Facebook eCommerce Strategy - I Don't Like Not Knowing What to Like!

[JerDoggMckoy]

Hello, I would like to incorporate Facebook features into our eCommerce website, and I am looking for help on the most effective method of doing this for an eCommerce website.

Current Facebook Page Fans - 250
Monthly eCommerce Website Visitors - 10k

I'm a little embarrassed about how "uneducated" I am with social networking and strategy, and I wanted to make this a private question, but then I realized, sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and trust that the community you trust will be there also to train.

This is where I get confused:

Should our eCommerce pages be focusing on getting people to "Like" the actual individual product pages of our eCommerce website? Or should we be getting them to like our Facebook page of only 250 fans currently.

We used to have an older Facebook like button that just says like, be the first of your friends, etc. We get very little 'likes' interactions on the individual product pages. Then as I was installing the Facebook Facepile application directly underneath that, I realized my problem as shown in screen shot 1.

I have one like button to like that unique product page. Then I have a Facepile application that shows Facepiles of people who have liked our Facebook page, but then above it says be the first of your friends to like. . . . Then it dawned on me, the new Facebook like buttons feature a send ability and they also show the facepile (I think), so I should consolidate the two applications into one, and just install the new Facebook like button shown in screen shot 2. But then I had to decide whether to have people like the product pages or to have them like our Facebook fan page.

To summarize, I guess I need help with the best strategy. I hope that's not as confusing to read as it was to write.

facebook.jpg facebook-2.jpg

[JerDoggMckoy]

Quick update/edit - I just noticed when toying with the idea of creating the Like Button, that the XFBML version, which I would prefer to use, has the Like button default to the current page, so at that point I don't think we could use this button to have them like our facebook page.

[RyanKent]

There are several approaches you can take and you are free to decide which option would be best for your site.

• You can add a Like button for your Facebook page. In general, I would recommend adding this button once per site on your home page. This is enough to make visitors aware you have a facebook page. I like to also provide a link to the facebook page as well. I use a block which shows visitors 8 - 12 images of their facebook users who have liked the website.

• You can add a Like button for a particular page. Pressing this button will post a link to the page on the visitor's facebook wall and let their friends know they like your site.

• You can add a Like button to areas within a page. For example, a forum can add a Like button to every post. An eCommerce site like yours can add a Like button next to individual products.

Social sharing is very impulsive. My best recommendation would be to place the sharing buttons close to where a visitor might see something they wish to share.

Also, I would definitely include Twitter in your social sharing solution. Lastly, Google +1 is something that I have included and view quite positively. The SEO community seems a bit split as whether or not to embrace Google's +1.

[Cyle]

Facebook Likes help, but "shares" are where you get SEO value.  So, you might consider making sure your product pages have a facebook & twitter share button.  This will increase your SEO and Brand awareness, food for thought.

here is a link the Rands Webinar on the future of link building: http://www.seomoz.org/webinars/future-of-link-building

Rand goes into greater detail on the value of facebook shares in this Webinar.

[JerDoggMckoy]

Thank you both! Great video Cyle, that's exactly what I was looking for.