Do You Really Need to be on Facebook to Market?

Featured — By Kurt Munz on November 23, 2010 at 8:25 pm

So you’ve got a Facebook page.  But what good does it do you?

You may be asking yourself this very question as you very tediously update your company’s Facebook fan page, not really sure what the point is.

I was asked the other day at an impromptu presentation on web design if Facebook was a worthwhile marketing platform.  I answered “yes,” obviously, but I’m not sure I could’ve articulated exactly why if pressed.  On the spot, my thinking was, if that’s where the audience is, then that’s where you need to market.

But the more I thought about it, I do see some real value in being on Facebook.

1. Social Proof

Strength in Numbers. People don’t like make decisions in a vacuum. That’s why they look to the wisdom of the heard.  Nothing says “I should like this” than seeing that 3 million others already do.  Stronger, if a number of my friends like something, that can carry even heavier weight in  peaking my curiosity (depending on which friends – let’s be real).   Even if a fan has no interaction with the page beyond clicking “like,” seeing a brand has a ton of fans builds credibility.

Easy to Share. Facebook is also the most likely platform from which someone will take a Facebook action: share or like.  Let’s say my company is having an event.  Posting it to Facebook is like not washing your hands before eating- you’re just asking for the idea-germs to spread.  Fans could post my event to their wall or actually invite their friends to the event.  My fan’s attendance is social proof that the event is worthwhile, so their friends are more likely to attend as well.

Ads. No other platform allows you to use social proof in advertising. And presently, I think Facebook ads are under-valued. According to Mary Meeker of Morgan Stanley, while social media make up 27% of total display advertising, the cost is the lowest ($0.55 per thousand views) in the industry. This powerful combination of social proof, targeted audience, and low price could be a great boon to small business.

2. Permission Marketing

Everyone who is a fan of you on Facebook is there because they asked to be. Never before has there been a platform capable of reaching so many members of such a targeted audience. Starbucks has 16.9 million fans. They don’t have to identify the right TV show to reach a percentage of the audience interested in their product, they can directly market to those who have self-selected themselves- for free. This is the perfect place for loyalty programs, which help build…

3. Community

Community sounds like a buzz word. In a recent post I said, “Community means ‘the regulars’ – the folks so enamored by your organization and what you do, that they take an active role in engaging you and other users in your community.” The biggest business advantage of social media is in facilitating referrals. What your company says on social media matters way less than what people are saying amongst themselves about you.

4. Data

Facebook collects very valuable, very specific data on who your fans are. This is gold in crafting future marketing campaigns.

5. Content Marketing

While a blog is a better way execute content marketing, there is some truth to what I said in the opener: you’ve got to go where your audience is.