This guide is one of a series designed to give B2B marketers an insight into how to best use the key social media platforms for their business. The aim is not to provide a complete strategy for their use – this will of course vary depending on each situation – but to raise some of the points that will need consideration, and to give guidelines for effective implementation.
What is Facebook?
Where the youth congregate and the adults communicate, Facebook has become a phenomenon of our generation. Launched in 2006, the social networking platform has more than 400 million active users of which 50% log in daily. Facebook has recently overtaken the search engine giant Google, receiving 7.97% of all internet traffic.
For many B2B marketers Facebook is a new and unexplored area of their marketing plan, and many presume that this social media platform is not relevant for B2B audiences. However, it has grown so fast that it now has to be considered as a powerful marketing tool with significant potential for brand awareness and direct customer communications.
Benefits of Facebook
It is free and easy to use
While planning how to use Facebook as part of a wider strategy should take more than a few minutes, setting it up won’t. With a simple set up process and an easy to use interface, Facebook can be working for you in a matter of minutes.
Fan Page vs Groups
The main reason for B2B companies creating a fan page over a group is that fan pages can be indexed. Fan pages are also better for longer term relationships with your fans, readers and customers whereas groups tend to be better for hosting quick discussions and generating a great amount of attention short term.
It is as open as you want it
Like other social media platforms Facebook it has a number of privacy settings allowing you to target and narrow the audience which you want to engage with. With Facebook there is a low risk of spam on your profile meaning a greater control over the platform. The great thing about Facebook is that you can invite fans meaning that you can monitor the audience with which you are communicating even as far as geographical targeting.
Mass Distribution
If you have content such as videos, whitepapers and blog posts then Facebook can be the perfect place to distribute it. If you already have a strong brand then Facebook can work as a community where people come together to discuss opinions or ask questions which you can encourage by asking questions of fans yourself. Keep the content fresh with videos and fun discussions and try not to push or hard sell your products/services.
Events
One of the most effective ways of using Facebook in B2B marketing is to let your audience know of any events which are taking place. Event notices on Facebook are quicker and more cost-effective than using post or even email.
Link your social media activity
“But all this social media stuff takes so much time and man power” is such a classic statement from many businesses about Facebook. While this is true, Facebook has made it easy to link up all of your social media activity and feed it into your profile page. This means that whenever you create a message, video or blog post on other social networks, it can be automatically posted to Facebook.
Returning Visits and Customer Feedback
The wall is a place on your fan page where fans can post comments which gives you instant statistics on the returning visit rate of fans to your page. Although this is a basic level of analytics, the more fans posting comments the more information you can obtain on how fans are interacting with the page you’re your brand.
Although surveys have been in the past a great way of getting feedback from your customers on the products and services you have to offer, the response rate is not so great. By having a Facebook page fans will voluntarily offer their views on your products and services whether positive or negative. Instead of pushing to get a response you are in effect offering a place where people can be open and if they need help can seek information within this community.
Pitfalls of Facebook
It can take time
Like all social networking sites and microblogging sites it all takes time and is not an instant success story. In order for the Facebook page to work you first need to build your fan base. This will take a little time with sourcing and researching potential audiences. Also in order to maintain the interest of those who do become fans of the page businesses need to be disciplined about creating content and monitoring any questions asked. You must engage with your fans in order for the marketing to succeed.
It can be a threat to your reputation
The social media platform which was originally set up for college students to keep in touch and interact with does not have the traditional barriers which can protect a business. Free rein for colleagues to use the fan page can lead to information accidentally being leaked or a personality coming through via the fan page which is not true to the company.
The typical approach is to appoint one person who is responsible for updating the page with a further 2 admins to oversee activity, this way the risk is minimal. There should be some guidelines on how the page should be used, the type of information distributed and the tone of voice to be used.
How to get started
1. Strategy
First decide on your whether Facebook is right for your business before putting a strategy in place.
Decide how you will be using the fan page, to promote offers? To share content? To build relationships and brand awareness? Or to offer customer service?
2. Objectives
The aim is to decide on measurable objectives, number of comments, number of fans, etc. You must set a reasonable target and not just focus on the ROI for your company from the offset. This will take time.
3.Set Up Your Page
Once you’ve logged in to Facebook, scroll to the bottom and click on Advertising. Then click Pages and Create a Page. Select the type of business you own and start filling in all the details. The more info you add, the better your page will be. Don’t forget your company logo for brand awareness.
One benefit of a Facebook page is that it is easier than a web page to update. With Facebook, updates are as easy as logging in and typing or uploading. The fresher your content, the more you will engage people.
4. Content and Schedule
Plan the content which will be distributed on the fan page. Make sure that the content gives something back to the fans and is not just random updates of useless information. Ensure that the page is kept lively and up to date otherwise fans will lose interest. Set up feeds from you blog and from twitter to automatically update the Facebook page to keep momentum in activity.
5. Communicate!
Get the energy of all of your employees to communicate to others the intent of the page. Ensure that the company is following the page and is aware of what is being offered information wise. By encouraging enthusiasm it may result in more of the company being involved in other areas of the social media strategy.
6. Monitor
Ensure that you know what is happening surrounding the Facebook page and what is being said. Use this information to engage with and respond to comments and activity on the page. Use the page to be a voice of the company. Facebook now emails activity reports for your fan page straight to the admin. This allows you to measure and analyse your Facebook strategy. This could be the start of something bigger for Facebook moving towards more statistics and analtics for your social media activity.
7. Promote
You do need to initially promote the fan page which will mean you spreading the word. This can be achieved by actively seeking businesses who would benefit from posted information on the page, placing a Facebook button on your main website, a link on your business cards or as part of an email distribution
Summary
Where other social networking sites have become saturated and stagnant Facebook continues to strive forward becoming a much more than a social platform. With the site becoming even more popular and vast, it is more important to know first whether Facebook is right for you business.
Once you decide to set up a page make sure that there are content strategies and company guidelines in place to ensure that the identity of your brand is protected. Remember to keep the page updated and lively so that the interest survives and build the page by researching potential customers, with 400 million users they will all be there.
All of your competitors’ faces are there; why don’t you join the Facebook?
