The other day, I made a quick blog post on Linkedin and it ended up busting as I posted the wrong link. I tried editing the post, but even then, it was not adjusting, and had to delete and redo the post. This got me thinking about Open Graph Protocol and led me down effective posts on different platforms and understand different strategies marketers can use in order to improve their storytelling.
Open Graph TLDR:
Open Graph is a protocol used to integrate web pages with social media, enhancing how content appears when shared. It involves adding meta tags to the HTML <head> section of your webpage and defining properties. These tags help control the appearance of links on social networks, ensuring better engagement and visibility. Without Open Graph tags, social platforms generate previews automatically, often with suboptimal results. Using these tags, you can make your content more appealing and clickable when shared.
I came across Colby Fayock’s simple explanation 4 years ago of Open Graphs where he summarized that a post could look similar to this:
And in using Open Graph, instead, it would be more enticing to look such as this:
Let’s do a refresh on leveraging Open Graph on how the user base is currently using this protocol.
Nowadays, it’s not just about the four basic tags: og:title, og:type, og:image, and og:url to make your page unique from the rest of your homepage or post. It’s about how you can apply the same mechanics on tagging so your audience becomes more portable across other platforms.
Yesterday’s approach:
Traditional social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter rely on closed social graphs. This means they control all the data and limit how users and applications interact with it. In the world of digital marketing, this means double the effort and resources as each platform tries to lock you in.
Today’s approach: Tracking social graph onchain using frames
Onchain social has revamped the script by leveraging open graph protocols. Frames is an extension of ‘og’ mentioned above. An open graph protocol essentially creates a standard way to represent social connections and data, but this time, onchain, and across multiple open social graphs. Think of it as a common language for onchain social platforms to communicate and share information. This allows for:
- Interoperability: Users can connect and follow each other across different onchain social platforms, even if they're built on different platforms as long as they share the same chain.
- Data Ownership: Users control their data and can choose what information to share with applications.
- Innovation: Developers can build new applications and features that leverage the open social graph, fostering a more dynamic ecosystem.
- Actionable (via Frames): Creating a post through a frame that allows your audience to push transactions in the same window.
Frame TLDR:
A frame is an innovative feature within the Farcaster, enabling interactive and authenticated experiences directly within social media posts. Think of Frames as micro-applications embedded in Farcaster posts, extending the Open Graph protocol to allow dynamic interactions. For instance, users can create polls, mint, host live feeds, or galleries that viewers can interact with without leaving the Warpcast app.
Frames are built using HTML with specific meta tags. When a user interacts with a Frame, their Farcaster ID and wallet address are utilized to customize the experience. This interactivity offers a seamless Web3 integration within social media feeds.
To create a Frame, you need to define a set of meta tags in your HTML that specify the content and buttons. These tags control what appears in the Frame and how it behaves when users interact with it. Percs provides tools like the Frame builder to create onchain tagged social posts like below:
Benefits for Marketers
Marketers can benefit from open graph protocols in onchain social platforms in a few ways:
- Targeted Advertising: With user-controlled data, marketers can build more precise audience profiles and deliver targeted ads without relying on third-party platforms.
- Deeper Engagement: Open graphs enable marketers to create interactive campaigns and experiences that span across multiple DSNs, fostering deeper user engagement.
- Community Building: Marketers can participate in niche onchain communities, building brand awareness and trust through authentic interactions.
- Standardized marketing stack: Create assets once, use it everywhere (or on other onchain social platforms).
Implementation Complexity
Currently, implementing open graph protocols in onchain social is an evolving process. Here's a reality check:
- Early Stage: Onchain social platforms are still under development, and open graph protocol standards are being actively refined.
- Technical Expertise: Integrating with open graph protocols might require some technical expertise or reliance on specialized tools.
- Limited Reach: As onchain social platforms are still a relatively new concept, the user base might be smaller compared to established social media platforms. Be mindful that while this community is smaller, they are powerful and more involved.
Overall, open graph protocols hold immense potential for onchain social and marketers. While implementation has its challenges, the ability to target niche audiences, build trust, and foster deeper engagement could be game-changing for future marketing strategies. We make this easy through the Percs' Web3 Marketing Hub.
