Facebook has been very busy this month. Last week they released the new design of Profile pages and yesterday we got an accidental glimpse at the future of Fan Pages. What do these changes mean for your business?

Profile Pages
The Facebook advertising model allows you to reach your audience by using targeting options such as location, likes, interests, connections, education, workplace and other personal demographics. However, advertisers can not target their ads to those who don’t take the time to update their information.

The new Profile Pages are now easier to read and update. Profiles have become more visually compelling and personal information is now more prominent. Facebook has found a way to encourage users to supply valuable personal information and give them a reason to keep it up to date.

Fan Pages
We were able to get a sneak peak at the future of our very own Fan Page when Facebook accidently made some pages public for a brief period of time.

The most significant changes we noticed were the following:

1. No more Page navigation tabs
2. Navigation is now on the left column (which is narrower)
3. Likes are more prominent

The new design will also integrate features from Facebook Places, which is a noteworthy feature for businesses with a brick-and-mortar location. The number of check-ins will be displayed below your ‘Likes’ and your Facebook wall will now display a map of your location above the comments.

The new design of both Pages is more engaging and informative than previous versions. Providing more complete personal information on Profile Pages has the potential to increase the size of relevant audiences while new Brand Pages will offer potential Fans easier navigation and location maps. Facebook is always working on improving the experience of users while providing companies new ways to market to them effectively. We can be sure that 2011 will bring more opportunities for you to be successful in this channel.

The partnership between Microsoft and Facebook was further strengthened this week when the two announced that there would be increased integration of social media into Bing’s organic search results.

Facebook has already been using Bing Maps as the default for Facebook Places, their location check-in feature which launched a couple of months ago. The relationship continues to strengthen as Bing improves “people search” by displaying profiles of users with whom they have a mutual connection with. When searching for people’s names, Bing results will include information from matching Facebook profiles, complete with links to add them as a friend right from search results.

In addition, people who search on Bing will have access to their friends’ recommendations. The Facebook blog shows an example of results that are generated when a user searches for the movie “Iron Man”. “Likes” from the user’s connections are then displayed on the results page below.

This new integration is a small step toward capturing Google’s market share. It may not be enough to make those loyal to the search giant switch search engines; however when searching for movies, restaurants or any other topic where opinions matter, Bing seems to be taking steps in the right direction.

The Foursquare mobile application caters to a very specific group of individuals; highly engaged users who usually live in major cities, have a significant amount of friends, are socially active and have a desire to discover new places on a regular basis. With big players like Facebook and Yelp releasing their own versions of “check-in” features this year, Foursquare is trying to ensure continued growth by expanding their network.

Last week, the company announced the roll-out of Foursquare 2.0 which focuses more on pulling in information of what’s around the user than pushing out information of where they are.
The below screenshots highlight how “Tips” and “To-Dos” now have their own section in the interface.

(Image from Foursquare.com)

By making these features more prominent and more of a focus within the application, Foursquare has the potential to increase their audience.  “Tips” have evolved from entrée recommendations at a nearby Italian restaurant to traffic alerts from local news channel. “To-Dos” serve as another useful organizational tool that allows a user to save reminders about a particular location. With Foursquare 2.0, the application is positioning itself as more than a social check-in service and can now reach those who are looking for a hub of useful local information.

By now, most companies see the value in engaging with their current and potential customers via social media channels. As you attempt to manage your brand and interact with consumers, you should be aware of both the opportunities and potential pitfalls that you could face.

Look Within Your Walls
Social Media channels should be chosen based on the relevancy of the audience and marketing goals. However, the ultimate decision should be based on your level of commitment and the involvement required by the channel compared to the internal resources that you have available to you. Before you publish your pages on any social media channel, you should clearly define who in your organization will be responsible for managing the content, as well as outline topics of interest and at what frequency they should be covered.

Promote, Promote, Promote!
Gaining followers takes commitment. Not only do you need to keep the content fresh and relevant, but you also need to promote the pages constantly so that they can gain a following.  The most important place to prominently display social media presence is on your website and blogs. Links to your social media pages enable visitors to easily connect with you. Be sure to promote your social media pages on print advertising, business cards and letterhead as well.

Put Your “Relationship Cap” On
Avoid seeing every consumer interaction as an opportunity to sell and instead look for ways to engage with them. Rosetta Stone’s Facebook page encourages visitors to try the free demo for their newest product.  Yet, their page also has a strong focus on building relationships by their recent roll out of Parature for Facebook customer service features. Talking to consumers, listening to what they have to say and developing ongoing communication can be far more valuable than a one-time sale.

Transparency
Social media communication and interaction occurs twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. If your brand is running a special promotion, launching a new product or received an award, then social media is a great medium to communicate your successes to your followers. If your company fails in any way, it must be proactive and address the issue at hand. By staying involved and ahead of others, you ensure that your company retains some control of discussions occurring on each channel.

Like any marketing program, social media involvement is an investment of resources that should be carefully thought out prior to launching. Goals and messaging should be communicated to all members of the organization in order to build a strong foundation for success.

Last week’s launch of Facebook Places now provides local companies with a new way to reach and engage consumers through social media. Users can now go beyond a generic “happy hour” status update and can notify their connections of their specific location by checking-in from their mobile device.

Once a user checks into a location (it must be a physical address), they can tag their connections and even comment on how great their “half-off appetizer” was.

The Places page currently exists independent of a company’s fan page, which makes it a separate marketing tool that a business can use to interact with customers. Facebook Places will map the location of the business, show a list of your connections that are currently checked in and display a feed of who has visited the location lately.

Facebook Places

Both a description and additional information regarding the business are only available when the location is claimed. Claiming your Facebook Place page is important as it allows you to manage the address, contact information, hours of operations, profile picture and other administrative settings.

At the bottom left hand side of your Facebook Place there is a link that says “Is this your business?” Click on the link and you will be prompted to begin the verification process, which will involve submitting documentation. Once your claim is confirmed, you will own your Place on Facebook.

Facebook Places creates more ways for you to promote and grow your business on Facebook. By giving your potential customers the ability to check in at your business, you give them the power to tell their friends about your business and virally spread the word about your business and all it has to offer.