Build your company's fanbase on Facebook
Posted 14 November 2007 at 8:40AM by Simon Dickson in Doing business online
Facebook has introduced a number of new advertising / marketing methods which seem much better suited to the site's atmosphere than their rather blunt (and so far, underperforming) 'flyers'. So is it time your company got out there, and started 'friending'?
The big innovation is Facebook Pages, which are effectively 'personal profiles' for businesses. If Facebook is all about documenting who you are and what you're into, your attachment to certain companies and brands is a natural extension of that. (After all, don't people happily pay money - usually extra! - for t-shirts with large company logos on them?) People have used workarounds up to now: groups called 'I love something-or-other', or companies masquerading as individuals; now you can do it properly.
In a few clicks, you'll have a page with all the familiar Facebook features - photos, video, discussion areas, the ability to post 'notes', and so on. You can create events, which can in turn have their own photos, videos and discussion wall. A quick glance at the profile options shows how they're trying to target smaller, more local businesses: it invites you to quote your opening hours (including the option of a 'lunch hour'), or offer public transport directions.
But of course, the magic ingredient is friendship, renamed for this purpose as 'fans': people can click to become fans of your business. And as with human friends, an announcement of this new connection will be circulated around all their friends too - although as Forrester's analysis points out, users will have the option to 'dial down' the number of these they see. With a bit of luck, you'll accumulate an army of fans; Facebook then effectively becomes a 'mailing list' for your 'new product' or 'special offer' announcements. All of which happens, of course, in a more personal environment than old-fashioned email.
What's in it for Facebook? 'Proper' advertising, of course: once your page is created, you'll be invited to 'boost your activity with Facebook Ads'. These new 'social ads' will be 'shown to users whose friends have recently engaged with your Facebook Page'; they can appear in the flyers area, or crucially, in the News Feed, 'attached to relevant social stories'.
This isn't going to work for every business, of course. But it's easy to think of examples of businesses, large and small, whose customers would want to become their Facebook fans. Sports teams, bands or performers, theatres, restaurants, art galleries, clothing brands, vineyards, car companies... anything, really, which appeals to people's passions, or strays into their social life.
Getting started is as easy as joining Facebook in the first place; and if you've built a personal profile, you'll be immediately familiar with it all. There's a new section in the footer for businesses; that's where you'll find all you need to sign up. Once you're in, look for the 'Page Manager' in your list of applications.
Tags: advertising, facebook, fans, flyers, social networking
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Comments
2. At November 14, 2007 2:40 PM, Bob HXC Holly wrote:
do you have some kind of affiliation with facebook? all i seem to ever read about on this blog.
3. At November 15, 2007 2:24 PM, Charlie Haas wrote:
I was having a conversation yesterday about "social networking sites".
When did it become socially acceptable to ask someone if they had bebo/myspace/facebook etc etc?
I can understand maybe if you are a band and wanting to promote yourself.
This is just another way of continuing societies downward spiral to the likes of Vicky Pollard wannabe's and thinking it is a good way of life.
As soon as you see cumbernauld targeted by Buckfast then you know this has gone to far!
4. At November 23, 2007 1:56 PM, Carl Lito wrote:
As if we didnt get enough adverts in everyday life, now we will be bombarded with them when we just want to hang out with friends!!!!!!!
5. At November 25, 2007 5:59 PM, Tanvir Ahmad wrote:
I have never been a fan of the so-called "social netwroking sites".. seen people who are addicted to these sites and all they could do is sit down and write to each other like a chat room. Myspace, hi5 they have all become victim to spammers and advertisers and thought facebook will stay away from them. But I guess it's grown so big, they need funds to keep it going. Can't blame them. Just don't admire those people who go and waste their time on these sites!!!
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1. At November 14, 2007 11:39 AM, Pam wrote: