The Blog

At PUSH we’ve noticed that a lot of businesses aren’t fully up to speed with Facebook’s functionality and potential. At PUSH we look at it as purely a promotional tool to develop a customer base where you can develop commercial opportunities. Knowing the terminology is half the battle so we’ve drew up this brief explanation.

• Landing Pages: By far the best presentation for those businesses who feel they should have a Facebook presence but perhaps cannot allocate the time and services to develop content. We refer to these as stepping stone pages where the user can step through the Facebook to your website. There are a number of variations with different levels of functionality. Call us to discuss these options in more depth.
  [Sample here]
• Reveal Pages: Reveal Pages, Fan Pages/Tabs are conditional reveal pages that request a ‘like’ to reveal additional content. This content can be special offers, unique video content, microsite or whatever your imagination dictates. They normally will have two element graphical elements which should be utilised for advertising purposes.
  [Sample here]
• Squeeze Page: Squeeze pages are designed to squeeze user information, mostly emails or marketing questionaires. Unlike the Reveal page the Squeeze Page is designed to only reveal content when the user submits their email. This is used to create mailing lists and market research.
  [Sample here]
• Microsite: A microsite can have the full functionality of any website but is restricted to the 500 pixel width of a landing page.  They can be feature rich and even offer e-commerce potential.
  [Sample here]
• Profile Pic Ads: The profile pic on Facebook had been originally developed as a square user photo. Most people don’t realise that this picture can occupy a much taller piece of real estate that can be maximised as an advertising opportunity.
  [Sample here]

Timeline, the new Facebook format for personal pages is due to be run out this month. It’s worth mentioning that if you want to retain your existing format you can, so long as your business is a business profile rather than a business on a personal page. The difference is this, if people ‘friend’ you it’s personal, if they ‘like’ you it’s a business profile.

This is important to know because running a business on a personal profile in violation of their terms of use and, if discovered, will be shut down. Given the length of time it takes to build your fans it’s something you should look into. It is possible to transfer your personal profile to a business profile and Push Design have an interesting leaflet on the subject [click here]. Timeline is not orientated towards business at present so consider resolving any issues with you Facebook sooner rather than later.

With over 500 million users, Facebook is now used by 1 in every 13 people on earth, with over 250 million of them (over 50%) who log in every day. The average user still has about 130 friends, but that should expand in 2011. 48% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook when they wake up, with 28% doing so before even getting out of bed. The 35+ demographic is growing rapidly, now with over 30% of the entire Facebook user base. The core 18-24 year old segment is now growing the fastest at 74% year on year. Almost 72% of all US internet users are on now Facebook, while 70% of the entire user base is located outside of the US.

Over 700 Billion minutes a month are spent on Facebook, 20 million applications are installed per day and over 250 million people interact with Facebook from outside the official website on a monthly basis, across 2 million websites. Over 200 million people access Facebook via their mobile phone. 48% of young people said they now get their news through Facebook. Meanwhile, in just 20 minutes on Facebook over 1 million links are shared, 2 million friend requests are accepted and almost 3 million messages are sent.

Supercharging your business Facebook with our cutting edge design will make you appear professional, vibrant and memorable. PUSH can produce a range of Facebook solutions including; Profile Pic Ads, Landing Pages, Reveal Pages, Squeeze Pages, Competition Pages and even Embedded Microsites. We have a range of start up packages as well as personal to business transfer services.
Facebook – It’s an advertising space – use it!

Click here or on the image below for a PDF flier.

At PUSH we’re constantly exploring new veins of business to ensure we expand and succeed. Like you, we have to work smart and box clever. When it comes to assessing how your customers perceive you it’s not the easiest thing. Design is sometimes referred to as graphic communication, it’s a language. As in any language there are subtleties of expression that convey nuances that make you look totally conversant in the subject. At PUSH we articulate visually delivering your message to the targeted demographic with the results you require.

If we are small then we think big. Facebook, as a tool for self promotion, is something quite remarkable. Not long ago it took quite a lot of money to advertise and establish your business. Now we have access to 500 millions users Worldwide, 24 million in the UK and Ireland. If we do the maths, a miniscule 0.0001% of this statistic is 50,000 contacts. Another equation to consider is that if you have a Facebook that is liked by 3 people who in turn get 3 more people to like you who in turn repeat the same process 10 times you could amass a potential network of 59,049. Of course you’d have hell of a product to acquire these figures but the potential is there and it is, and this is the important bit, ….. its FREE!

In business we’re accountable for many things, many of which we need to call upon professional services for their expertise. A good accountant should be able to guide you through the minefield that is tax and VAT but if you own a calculator theoretically you could do it yourself. Yet, when it comes to the most critical element of how you present your business the DIY ethos seems to kick in. Bad corporate branding is just as obvious as rickety half assembled shelves. Being homemade is more obvious than you think – to be taken seriously applying design will make you stand head and shoulders above your competitors. The application of design raises your game. It can give you that elusive new customer that never used to look your way. When the elements of marketing, advertising, social and digital media align they harmonise into brand. That’s our goal, now whats yours?

Bad design will dilute your message. How a message is received is the whole point of acquiring marketing literature yet so often we see this element undervalued. A printer looks at your literature as a print job. They will apply as little time as possible to resolving design because it is a ‘print’ job. At PUSH your job is a ‘design job’ meaning that the function of the design is to engage the end user into action. The slap dash approach of printer design will rarely yield the results of a conceptual design. After all the printer’s reputation is based on bulk rather than quality. Printer design has no expectation of performance beyond leaving the building. A designer’s aspiration for their work goes well beyond that. It has to yield a response, the message has to jump from the paper it’s printed on, engage the reader, make them respond and complete the transaction.

This website’s a peach or rather a lemon. You’ll need a wielding mask to look at it.

This one is American. Words can’t describe the horror! My eyes!

What a stinking website. It’s funny how the RSS feed is taking in google ads of young Asian ladies looking for suitors! “Me drive a tractor?’