The two faces of Facebook
While social networks have been more for personal communications, more and more businesses are finding professional uses of web 2.0 and the individuals are setting up shop. But for those who have been on Facebook (and while I’m using them specifically, this example applies to the social sites that have a majority of personal uses), they are starting to have more professional contacts. I know that for my own Facebook page, I predominantly had it for my friends and family, but slowly it has grown to include more network contacts, many that I’ve met at conferences, partners, vendors, and even co-workers. So as the common practice goes, I’m forced to remove all personal items of interest such as personal comments, “child’ish” applications, and refocus my efforts to make my page more appropriate of my job.
Naturally it’s hard to draw the line where your personal Facebookpage ends and professional site begins. One clear option would be for you to simply create an alternative Facebook profile (or why not a “fan” page?), but then you’d have to explain why you have the two accounts when a professional incorrectly tries to add your personal account - it just makes things awkward. Is there a simple way to go about and make an agnostic page that would be appealing to both your friends and network colleagues? Probably not. Using social media can definitely be a double-edged sword that can be both dangerous, but informative to your relationship with others.
So what to do? There isn’t a clear answer. I have since removed any inappropriate items (comments, applications, details, etc.) as most of the people on my page are more professional contacts versus being old high school or college friends. However, I have kept photo albums, twitter status updates, and many comments still available in order for them to still understand who I am. Don’t get me wrong, I still think of everyone I am connected to on Facebook as my friends and also another way for me to network, but before you think that you can post whatever you want on Facebook or any other web 2.0 application, think about who you could have seeing it. Your professional life and your personal life could depend on it.
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Are Facebook pages worth anything?
After being asked this question, I had to figure out the best way to respond. My common answer is that it depends on whether or not you feel that Facebook is the best place for you or your company to be. Not all social networks are for everyone. Some people may be better suited to be on sites like Myspace, Ning, or even using other applications like Plurk, Twitter, Pownce, blogs, Utterz, Viddler/YouTube, etc. You need to look at where your audience is coming from to best appeal to your core constituents.
However, that doesn’t answer the question…so what benefit can we get from simply having a Facebook presence? It’s rather difficult to truly assess that. You can set up a Facebook fan page or even a fictitious profile page (similar to the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival profile) or even a Facebook group, but the main return on investment that you could possibly get is brand promotion. You’re having people become your “fans” and in return you’re possibly creating brand advocates and even evangelists. These are probably the most powerful tool at your disposal as they will help attract more people to your cause.
Don’t think about Facebook as just another sounding board. It’s an extension of your brand. Yes, you may want instant gratification when you decide to introduce your company to social networks, but it’s not always about dollar and cents. The problem some people can’t quite get over is that it’s costing man-hours to keep these pages updated. No, it’s really not that expensive. If their job is devoted to working on online marketing, then it’s really their responsibility to undertake that assignment. You are monitoring the virtual realm for any mention of your company, but with respect to Facebook, it’s awfully simple to monitor. Honestly, you’re not going to get that much activity on your Facebook page, but if you have new products, news, thoughts, or wish to brainstorm with your advocates, then Facebook is a free sounding board to get your thoughts heard and to pick up new ideas.
So are Facebook pages worth investing the manpower to monitor and update for your company? Yes, I believe so. Are they worth anything besides brand promotion? Is there any other primary long-term objective that the marketing team should strive for? That appears to be the ultimate extension since more people are seeking out social networks for thoughts and insights into brands. You wouldn’t go to their main website because you know that it’s probably biased. However, if you’re on Facebook, at least you can help create more of a collaborative environment where you can help frame the message and have your fans pose their insights and problems while others will help resolve those issues on your behalf.
Long-story short…it doesn’t matter what the ROI is at this point. I believe that it’s more long-term brand promotion and community building. That interaction is what marketing is going towards. Am I wrong? Please feel free to disagree or comment.
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Believe me…agencies get interactive marketing…I think.
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Ernie Mosteller on Tuesday as part of my on-going series “People Marketer’s Need to Know“. Working as the Interactive Creative Director at Brunner (formerly known as Blattner Brunner), Ernie has been exposed to a wide array of interactive marketing, from websites to videos, emails to mobile technology, and even social media. This alumni of the University of Georgia has won numerous awards and acclaim for his work and his insights and knowledge are widely respected. During our nearly an hour-long conversation, we spoke about creative strategy, social media, working with clients, and the ever-popular topic: do agencies get interactive marketing?
While I wanted to frame this from a perspective on what Ernie thought about this online medium, the goal was to keep it on the level of finding out what agencies think about the online world and how marketers could work with agencies to accomplish their interactive campaigns. From the onset of our discussion, he reminded me that interactive does not always mean that a campaign is 100% online. One of the coolest projects he mentioned to me was an educational program at Brunner where his team helped develop a offline, yet interactive curriculum creator for classrooms that students could interact via PDAs/Palms, but there was still a small online component.
Ernie Mosteller is also an author of a digital book entitled “Use a Stick” which he wrote as a means to helping advertisers and agencies figure out simple ways to solve many of the industry’s complicated problems. He will also be a contributing author to Age of Conversation 2 which will come out soon.
As stated earlier, one of the main things that was discussed was whether or not agencies understood what interactive marketing really is. More specifically, I asked Ernie about whether Social Media was a form of marketing that agencies understood. His answer: no and his response may surprise you and give you a better understanding on how you can view your social strategy.
It’s my hope that you’ll gain a better understanding of how agencies view the online world as a part of their offered services and give you some insight on working with your agency to help promote your brand/product more interactively. As an avid blogger (he has three different blogs he posts on: his own, on Brunner Digital’s, and on Adotas.com), Ernie’s perspective on moving from traditional to digital will truly astound you.
Chat with Ernie Mosteller on Twitter or read his blog at erniemosteller.com
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Preview: People Marketers Want to Know - Ernie Mosteller
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