Failure tactics 9 and 10
Limit to Facebook.com
There's no longer reason to think that social means having content or applications live exclusively on Facebook.com. Facebook Connect means social applications can live almost anywhere -- your website, mobile devices such as iPhones, etc.
For example, when MTV was looking to promote the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, it reached out to users to vote on their favorite movies. But rather than limit votes to movie fans who visit MTV's Facebook page, MTV developed a Facebook Connect-enabled widget that could live on the company's own website at MTV.com, as well as on partner sites, such as Flixster and IMDB. As a result, 7 million people saw the branded widget, and more than 100,000 votes were cast for favorite movies.
Ignore human nature
The best applications, even branded ones, consider integrating game mechanics, which are not only for successful games but tie into human nature. Simple game elements that tie into people's desire for reward, status, achievement, self-expression, competition, or altruism tend to help applications succeed.
For example, with Random Acts of Prius, Toyota looks to engage customers by enabling them to be expressive by tying into acts of altruism. The application also includes leader boards, which foster competition, and provides users rewards for completing multiple acts.
Building a comprehensive social strategy and developing compelling applications doesn't happen overnight. Brands should find comfort in the fact that even the most successful programs are often the result of an incremental, crawl-walk-run strategy that allows for gradual investment and regular iteration.
Kevin Barenblat is co-founder and CEO of Context Optional.
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