When it comes Corporate & Small Business adoption of Facebook their are the daring early adopters and those who need to research to show some proven ROI. There is no question that Facebook is an incredibly popular service with an ever increasing number of users.
As far as Facebook's impact on Business is concerned there is still much to be learned, but many feel tremendous amount of pressure to learn about it quickly.
Why does Facebook Matter?
As we have heard many times before, Facebook is the Largest Social Media site with over 700 million members. If you are looking for a place to go where the "eyeballs" are, then it just makes sense to have a presence on Facebook. Facebook is Far and away the largest most engaging social network with loyal Facebookers coming back again and again to see what is happening in their Networks.The best way to look at it is: Your customers are already there, but who is talking to them?
How does Facebook compare to other Social Networks?
Social Network Traffic Share
Facebook has more than half of all Social Network with YouTube, Twitter and the rest of the pack far behind.
- Facebook: 64%
- YouTube: 20%
- Twitter: 1.5%
- LinkedIn: .75%
- Pinterest: closing in on 1%
- Google+: .5%
What makes Facebook work?
Usage
Although other Social Networks take in signigicant shares of Social Media Traffic, no network comes close to Facebook's 95% Usage share (when compared to Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn & Pinterest).
Interaction
When a Facebook user "Likes" you and interacts with you, they will be sharing these interactions with their entire network which is essentially Free advertisement. Your brand will show up in their Newsfeed where all of their friends and connections can see you. Your Brand will also show up in their profile under their interests.
What Services does Facebook offer for Business
Facebook Page
Facebook Pages allow you to create a permanent Social Hub for all of your Online Social interactions. It's like your own little Social Network right out of the box, with posts, comments, discussion, Personalized Apps and more. The Page is easy to setup and allows you to quickly and effectively manage your Customer Relationships.
Targeted Advertising
Probably the single biggest innovation Facebook has come up with is it's Targeted Ad Platform. The Ad platform allows you to narrow your target audience down to locality, gender, age and most importantly interests, through data gathered by what they have "Liked".
Common Obstacles
Commitment, Consistency & Show Some Humanity!
It is important to note that where most people fail in executing a Facebook Maketing Plan is with their commitment, consistency and showing that these are real people working behind the scenes who Fans can trust.
Another common mistake people make is posting promotional content far too frequently and if automation is involved, far too quickly. Instead of "Need For Speed" think "Need To Feed" a healthy dose of Content nourishment to your fans. Make this nourishment a balanced diet of approximately 1 part promotional to 3 parts on topic table talk and perhaps some occasional off-topic observations.
Remember to Reply promptly to fan comments. If you have a primary Social Media Marketing Manger, have them aim to respond ASAP, but realistically for many small businesses a 24-48 hour response time is reasonable.
A Facebook Page is a Reflection of your Business
A well run page will reflect well on your business but an abandoned page with unanswered questions, comments and few updates can reflect very poorly. If it looks as if someone created a Facebook page "just in case", maybe they did, a good example of consumer awareness and brand transparency in these modern times.
Statistics via John Drinkwater (JD Projects)