The most common questions asked by my clients these days are ”what should we do about Facebook”, ”how do we get followers” and ”where do we place Facebook in our digital marketing mix”?
A recent study by DDB Paris found that people are on Facebook brand pages for four reasons:
- to take advantage of promotional benefits
- to be informed of new products offered by the brand
- to access exclusive information
- to give my opinion about the brand
The best strategy depends on the company, the product, the organization and their storytelling, but there are some general rules, that applies for most brands, who want to optimize their social media marketing (SMM) investment.
Facebook is not the only social media (but almost)
Facebook is huge. So huge it’s slowly becoming the second Internet. Balancing and combining your e-mail marketing with Facebook will usually target your audience 100%. This means that your e-mail marketing strategy should be closely alligned with your Facebook strategy. Twitter is a great platform for first movers and excellent for costumer services and intimate dialogue. It should be integrated in your Facebook strategy from day one.
Make it very clear WHY they should follow your brand
Many companies have a Facebook presence just because they want to be there. Either they have no relevant content or they have great content but forgot to tell you about it. Get your story straight. Find a simple message that makes it crystal clear why people should ”Like” you.
The number of fans is important (but not as important as the number of ”ambassadors”)
You want as many customers and fans as possible. But remember that most people are passive. What you want is active followers. And you want them to be active spreading your message. You want them to be your brand ambassador. You should treat them as VIP’s.
How do you attract the right audience (and keep them there)?
Content is where it begins and where it ends. The users want exclusive content, special offers, great deals and a good time. You need to focus on creating and editing high quality content. Producing interesting content based on your brand, your products and your storytelling. You should reward both your content providers and your customers.
It’s all about speed and getting the frequency right
Social media are faster than lightning and some of them are in realtime (Twitter). You want to get your message out as fast as possible. Planning is important, so you can maintain a high speed operation. Timing is just as important. You don’t want to flood your customers with information, but at the same time you want regular and relevant updates. Finding the right frequency for your output is extremely sensitive.
Allow yourself to experiment
Remember that social media are young media. We are learning on the fly. The more you experiment, the better you get at it. You need good planning and a talented team. You need the right idea as your fulcrum. But leave room for some experimentation. You might just hit the jackpot with a crazy idea.
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