by Bob Hazlett on February 24, 2010
PHP, Web and IT Stuff has a great tutorial on tracking Facebook Fan Page activity with Google Analytics. Yes, Facebook does have Insights tracking that any page administrator can access, but it only shows you data for fans and sometimes you’ll see a couple days delay in getting that information.
In short, here’s how they did it. Facebook pages will limit the amount of javascript that can be run on a page. Google Analytics requires javascript to work correctly. As a workaround, they’ve created a tool that allows you to embed your Google Analytics code in an image instead of using the standard javascript. You’ll have to create an image for each page you’d like to track. 
For example, if you have separate custom tabs set up on Facebook to display your products, talk about your services and give users an option to contact you, you’ll need 3 different image tag codes.
To get started, set up a Google Analytics account or add a new website profile if you already have one. Find your account number within the tracking code they provide. It will look something like UA-1234567-74. Finally, use their tool to create a custom image tag and then place it at the bottom of each page you need to track. FBML is a great tool to add HTML to your Facebook page.
If you’re super-cool, you can even host the code yourself. Hosting it yourself gives you the ability to see traffic to and from your site to your Facebook page.
The biggest benefits to using Google Analytics over the package that Facebook provides is the ability to track all users, not just the few that have become fans. Google also gives you all of the other functions like time on site, keyword tracking and map overlays.
by Bob Hazlett on December 22, 2009
Everyone and their brother seem to be doing online marketing and social media predictions for 2010 so I thought I’d dust off my crystal ball and take a deep look into what I think the new year will hold. In the spirit of your sanity I kept each prediction to 140 characters or less (I thought this was a novel idea, but it looks like TrendSpotting beat me to it). Let’s hope these are better than last year.
My predictions
- Everybody gets their own iPhone and mobile app. Sites like MotherApp, GameSalad and Swebapps make it too easy.
- Apple, Facebook or Google will open up and allow publishers to do micro transactions across web with ID & buy digital content everywhere.
- Google Nexus One phone = game changer. Google will disrupt wireless industry, create new business model for cell phones.
- Buzzword of the year will be “experience.” Companies figure how to create engaging touches & inject customer love in every level/dept.
- ^^ above companies forced to create small hybrid groups of PR, Mkting, HR & Cust Service focused on set of clients rather than specific duty
- Adwords gets a 2010 upgrade – smarter, better customer choice, maybe even image ads in results…gasp. Advertisers forced to get better.
- Advertisers & Marketers will put QR codes everywhere – ads, websites, physical products. Objects will all be connected & enhance experience.
- SEO gets disrupted because of personalized search and Google Caffeine. Folks who dominated will whine as they lose position.
Predictions from friends
- @clayhebert - Consolidation, mainstream adoption, snake oil exposed, budgets shift from trad to digital, real experts valued & rewarded
- @buckdaddy – Whrrl beat FourSqaure in location based social network. FTC rules will hurt 1 person badly like w music piracy. Available SM jobs will grow
- @jtrigsby – Multiple feeds will converge and enable filtering to produce a more usable life stream of information. Some are doing it now, look for more
- @skippytpe – Social games continue further into meat-space. Mobile media consumption continues to outstrip capacity. Revolution: there’s an app for that.
- @jtrigsby – Number of followers will become less important than quality of friends. Numbers will still be important though, so maybe friend tiers?
Give me your thoughts/predictions/wishes in the comments below.
by Bob Hazlett on September 8, 2009
