Businesses get really excited about Facebook when they see news like:
The amount of content consumption taking place on the popular social network has also grown substantially where nearly 1 in 4 page views in the US took place on Facebook.com for the week ending November 13, 2010. The market share of page views for Facebook.com was 24.27% last week, 3.8x the volume of the 2nd ranked website YouTube.com with 6.39%. – Facebook.com generates nearly 1 in 4 page views in the US | Hitwise
However, consider what people are doing on Facebook — conversing with their friends and family, playing games, wasting time, etc. People are there to post and play and read. They are not looking for products to buy. They are not doing research for a purchase (unless they happen to poll their friends with a question).
Facebook ads may seem like a good idea because of the number of people who are spending time there (lots of it). But ads are largely ignored (and they are ignored). People are very good at concentrating on what’s important to them. And on Facebook, it’s not marketing or advertising, or even what most companies have to say.
People may like a company or product, but they very rarely will come back to the page. Posts may show up in their feeds, but if all the posts are marketing or advertising, they’re likely to get hidden (which is easier than un-liking).
If you want to use Facebook for your business, you need to connect with people on a more personal level than just your regular marketing messages. People want to know WHO you are and WHAT you stand for. They want information that they find valuable. They want to have conversations with interesting people (not companies).
Think about your target audience. What’s important to those people (ignoring your product)? What type of content or information would they find valuable? What can you provide to try to meet that need? Is there a way that you can get people to contribute to the conversation? Perhaps tell their story?
Using Facebook effectively for business means thinking about things from your customer’s perspective and leaving the traditional marketing and advertising at the door.
How do you use Facebook for your business?
(photo by the Italian voice)