I spoke last night at an International Internet Marketing Association panel on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for business. My co-panelists were Ben Smith, VP of Marketing for Polygon Homes (speaking on Twitter), and Tatsuya Nakagawa, President of Atomica Creative. I was “Facebook Gal” for the night, and my job was to represent Facebook’s value for business.
Here’s my presentation … not quite the same without the “audio track” but I think there are a few nuggets to pull out anyway.
In essence, I believe Facebook is and will remain a major player in social networking and, with Facebook Connect, Open ID. It is market-dominant now, and its growth remains impressive. The biggest challenge for businesses on Facebook, in my opinion, is how to select the best tactics to fit within their broader marketing strategy.
Facebook offers so many options, from low-tech, low-cost Page setup to more creative and budget-intensive off-site efforts leveraging Facebook Connect. Even once the tactic is chosen (i.e. a Facebook Page), success depends on finding the unique customer insights that open the door to creating a healthy relationship between the brand and its customers.
I think many companies are misled by the ease of setup of a Page, and think that a junior staffer or even an intern can take care of it. It’s as though they hand the intern a hammer, a stack of plywood and a box of nails and say “go, build.” Without a blueprint to follow and a certain level of carpentry skill, the result is unlikely to satisfy.
Tags: business, facebook, IIMA, social media, Social Networking, speaking
