Facebook Login, Again a Conversions Boost

I've written about the benefits of using Facebook connect as a registration path: 1. it’s becoming universal and therefor familiar 2. users are more likely to pass information through via Facebook than to a new site 3. it expedites the flows and therefore improves conversions 4. it about more than efficiency. For instance: you can add the facepile for conversions, mobile flows can occur with a phone number (rather than an email address), etc 5. it expedites and simplifies mobile logins (both applications and mobile web)

Here is yet another example: I often stare at login screens and wonder which email / password combination is right. In this example (Groupon), I entered the wrong email / username, and it auto-corrected me based on my Facebook information:

Hulu Gives Away a Month of Hulu Plus for Facebook Connect

After my rather public Netflix cancellation , I was lured into Hulu Prime with their Facebook Connect promotion: a free month of Hulu Prime if you connect your Hulu account to Facebook. Smart for Hulu because it's smart for me: - Hulu Prime is a better product with Facebook Connect. Browse is better. Recommendations are better. And it is more fun.

- The value of me being socially connected is absolutely worth a free month to Hulu. Again, better data and virally shared content.

- It is an instant reward (of decent value) for a instant social share (of greater value). The moment I start my account, it is shared on Facebook and that alerts my network that I am a Hulu Prime user and that I got a free month (so they should too).

- ... And the math obviously says that the cancellation rate must be far lower than the continuation rate.

Consequently, this is a better way for Hulu to run an introductory promotion (as compared to 25% or 1st month free) and it's a more compelling experience for me (even better for Hulu).

Use Facebook Connect to Eliminate Mobile App Registration, Login

I have two mobile application pet peeves: 1. when the first thing I see is a registration flow. 2. and when the registration doesn't use Facebook's steamlined flow. The goal for app developers is to convert downloads into users - and then drive repeat usage. Obviously conversion efficiency is critical ... and each incremental step is an opportunity for drop-off.

Facebook's new mobile Connect flow is a huge improvement and significantly better than asking new users to enter account information. There are two important options:

First, Facebook allows users to connect by running Facebook as a background application. How this works: when a users Connects with Facebook, Facebook opens as a new background application and asks the users for publishing permissions. Importantly, the user never needs to enter / type information AND the application automatically toggles to and from Facebook for authentication.

Second, you can also login directly to Facebook... and in addition to the email address, users can login using their mobile number. This is effective because:

1. your 10 digit phone number is likely shorter than your email address 2. typos are far less likely on the number keypad

Here is an example of Groupon's iPhone app automatically toggling to Facebook for authentication:

The only action by the user is agreeing to the normal publishing requests (using Living Social as the example):

And login via email or phone number:

Facebook's Comment System is Important. Here's why.

Facebook rolled out their long-awaited commenting system today. Like other publishers, I immediately installed it on my blog (just scroll down a little and try it out)... here's why it's important: 1. Identity. Plain and simple: Facebook's authenticated login reduces spam and therefore increases quality. Say goodbye to SEO spam, trolling, etc. I am sure Cialis comments will come over time ... but Facebook social graph highlights relevant comments and friends.

2. Traffic. Facebook's comments publish both ways, integrates into the notification systems and will equate to increased publisher traffic. Whether comments occur on the publisher site or on Facebook - the content moves in both directions. That's a big win:

A comment ocurring on Facebook.com - notice the page title and URL are pulled into the feed:

I replied on Facebook and that content also appears on the blog. win-win:

Facebook Connect As a Registration & Login Flow

Reading OM's article "My web without Facebook Connect", I was reminded of an blog post I recently wrote and regularly reference ("Facebook as a conversion tool: registration flows."). OM's point is that so many sites now use Facebook as a registration / login path that it has become an integral part of accessing the web: "a day without Facebook, is quickly making the web unusable."

Inverted, that also says using Facebook within in the registration and login flows is important:

1. it's becoming universal and therefor familiar 2. users are more likely to pass information through via Facebook than to a new site 3. it expedites the flows and therefore improves conversions 4. it about more than efficiency. For instance: you can add the facepile for conversions, mobile flows can occur with a phone number (rather than an email address), etc

And from the consumer perspective, I prefer it: it's easier / faster and I can change passwords / access universally (more secure).

It's All About Personalization (2011)

Two years ago (somehow it's been that long), I gave 20 predictions for digital media & e-commerce in 2009. This year, I am going to do it slightly differently and write individual posts about various themes / predictions in 2011. You can follow them at the tag "predictions". Today's is simple: it's all about personalization. I was reminded this yesterday while spending the day at the-very-exciting ShoeDazzle (note: Polaris is an investor, and you can see more about ShoeDazzle on TechCrunch TV). ShoeDazzle has built a business in part on great product, in part on a great & differentiated shopping experience, and also in part on the power of personalized & social shopping.

And I was reminded again this morning by an email from Gilt Group which looks different than their ordinary daily emails. Rather than a list of today's deals, the email noted items available for my specific shoe size (based on a Gilt purchase months ago). Among a slew of unread emails (some important, some not; some shopping, some personal) - Gilt's stood out because it spoke directly to me.

And as folks' like Gilt look for ways to resonate with their customers, drive conversion efficiency and optimize everything from the experience to search results to the pixel's creating an ad unit... personalization will be the differentiator. In addition, personalization has the opportunity to improve more than the middle of the funnel (conversions) - it can affect the top of the funnel through virality.

Facebook, Twitter and the loads of data that we each produce (and the companies sit atop) enable personalization is ways that previously were not possible. Some of those solutions are out-of-the-box scripts and widgets - others will be baked directly into the product, experience and brand.

If it wasn't a core discussion for you in 2010, personalization should be in 2011. And it should be a discussion for each component of the organization: what does it mean for:

- Product - User acquisition: advertising, virality and social - Conversions & retention: email marketing, search, customer support, landing pages

Predators Uses Facebook Connect to "Blow Up Your Friends' Heads"

This is one of the more creative and fun Facebook Connect implementations. Predators - a surprisingly good movie, promise! - launched a Facebook viral campaign in conjunction with their national launch two weeks ago (opened at #2). In theme with the movie, you are able to "blow up the heads" of your Facebook friends... Which also makes this the bloodiest Connect implementation (at least that I've seen). It lacks some polish but I give credit for the creativity:

Using your Facebook friend list, choose which friends are privileged enough to partake:

Then you have the option of sharing the results via the newsfeed and your friends wall.

The key to driving clicks through the feed are: visuals, catchy content and personalization. This has all of those... Wouldn't curiosity drive you to click the following post?

Microsoft's "Office Social Connector" (aka Facebook Connect for Outlook) is Great

But tying together the web's most visited site (Facebook) with arguably the most important communication platform (email) is both natural and a long time coming. And with this week's announcement of Microsoft's 'Outlook Social Connector' , your social graph can now be connected to Outlook's email, contact and calendaring systems. The plugin is essentially Facebook Connect within Microsoft Outlook and it is a natural, powerful and simple integration. The Social Connector pulls in Facebook profile information from those email correspondents: Facebook icon, profile link, metadata and the ability to add them either as a Facebook friend and/or Outlook contact. More importantly, you can synchronize contacts with Outlook and enrich your already existing contacts.

In addition to providing data / actions around each contact, the Connector aggregates communication history for correspondent's. Its navigation pane allows you to toggle between: - aggregated / commingled communication history - meeting history - attachments - Facebook activity feeds

Lastly, Microsoft has opened the platform with "a public SDK allows anyone to build a connection to business or consumer social networks"... which means that this can become more than just Facebook (ie LinkedIn, Yelp, Crunchbase, etc). And although developers are currently enamored with Apple and Google, email - and specifically Outlook - represent significant usage, relatively light application competition, and therefore a beacon of opportunity. And despite being (supposedly) difficult to develop against, this should attract significant developer attention.

Apple Actively Promoting Facebook App Store Page

As I have written numerous times before: "finding" (ie search and filtering) becomes exponentially more difficult as inventory grows. Apple's app gallery faces this problem (as do giants like eBay, Amazon, etc). For instance, it is already challenge to discover great iPad apps.... which has far fewer apps available than the iPhone.

Short of implementing Facebook Connect within iTunes and the app store (which would be the ideal solution) - Apple has started to really push the "App Store" page on Facebook. It is a partial solution at merchandising via Facebook and the fans... and, more importantly, it is a way to see which apps are being shared by your friends. Of course, this assumes two large things: 1) that Apple's merchandising on the page is sufficient; and 2) that users actively share their favorites.

While it is far from ideal, they are certainly pushing the effort (see the direct email campaign below) and hopefully thinking about a deeper integration.

Sharing via the Facebook App Store Page

Apple's Direct Email: Join the App Store Page on Facebook

The App Store Page