"It might have started with the MySpace and Bebo kids, but online social networking is now well and truly mainstream, grown up, and somewhere your business needs to be." That’s according to leading internet analysts and business experts like Tom Smith; Universal McCann’s Research Manager for EMEA and the man behind the influential Wave 3 report on developing trends in social media.
Speaking on a recent show on online business TV service yourBusinessChannel, Smith explains that internet users are spending more and more of their online time on social networks, where they can do everything they need to – send messages, share photos, play games – all in one place.
It is this trend in online behaviour which has made many marketers finally sit up and take notice of Facebook’s business potential. But there are other very compelling reasons to get involved.
First, the sheer size of online social networks means there is potentially limitless reach. Facebook, for example, now as upwards of 100 million unique users every month. Secondly, online networks offer unparalleled scope for targeting your specific message and engaging with your audience. Why bet the bank on one-size-fits-all television commercials, for example, when you can communicate online with targeted groups (sorted by geographical area for example, or specialist interest) for a fraction of the cost?
Of course, it’s one thing to recognise the potential of Facebook as a business tool, it’s another to make good use of it. Most businesspeople are a little lost when it comes to developing a Facebook marketing strategy. Here are a few essential tips to get you started.
Marketing through social networks is a very different proposition to the old style interruption marketing we are used to. The key, according to Smith, is to “engage with consumers directly and be present in the places that they like to use.”
A great way to build your profile on Facebook and attract a lot of followers is to publish great content. Something as simple as a blog will attract plenty of traffic and contacts. The key is that your content is useful or funny or insightful, that it contributes real value to the conversations your audience are having.
Next, work hard to build up a large network of friends and contacts. By making contact with qualified, highly connected people, your networks will expand exponentially.
If there is one key to successfully leveraging social networks like Facebook for your marketing effort, says Smith, it is “acting how you want to be seen, creating stuff, and getting people involved. Act how you want to be perceived, rather than just talking about it.”
Source: Business Matters