Facebook Connect

The newest addition to the Facebook platform has begun to make an impact and is reaching beyond the major corporate players like CNN and Red Bull. Small, medium and large businesses are starting to realise that there are many benefits available. Here are just some of the reasons that you should consider making Facebook Connect part of your online presence:

Boost signup
Facebook Connect offers a simple and streamlined method for users to join your site without filling out a large form. Facebook Connect can make unprecedented amounts of information available, allowing users to create an individual profile on your site with a click of their mouse. For users who are tired of completing large forms in order to sign up to websites, Facebook Connect represents the removal of one of the most significant psychological barriers and increases the potential for more signups to your site. Additionally, granular privacy controls are supported by Facebook, providing users with another level of personal protection and peace of mind.

Promotions referrals & rewards
Promotions are an excellent way to engage users in a direct fashion, generate relevant leads, grow your sales and build your fan base! Utilise Facebook Connect’s ability to build creative and innovative online promotions that allow you to reach not only your existing users, but to extend your reach into their social networks!  It’s simple for any organisation to run referral promotions and offer incentives to users. Facebook Connect can be integrated with your user management system to facilitate signup and accurately track referrals to your site. This means that not only can you setup and run a good promotional campaign, but you will also be able to gain valuable and accurate metrics that help you to determine the quality of your promotions and continue to refine your offering. If you want to encourage competitive interaction create a promotion that pits friend against friend and watch your engagement, reach and viral exposure grow! If you’re having trouble coming up with a suitable promotion relevant to your users then speak to an experienced Facebook agency before your competitors get the edge you deserve.

Integrated feeds
Don’t force your brand onto Facebook, let users take it there! You will achieve far greater cut through when a user publishes a feed to their friends or invites them to engage with your offering through Facebook Connect than if you place an advert on Facebook. Become a part of the social interaction not an unnecessary billboard. Users are inquisitive and interested in what their friends are doing, talking about and buying, take advantage of this.

Ecommerce advantages
Few online businesses stand to gain as much from Facebook Connect as Ecommerce websites. Ecommerce websites typically have a large amount of users but apart from common promotions like email marketing, promo codes, reward points & bundles; ecommerce businesses often lack truly engaging and viral promotional avenues. With the advent of Facebook Connect Ecommerce websites can now run highly measurable and engaging promotions. For example, giving users the ability to recommend products to their friends in order to receive points per referral or inviting friends to join in exchange for receiving a $20 gift certificate when their friend makes their first purchase. Smart Ecommerce brands and agencies are already considering how to utilise Facebook Connect to upgrade their promotional firepower.

The web today is as much about social interaction and connectivity as it is about information and email. Savvy online businesses need to ensure that they stay at the forefront of developing trends and that they pay attention to user trends. Facebook Connect could be an invaluable tool when incorporated into your online offering. For those looking for even more, other great implementations include:

www.citysearch.com
www.joost.com
www.digg.com
www.hulu.com
www.twitter.com
www.techcrunch.com