Facebook Is an Awesome Tool for Business, but Only When Wielded Awesomely
With 9 billion users, Facebook is far and away the most famous social network on earth. If Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population, behind China and India. And like China and India, Facebook possesses its own unique customs and norms, and you need to understand them to be able to fully leverage the site’s potential as a marketing tool. When I see businesses get it wrong on Facebook, it’s often because they don’t bother to learn the local customs…
You’re a visitor in Facebookistan. Behave yourself!
What makes Facebook so unique among all of the popular social networks? It’s the fact people that use the site have solid connections with one another. People are connected with their best friends, their immediate family as well as their close relatives. They share detailed aspects of their lives. Stuff like:
- Birthday celebrations
- High school graduation footage
- Baby photos
- Wedding announcements
The upshot for businesses? They have to be conscientious and careful in their technique. You can’t use the old kinds of one-way, direct-response marketing on Facebook, since people aren’t there to listen to sales pitches. They’re not really in a buying mindset. They’re in a socializing mindset. You should respect that.
Keep it real (for real)
If you try to port the old style of marketing into Facebook, you’re going to be disappointed. The natives can get angry and shun you.
With Facebook, marketers of any size can do effective, word-of-mouth marketing at scale for the very first time,” says Annie Ta, a Facebook spokeswoman. “But Facebook is all about authenticity, so if your small business is not authentic or engaging with customers in a way that feels genuine, the community will see right through it.”
If you’re doing it right, it’s hard
Don’t be fooled by social media “gurus” who make wild promises about effortless Facebook success. Social media is all about building relationships and influence—and this takes time. Many businesses believe that if they set up a page on Facebook, that’s all they need to do. Marketing on Facebook is an extremely effective way to reach local customers (we wouldn’t be talking about it if it weren’t). But here’s the rub: it’s also difficult (and rewarding) if you’re doing it correctly. The payback is well worth the investment in time and attention. Based upon a study from Social Media Examiner, nearly two-thirds of small businesses involved in social media point out that Facebook has enhanced their overall marketing effectiveness, and 80 percent report forming new partnerships after just two years of involvement.
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