How To Use Facebook “Notes” To Get More Traffic

Small businesses and non-profits that have a Facebook page can leverage the Notes application to drive web traffic to their sites. Facebook currently lets Profile users import one RSS feed from a blog into their Facebook wall using the Notes application.

Here’s why this is powerful:

If you have 30 fans who each have 100 friends, your blog post will be seen by as many as 3,000 people. These blog posts appear both on profile walls and on the Home Page news feed.
The folks who have added your RSS to their notes have essentially endorsed you to their friends. This type social proof is a big part of what influences consumer buying decisions and which non-profits get support.

Three requirements for this to work:

You must have a blog with an RSS feed (most blogs have this).
Your content must be highly valuable. Again, the Notes application only allows for 1 RSS feed. Why should they choose yours?
You must have at least a small group of raving fans on Facebook. Do you know who these folks are? If not, get to know them.

If you’ve met these three requirements, then you’re good to go.

Simply ask your raving fans to add your blog’s RSS feed to their Notes app on their profile. Easy, huh? If you have blog with kick-ass content and fans who rave about you, then it’s that easy. They love you and will do anything to support your cause.

How to make this easy request

Assuming that you already know who these raving fans are, and assuming that they are already a “Fan” on your Facebook page, simply send an “update” to your fans with the following instructions.

You have my permission to copy and paste.
1. After adding the Notes Application to your profile, click on “Import a blog” under “Notes Settings”.

2. Enter the feed URL of our blog.

3. Click continue.

4. Within your profile’s Applications setting page, click “Edit settings” next to the Notes application. Configure how you’d like the feed to appear on your wall.

5. Click “Okay” and navigate back to your wall to see the latest blog post.

Finally, do not take the efforts of your fans for granted. Send a thoughtful and personal (not via page update, for goodness sake) message of thanks. Heck – send a postcard!

Rehydrate your inbox here. Send hate mail here.

Read more articles about Facebook, WordPress

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http://www.distilled.co.uk Lucy

Awesome! I was asked about this just yesterday and didn’t have a decent answer but this is perfect- thank you!
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Celina

This was great! Super helpful! If I can only figure out how to link Twitter to our Museum Facebook. It keeps linking to my personal profile.
http://www.givezooks.com steve

To get around the limitation of being able to only import one RSS feed into the Notes app, you could try setting up an aggregated feed using FriendFeed or SocialThing that tied together feeds from multiple nonprofits or business blogs and importing that feed into your Notes app.
http://www.candlesoffmain.com Sue Adams @ Candles Off Main

Thanks so much. Very helpful and concise. I like the graphics also. Takes the guesswork out of it. I’ll search your blog for the Twitter/Facebook connection info as well.
http://www.cowartandmore.com Kathy

John,
Thanks so much for the information. By far, this is the most useful thing I’ve found all day!

Kathy’s last blog post..Curious One – Only $30.00
http://mbopartners.com/consultingblog Lisa Kaneff

We are trying to add our blog to our Facebook page and apparently networkedblogs can’t be used on “pages” and the notes feature can’t either! Do you have any insight on getting our blog feed… feeding facebook?

Thanks!

Lisa Kaneff’s last blog post..Independent Consultant, or Unemployed Poser?
http://www.jumpinginpools.blogspot.com Matt

Hmmm… use that for my blog

Matt’s last blog post..Dr. Joe’s Tips on How to Attract a Mate
http://domestic-fashionista.blogspot.com Ashley @ Domestic Fashionista

Thanks! I was looking for how to do this…

From how it appears to me on facebook, I am able to see my blog feed but none of the pictures. Is that because I upload my pictures through blogger? Or does it have to do with my type of rss feed? I am using feedburner. Or is there something I can do within facebook to have the pictures appear?

Thanks!

Ashley @ Domestic Fashionista’s last blog post..Pillowcase Apron
green

In Step 4, how come I dont see any Wall tab in my Edit Note Settings?
http://graftongarlic.blogspot.com GGuy

I have the same issue as Ashley and Green — I use Blogger and my pictures do not come through to my Wall. I also don’t have a Wall tab on Notes Edit page. For me, some of the pictures are critical to the story. I will keep reading to see if there is another solution…

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Switch over to WordPress.

MeepMeep

I have Notes setup on a page, the issue I am having is not all my notes are being displayed onto the wall. The Notes Box picked up the initial posts upon submitting my RSS feed, as well as any new posts I added into my feed (within and hour).

The wall on the other hand only picked up four Notes upon initial submission of my feed, and one of the Notes was actually replicated, so technically it only picked up three. The wall hasn't updated with any new notes within a 24 hour period. I was under the impression that Notes would be posted on the wall as well, or was I wrong in this?

Thanks for any input.

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Good question. What did the folks say in the Facebook forum?

txlegz

This info must be from the old fb … I cannot find these screens anymore. The option to shorten the blog no long exists … If I am not looking in the right place p l e a s e advise… thanks!

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by “shorten the blog”?

txlegz

Thanks for following up.

I found out how to do it in wordpress because I found in fb the
removed that option.

I meant …. only send in the feed 2 sentences of the blog with a link
so that readers would click and go back to the blog site. I was
having comments on my blog … but it was on facebook instead of my
blog site.

There is a feature in WP where you write an exerpt or short summary
teaser and then under admin you can choose to send the entire blog or
the expert with link.

YAY figured it all out … but I do really appreciate your follow up!
Thank YOU!
txlegz

Thanks for following up.

I found out how to do it in wordpress because I found in fb the
removed that option.

I meant …. only send in the feed 2 sentences of the blog with a link
so that readers would click and go back to the blog site. I was
having comments on my blog … but it was on facebook instead of my
blog site.

There is a feature in WP where you write an exerpt or short summary
teaser and then under admin you can choose to send the entire blog or
the expert with link.

YAY figured it all out … but I do really appreciate your follow up!
Thank YOU!
http://www.alspaulding.com Al Spaulding

mind showing us how you did it? you didnt explain any details at all

http://vinni.co.in/ vinni

nice man! but i think notes no longer has the option to show only a preview. it shows the whole thing now ~

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Vinni – I'm confused. Did I say that notes only shows a preview?

http://www.dialme.com/ Ray

Thanks for the detailed instructions on how to make this work. I'll try this out for sure. Many thanks.

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

You're welcome, Ray!
http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

12for12k: hope – change – belief
——————–

Great groups of folks here. All working for good causes.

Click the link below to Join:
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please copy and paste it into your web browser

——————–

Members already on 12for12k
Richard Allan Marti Jr, Jon Aston, Suzanne Franco, Suzanne Tucker aka ZenMommy, Danny Brown

——————–

About 12for12k
12for12k is a social media-led charity initiative that aims to change the lives of millions worldwide.

72 members
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To control which emails you receive on the corner, or to opt-out, go to:
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http://widgia.com/ James

Great way to expose your feeds on Facebook, thank you John:)

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Thanks, James. Glad you found it helpful!

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http://www.blazingmoon.org/ Andy Giesler

Great post, thanks. I found it just in time for a Nonprofit Social Media presentation I gave last week to a group of volunteer coordinators. I shared the link with them since it's applicable to both Facebook and blogging questions.

In case it would be helpful to others, in August I posted a step-by-step guide to setting up a nonprofit Facebook page: http://www.blazingmoon.org/news/2009/08/create-…. I've updated it with reference to your post.

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Tanks, Andy. I'm sure people will find your post useful!

alandmei

Okay- I am an idiot and did this for my PERSONAL page, not the FAN page- I don't want my NPO's blog running through my page (honestly can only give so much!). How do I undo this for my Personal Page? Got it to work on the Fan Page (great post, thank you!)

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Just remove the app in settings.

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Name

seriously, this is driving me nuts, how do you reach step 4 application settings. When i get there it allows me to edit the settings of he notes application setup on my personal profile, not the one on the page… How do you get there? I hate FB navigation

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Make sure you're using the right search box for apps…

Name

My feed is showing up in the Notes section of the Facebook page but not on the Wall. Any suggestions?

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Go into the app and edit settings.

http://forgeflyer.com/ kris

Hi there,

I am importing my blog to my Fan Page but the links are not live. There is nothing to click on and nothing to click on to even get to the blog post itself. Any advice?

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

Make sure you're using the RSS feed and not the URL to your blog.

http://www.johnhaydon.com johnhaydon

12for12k: hope – change – belief
——————–

Great groups of folks here. All working for good causes.

Click the link below to Join:
http://12for12k.ning.com/?xgi=2LKfCpHq0VLWEC&xg…

If your email program doesn't recognize the web address above as an active link,
please copy and paste it into your web browser

——————–

Members already on 12for12k
Richard Allan Marti Jr, Jon Aston, Suzanne Franco, Suzanne Tucker aka ZenMommy, Danny Brown

——————–

About 12for12k
12for12k is a social media-led charity initiative that aims to change the lives of millions worldwide.

72 members
730 photos

——————–

To control which emails you receive on the corner, or to opt-out, go to:
http://12for12k.ning.com/?xgo=muQLIzF3Y3OwLHQZK…
http://www.socialfactory.net/ Facebook Applications

Awesome idea! Very creative and I never thought about this. I don’t do a large amount of social media marketing, however I love your tips and ideas to help myself and my clients benefit from additional traffic sources.
http://www.socialfactory.net/ Facebook Applications

Awesome idea! Very creative and I never thought about this. I don’t do a large amount of social media marketing, however I love your tips and ideas to help myself and my clients benefit from additional traffic sources.
rafael

Hi there John, I need your help.
I can't make to the stage 4, can't find this option and my notes are staying underneath.
best

http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

What did the Facebook help forumhave to say on this?

widgia

Great way to let my fans on FB stay up 2 date. Thanks Jonh for this tut.

http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

Anytime!

http://www.surfmarketing.co.uk/ Web Design Kent

Hmm. I’ve certainly found that Facebook is a good marketing tool. I’d be a little hesitant to target LSAT takers, though… once they’ve gotten a decent score on the LSAT, there’s no need for them to return… unless, of course, Steve launches a series of “surviving law school” courses. Having been through law school, I know that passing the LSAT is ultimately the least of a law student’s worries…
http://niceblogger.com/ NiceBlogger

This article is great,nice tips . Did you know that you can use FaceBook fan page notes to market your business ? I've just posted on my blog an article that shows to my readers 7 great ways to create facebook notesc that can market your business and grab attention ( http://niceblogger.com/2010/03/02/7-great-ways-… ) . I hope that you will not considerate my comment as spam , I've just hope that this article will be usefull for all FaceBook fans.
I really enjoy your blog. I've just bookmarked this article and added your blog to my Google RSS Reader.

Keep Posting!
Regards,
Bitu Mihai
niceblogger.com
golondon

Still can't find step 4 so think it's changed since 2009. Anyone know anything different? Can import a blog feed to the Notes tab but can't get it to appear on the Wall as that option (step 4) isn't available. (Aagh!) Can anyone help?
http://www.socialcubix.com/ Facebook Developers

No doubt Marketing is become one of the effective strategy for brands and Twitter is now also a part of social media so it won't hurt. Nice info
http://www.socialjitney.com/ Iphone Application Developer

I agree adding feeds is the best way to drive traffic to the websites. You can also do it on fan page via fan page applications.
brucedietzen

Just started importing my new blog into Facebook Notes and no matter what I try, Notes only displays half of the graphics images in the article… even if I shrink them down to thumbnail sizes… two our of fouor of the JPGs that show up fine in WordPress dont show up at all in Notes. ?????? Any ideas?

http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

No clue – I know some people have had that issue. What did the Facebook
forum say?

brucedietzen

Hi John. I only found one post at Facbook forum on the topic. It was someone with the same question snd nobody replied to him. He thought it might be related to IE8, which I use. My developers use Apples, and I use windows IE8. They said they could see the graphics, and could only see some of them. I eliminated the import, then changed the graphics on the WordPress blog, updated it, refreshed browsers, reinstated the import blog link in notes, and again had the same problem of only some of the graphics images displaying. I finally gave up and recreated the document directly in Notes, adding the HTML as needed. I had high hopes for using WordPress along with Notes… but alas. If this happens with IE8, thats a pretty big bug I'm guessing.
http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

I wish I could help. Another option is to use the NetworkedBlogs app.

Anarchy Andy

This technique rubs me the wrong way. It's kind of like asking readers of your blog to go to Blogger.com and set up other, identical blogs. The Notes feature is essentially a blogging app that allows Facebook users to compose articles longer than a wall post. It's generally assumed that you are posting your own work. Getting customers to RSS your work into their own blogs might work to spread your name, but as a Facebook user I'd have negative feelings toward any brand I saw coopting the system in this spammy way. If people want to share your blog posts they can post them as links, not sneak them in front of their friends through an inappropriate channel. It's not a huge offense, but it degrades the quality of Facebook for everyone and not something I would associate my brand with.

http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

Andy,

It would rub me the same way if I was stating that this tactic should be done as you describe (“Getting customers to RSS your work into their own blogs might work to spread your name, but as a Facebook user I'd have negative feelings toward any brand I saw coopting the system in this spammy way”)

However, I'm not recommending asking blog readers to RSS anything on their profiles – only the few select raving fans. And even then, only the ones that you know and trust.

Anarchy Andy

My concern isn't with offending the raving fans (although I would find the request to distribute posts via my blog rather brash). I don't think it's a horribly unethical tactic, just a bit ill-mannered. When my friend posts a note, Facebook informs me based on an algorithmic decision as to whether I might be interested in hearing what that person had to say. When these posts are not actually their voice, I'm being delivered content based on false premises. Facebook has a feature for sharing content you find interesting, and it's called “Links” (formerly “Posted Items”). There are many blogs of which I could be considered a raving fan, but setting my Notes application to automatically repost their syndicated content in my name is the wrong way to show it. There are much worse offenses one could commit in the realm of social marketing, but in my opinion, a brand using this tactic would have the appearance of a clumsy Facebook outsider at best.

classiccoolcars

Thanks for providing some useful resources to increase traffic via Facebook. In my experience, it takes a long time and using a variety of methods.I am new to this blog and learned too much regarding website traffic.Hope to see such a informative stuff in future!!
Classic Cool Cars For Sale at http://www.cheapcoolcars.net/
http://www.truckzcar.com/usedtrucks semi trucks

what an example.. surely the traffic diverted towards the blog will be in the same passion as that of the snap shown here.

http://www.johnhaydon.com John Haydon

Huh?

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Nancymarketsyou

John, I'm having the same issue as a number of these folks. I'm using WordPress and I want the blog entries to show up on my Fan Page WALL, not the Notes section. Why, oh why does this not work? I have tried everything I can, and still can't get the Blog entries to go to my Facebook WALL. HELP!!!
http://twitter.com/seansabourin Sean Sabourin

I'm having my images show up in my Facebook notes. Any thoughts?
http://www.sarasotahomesforsalenow.com Sarasota Realtor Mike Payne

Thanks, John, for a great (illustrated) post. Of course, FB has changed some things since you published this post, yet I couldn't figure out how to get NOTES to publish to my BIZ page wall. Your post answered my question.

Especially, I appreciate the visuals. I'm very tech-savvy but pictures clarify.

Mike
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Celina – I have a post on linking Facebook & Twitter. Just search my blog.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Steve – Excellent point – thanks you! Any feed can be used in Notes. It all depends upon where you want people to go – directly to the blog, or a choice of social sites.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Sue – Thanks. Here’s the post called “How To Link Your Twitter and Facebook Pages For Social Media Sanity“
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Kathy – Glad it was helpful. Feel free to post the link on your Facebook profile.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Lisa – Notes can be used on Pages and Profiles. You have to add the application first, then add the RSS feed.
http://www.corporatedollar.com johnscotthaydon

@Ashley – My notes published pics to Facebook through my RSS feed just fine. It could be Blogger.
http://www.staffingpower.com/ powerstaffing46

Hii im james and i just want to say that. u have good knowledge about this. i searched of ur blog and it is very interesting.
stax242

http://www.facebook.com/alexander.hepburn?v=box…