It read:
It’s a very common story; business owners everywhere feel that they are just wasting their time on Facebook.
- “How come no one is commenting?”
- “Why isn’t anyone liking our page?”
- “I feel like no one cares about our updates.”
Too often the business ends up throwing in the towel, abandoning their social media efforts entirely – or giving a half-hearted effort.
But that’s not a good idea! Actually, that’s a really BAD idea. Your Facebook page is more than a potential online megaphone; it’s the opportunity to connect your consumers to your business.
So….what ARE you supposed to do?
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I had to laugh. Especially at the three questions, which I will now attempt to answer in a most cynical and sarcastic manner:
1. "How come no one is commenting?" Nobody CAN comment on what you post. Nobody cares to say, "Oh that's so awesome! Here's a photo of my kid." when you simply post, "Q2 2012 profits are down 20% from Q1 2012. See this press release for more info."
2. "Why isn't anyone liking our page?" Because there ISN'T anyone who likes your page.
3. "I feel like no one cares about our updates." You're right. I sure don't care.
It also reminded me of a blog post Jon Acuff wrote a few months ago titled "Does your business need to understand social media?" It basically said, "If your business is not people oriented, or at all social in nature, then you don't even NEED Facebook. It's a waste of your time."
Agreed. I think I'll junk this email.
Over the last few years, online social networking has become “all the buzz” in business. Problem is, the people who are buzzing about it are often those who are only good at browsing social networks. By this I mean people who otherwise may find it difficult to work a "regular" job.
ReplyDeleteNOW, let me balance that. Networking in general IS important. If no one knows you exist, you will not get any customers. I feel online social networking is the latest tool available to businesses, job seekers, organizations, etc.
Note: I said *tool*. It is nothing more than that, it should not be elevated to some lofty position it does not deserve. Nor, should it be the only tool at your disposal. It is up to the person using the tool to decide is this the correct tool for the job I want to do? Exactly the same way a mechanic would choose the correct tool for changing a spark plug.
This is simply the latest incarnation of the NBT, the Next Big Thing. Another example was the internet bubble which burst in the late 1990s. We did not throw away the tool, but society and business did make a correction about their expectations of what it could provide.
Lastly, is Facebook the way to go? It depends on your audience; if your customer is mostly teenagers interested in the latest trendy clothing, maybe so. Otherwise there are plenty of options out there. You don’t have to pay a high-priced demographics analyst. Just look at your existing customers or potential markets you may touch. And just ask them where they search for the stuff they need.
My feelings exactly. If your business doesn't fit the "social" bill, don't post about it on a social website.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I do like the newer hybrid networks like Google Plus. In my opinion Facebook/Myspace is 100% social, and LinkedIn is 100% business. Google Plus seems to be attempting to merge the two extremes and come up with a happy medium. And I'm really liking it because of that purpose.
Now the one network that I THOUGHT was going to be good, and turned out to be completely blue-vs-orange compared to other networks (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueAndOrangeMorality) turned out to be the open source network, Diaspora. They're ideals just kind of dove off the deep end and rather than social or business, they basically created their entire framework around the Occupy Wall Street socialIST crowd.