Brands gain traction on Facebook by sharing someecards

Someecards are some of the most shared pieces of content by Facebook users, but brands are getting into the mix too. Facebook users love to talk about pop culture and crack jokes, and someecards has been a vehicle for companies to get into that conversation without appearing as if they're trying to make a sale. Someecards Co-Founder and CEO Duncan Mitchell recently spoke with Inside Facebook about how brands are getting closer to their fans and potential customers through these humorous cards. Mitchell said that someecards.com sees between 1.5 million and 2 million visits per month from Facebook. The site gives them reports on 40 million impressions per month, but Mitchell estimated that when taking into account cards that are not shared to Facebook directly from the site, someecards is responsible for more than 100 million impressions per month. Brands are taking notice. Someecards has worked with companies such as Ford, Bravo, LG and ABC to create branded cards that blend humor with an advertising message that doesn't feel like a pitch. These branded cards are the main way the site makes money. It's a win-win. Through these someecards, brands can connect with fans and create highly shareable content, but not make it seem like a pitch. Mitchell talked with Inside Facebook about how someecards works with brands: I think most of the companies we've worked with have really embraced the spirit of what we do, which is that the cards are always communication rather than advertising. They're cobranded — the company gets the credit for the concept, but they really have let us come up with fun and creative ways to communicate about their product. Not even directly about the product, but more about the mindset of the consumer. When brands post these cards, they get shared easily. However, some brands don't really use someecards right. Many times, companies and pages on Facebook will share a someecard just to get more engagement, but there's no link back to someecards or any kind of credit given. Mitchell said that someecards wants to work with brands to create content that will really resonate with their fans: People are using our content to communicate and it's just become a standard type of communication for certain people. Whether it's a birthday or just something funny that they want to share, I think we're always in the conversation with social networks such as Facebook and Pinterest and Twitter. I think like everything else on the web — the movie industry, the record industry — you take a few different approaches as to how you deal with people sharing it the way you want people to share it and people not sharing it the way you want to share it. Mitchell emphasized that those who do use someecards to create branded content have really resonated with their fans because these posts aren't about a product or a brand. It's not trying to push a product, and fans realize that. He talked about how the personal, conversational approach may not lead to conversions, but it humanizes a Facebook page: We created a tone that was somewhat original, but also because it’s in the e-card format. We use the words I, we, us, you, they, them — all these personal pronouns that make the card something that you either want to say, “Oh, I know somebody like that,” or “That’s so me,” or “These people annoy me,” or “I’m totally like this.” I think that was another thing, making things personal. If you want things to share well on social networks, making things personal is always a good idea because that’s the way people are talking. Readers: How often do you share a someecard?

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Brands gain traction on Facebook by sharing someecards

Justin Lafferty

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Justin Lafferty