Monday, October 24, 2011

What Facebook’s New Subscribe Button Means for You

by Sidney Angelos

In what seems to be a battle of the titans between Facebook and Google+, the two social media giants are looking for ways to improve the user experience and broaden the ways users interact with one another and the web. One of the latest moves by Facebook was to add their new Subscribe Button
( https://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe). Now, users can get updates from people other than their friends and to choose what information appears in their news feed. This button is found alongside the Message and Poke buttons of a user’s profile.

You do not have to be an approved friend in order to subscribe to someone. This means that if your favorite celebrity or journalist allows subscriptions, you can follow the latest information that they share via Facebook. This move allows Facebook to replicate the functionality of Twitter and Google+ to follow individual users.
Additionally, this subscribe button allows you to unsubscribe from friends. (You are automatically subscribed to all of your friends.) If a friend becomes too frequent or of little interest on your news feed, you may simply unsubscribe from them. You will remain friends without having to receive constant updates.

Facebook is taking heed from Twitter’s success as well as the rapidly growing Google+ platform. It is currently working to rollout Timeline (http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline). Additionally, Facebook announced features that allow users to group friends and made privacy more prominent on the site (a move in an obvious reaction to the user-friendly Google+ Circles).

Keep in mind that the Subscribe Button is completely optional. You may choose to turn off the button in your settings and not subscribe to anyone else.

For businesses, it only makes sense to allow subscribers. You can enable subscriptions on your company’s profile page by simply following the steps listed on Facebook’s Subscribe Button page (https://www.facebook.com/about/subscribe). Many users have found increased traffic and improved search engine optimization results by simply adding this feature to their company page. Keep in mind that subscribers may only see information that you share publicly.

Like Twitter, the number of individuals subscribing to you, and the number of individuals you subscribe to, will appear on your profile. Keep in mind that friend requests will automatically be subscribed to your public updates unless you choose to turn the button off.

This new feature will allow individuals to customize their news feeds with only information that is important and relevant to them. It’s important for businesses to consider adding and utilizing their subscribe button in order to improve user engagement with their page. For business owners wishing to fully leverage the new option, it may be worth considering including the subscribe button in part of your overall integrated strategy. Consider making pushes for individuals to subscribe.

This will likely be one in many changes getting ready to occur for Facebook. Make certain that you are consistently keeping up with the latest trends in order to fully leverage your online brand. These changes are often viewed from the individual user experience level but it’s important to consider how each of Facebook’s changes may be leveraged to help your overall online marketing strategy. Consistently think of creative ways to use these new tools in order to attract and engage followers.

Remember, that fully leveraging your online presence can make a huge impact in your bottom line. However, it’s important to maintain your online presence as part of an overall marketing strategy. Consider your online presence as part of a growing conversation. Make sure you appear to be authentic and not trying to over sell your brand or product. A genuine online presence can significantly enhance your marketing strategy and help build your bottom line.  Are you looking to grow your online presence?