Does my business belong on Facebook?
With the failed IPO of Facebook (failed for small investors), one wonders what is in store for the medium. If your a small business and have invested time and money having a presence there you might wonder, what’s next? I am not sure, but Facebook is peaking and will eventually become MySpace. It’s going to happen, as I have become bored with it. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy checking up on friends and use the service for my business, but it’s lost its cache.
Why would I want to use a social media service that promises more advertising, and still more mining of my data? One of the reasons I started with social media was to avoid the advertising. If you have small business presence on Facebook just keep using the service, but be prepared. Things will change rapidly. We have learned in this new world is change happens quick.
What platform should you use? Start collecting your customers e-mail, and ask if they would like to receive your e-news. You own your e-news, and can keep it ad free if you desire. As these social media platforms come an go you will still have your e-mails an a connection with your customers. In the future we will see more closed platforms, where the group can control what’s going on. This is where your web site, blog, and e-news will pay off. You own these, and can keep them safe for your readers. Start a garden club, and have people meet at your website. You’ll get people who genuinely want to hear what you, and others in the group have to say.
There is something else about the Facebook IPO. I get the impression that the IPO was designed to enrich the founders, friends, and institutional investors. The average retail customer get’s screwed, and that doesn’t sit well with me. Image is important, and Facebook’s image is taking a hit.
So, until it’s gone – use FB to collect email names. Seems like a win-win situation. I don’t think Zuckerberg will go away. He’s too talented. I watched a documentary on him this week and he really is brilliant. He double majored in psychology and computer science – a good combo. He’s looking more into the user experience in the future. His ultimate goal is to make people want to share everything and to build more intimate communities within the system. It should be interesting to see how it all evolves.
Exactly Angela! I intend to use it as it has opened up worlds for me that I might otherwise have missed. It’s just that it’s gotten so big that smaller, niche oriented sites, based on areas of interest are bound to pop up. Concerns with privacy would be the driving motivator, perhaps. It’s is fun to watch it all evolve.
Does your business still need to be on Facebook? Yes. Is Facebook peaking? I think it is. But it’s not going to die over night so, therefore, it’s still important to have a presence. Just like it became important to have a website. But I think most businesses go about social media all wrong. Instead of trying to get people to talk about your post, post something that gets people talking. If you aren’t creating or offering an awesome product or idea that people want, no amount of blogging, posting, tweeting, (spamming essentially) will make people want it. I think the focus has been too much about ‘talking’ and not enough about ‘doing.’ Do something extraordinary and with passion and let other folks do the talking. Take Annie’s Annuals for example. I would say about 95% of the posts in my feed are about Annie’s from customers. Customers post photos of plants they are growing that they purchased from Annie’s. Their delight is evident. People are truly excited that Annie’s turned them on to something wonderful. I truly think it’s time for businesses to take a good look at their social media and ask, “Am I turning my customers on to something wonderful?” or are they just spamming them?
Kat, sing it sister! Make a product, or do something worth talking about and they will! I have never seen Annie’s pay someone to spread “buzz”. She holds events, and people come form miles around with no incentive, other than seeing plants and having a good time. It’s the essence of what I feel social media is all about. No, Facebook is not going away tomorrow. Just don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Businesses, quit talking about yourself so much. Let the customer do it for you.
Great insight Kat.
Here is a link to a post titled, “Facebook is not only on course to go bust, but will take the rest of the ad-supported Web with it.”
http://www.technologyreview.com/web/40437/?p1=A1
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Trey.
I would just add that an effective, fully integrated marketing strategy involves both “inbound” practices like social media and blogging as well as more direct practices like email marketing. Facebook and email marketing are two completely different beasts. Your social media efforts should simply complement your more traditional forms of marketing like email, PR, advertising, networking, etc.
I don’t see Facebook turning into MySpace
I have a feeling it will dominate “social” like Google continues to dominate “search”.
Chris,
It may continue to grow and dominate like Google, but that should concern us more. Do we really want these large, monolithic companies running the show? I already avoid when possible using Google products, just because. Lot’s of people like me. Certainly not the majority, but a growing minority. I agree that for business you use the service that your customers use. Personally, I like working with and supporting the smaller upstarts. Small is cool!
I don’t have a problem with this. This is exactly how most industries work. There are typically two top brands in each industry that completely dominate. Coke and Pepsi, McDonalds and Burger King. Now in search you have Google and Bing. Facebook just doesn’t have a real competitor at this point. Google+ might ultimately be the #2 but it could be someone else. And remember, this world of “social media” is still very young and hasn’t yet matured.
Yes you still need to be on FB. Just because Zuckboy in his arrogance did a shoddy job FB is still the relevant place to be. The problem with FB is in their delivery of a free service. Anytime you give away something free it brings out the worst in our customers.
Apple controls their customers, FB users control FB, at least in the perception, with mob rule mentality when FB decides to screw around with things.
People do not read newspapers, watch network news or listen to broadcast radio like they use to. Direct TV now lets you “hop” over commercials. The way to reach your customer is to put your product in their hands. That has never changed.
What the consumer uses in their hands to read your message is all that has changed. Their cell phone, Ipads etc are in the hands. Consumers also still go to their snail-mail box everyday. Direct to consumer used to be just direct mail, it still is but also includes e-mails, tweets, FB updates delivered to their hand held device.
So do we really need to know social media or personal media? My bet is to be social about getting personal with your customers.
Greg Draiss
The Real Dirt on Gardening