leave them off or click Remove. (See Figure 4-10.)

Review Book VII, Chapter 2, to learn more about creating a mobile ad using the Ads Create tool.

You can also create a mobile ad using the Power Editor (see Book VII, Chapter 3), following a similar process.

Continue through the ad creation process. As with other types of ads, you can select CPC or CPM bidding, or bid by objective within the Bidding and Pricing section of the Ads Create tool.

As of this writing, Facebook mobile ads are cheaper than their desktop counterparts.

Measuring Your Mobile Success

As with any advertising campaign, it’s important to measure how well your mobile Facebook Page and mobile ads are doing. You can use Google Analytics to view mobile traffic and conversions on your website, and the Facebook’s Ads Manager to measure ad results.

Facebook Insights (discussed in Book IX, Chapter 2) doesn’t differentiate traffic from desktop users versus mobile devices. However, you can see whether visitors to your website have arrived as a referral from a Facebook mobile or Facebook desktop source. You must have Google Analytics installed on your website for this to work. Google Analytics is particularly helpful for comparing traffic and conversion results from Facebook to results from other social media or Google AdWords mobile ads.

For more on Google Analytics, check out Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies by Jan Zimmerman and Deborah Ng (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Using Google Analytics to track mobile traffic

After you have Google Analytics set up on your website, it takes a few steps to see which platforms best deliver referrals to your site: desktop, mobile, or tablet. For more on using Google Analytics, see Book IX, Chapter 3.

1. Log in to Google Analytics.

   When you log in, you should automatically be on the Reporting Page. If not, select the tab on the top, as shown in Figure 4-11.

2. From the Audience section in the left column, choose Mobile⇒Overview.
3. The Mobile Overview report opens.

   

4. From the Secondary Dimension drop-down list located below the graph, select Social and then Social Networks.
5. To view only Facebook results, use the Advanced Filter option located to the right of the Secondary Dimension field. Choose to display exact matches for the social network Facebook, as shown in Figure 4-11.

Using Facebook’s Ads Manager to measure ad results

For statistics on paid mobile ads, use the Facebook Ads Manager the same way you measure your desktop ad results. For more information, see Book VII, Chapter 4. This is easier than Analytics if you need to view only Facebook mobile results independent of other ad sources.

Either set up a separate campaign for mobile ads, or label your mobile ads with the word mobile in the title so you can easily distinguish them.

To see mobile ad results, simply follow these steps:

1. Log in and go to the Ads Manager (www/facebook.com/ads/manage).
2. You’re automatically taken to the All Campaigns View.
3. Click the Ads tab in the main pane.
4. Click the View Report button to see the results for each ad by placement.

Figure 4-12 shows a report in Ads Manager that distinguishes between ads that appeared on desktops versus ads that appeared on mobile devices. You can quickly compare the Reach, Frequency, and Impressions for mobile versus desktop ads to see which platform performs better.

Exporting the data into a spreadsheet and generating a graph may help. No matter what the overall published statistics say, the statistics that matter are the ones for your own business.

There’s a sneaky way to measure the results of Offers or Page Promotion posts in Facebook Insights; see Book IX, Chapter 2. If you create an Offer or Page Promotion post using the Power Editor, promote that offer or post only on mobile devices. Under the Posts tab, Facebook Insights will then display how much of the reach for that particular past was paid and how much was organic.