90%
The unofficial percentage of fans who visit a Facebook fan page once and never return is at just slightly higher than ninety percent! I must repeat this…ninety percent!!
Want more bad news?! Enter Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm…
Bec ause of Facebook’s EdgeRank system, only 1-2% of that fun, interactive content I mention above actually reaches your fans’ news feed!
Here’s why…
Facebook looks at the content (videos, pics, wall posts, etc.) you create as “objects.” An object’s EdgeRank is determined by three factors: affinity (the score given to the relationship between creator and user), weight (interaction with the object - likes, comments, tags, etc.) and timeliness (length of time between when content was created and engaged with).
So, because every object receives its “ranking”, this determines if it will show in your fans’ newsfeeds or not. Obviously, objects with a high EdgeRank appear in their “Top News” feed and objects with a low EdgeRank will not.
When a fan actually does interact with your fan page, EdgeRank makes the assumption that they are interested in hearing what you have to say and thus will deliver your posts to them more frequently. The more the fan clicks to your page and interacts with the content you’ve posted, the more consisten tly you will reach them through the news feed.
On the flip side, if 90% of your fans are not returning to your fan page and interacting with your posts, all that you are creating will err to the side of a low ranking and this is where the 1-2% figure that I mention earlier comes in.
Wait, there’s more…
According to a study by The Daily Beast, objects with a really low EdgeRank may not even show in your “Most Recent” news feed. Ouch!
So, what does all of this mean for companies in the travel space looking to market, promote or just interact through Facebook?
Know this…
“Top News” is the default setting for content on your fans’ personal pages, so unless they change their default, it’s quite possib le they’ll never see your updates.
So, no matter how good the content, no matter how well you manage your Facebook page, EdgeRank is a “wall” between you and your fans.
I ask, then, what is the point of creating a Facebook fan page at all if you are only going to; a) lose your fans after their first visit (over 90% of them) and b) they are not even going to see your content (low EdgeRank)?!
The solution: TravelMole Bamboo – not a Fan Page – a Facebook Application!
TravelMole Bamboo (TMB) is a simple, cost-effective, out-of-the box Social Rewards Platform (it’s an App) that generates revenue from your core audience immediately. In essence, Bamboo is a robust, flexible and completely private-labeled “Brand Ambassadors Club” that allows companies to leverage Facebook (and Twitter) to achieve a positive ROI.
In its simplest form, TravelMole Bamboo is a game in which your company’s core audience earns and redeems points for creating more awareness about you, your products, events, etc. Leveraging this core audience allows them to share all kinds of content (same stuff you’d create for your fan page - wall posts, invites, virtual gifts and coupons, to real-time alerts, interactive polls and quizzes, videos, product info and the latest news, etc.) with their friends on Facebook and Twitter – they become “Brand Ambassadors” and market to their friends on your behalf!
The Big Difference…
Surpassing the reach of a fan page, which only offers a 1:1 communication channel, Bamboo features a 1:240 communication channel (that’s because each of your Brand Ambassadors has 240 unique friends). This “leverage” helps you reach untapped audiences to sell products and services to, thus generating a new incremental revenue stream while continuing to engage and drive sales from your existing fan base.
In fact, TravelMole Bamboo is so effective, you do not even need a fan page for it to work! Here’s how…
The LOVE Button…
It’s done via TravelMole Bamboo’s ingenious “Love” button, their social plugin which is added to your website, email newsletter, confirmation email, fan page or shopping cart to entice a company’s visitors or customers to join your TMB program. TravelMole Bamboo, with the “Love” button, becomes an out-of-the-box “Ambassadors Club” that allows your customers to join your new Facebook loyalty program – all simply by clicking “Love.” This, in essence, removes the need for a fan page.
What’s more, the TravelMole Bamboo Love Button is not connected to Facebook’s “Like” Button and thus the amount of people who ‘Love this’ can be controlled by you. For instance, if your company has 1,000 “Likes” on Facebook and 25,000 current customers, you can count those customers as those who love your company. You no longer have to start over from zero and Facebook does not control this widget. Offer them 1,000 points (or however many you want) to join your loyalty program simply by clicking on “love.” When t hey do this, they are brought into an “Allow” screen (this is normal for any application on Facebook). Once you customer clicks on “Allow”, they are brought right into your branded TravelMole Bamboo application and can begin earning points.
And, Lead Gen through Bamboo is greatly re-de?ned. As “Allow” is clicked, you pick up all of the visitor’s info without requiring them to type in their name, email, city, etc. into an annoying form. Anyone who has ever developed a lead generation program knows that the abandon rate on ?lling out those empty ?elds in a form is ridiculous! Now the entire process is streamlined to just hitting one “Allow” button!
Great Analytics
For Marketers, Bamboo records and measures every impression, hit, visit, page view, click path, lead, and sale. Equally, it records who did it, when, where they came from, and measures the audience (friends and followers) and their interconnections. From all of the data collected, Bamboo allows marketers the ability to run an exhaustiv e statistical analysis and create reports: projected/actual reach, popularity and conversion rates of specific pieces of content, results of polls, etc. Some reports are similar to conventional web analytics, and some are specific to social media such as virality and popularity of the content, size of unique audience, etc.
TravelMole Bambo o Connects it all Together…
If you are serious about reaching deep into the Facebook network (600+ million) to connect with new audiences, the TravelMole Bamboo platform is the only platform within Facebook that truly allows you to do this and for the travel space, it’s the ultimate social loyalty program!
