As I research companies’ marketing strategies and campaigns, I review how effective they are with their SEO and SEM and make recommendations for improvement. When I recommend Facebook, some question, “Do I really need a Facebook business profile?”
We’ll get into some quick stats in a minute to let you decide. Because what you’re likely to conclude is, it isn’t whether you need a Facebook business profile, but how should you go about interacting with prospects and customers there. See, many businesses who claim Facebook isn’t doing anything for them are businesses who engage on Facebook in ways that don’t work.
For example, do you act the same way when you go to a live sports event as you would a play? If you were to stand up and cheer for your favorite character or harass the villain in a play, how do you think the other people in the theatre would react to you? Do you think you are creating appropriate opportunities for the audience to want to get to know you? What if you then wanted to sell that same group of people something? Do you think they would buy? Not likely, right?
Facebook Stats
Today, Facebook gets more traffic than Google and Yahoo. According to comScore, they overtook these two search engine behemoths back in August 2010, and not just for Google.com and Yahoo.com, but for all of the sites they own combined.
There are over 600 million people on Facebook and more than half sign on EVERY day.
People spend more time on Facebook than any other website in the world.
So can you leave Facebook out of your marketing strategies? The obvious answer is, “no”.
However, a very important question to ask to make sure you get the most out of your marketing strategies and tactics on Facebook is, “What do people use Facebook for?”
86% – See what my friends are up to
79% – Sent a message to someone
70% – Posted/updated my profile
65% – Looked at profiles of people I didn’t know
59% – Searched for someone that I used to know
55% – Wrote on someone’s profile page
53% – Sent a friend/connection request
51% – Read a blog or a journal
47% – Listened to music
40% – Watched a video
As a business owner or manager, what do you see is glaringly absent? (Queue the Jeopardy music …)
And the answer is … BUY SOMETHING
Businesses on Facebook
So does this mean Facebook is a waste of time for businesses? Let’s take a look at some of the brands that are active on Facebook:
Nike
HP
Notre Dame
Mayo Clinic
I could go on with a lengthy list. There are B2B and B2C companies active on Facebook. There are sports companies, colleges, computer companies, and hospitals. The point is, Facebook isn’t just for one type of business; it has opportunities for all businesses to provide a social presence and connect with prospects and customers. You just need to use it as the audience likes to interact in this environment.
You Need Leads and Prospects Before You Get Customers
People go to Google to search for products and services much like using the phone book. People go to Facebook to hang out and communicate with the people they know. This distinction is very important to know so you develop appropriate marketing strategies using Facebook. How and why people (aka prospects and customers) use Facebook should alter your approach to getting their attention and engaging them in conversation.
Like with any quality marketing campaign, you shouldn’t get started without answering the following key questions:
1. Who are you targeting?
2. Where are they hanging out?
3. Why are they there?
4. What interests do they have?
5. How do you get their attention in a positive way?
If you don’t take the time to answer these questions, you will likely launch a very broad campaign. And broad doesn’t mean you’re casting a wider net to catch more clients; it means you’re casting a wider net with wider holes that they will slip through because you are throwing out a very bland message that doesn’t address their biggest problem or want. So why should they care?
If after reading this you have questions about your Facebook business profile, leave a comment below or contact me so I can help you connect with your target audience on Facebook and get them to know, like, and trust you .. and ultimately buy from you.
All the Best,
Doug Dolan
The Solopreneur’s Guide
