Ring…ring…
“Hello?” I answered.
“Tell me everything you know about Social Networking.” the voice on the other end of the line said with excitement.
“Sally?” I asked.
“Oops, yes. Hi, this is Sally. Can you tell me if Social Networking will help our current situation?”
Sally has been implementing a business blog for users of industrial shredders. The concept was originally just for current clients, but we found that the blogging medium worked as a marketing tool too.
I answered Sally’s question, “You get from social marketing that which you put into it. Why do you ask?”
“I saw on the news today the trend for using Facebook and Twitter were way up. Should we be using these services?”
We had talked briefly about Facebook and MySpace when we first start working together, but today’s excitement in Sally’s voice suggested there were new enthusiasm for the subject.
“Short answer is yes, but like any other marketing activity it can be very time consuming. The first thing you should know is because of the popularity, Facebook utilization opens you to predatory internet users. The risk is manageable, but like with ANY internet risk, knowing the potential is an important factor in protecting yourself.”
“How do they work?” Ask Sally.
“Every member of Facebook has searchable qualities. The types of books you like, what college you graduated from, even the city you live in, book store chain you like and place of work can become marketing options for leading people to you. Turning the equation around, it is also a way for you to research potential markets based on likes and dislikes. The concept is called Microtargeting and is frequently used in Political campaigns.”
“Can it help drive more traffic to my websites?”
“Yes. Because your profile has all of your webaddresses, people will find your website when data mining the system. The question comes down to the quality of the traffic and there-in lies the challenge to social marketing.”
“For example, when you post items in different Facebook forums (or groups) people have an option of adding you as a friend. If you profile is public, then they can click onto your profile and click on any links they find interesting. More ooften than not, however, postings you writing will contain links to specific blog articles or web pages. Everyone in your social network (who hasn’t blocked your wall postings) will see you activity.”
“What is your opinion for our business using Facebook?”
“My initial reaction would be sure, the system is free and there could be creative ways to staff the effort the don’t cost a lot of money. However, I believe the idea of ‘Online Social Networking’ is a paradox. More than likely 80% to 90% of your online friends will be people you don’t know nor will ever meet. If the concept of your marketing effort is to increase word of mouth marketing, then I believe the medium is not well suited. However, if you are gearing your marketing plan towards gaining more link opportunities, then Facebook could be very effective.”
“I’ll eMail you a link to my feelings one social networking for business.”
Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
A division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
