Facebook Marketing is a tough game. How do you get people to take you seriously and build relationships with you on a platform created for college kids?
Justin Levy has a great book on the subject called Facebook Marketing (Amazon Affiliate Link) and I’m not going to take anything away from his book. I’m just going to throw my theory out there.
But first, some history.
Disclaimer: I am not making up anything in the paragraphs to come.
Admiral Ackbar was born and raised on the world of Mon Calamari. After graduating from school, he quickly became the representative for his native Coral Depths City in the Mon Calamari Council. The Empire took Ackbar prisoner during their raid and slaughter of Mon Calamari and he was presented as a slave to Grand Moff Tarkin.
It was while in slavery for Moff Tarkin that Ackbar learned of the rebellion spreading across the galaxy. He made sure he took detailed notes of the Empire’s military operations which he would eventually bring back to the Alliance to aide in the Empire’s fall on Endor (it was also Ackbar who first learned of the Death Star plans).
When Ackbar achieved the rank of commander in the Alliance forces, he oversaw the Verpine production of the B-wing starfighter, code-named Project Shantipole. Ackbar managed to convince the Verpine to join the Alliance. For the delivery of the Verpine and the B-wings to the Rebellion, Ackbar was promoted to Admiral by Mon Mothma (link to her Wookiepedia page, yep, it’s a real thing).
He had a long and prosperous career with the Galactic Alliance forces and eventually died of old age on the eve of the Yuuzhan Vong War’s end.
But you don’t care about any of that, do you? All you care about is the one line he uttered in Return of the Jedi.
“It’s a trap!”
Which leads me to:
The Admiral Ackbar Philosophy of Facebook Marketing
You can have the greatest, most in-depth and eloquently written story in history, but no one will care unless you get their attention.
You have to engage and make people want to learn more about you. Give them a reason to read more about you.
But how do you do that?
WWAD
What would Ackbar do? It’s a good question to ask. There are 5 things we can learn from Admiral Ackbar and his stickiness in the Star Wars universe.
1. Keep It Short
“It’s a trap.” Three little words and Ackbar’s future was set. People get tattoos of him, make videos of him, even motioned for him to be the new Ole Miss mascot from those three little words (a total of eight letters). When’s the last time you wrote copy that was shorter than 500 words? Boil your message down to what your readers/fans really need to know.
Essence: Be a good friend rather than a good salesman.
2. Be Clear
It’s very apparent what Admiral Ackbar is talking about and why he is bringing attention to it. Make sure your Facebook page isn’t littered with useless tabs and ads and boxes. Make it clear to your fans why you have a presence on Facebook and why it will benefit them.
Essence: Get to the point quickly, and the point better be about your fans.
Which leads me to…
3. Be Helpful
There’s nothing more helpful than warning someone they’re walking into a trap and then helping them get out of it. Your page should be full of useful information, but (and here’s the kicker) it has to be useful to your fans, not just yourself. A survey of market demographics may help you get a better grip on who is coming to your page and why, but rarely will someone glance away from Farmville long enough to answer your questions.
Essence: Whether it’s coupons or a helpful community in which to interact, make sure your page is useful to your followers.
4. Be Fun
From Family Guy to Robot Chicken, there have been tons of Admiral Ackbar spoofs and memes. It may sound juvenile, but try to have some fun. Social media isn’t a place for the stuffy business-talk of Fort Office. Open up to your fans, play games with them. The Old Spice Youtube ads didn’t garner so much attention because they were perfectly formed and very serious. Think about it.
Essence: If people enjoy their time with you, they are more likely to come back.
5. Be Shareable
“It’s a trap” is quick to say and recognizable among Star Wars fans. Make sure your information is easily shareable. There are few things more frustrating than loving a blog post and wanting to share it with others and not being able to simply. Make sure your Facebook efforts are “Like”able, Tweet-able, and any other form of sharing your followers engage in. Sometimes it even helps create contests based around sharing ideas and videos. Let you fans do the work for you.
Essence: A lot of times we want to share what we find, make it easy.
There are many pitfalls and…well….traps along the path to successful Facebook Marketing. “Well ________does it like this,” or “I haven’t seen ________ do that,” or “What’s the ROI of that?” (yuck).
If you need help navigating the galaxy of Facebook Marketing contact me. Let me be your Ackbar. I’ll be sure to lead you around the traps and help get your starship to safety.
P.S. Admiral Ackbar has already clicked the Facebook “Like” button on this post. Don’t make him cry his fish tears. I promise it’s not a trap.
Tags: Admiral Ackbar, Facebook Marketing, Old Spice, Star Wars, Youtube
Another thing that Ackbar was known for was the Ackbar Slash. I think you could have also added "Be Innovative", don't do things the same way everytime and bore your followers. Keep them expecting the unexpected. If you can't offer them something they haven't seen before, they may not feel like they need to come to you at all.
I love the Star Wars themed post, great job!
I don't know much about Ackbar but I like what you've said about Facebook. I think a #6 thing to keep in mind is that Facebook is the ultimate self-expression tool: people can make their own page, tell the world what they're doing, and show what brands or companies they follow.
Keeping this in mind, companies need to post things keeping in mind, "How am I going to help my fans express themselves?" If they are deal-chasers, offer deals. If they like to know the most about something, offer them good content. If they like to be seen, offer good discussion starters
I like your thinking Henry. A lot of companies need a shift in their thinking and to realize that when it comes to almost any social media platform "it's about the customers." Whatever you post, whatever you offer, make sure it is something useful/helpful/entertaining/etc. If you help people define themselves, they will ultimately include you in that definition.
Thanks for the great point!
You had me at "Admiral Ackbar." More Star Wars!!!
I might also suggest adding "be a rebel" - as Ackbar was. Staying on the straight and narrow only works for so long. Eventually, you're going to have to rebel and start doing things your own way. You might not have your own Death Star to destroy, but you will have people who want you to do it their way. Rebel and do it your way (authenticity!)
As soon as I read that I wanted to throw my arms up in the air and yell, "Why didn't I think of that?" but the answer to the question is that "That's the reason I have a great community and friends, to help me fill in the gaps."
If this post ever becomes a manifesto, "Be A Rebel" is definitely going into the list.
You can also expect more Star Wars things cause I'm a huge Star Wars nerd. Maybe a "Lando's Lessons for LinkedIn" or "R2-D2 on Squidoo". I could do a whole series of Star Wars characters explaining social platforms.
articles they are interested in. using headlines,…
numerical lists, bullets, pictures, and graphic elements is a great way to increase your blog’s readability and organize your ideas. these elements allow readers to get a quick idea on what issues you are tackling in your blog posts.underline your lin…
for more click here…
[...]we like to honor other sites on the web, even if they aren’t related to us, by linking to them. Below are some sites worth checking out[...]…
click here…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]…
Amazing site…
I really liked your blog, thanks for sharing this useful information……
most people head straight for the bullet…
points. your reader is looking for a solution and most of the time they want it right now! so give it to them quickly and format your blog post in a way that they can easily scan your post to find…
visit…
[...]while the sites we link to below are completely unrelated to ours, we think they are worth a read, so have a look[...]…
http://ledgrowlightsnow.webs.com/…
I saw this blog come up on Google reader today, have you……
visit…
[...]while the sites we link to below are completely unrelated to ours, we think they are worth a read, so have a look[...]…
piece of writing. consider it a challenging…
task of turning an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, or an ugly frog into a handsome prince. attitude is the key! good mind setting is the first step. but if you keep on refusing to write or allowing yourself to…
Great information…
This is first-class. A good stare upon site’s unwanted when we are stupefied. We are attracted to this sort of organisms. Two of us appreciate your custom put, and charge the effort inside this. Please keep control. These are indeed terrific informati…
course of action to get the kind…
of results that you’re looking to get from this endeavor. this guide will certainly help you:first, create an impressive signature. this is the one that you would want other people in the forum to click on after they’ve read your posts….
online dating websites…
Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Superb choice of colors!…
it really can be. but you should…
think about a few things as you are writing.first, what are you trying to accomplish with your blog? this should be covered in your “about” section. this is a great exercise to help you to define yourself for the audience, but…
click here…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]…
wondering, how you can become famous quick,…
reality tv has made it possible for many people to achieve their goal. in this modern world of internet, almost all of us know about google adsense. thousands of sites are now monetized with google adsense. when we visit a blog…
figure out the best keywords to target,…
always consult trusted keyword suggestion tool before you even start writing your articles. you should target one primary and two secondary keywords. use these just once or twice for every 100 words to avoid exceeding the acceptable keyword density. so…
read more…
[...]just below, are some totally unrelated sites to ours, however, they are definitely worth checking out[...]…
and affordable content writing services. you will…
get dependable services from the content writers from india who are available at cost-effective rates. they will work within time and will make timely project deliveries. hence, you will not face any problem when executing your work.the internet is ful…
in internet marketing, online marketers now also…
have to learn how to write good content for social media sites. ever heard the phrase “content is king”? well, it is true for social media marketing just as it is true for seo.in order for your social media marketing efforts…
read more…
[...]just below, are some totally unrelated sites to ours, however, they are definitely worth checking out[...]…
name in your industry.now that you have…
a big blog you are ready to make some money. a great way to make money is to build an e-mail list. you can do this by offering a free report or something along those lines. just get out there and…
attempts at humor that fall flat on…
their face. this type of gear is equivalent to thinking you can win a race by running super fast at the beginning-unfortunately, you will quickly run out of steam while the other runners who paced themselves will soon overcome you. similarly,…
different books, with completely different approaches to…
science and culture but all three are examples of old school, pure sci-fi. the thread that connects them isn’t only the science but the realism of the possibilities entailed. so when looking for a quality book, full of thought provoking issues…
enough it is down the trying to…
escape. setting a routine writing schedule is always a good idea and then sticking to it will only help you in the long run.these examples are a good starter for the inevitable writers’ block that always finds a way to show…
click here…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]…
habits for healthy skin — most writers…
are comfortable with researching and writing on a wide variety of subjects. however, make sure you find freelance writers who have worked on projects of similar length, focus, and voice.3. interview multiple freelance writers the best way to feel comfo…
Tumblr article…
I saw a writer talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……