Facebook pages for all?
I was reading this article by .NET today and it’s mirrored some of the things I’ve thought about Facebook fan pages. I’ve been on Facebook since it’s early years, back when you had to be in college to get in. Back then when a friend “liked” something, you generally “liked” it too. Why? Because you “like” soccer, you “like” purple, you “like” chocolate. Then business fan pages were added, mostly with no real affiliation to said business. Eventually those businesses decided they wanted thier fan pages back and we have what they the pages are today.
Why do people “like” a business? For example, as a native Vermonter I love all things Vermont and “like” all Vermont related things on Facebook, this includes big name businesses like Ben & Jerry’s, 7th Generation, and King Arthur Flour. I genuinely like not only the products these companies provide but their mission statements and the way they do business. All these businesses also have an active presence on Facebook. They do an excellent job of connecting with their customers. This is in my opinion the biggest thing businesses can get from social media, especially Facebook: A connection with their customer base. Connect with your customers and they become more than a number, a meaningless source of dollars, they are people who have a connection with your product or service. Connect with them and you can build brand loyalty.
Of course they advertise specials, deals and news. But they also update about events, and perhaps most importantly ask engaging questions. What’s your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor? What do you like to bake for Halloween? How do you reduce your carbon footprint? What do you like best about our product? These questions not only can be used for marketing purposes but get your fans to interact with you. They may bring up things you’ve never even thought of, used your product in new ways.
For me it’s not a question of should my business have a fan page, it’s a question of, is my business using the fan page in the best way? Just shouting at your fans that you have such and such deals, look at our new site, etc isn’t interacting and engaging. Sure they might find it interesting, but they’d rather feel like you take an interest in your fans, that you care about them. The same applies to Twitter. There Blizzard customer support for example, does a great job interacting with their customers. They constantly help people with their questions and direct them on how to get a compromised account back, and explain why the forums/servers are down.
Every business is different, and figuring out how to best use social media may be challenging. In the end social media isn’t going anywhere. It will undoubtedly grow and change as it has over the years, but when it comes down to it people love to share. They love to tell their friends about things they like, including products & services. Social media is just an extension of what people do in real life.
Leave a Reply