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| Albe Zakes |
Digitally savvy audiences, who turn to Facebook and Twitter to catch up with friends or the latest headlines, are making it more challenging for communicators to cut through the clutter and get their messages heard. In the following Q&A, Albe Zakes, global VP of media for “upcycling” company TerraCycle, shares strategies to get your message heard—and shared—in this oversaturated media environment. Zakes will discuss Facebook Timeline, engagement tactics and more at PR News’ Social Media Summit on June 22 in New York City.
PR News: What best practices can you share for maximizing the use of Facebook's Timeline?


Albe Zakes: The switch to the new Facebook Timeline includes some nifty new features that brand pages should be able to use immediately. At the top of the new page, Facebook apps are featured in a way that you’re able to put your most important apps first. This allows you to keep your most relevant or timely promotions top of mind. Facebook followers can also now directly message page administrators, allowing page managers to take customer service issues off the public page.
PR News: How have you updated TerraCycle's content strategy to adapt to Facebook Timeline?
Zakes: A key component for the Facebook Timeline design is the emphasis on the visual content. So posts that have visual content will gain more engagement than any other type of posts. With these and other changes to the Facebook Timeline, it is now best to post more than once or twice a day due to—among other reasons—the short time frame people will be able to see posts. Once a day will no longer be enough due to the changes in the EdgeRank algorithm and similar ranking programs.


PR News: How do you measure social media success?


Zakes: There are so many different routes to measure success in the digital age. For us an obvious indicator is Web traffic back to our main site, but also to our e-commerce site. Within the social networks themselves, we judge the success of any post by how often they are shared or retweeted. Getting people to share to their networks creates great reach and provides a more organic, trustworthy feel to the content. If people decide to share, it becomes a third-party certification of sorts.

PR News: What’s one key tip you’ll offer attendees at PR News' Social Media Summit?


Zakes: Marketing strategies in the 21st century are changing dramatically. Your audience is more connected, more educated and even better at ignoring advertising. Finding unique ways to reach your consumers through a variety of touch points from social networks to gaming to local supermarket is crucial for your brand’s success.
Attend PR News’ Social Media Summit on June 22 in New York City and learn more strategies from social media experts like Albe Zakes.
Follow Regina D’Alesio: @reginadalesio