The New Rules of Marketing

Facebook Is an Awesome Tool for Business, but Only When Used Effectively

With 9 billion users, Facebook is by far the most famous social network in the world. If Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population, behind China and India. And like China and India, Facebook has its own customs and norms, and you need to understand them to be able to fully leverage the site’s potential as a marketing tool. Whenever I see businesses get it wrong on Facebook, it’s often because they don’t bother to find out the local customs.

Be Social, Don't "Sell"

What makes Facebook different from other social networks? It’s that users have strong ties with each other. They are linked to their friends, their family members, their in-laws and their long-lost friends from grade school. They share intimate aspects of their lives. Stuff like:

• Birthday celebrations
• High school graduation footage
• Baby photos
• Wedding announcements
• Anniversaries

The upshot for business owners? They must be conscientious and careful within their approach. You can’t apply the old kinds of one-way, direct-response marketing on Facebook, since people aren’t there to hear sales pitches. They’re not necessarily in a buying mindset. They’re in a socializing mindset. You need to respect that.

Don’t be that annoying tourist

If you attempt to port the old style of marketing into Facebook, you will be disappointed. “With Facebook, marketers of any size can do effective, word-of-mouth marketing at scale for the very first time,” says Annie Ta, a Facebook spokesperson. “But Facebook is all about authenticity, so if your small business is not being authentic or engaging with customers in a fashion that feels genuine, the community will see right through it.”

If you’re doing it right, it’s hard

Marketing on Facebook can be quite effective. But it’s also very hard (and equally rewarding) if you do it right. Many businesses think that if they set up a page on Facebook, that’s all they need to do. But it really takes much more of a commitment than that. Don’t be lured by social media sirens who make outrageous promises about effortless Facebook success. Social media is about building relationships and influence—and this takes time. However the payback is well worth the effort. Nearly two-thirds of companies engaged in social media say that Facebook has improved their overall marketing effectiveness, and 80 percent report forming new partnerships after just two years of involvement, as per a study from Social Media Examiner.

For more information on all aspects of marketing on the web, including Social Media, please visit our website: resultsmarketing.biz.