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The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                                                                         Contents
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Table of
Table of Contents


Introduction.................................................................................1         Chapter 5 ...................................................................................14
                                                                                                       Non-Promotional Apps
Preface ...........................................................................................2
                                                                                                       Facebook app ideas that don’t involve contests or promotions
A summary of what you’ll be learning
                                                                                                       Chapter 6 ...................................................................................17
Chapter 1.......................................................................................3
                                                                                                       Charitable Apps
Facebook Holiday Basics
                                                                                                       Facebook app ideas that help your business give back
Fundamental holiday Facebook efforts that all businesses should implement
                                                                                                       Chapter 7 ...................................................................................19
Chapter 2.......................................................................................7
                                                                                                       Facebook App Build and Launch Guide
The App Advantage
                                                                                                       A step-by-step guide to get started building your
Taking your business’s efforts to the next level with Facebook apps
                                                                                                       Facebook holiday app today

Chapter 3 ......................................................................................8
                                                                                                       Chapter 8 .................................................................................. 20
Interactive Apps
                                                                                                       Giving Thanks
Facebook app ideas that focus on engaging fans
                                                                                                       We share an open letter and provide the list of our expert contributors

Chapter 4 ...................................................................................11
Giveaway Apps
Facebook app ideas that involve giveaway concepts
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                 Introduction
Introduction


                                                                                                                    Expert Insight
The holiday season is all about giving. And for businesses, the season provides a great opportunity to
give back to the fans and people who support and matter to your business most. In years past, it was         “It all comes down to the law of
traditional for a company to send out holiday cards by mail to loyal customers and clients. Nowadays there   reciprocity. The more you give
are more contemporary, engaging and cost-effective ways to spread holiday thanks and cheer.                  to people, the more they want
                                                                                                             to give back to you. As business
Facebook is the most popular social media network on the web today. As of the writing of this book, more     owners, we should approach our
than a billion people worldwide use Facebook on a regular basis. The platform is consistently updated        marketing as “how can I give more
with new features and products that directly benefit businesses that use Facebook. And because of that,      valuable content in a bigger way
                                                              Facebook has not only grown into the most      so that I can reach more people?”
                                                              dynamic and well-known social media            Now that builds brand value and
          Expert Insight                                      networking platform, it has also become        creates raving fans who buy.”
                                                              the ultimate business tool for online and
  “The holiday season is typically a shopping frenzy for      social media marketing.                        -Melanie Duncan
  most consumers. Brands can easily drown in a red
                                                              The goal of this Facebook Holiday Idea         Online Marketing Expert
  and green sea of sameness. Going above and beyond
  during the holiday season helps a business stand out        Book is to teach and inspire businesses to
  in a time when everyone is competing for share of           leverage Facebook during this critical and
  voice. Businesses should aim to disrupt this time of        opportune time of the year. With a few tips
  year.”                                                      and ideas under your belt, there’s no doubt
  - Amy Jo Martin                                             your business will be equipped for success
  Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty                          this holiday season.

                                                             Now that we’ve got you pumped
                                                             about the holidays, let’s get
                                                             started!


                                                                                                                                             1
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                    Preface
Preface


There are eight chapters in this Idea Book. The first chapter covers Facebook holiday ideas that do                  Expert Insight
not involve Facebook apps. The tips in this chapter are fundamental Facebook holiday efforts that all
businesses should implement whether or not they decide to enlist a third-party app company.                  “Remember that “the holidays”
                                                                                                             are plural. The month of
Chapter two discusses “The App Advantage.” In this chapter we cover the advantages of Facebook apps
                                                                                                             December means different things
and how they can help businesses take their Facebook holiday efforts to new levels.
                                                                                                             to different people. The season
The next four chapters are for businesses interested in using Facebook Page apps for their holiday           can be religious or not; serious or
marketing efforts. We address four holiday-themed app ideas: interactive apps, giveaway apps, non-           silly; rooted in family tradition or
promotional apps and charitable apps.                                                                        fueled by commercialism. Even
                                                                                                             cold weather isn’t a given. All
The seventh chapter of this idea book is a step-by-step guide to build and launch your Facebook holiday      most people can really agree on
app today.                                                                                                   is that it’s an important time of
In the concluding chapter, we share an open letter and thank the expert contributors who so graciously       year.”
provided commentary for this eBook.
                                                                                                             - Jesse Stanchak
Now that we’ve addressed what this Idea Book will cover, we have one final important note:                   Lead Editor, “Smart Brief on Social
We understand that some businesses might be hesitant to embrace the holidays for fear of offending           Media”
users who only celebrate specific holidays, or none at all. Although there are certain cautions, there are
none so prohibiting that a business should ignore the season altogether. Generalized promotions and
design updates that support the spirit of the season, rather than a particular holiday, will allow for a
business to appeal to its entire customer base.




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The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                           Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Holiday Facebook Basics


Since Facebook updated its design to Timeline, businesses have more customization options than ever.               Expert Insight
Timeline’s features are flexible and customizable so you can transform your business’s Facebook Page to
reflect the holiday season.                                                                                 “Decorate your page for the
                                                                                                            holidays. Change your cover
In this chapter we’ll also cover some additional non-Facebook holiday ideas that your business can
                                                                                                            photo, consider some special
implement during the holidays.
                                                                                                            app cover photos with apps that
  1.	 Cover Photo: When a Facebook user lands on your business’s Facebook Page, the cover photo is          might provide a special holiday
      the “main event.” It is a massive piece of Timeline real estate (851 x 315 pixels) that immediately   experience, get festive and use
      changes the mood of a Facebook Page.                                                                  creativity to draw people in.”


      To coordinate with the holiday season, design a cover photo–or multiple cover photos–and change       - Andrea Vahl
      them as each season or holiday passes. Make your cover photos representative of your brand,           Co-author of “Facebook Marketing
      but altered to reflect the season. We recommend playing with fall and winter colors or adding         All-In-One for Dummies”
      traditional holiday images like leaves and snowflakes.

  2.	 Profile Photo: A lot of businesses have had the same profile photo of their logo
      since they created their Facebook Page. This is a wasted opportunity to promote
      whatever is the latest and greatest information about your brand. Plus, a profile
      photo is a major asset that can be used to complement your cover photo. Even if
      your brand is reluctant to change the profile photo to something other than the
                                                                                                                   Holiday Profile
      company logo, there are still ways to create a holiday-themed profile using the logo.
                                                                                                                   Picture
      Again, experiment with holiday-inspired colors, and if you can get more creative,
      integrate a prop into your logo design. For example, with ShortStack’s Facebook
      Page, depending on the holiday, we create an image of Jack (ShortStack’s company
      mascot and logo) in festive attire or holding a holiday-specific object.




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                                                                                                                                                     Chapter 1
  3.	 App Thumbnails: Facebook app thumbnails are often the most neglected features on Facebook
      brand Pages. App thumbnails are at the bottom-right of your Page’s cover photo. There are three
      111 x 74 pixel custom app thumbnails to work with to inspire a holiday mood.


     It’s important to use these small spaces to create enticing calls-to-action. Facebook prohibits cover            Expert Insight
     photos from having arrows and promotional language, but they do not have those rules for app
     thumbnails. Use this to your business’s advantage in your app thumbnail designs. Integrating calls-       “Facebook doesn’t have any
     to-action like “click here!” will encourage users who visit your Facebook Page to click on your apps      focused holiday options for Pages
     and check out more content from your brand.                                                               but this is a good time to use
  4.	 Photo Status Updates: During your business’s holiday promotional period, be thoughtful about             some of the Facebook features
      the content you post. Including great holiday-themed graphics will be key in attracting fans to your     such as Offers and Ads. Giving
      Facebook Page.                                                                                           a “gift” to your audience via a
                                                                                                               Facebook Offer is a great way to
     Keep in mind that when you post a status update with a photo, the photo within the post will be           tie into the spirit of the season.”
     featured on your Timeline at 404 x 404 pixels. If you choose to highlight your post or create a
     “Milestone” you will then have 843 x 403 pixels.                                                          -Andrea Vahl
                                                                                                               Co-author of “Facebook Marketing
  5.	 Facebook Advertisements: If your business has yet to invest in Facebook advertising, this holiday        All-In-One for Dummies”
      season is the time do so. The best way to get your feet wet is to set a budget, create a few different

                                    100 x 72 pixel ads, and then implement some A/B testing to see what
                                    works best.


                                    Also, don’t forget to run promoted posts, sponsored stories and
                                    Facebook Offers. These are effective forms of advertising you can
                                    experiment with throughout the season.




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The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                       Chapter 1
  6.	 Facebook Offers: Speaking of Facebook Offers, there is no better time than the holiday season to
      try out this new Facebook product. Facebook Offers are special deals you can create and share with
      the people who Like your Page. Facebook Offers give Page admins 90 characters of headline text,
      900 characters of description text and a 90 x 90 pixel image to display the offer.
                                                                                                                         Expert Insight
         For specific holiday ideas that involve Facebook Offers, check out the “6 Holiday-Themed Ideas for
         Using Facebook Offers” post on ShortStack’s blog, Socially Stacked.                                      “Facebook is testing a new
  7.	 Facebook “Want” Button: Facebook is testing out a new “Want” button that is similar to a gift               approach this holiday season by
      registry. This new feature is rolling out slowly to users, and it’s something to watch for. It could be a   introducing its ‘Want’ button. It
      big game changer for businesses.                                                                            allows users to create a public
                                                                                                                  wish list, making gift-buying
                                                                                                                  easier. Users can even purchase
                                                                                                                  items right away using the link
Non Facebook-Related Holiday Promotion Ideas                                                                      provided in the Facebook ad.”

Although the ideas below are not for Facebook, keep in mind all your other social media efforts can be            -Amy Jo Martin
cross-promoted on your business’s Facebook Page.                                                                  Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty
     •	     Create a YouTube holiday playlist

     •	     Tweet out holiday song lyrics

     •	     Start a new holiday-themed board on Pinterest

     •	     Ask users to share their favorite holiday memories

     •	     Start a holiday-themed hashtag on Instagram and encourage your online
     	      audience to post pictures using it

     •	     Create a fun holiday poll for your online fans and followers to take
     	      and share with friends




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The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                       Chapter 1
Reference of Important Facebook Timeline Dimensions




                                                       6
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                                        Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The App Advantage


                                                                                                                                          Expert Insight
According to a survey of more than 800 Facebook Page administrators, the number one way to get users to
engage with your brand is through promotions. For businesses, this information is really insightful.
                                                                                                                                   “Facebook is social by nature.
However, Facebook’s promotion guidelines are extremely strict. In order for a business to run a promotion                          When people interact with apps
within Facebook’s guidelines, they must use a third-party application, like ShortStack. This is Facebook’s                         on Facebook they are more
way of cutting down on spam and protecting the privacy of their Facebook users’ information.                                       likely to share, comment and
                                                                                                                                   participate if they see that their
When a business uses a third-party Facebook application platform, they can run contests and promotions,
                                                                                                                                   friends have. Also, apps on
but the benefits don’t stop there.
                                                                                                                                   Facebook are shared very easily
For example, depending on the plan you’re on, ShortStack features Advanced Analytics that report on app                            due to the architecture of the
performance, specialty widgets for quick, professional app design and embed code so that users can put                             platform. This makes it easy to
their apps on websites, blogs, and CMS platforms.                                                                                  get more eyes on your app.”

               Wait a minute: what makes                                                                                                 - Jim Belosic
               ShortStack qualified to give advice               Wrench Legend                                                           CEO of ShortStack
               on this topic? Apps are our business,
               so we know how to create a successful
                                                                 The following chapters are intended to spark
               app concept and design. We also have
                                                                 inspiration for your business’s next holiday app.
               broad knowledge on what it takes to
                                                                 We’ve ranked each app idea with wrenches to
               promote a Facebook app. It’s through our
own experimentation and the results of our 160,000+              represent the level of difficulty.
ShortStack users and 500 million Facebook Likes
                                                                 	   = Simple app concept to design and implement.
served that we are able to share our knowledge of what
promotional efforts work the best on Facebook.                   	     = More advanced app concept to design
                                                                 	       and implement.

                                                                 		       = Most complex and time consuming app
                                                                 		         concept to design and implement.
                                                                 ***Note: Wrench rankings represent the difficulty as related to
                                                                 the ShortStack platform.
                                                                                                                                                                    7
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                       Chapter 3
   Chapter 3: Interactive Apps


                                                                                                                         Expert Insight
                                                        SUBMIT YOUR BEST
                                                   HOLIDAY COVER                                                  “The most important thing is to
                                                                                                                  interact with your customers;
                             IGN                   PHOTO DESIGN
                      DES                                                                                         they’ll tell you what they want.
                                                                                                                  You just have to listen loudly.
                         T    EST                  FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!                                           Take a stand against materialism
                     CON                                                                                          and gift-buying this season and
                                                           ENTER BELOW                                            encourage followers to give away
                                                                                                                  experiences instead.”


   Interactive Facebook applications can be described as apps that encourage fans and users to engage with        - Amy Jo Martin
   your brand or business. Here are three interactive app ideas to do just that.                                  Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty


      Cover Photo Design Contest
   Designing a creative Timeline cover photo for the holiday season can be a challenge. Try creating a cover
   photo design contest for your Facebook fans to participate in. Design a Facebook app that includes the
   rules for the contest and submission instructions. While there’s tangible “prize” with this kind of contest,
   fans will compete to win that top spot on your Timeline.

                                                              After users email their submissions to you or
                                                              upload their designs to Facebook and tag your
      Jim’s Tip
                                                              Page in their submissions, upload the winner’s
Take your app to the next level by adding a giveaway          design as your business’s new Facebook Timeline
and using ShortStack’s photo upload features                  cover photo. Remember to give credit to the cover
(available on the “Short Stack” plan and above).              photo design contest winner in the description.



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                                                                                                                                                               Chapter 3
   Holiday Photo Vote Contest
Photos are by far the most Liked and shared types of content on Facebook. So why not harness the
popularity of photos by creating a holiday-themed photo contest with ShortStack’s Promotions Widget,
Voting Widget and Entry Count Widget? Fans will be able to upload photos directly to your app and vote for
                                                                                                                                    Expert Insight
their favorites.

Get creative with the type of photo vote contest you run.                                                                           “Holidays are nostalgic
The type of business you operate and the industry you’re                                                                            for most, which makes
in will determine what will work best. For example, if                   Tip for Selecting a Contest Winner                         them a great time to
you own a pet shop, ask your fans to upload their cutest                                                                            increase engagement on
holiday pet photos. Or let’s say your business is in real          If you notice that one entry has a drastically higher            your Facebook Page. Most
estate- ask fans to upload photos of their outdoor                 vote count, it’s possible that there is some fraudulent          people love to talk about
holiday home decorations. On the day your contest ends,            voting going on. Before your promotion begins, write             their favorite memories of
choose your holiday contest winner based on which                  into the rules that your business reserves the right to          past holidays. To increase
entry has the most votes.                                          disqualify entries if fraudulent activity is suspected.          engagement on your
                                                                   Although this cannot prevent fraudulent entries, it              Facebook Page, ask your
                                                                   will decrease the number you receive.                            fans to post their favorite
                                                                                                                                    holiday photos from their
                                                                                                                                    childhood or share details
                                                                                                                                    about      their    favorite
                                                                                                                             holiday treats. Holidays are a time
                                                                                                                             for fun, so keep things casual and
                                                                                                                             entertaining. The more you can
Awesome ShortStack Case Study                        View Case Study                                                         make your questions and posts
                                                                                                                             about your FANS and less about
Colin Boulter of Neilson Reeves Photography started using ShortStack in April 2012 when his
                                                                                                                             you and your brand, the better! “
Page had 100 Facebook fans. He began using ShortStack by running a small photo contest to
test out some of ShortStack’s features. From his test contest alone, Colin increased his fan base
                                                                                                                             - Amy Porterfield
by 350 percent. Using what he learned from his test contest, Colin launched a second photo
                                                                                                                             Co-author of “Facebook Marketing
contest using ShortStack. In two weeks, Colin’s fan base increased by 2,400 percent taking his
                                                                                                                             All-In-One for Dummies”
fan base from 350 fans to more than 8,700. He even applied a joint strategy with a friend’s
Facebook Page and was able to increase their fan count by 230 percent. Colin’s Facebook page
continues to grow daily and he is working on turning his growing fan base into a revenue builder.
                                                                                                                                                                9
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                    Chapter 3
      Virtual Gifts
You can create a Facebook holiday app that allows your fans to send virtual gifts to their Facebook friends
directly from your Facebook Page with ShortStack’s Virtual Gifts Widget. This widget gives you complete
creative freedom and control when choosing the gifts to offer.
                                                                                                                       Expert Insight
Keeping the holidays in mind, here are three ultra-spirited virtual gifts to create for your Facebook holiday
app:                                                                                                            “If you are a B2B company serving
                                                                                                                sales professionals, chances
  1.	 Holiday eCards: Create comical or cheerful holiday ecards for users to share with friends                 are that they are scurrying to
      throughout the holiday season.                                                                            meet year-end goals or they are
  2.	 Holiday Recipe: Everyone is in the kitchen during                                                         thinking about how to reward
      the holidays, and who doesn’t love a great recipe?                                                        their current customers. You
      Create a Facebook holiday app with your company’s                                                         can share with them ideas on
      favorite recipes, whether it’s Grandma’s cookie                                                           how to make last minute sales or
      recipe or your Aunt Pam’s famous fall stew. Fans                                                          provide gift ideas for their best
      will not only feel inspired to try out your holiday                                                       customers.”
      recipes, they’ll want to share them with their
      friends, too!                                                                                             -Shama Kabani
                                                                                                                CEO of Marketing Zen and Author
  3.	 Coupons and Deals: For lots of people, the                                                                of “The Zen of Social Media
      holiday season is inextricably linked to shopping.                                                        Marketing”
      Save your fans some extra bucks this season and
      host a Facebook app on your Page that lets fans
      redeem and share a holiday discount code or
      coupon. For product-based businesses, there’s
      really nothing better that you can give.




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The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                                 Chapter 4
  Chapter 4: Giveaway Apps


  Giveaway applications promote fan excitement through giving away prizes and rewards. Here are three
                                                                                                                                    Expert Insight
  giveaway app ideas for your business to implement during the holiday season.
                                                                                                                               “Research shows that consumers
                                                                                                                               trust product recommendations
     Refer-A-Friend Contest                                                                                                    from friends ten times as
                                                                                                                               much as marketing messages
  Creating a contest using the Refer-A-Friend feature is one of the best ways to increase the reach of your                    that come directly from
  contest. If your business is running a contest on your holiday app using ShortStack’s Refer-A-Friend                         those recommended brands.
  feature, visitors who enter the contest will receive a referral link and the ability to share the contest on                 Businesses that understand that
  their Timeline. Each time a friend enters the contest via the                                                                             rabid fans are the
  referral link, the referrer receives extra entries into the contest.                                                                      best salespeople
                                                                                         Expert Insight                                     understand the
  When married with a giveaway app concept, the Refer-A-Friend
  feature creates a huge incentive for fans to share your business’s                                                                        real power of
                                                                                “The best Facebook strategies are based around              Facebook!”
  contest with as many of their friends as possible. The key to
                                                                                relevance and context.”
  success is an awesome prize that relates to your fans’ wants and
                                                                                - Shama Kabani                                              - John Haydon
  needs.
                                                                                CEO of Marketing Zen and Author of “The Zen of Social       Inbound Zombie
  For example, let’s say you operate a catering company. Your                   Media Marketing”
  giveaway prize could be a catered family dinner on a day of
  the winner’s choice in the month of November--including
  Thanksgiving day. Remember, your prize doesn’t have to be
  hugely expensive, it just has to be appealing to your fans.




     Jim’s Tip
When partnered with ShortStack’s Voting Widget, the
Refer-A-Friend feature becomes even more powerful!                                                                                                               11
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                           Chapter 4
       Wishlist Giveaway
 Facebook apps that host wishlist giveaways scream
 “The holidays are here!” People who find joy in recalling
 memories from their younger years will love being able
 to create a wishlist because it will remind them of writing
 letters to Santa.

 There are many ways to go about creating a wishlist
 giveaway app, but the most straightforward approach is
 to enlist the help of ShortStack’s Promotions Widget. Next,
 design a Promotion Form that includes a URL field for users
 to share to their off-Facebook wishlist links. For example,
 if your company is a product-based business, like a home
 decor ecommerce store, invite users to create and link to
 their wishlist from your company’s website.

 If your company is a service-based business, but you still
 want to run a wishlist giveaway contest, you can have
 contest participants create and link to wishlists from outside
 retailer sites like Amazon.




     Jim’s Tip for Choosing a Random Contest Winner
Go to the Forms & Promos Manager, click “View Entries” on your promotion
and then select the “Pick Random Entries” option. This will allow you to
choose a random winner for your holiday-giveaway app contest.




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                                                                                                                                                    Chapter 4
        30 Days of Giving
During the holiday season, a “30 Days of Giving” app concept is extremely popular. And for good reason.
Although this application is more high maintenance than others, it is extremely effective in increasing
Facebook Page Likes.
                                                                                                                    Expert Insight
                                                    Here’s what works well for most brands: first, decide
                                                    which products or prizes you want to incorporate        “I suggest drawing winners on
                                                    into your 30-day giveaway. Next, create your holiday-   a shorter time scale to keep it
                                                    themed Facebook app with ShortStack’s Promotions        interesting. For example, have
                                                    Widget and Product Widget. Use the Product Widget       a contest that “never ends,” but
                                                    to upload images, descriptions and links to your        draw a winner each week. Didn’t
                                                    prizes. That way all your fans, whether they win or     win this week? No problem. Your
                                                    not, can get more information about the items you’re    name is still in the hat. It can help
                                                    giving away.                                            build long-term engagement,
                                                                                                            especially if you encourage the
                                                                                                            winners to enter often.”


                                                                                                            - Jim Belosic
                                                                                                            CEO of ShortStack




Awesome ShortStack Case Study                      View Case Study

Throughout AMD’s (Advanced Micro Devices) 45-day holiday contest, they earned a total
of more than 98,000 entries, 207,000 views on their contest tabs, 86,000 shares of the
promotion and more than 20,000 new Fans Liked their Facebook Page.
                                                                                                                                                13
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                         Chapter 5
   Chapter 5: Non-Promotional Apps


   Non-promotional Facebook applications are apps that host content not dealing with contests or
                                                                                                                          Expert Insight
   promotions. The purpose of these apps is to obtain fan information or share relevant brand information.
   Here are three non-promotional Facebook app ideas for your business to test out during the holidays.            “Give users a feeling that they
                                                                                                                   have some input and control.
                                                                                                                   Crowdsourcing information
     Crowdsource for Information                                                                                   allows you to do that. What’s even
                                                                                                                   better is that you are getting free
   Facebook apps are for more than just promotions, marketing and advertising. Your fans’ opinions of              market research because your
   your business are invaluable, and your fans are usually willing to give their opinions for free. This holiday   users are telling you exactly what
   season, is your brand going to release any new products, introduce new services or open a new location?         type of product or service they
                                                             Your Facebook fans are your customers and             are looking for.”
                                                             they have opinions about all of these things.
     Jim’s Tip                                                                                                     - Jim Belosic
                                                             Crowdsourcing information using a custom
                                                             Facebook app can give your business clear             CEO of ShortStack
To create a holiday-themed crowdsourcing app for
your business’s Facebook Page, create a Custom               direction because you’re counting on your source
Form and display it with a Custom Form Widget.               of revenue for guidance.




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The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                Chapter 5
      Faces Behind the Brand
Give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make up your brand. Design a holiday-inspired
Facebook app that features photos of employees along with stories of their favorite holiday memories.
Or get a little more fun and create a staff slideshow featuring employees in their favorite ugly holiday
sweaters.
                                                                                                                    Expert Insight

Brand likeability goes deeper than product favorability. It’s also comprised of outsiders’ perspectives of   “The holidays provide businesses
your brand’s culture. With your business’s next non-promotional Facebook holiday app, use your app as a      with a way to connect with the
powerful culture-shaping tool.                                                                               audience on a more human
                                                                                                             level.”


                                                                                                             - Ann Handley
                                                                                                             Chief Content Officer, Marketing
                                                                                                             Profs and Co-author of “Content
                                                                                                             Rules”




                                                        Jim’s Tip
                                                  With the Photo Galleries Widget, there’s plenty of
                                                  room for your business to flex its creative muscles.




                                                                                                                                                15
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                           Chapter 5
        Product Countdown
Design a Facebook holiday app that features a different product or service every day
of the week during the holidays. This gives your business the chance to show off the
products or services that are not as well-known to your fans and customers.

For example, let’s say you own a cupcake bakery. Create a holiday countdown app
that features a new cupcake flavor each day throughout the month of November.
This is the perfect opportunity to create excitement around new holiday flavors and
seasonal bakery specials.




                                            Jim’s Tip
                                      Create “X” amount of Product Widgets for each day
                                      of your product countdown. Next, create a Custom
                                      Form with an email address field. Users interested
                                      in receiving more information on your business’s
                                      product can enter their email addresses.




                                                                                           16
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                       Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Charitable Apps


Charitable Facebook applications are often used in an effort to promote a cause or support a fundraising
                                                                                                                         Expert Insight
effort. Here are three charitable Facebook app ideas that will help your business get in the true spirit of the
holidays.                                                                                                         “Show how the people in your
                                                                                                                  company celebrate or honor
                                                                                                                  certain traditions to give your
  Inspire Time Donations                                                                                          fans and prospects an idea of
                                                                                                                  the people and personalities that
Cash donations are great for people with deep pockets, but for those with little change to spare during the       make your company what it is.
holiday season, time donations prove just as valuable. This holiday season, choose a local charity or cause       It’s also a great time to showcase
of your choice for your company to advocate. Instead of setting fundraising goals, focus your efforts on          any charitable activities your
creating awareness and encouraging people to get involved.                                                        company might participate in.”
With the easy-to-use Google Maps Widget, create a holiday app that inspires fans to get involved in their
own neighborhoods and communities. Use the Google Maps Widget to show places nearby to either                     - Ann Handley
volunteer or donate.                                                                                              Chief Content Officer, Marketing
                                                                                                                  Profs and Co-author of “Content
                                                                                                                  Rules”
     Match Your Users’ Efforts
Rather than just spread news about your support for a charity or cause, show fans that your company’s
interest in creating positive change this season is more deeply rooted. Do this by creating a Facebook app
that promotes your company’s philanthropic efforts. Your app should not only educate fans, but inspire
trust and excitement as well.

Motivate your fans to get involved in your charity or cause by putting your money where your mouth is. For
every dollar raised or donated by your fans, match the amount!




                                                                                                                                                     17
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                                       Chapter 6
                                                   Like-Drive Template
                                           Drive new Page Likes while supporting a charity or
                                           cause with ShortStack’s Like Drive Template. With a
                                           Like Drive Template your business is able to display
                                           the number of new ‘Likes’ on your Page and real-time
                                                                                                                      Expert Insight
                                           progress toward reaching your goal. This is perfect
                                           when you’re tracking entries or dollars raised with                “Try to instill curiosity and interest
                                           each new “Like.”                                                   while fulfilling the desires of
                                                                                                              your target audience. Let your
                                                                                                              customers feel like a part of your
                                                                                                              brand instead of being sold to.”


                                                                                                              - Ching Ya
                                                                                                              Social Media Enthusiast




                                                                   Jim’s Tip
                                                             Create fan-only content to encourage Likes on your Page. Once someone
                                                             has Liked your Page, you’re able to thank them, show how close you are to
                                                             your goal and also give them an option to share their contribution with their
                                                             friends.




                                                                                                                                                   18
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                               Chapter 7
  Chapter 7: Facebook App Build and Launch Guide


  Now that you’re filled with holiday app ideas, here’s a simple step-by-step guide that will help you start
  designing your Facebook holiday app today.

        •	 Step 1: Decide which Facebook holiday app concept you want to implement

        •	 Step 2: Set Facebook goals and create a timeline that details when and how long you want to run
        	          your app

        •	 Step 3: Choose a third-party application platform

        •	 Step 4: Design your holiday app

        •	 Step 5: Publish and promote your holiday app

        •	 Step 6: Evaluate the results garnered through the holiday app




Ready to start your Facebook holiday promotion?


Sign up with ShortStack here!     Sign Up Now
                                                                                                               19
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                                                                  Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Giving Thanks


To Our Expert Contributors:

First of all, thank you for your commentary! As recognized industry experts, we value your
opinions and ideas. Your contributions to the awesome world of social media inspire us. Every
day we’re blown away by the power that social media has. It keeps the world transparent and
allows for connections that otherwise would not be possible.

You have influenced and empowered businesses, including ours, through your shared
knowledge of social media. And for that, it is an honor to have your contributions live in
ShortStack’s Facebook Holiday Idea Book.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

The ShortStack Team

                                                                                    Pssst!

                                                                           We recommend all our readers follow these awesome
                                                                           social media experts on the interwebs. Details about
                                                                           how to stalk them is on the next page.




                                                                                                                                  20
The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack




                                                                                              Chapter 8
      Idea book Contributors
Amy Porterfield                                    Jim Belosic
Facebook Marketing Author and Trainer              CEO of ShortStack
facebook.com/amyporterfield                        facebook.com/shortstacklab
@amyporterfield                                    @shortstackjim

Amy Jo Martin of Digital Royalty                   John Haydon
CEO of Digital Royalty and author of               Chief Heretic and Pyrotechnician
Renegades Write the Rules                          Inbound Zombie
facebook.com/digitalroyalty                        facebook.com/inboundzombie
@AmyJoMartin                                       @johnhaydon

Andrea Vahl                                        Melanie Duncan
Co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for     Online Marketing Expert
Dummies                                            facebook.com/EntrepreneursAcademy
facebook.com/andreavahl                            @MelanieDuncan7
@andreavahl
                                                   Michael Stelzner
Ann Handley                                        CEO and Founder of Social Media Examiner
Chief Content Officer of Marketing Profs and co-   facebook.com /smexaminer
author of Content Rules                            @mike_stelzner
facebook.com/MarketingProfs
@marketingprofs                                    Shama Kabani
                                                   CEO of Marketing Zen and author of
Ching Ya                                           The Zen of Social Media Marketing
Social Media Enthusiast, Blogger                   www.marketingzen.com
http://www.wchingya.com                            @shama
@wchingya

Jesse Stanchak
Lead Editor of SmartBrief on Social Media
facebook.com/smartbrief
@SBoSM

                                                                                              21

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ShortStack's The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book

  • 1.
  • 2. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Contents Table of Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................................1 Chapter 5 ...................................................................................14 Non-Promotional Apps Preface ...........................................................................................2 Facebook app ideas that don’t involve contests or promotions A summary of what you’ll be learning Chapter 6 ...................................................................................17 Chapter 1.......................................................................................3 Charitable Apps Facebook Holiday Basics Facebook app ideas that help your business give back Fundamental holiday Facebook efforts that all businesses should implement Chapter 7 ...................................................................................19 Chapter 2.......................................................................................7 Facebook App Build and Launch Guide The App Advantage A step-by-step guide to get started building your Taking your business’s efforts to the next level with Facebook apps Facebook holiday app today Chapter 3 ......................................................................................8 Chapter 8 .................................................................................. 20 Interactive Apps Giving Thanks Facebook app ideas that focus on engaging fans We share an open letter and provide the list of our expert contributors Chapter 4 ...................................................................................11 Giveaway Apps Facebook app ideas that involve giveaway concepts
  • 3. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Introduction Introduction Expert Insight The holiday season is all about giving. And for businesses, the season provides a great opportunity to give back to the fans and people who support and matter to your business most. In years past, it was “It all comes down to the law of traditional for a company to send out holiday cards by mail to loyal customers and clients. Nowadays there reciprocity. The more you give are more contemporary, engaging and cost-effective ways to spread holiday thanks and cheer. to people, the more they want to give back to you. As business Facebook is the most popular social media network on the web today. As of the writing of this book, more owners, we should approach our than a billion people worldwide use Facebook on a regular basis. The platform is consistently updated marketing as “how can I give more with new features and products that directly benefit businesses that use Facebook. And because of that, valuable content in a bigger way Facebook has not only grown into the most so that I can reach more people?” dynamic and well-known social media Now that builds brand value and Expert Insight networking platform, it has also become creates raving fans who buy.” the ultimate business tool for online and “The holiday season is typically a shopping frenzy for social media marketing. -Melanie Duncan most consumers. Brands can easily drown in a red The goal of this Facebook Holiday Idea Online Marketing Expert and green sea of sameness. Going above and beyond during the holiday season helps a business stand out Book is to teach and inspire businesses to in a time when everyone is competing for share of leverage Facebook during this critical and voice. Businesses should aim to disrupt this time of opportune time of the year. With a few tips year.” and ideas under your belt, there’s no doubt - Amy Jo Martin your business will be equipped for success Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty this holiday season. Now that we’ve got you pumped about the holidays, let’s get started! 1
  • 4. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Preface Preface There are eight chapters in this Idea Book. The first chapter covers Facebook holiday ideas that do Expert Insight not involve Facebook apps. The tips in this chapter are fundamental Facebook holiday efforts that all businesses should implement whether or not they decide to enlist a third-party app company. “Remember that “the holidays” are plural. The month of Chapter two discusses “The App Advantage.” In this chapter we cover the advantages of Facebook apps December means different things and how they can help businesses take their Facebook holiday efforts to new levels. to different people. The season The next four chapters are for businesses interested in using Facebook Page apps for their holiday can be religious or not; serious or marketing efforts. We address four holiday-themed app ideas: interactive apps, giveaway apps, non- silly; rooted in family tradition or promotional apps and charitable apps. fueled by commercialism. Even cold weather isn’t a given. All The seventh chapter of this idea book is a step-by-step guide to build and launch your Facebook holiday most people can really agree on app today. is that it’s an important time of In the concluding chapter, we share an open letter and thank the expert contributors who so graciously year.” provided commentary for this eBook. - Jesse Stanchak Now that we’ve addressed what this Idea Book will cover, we have one final important note: Lead Editor, “Smart Brief on Social We understand that some businesses might be hesitant to embrace the holidays for fear of offending Media” users who only celebrate specific holidays, or none at all. Although there are certain cautions, there are none so prohibiting that a business should ignore the season altogether. Generalized promotions and design updates that support the spirit of the season, rather than a particular holiday, will allow for a business to appeal to its entire customer base. 2
  • 5. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Holiday Facebook Basics Since Facebook updated its design to Timeline, businesses have more customization options than ever. Expert Insight Timeline’s features are flexible and customizable so you can transform your business’s Facebook Page to reflect the holiday season. “Decorate your page for the holidays. Change your cover In this chapter we’ll also cover some additional non-Facebook holiday ideas that your business can photo, consider some special implement during the holidays. app cover photos with apps that 1. Cover Photo: When a Facebook user lands on your business’s Facebook Page, the cover photo is might provide a special holiday the “main event.” It is a massive piece of Timeline real estate (851 x 315 pixels) that immediately experience, get festive and use changes the mood of a Facebook Page. creativity to draw people in.” To coordinate with the holiday season, design a cover photo–or multiple cover photos–and change - Andrea Vahl them as each season or holiday passes. Make your cover photos representative of your brand, Co-author of “Facebook Marketing but altered to reflect the season. We recommend playing with fall and winter colors or adding All-In-One for Dummies” traditional holiday images like leaves and snowflakes. 2. Profile Photo: A lot of businesses have had the same profile photo of their logo since they created their Facebook Page. This is a wasted opportunity to promote whatever is the latest and greatest information about your brand. Plus, a profile photo is a major asset that can be used to complement your cover photo. Even if your brand is reluctant to change the profile photo to something other than the Holiday Profile company logo, there are still ways to create a holiday-themed profile using the logo. Picture Again, experiment with holiday-inspired colors, and if you can get more creative, integrate a prop into your logo design. For example, with ShortStack’s Facebook Page, depending on the holiday, we create an image of Jack (ShortStack’s company mascot and logo) in festive attire or holding a holiday-specific object. 3
  • 6. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 1 3. App Thumbnails: Facebook app thumbnails are often the most neglected features on Facebook brand Pages. App thumbnails are at the bottom-right of your Page’s cover photo. There are three 111 x 74 pixel custom app thumbnails to work with to inspire a holiday mood. It’s important to use these small spaces to create enticing calls-to-action. Facebook prohibits cover Expert Insight photos from having arrows and promotional language, but they do not have those rules for app thumbnails. Use this to your business’s advantage in your app thumbnail designs. Integrating calls- “Facebook doesn’t have any to-action like “click here!” will encourage users who visit your Facebook Page to click on your apps focused holiday options for Pages and check out more content from your brand. but this is a good time to use 4. Photo Status Updates: During your business’s holiday promotional period, be thoughtful about some of the Facebook features the content you post. Including great holiday-themed graphics will be key in attracting fans to your such as Offers and Ads. Giving Facebook Page. a “gift” to your audience via a Facebook Offer is a great way to Keep in mind that when you post a status update with a photo, the photo within the post will be tie into the spirit of the season.” featured on your Timeline at 404 x 404 pixels. If you choose to highlight your post or create a “Milestone” you will then have 843 x 403 pixels. -Andrea Vahl Co-author of “Facebook Marketing 5. Facebook Advertisements: If your business has yet to invest in Facebook advertising, this holiday All-In-One for Dummies” season is the time do so. The best way to get your feet wet is to set a budget, create a few different 100 x 72 pixel ads, and then implement some A/B testing to see what works best. Also, don’t forget to run promoted posts, sponsored stories and Facebook Offers. These are effective forms of advertising you can experiment with throughout the season. 4
  • 7. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 1 6. Facebook Offers: Speaking of Facebook Offers, there is no better time than the holiday season to try out this new Facebook product. Facebook Offers are special deals you can create and share with the people who Like your Page. Facebook Offers give Page admins 90 characters of headline text, 900 characters of description text and a 90 x 90 pixel image to display the offer. Expert Insight For specific holiday ideas that involve Facebook Offers, check out the “6 Holiday-Themed Ideas for Using Facebook Offers” post on ShortStack’s blog, Socially Stacked. “Facebook is testing a new 7. Facebook “Want” Button: Facebook is testing out a new “Want” button that is similar to a gift approach this holiday season by registry. This new feature is rolling out slowly to users, and it’s something to watch for. It could be a introducing its ‘Want’ button. It big game changer for businesses. allows users to create a public wish list, making gift-buying easier. Users can even purchase items right away using the link Non Facebook-Related Holiday Promotion Ideas provided in the Facebook ad.” Although the ideas below are not for Facebook, keep in mind all your other social media efforts can be -Amy Jo Martin cross-promoted on your business’s Facebook Page. Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty • Create a YouTube holiday playlist • Tweet out holiday song lyrics • Start a new holiday-themed board on Pinterest • Ask users to share their favorite holiday memories • Start a holiday-themed hashtag on Instagram and encourage your online audience to post pictures using it • Create a fun holiday poll for your online fans and followers to take and share with friends 5
  • 8. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 1 Reference of Important Facebook Timeline Dimensions 6
  • 9. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 2 Chapter 2: The App Advantage Expert Insight According to a survey of more than 800 Facebook Page administrators, the number one way to get users to engage with your brand is through promotions. For businesses, this information is really insightful. “Facebook is social by nature. However, Facebook’s promotion guidelines are extremely strict. In order for a business to run a promotion When people interact with apps within Facebook’s guidelines, they must use a third-party application, like ShortStack. This is Facebook’s on Facebook they are more way of cutting down on spam and protecting the privacy of their Facebook users’ information. likely to share, comment and participate if they see that their When a business uses a third-party Facebook application platform, they can run contests and promotions, friends have. Also, apps on but the benefits don’t stop there. Facebook are shared very easily For example, depending on the plan you’re on, ShortStack features Advanced Analytics that report on app due to the architecture of the performance, specialty widgets for quick, professional app design and embed code so that users can put platform. This makes it easy to their apps on websites, blogs, and CMS platforms. get more eyes on your app.” Wait a minute: what makes - Jim Belosic ShortStack qualified to give advice Wrench Legend CEO of ShortStack on this topic? Apps are our business, so we know how to create a successful The following chapters are intended to spark app concept and design. We also have inspiration for your business’s next holiday app. broad knowledge on what it takes to We’ve ranked each app idea with wrenches to promote a Facebook app. It’s through our own experimentation and the results of our 160,000+ represent the level of difficulty. ShortStack users and 500 million Facebook Likes = Simple app concept to design and implement. served that we are able to share our knowledge of what promotional efforts work the best on Facebook. = More advanced app concept to design and implement. = Most complex and time consuming app concept to design and implement. ***Note: Wrench rankings represent the difficulty as related to the ShortStack platform. 7
  • 10. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Interactive Apps Expert Insight SUBMIT YOUR BEST HOLIDAY COVER “The most important thing is to interact with your customers; IGN PHOTO DESIGN DES they’ll tell you what they want. You just have to listen loudly. T EST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN! Take a stand against materialism CON and gift-buying this season and ENTER BELOW encourage followers to give away experiences instead.” Interactive Facebook applications can be described as apps that encourage fans and users to engage with - Amy Jo Martin your brand or business. Here are three interactive app ideas to do just that. Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty Cover Photo Design Contest Designing a creative Timeline cover photo for the holiday season can be a challenge. Try creating a cover photo design contest for your Facebook fans to participate in. Design a Facebook app that includes the rules for the contest and submission instructions. While there’s tangible “prize” with this kind of contest, fans will compete to win that top spot on your Timeline. After users email their submissions to you or upload their designs to Facebook and tag your Jim’s Tip Page in their submissions, upload the winner’s Take your app to the next level by adding a giveaway design as your business’s new Facebook Timeline and using ShortStack’s photo upload features cover photo. Remember to give credit to the cover (available on the “Short Stack” plan and above). photo design contest winner in the description. 8
  • 11. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 3 Holiday Photo Vote Contest Photos are by far the most Liked and shared types of content on Facebook. So why not harness the popularity of photos by creating a holiday-themed photo contest with ShortStack’s Promotions Widget, Voting Widget and Entry Count Widget? Fans will be able to upload photos directly to your app and vote for Expert Insight their favorites. Get creative with the type of photo vote contest you run. “Holidays are nostalgic The type of business you operate and the industry you’re for most, which makes in will determine what will work best. For example, if Tip for Selecting a Contest Winner them a great time to you own a pet shop, ask your fans to upload their cutest increase engagement on holiday pet photos. Or let’s say your business is in real If you notice that one entry has a drastically higher your Facebook Page. Most estate- ask fans to upload photos of their outdoor vote count, it’s possible that there is some fraudulent people love to talk about holiday home decorations. On the day your contest ends, voting going on. Before your promotion begins, write their favorite memories of choose your holiday contest winner based on which into the rules that your business reserves the right to past holidays. To increase entry has the most votes. disqualify entries if fraudulent activity is suspected. engagement on your Although this cannot prevent fraudulent entries, it Facebook Page, ask your will decrease the number you receive. fans to post their favorite holiday photos from their childhood or share details about their favorite holiday treats. Holidays are a time for fun, so keep things casual and entertaining. The more you can Awesome ShortStack Case Study View Case Study make your questions and posts about your FANS and less about Colin Boulter of Neilson Reeves Photography started using ShortStack in April 2012 when his you and your brand, the better! “ Page had 100 Facebook fans. He began using ShortStack by running a small photo contest to test out some of ShortStack’s features. From his test contest alone, Colin increased his fan base - Amy Porterfield by 350 percent. Using what he learned from his test contest, Colin launched a second photo Co-author of “Facebook Marketing contest using ShortStack. In two weeks, Colin’s fan base increased by 2,400 percent taking his All-In-One for Dummies” fan base from 350 fans to more than 8,700. He even applied a joint strategy with a friend’s Facebook Page and was able to increase their fan count by 230 percent. Colin’s Facebook page continues to grow daily and he is working on turning his growing fan base into a revenue builder. 9
  • 12. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 3 Virtual Gifts You can create a Facebook holiday app that allows your fans to send virtual gifts to their Facebook friends directly from your Facebook Page with ShortStack’s Virtual Gifts Widget. This widget gives you complete creative freedom and control when choosing the gifts to offer. Expert Insight Keeping the holidays in mind, here are three ultra-spirited virtual gifts to create for your Facebook holiday app: “If you are a B2B company serving sales professionals, chances 1. Holiday eCards: Create comical or cheerful holiday ecards for users to share with friends are that they are scurrying to throughout the holiday season. meet year-end goals or they are 2. Holiday Recipe: Everyone is in the kitchen during thinking about how to reward the holidays, and who doesn’t love a great recipe? their current customers. You Create a Facebook holiday app with your company’s can share with them ideas on favorite recipes, whether it’s Grandma’s cookie how to make last minute sales or recipe or your Aunt Pam’s famous fall stew. Fans provide gift ideas for their best will not only feel inspired to try out your holiday customers.” recipes, they’ll want to share them with their friends, too! -Shama Kabani CEO of Marketing Zen and Author 3. Coupons and Deals: For lots of people, the of “The Zen of Social Media holiday season is inextricably linked to shopping. Marketing” Save your fans some extra bucks this season and host a Facebook app on your Page that lets fans redeem and share a holiday discount code or coupon. For product-based businesses, there’s really nothing better that you can give. 10
  • 13. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Giveaway Apps Giveaway applications promote fan excitement through giving away prizes and rewards. Here are three Expert Insight giveaway app ideas for your business to implement during the holiday season. “Research shows that consumers trust product recommendations Refer-A-Friend Contest from friends ten times as much as marketing messages Creating a contest using the Refer-A-Friend feature is one of the best ways to increase the reach of your that come directly from contest. If your business is running a contest on your holiday app using ShortStack’s Refer-A-Friend those recommended brands. feature, visitors who enter the contest will receive a referral link and the ability to share the contest on Businesses that understand that their Timeline. Each time a friend enters the contest via the rabid fans are the referral link, the referrer receives extra entries into the contest. best salespeople Expert Insight understand the When married with a giveaway app concept, the Refer-A-Friend feature creates a huge incentive for fans to share your business’s real power of “The best Facebook strategies are based around Facebook!” contest with as many of their friends as possible. The key to relevance and context.” success is an awesome prize that relates to your fans’ wants and - Shama Kabani - John Haydon needs. CEO of Marketing Zen and Author of “The Zen of Social Inbound Zombie For example, let’s say you operate a catering company. Your Media Marketing” giveaway prize could be a catered family dinner on a day of the winner’s choice in the month of November--including Thanksgiving day. Remember, your prize doesn’t have to be hugely expensive, it just has to be appealing to your fans. Jim’s Tip When partnered with ShortStack’s Voting Widget, the Refer-A-Friend feature becomes even more powerful! 11
  • 14. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 4 Wishlist Giveaway Facebook apps that host wishlist giveaways scream “The holidays are here!” People who find joy in recalling memories from their younger years will love being able to create a wishlist because it will remind them of writing letters to Santa. There are many ways to go about creating a wishlist giveaway app, but the most straightforward approach is to enlist the help of ShortStack’s Promotions Widget. Next, design a Promotion Form that includes a URL field for users to share to their off-Facebook wishlist links. For example, if your company is a product-based business, like a home decor ecommerce store, invite users to create and link to their wishlist from your company’s website. If your company is a service-based business, but you still want to run a wishlist giveaway contest, you can have contest participants create and link to wishlists from outside retailer sites like Amazon. Jim’s Tip for Choosing a Random Contest Winner Go to the Forms & Promos Manager, click “View Entries” on your promotion and then select the “Pick Random Entries” option. This will allow you to choose a random winner for your holiday-giveaway app contest. 12
  • 15. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 4 30 Days of Giving During the holiday season, a “30 Days of Giving” app concept is extremely popular. And for good reason. Although this application is more high maintenance than others, it is extremely effective in increasing Facebook Page Likes. Expert Insight Here’s what works well for most brands: first, decide which products or prizes you want to incorporate “I suggest drawing winners on into your 30-day giveaway. Next, create your holiday- a shorter time scale to keep it themed Facebook app with ShortStack’s Promotions interesting. For example, have Widget and Product Widget. Use the Product Widget a contest that “never ends,” but to upload images, descriptions and links to your draw a winner each week. Didn’t prizes. That way all your fans, whether they win or win this week? No problem. Your not, can get more information about the items you’re name is still in the hat. It can help giving away. build long-term engagement, especially if you encourage the winners to enter often.” - Jim Belosic CEO of ShortStack Awesome ShortStack Case Study View Case Study Throughout AMD’s (Advanced Micro Devices) 45-day holiday contest, they earned a total of more than 98,000 entries, 207,000 views on their contest tabs, 86,000 shares of the promotion and more than 20,000 new Fans Liked their Facebook Page. 13
  • 16. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Non-Promotional Apps Non-promotional Facebook applications are apps that host content not dealing with contests or Expert Insight promotions. The purpose of these apps is to obtain fan information or share relevant brand information. Here are three non-promotional Facebook app ideas for your business to test out during the holidays. “Give users a feeling that they have some input and control. Crowdsourcing information Crowdsource for Information allows you to do that. What’s even better is that you are getting free Facebook apps are for more than just promotions, marketing and advertising. Your fans’ opinions of market research because your your business are invaluable, and your fans are usually willing to give their opinions for free. This holiday users are telling you exactly what season, is your brand going to release any new products, introduce new services or open a new location? type of product or service they Your Facebook fans are your customers and are looking for.” they have opinions about all of these things. Jim’s Tip - Jim Belosic Crowdsourcing information using a custom Facebook app can give your business clear CEO of ShortStack To create a holiday-themed crowdsourcing app for your business’s Facebook Page, create a Custom direction because you’re counting on your source Form and display it with a Custom Form Widget. of revenue for guidance. 14
  • 17. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 5 Faces Behind the Brand Give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make up your brand. Design a holiday-inspired Facebook app that features photos of employees along with stories of their favorite holiday memories. Or get a little more fun and create a staff slideshow featuring employees in their favorite ugly holiday sweaters. Expert Insight Brand likeability goes deeper than product favorability. It’s also comprised of outsiders’ perspectives of “The holidays provide businesses your brand’s culture. With your business’s next non-promotional Facebook holiday app, use your app as a with a way to connect with the powerful culture-shaping tool. audience on a more human level.” - Ann Handley Chief Content Officer, Marketing Profs and Co-author of “Content Rules” Jim’s Tip With the Photo Galleries Widget, there’s plenty of room for your business to flex its creative muscles. 15
  • 18. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 5 Product Countdown Design a Facebook holiday app that features a different product or service every day of the week during the holidays. This gives your business the chance to show off the products or services that are not as well-known to your fans and customers. For example, let’s say you own a cupcake bakery. Create a holiday countdown app that features a new cupcake flavor each day throughout the month of November. This is the perfect opportunity to create excitement around new holiday flavors and seasonal bakery specials. Jim’s Tip Create “X” amount of Product Widgets for each day of your product countdown. Next, create a Custom Form with an email address field. Users interested in receiving more information on your business’s product can enter their email addresses. 16
  • 19. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Charitable Apps Charitable Facebook applications are often used in an effort to promote a cause or support a fundraising Expert Insight effort. Here are three charitable Facebook app ideas that will help your business get in the true spirit of the holidays. “Show how the people in your company celebrate or honor certain traditions to give your Inspire Time Donations fans and prospects an idea of the people and personalities that Cash donations are great for people with deep pockets, but for those with little change to spare during the make your company what it is. holiday season, time donations prove just as valuable. This holiday season, choose a local charity or cause It’s also a great time to showcase of your choice for your company to advocate. Instead of setting fundraising goals, focus your efforts on any charitable activities your creating awareness and encouraging people to get involved. company might participate in.” With the easy-to-use Google Maps Widget, create a holiday app that inspires fans to get involved in their own neighborhoods and communities. Use the Google Maps Widget to show places nearby to either - Ann Handley volunteer or donate. Chief Content Officer, Marketing Profs and Co-author of “Content Rules” Match Your Users’ Efforts Rather than just spread news about your support for a charity or cause, show fans that your company’s interest in creating positive change this season is more deeply rooted. Do this by creating a Facebook app that promotes your company’s philanthropic efforts. Your app should not only educate fans, but inspire trust and excitement as well. Motivate your fans to get involved in your charity or cause by putting your money where your mouth is. For every dollar raised or donated by your fans, match the amount! 17
  • 20. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 6 Like-Drive Template Drive new Page Likes while supporting a charity or cause with ShortStack’s Like Drive Template. With a Like Drive Template your business is able to display the number of new ‘Likes’ on your Page and real-time Expert Insight progress toward reaching your goal. This is perfect when you’re tracking entries or dollars raised with “Try to instill curiosity and interest each new “Like.” while fulfilling the desires of your target audience. Let your customers feel like a part of your brand instead of being sold to.” - Ching Ya Social Media Enthusiast Jim’s Tip Create fan-only content to encourage Likes on your Page. Once someone has Liked your Page, you’re able to thank them, show how close you are to your goal and also give them an option to share their contribution with their friends. 18
  • 21. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Facebook App Build and Launch Guide Now that you’re filled with holiday app ideas, here’s a simple step-by-step guide that will help you start designing your Facebook holiday app today. • Step 1: Decide which Facebook holiday app concept you want to implement • Step 2: Set Facebook goals and create a timeline that details when and how long you want to run your app • Step 3: Choose a third-party application platform • Step 4: Design your holiday app • Step 5: Publish and promote your holiday app • Step 6: Evaluate the results garnered through the holiday app Ready to start your Facebook holiday promotion? Sign up with ShortStack here! Sign Up Now 19
  • 22. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Giving Thanks To Our Expert Contributors: First of all, thank you for your commentary! As recognized industry experts, we value your opinions and ideas. Your contributions to the awesome world of social media inspire us. Every day we’re blown away by the power that social media has. It keeps the world transparent and allows for connections that otherwise would not be possible. You have influenced and empowered businesses, including ours, through your shared knowledge of social media. And for that, it is an honor to have your contributions live in ShortStack’s Facebook Holiday Idea Book. Thank you. Sincerely, The ShortStack Team Pssst! We recommend all our readers follow these awesome social media experts on the interwebs. Details about how to stalk them is on the next page. 20
  • 23. The Ultimate Facebook Holiday Idea Book | ShortStack Chapter 8 Idea book Contributors Amy Porterfield Jim Belosic Facebook Marketing Author and Trainer CEO of ShortStack facebook.com/amyporterfield facebook.com/shortstacklab @amyporterfield @shortstackjim Amy Jo Martin of Digital Royalty John Haydon CEO of Digital Royalty and author of Chief Heretic and Pyrotechnician Renegades Write the Rules Inbound Zombie facebook.com/digitalroyalty facebook.com/inboundzombie @AmyJoMartin @johnhaydon Andrea Vahl Melanie Duncan Co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Online Marketing Expert Dummies facebook.com/EntrepreneursAcademy facebook.com/andreavahl @MelanieDuncan7 @andreavahl Michael Stelzner Ann Handley CEO and Founder of Social Media Examiner Chief Content Officer of Marketing Profs and co- facebook.com /smexaminer author of Content Rules @mike_stelzner facebook.com/MarketingProfs @marketingprofs Shama Kabani CEO of Marketing Zen and author of Ching Ya The Zen of Social Media Marketing Social Media Enthusiast, Blogger www.marketingzen.com http://www.wchingya.com @shama @wchingya Jesse Stanchak Lead Editor of SmartBrief on Social Media facebook.com/smartbrief @SBoSM 21