In Focus

Avoid these Facebook faux pas

Evan Gerber
Social Media Posted on March 10, 2008

Quantity is not always quality

Just because the group pages are free is not an invitation to create a multitude of nodes on the Facebook network. Like a web presence, the pages must be maintained and managed over time. Not only does each page require thoughtful and compelling content, it needs someone to watch over it, interact with the audience and post new material. Warner Bros. created a large number of pages but did not flesh out any one of them.

Each page looks desolate and dull, which is reflected in the low member counts in their group pages. It may not have cost Warner Bros. much to set up these pages, but they are paying for it now with lackluster content on this large social network.

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Comments

John Kaduwanema
John Kaduwanema March 10, 2008 at 12:16 PM

I think any social networking site is a calculated risk. You submit personal information and you are never quite sure how it is going to be used. I do some SEO work on

blood pressure monitors

and my work involves visiting some healthcare related sites. You will be amazed at how much information is in the hands of the network operators. They can literally do anything with it.

Marc Porcelli
Marc Porcelli March 10, 2008 at 11:32 AM

Evan,
Great pointers, Facebook has it's challenges, but the upside can be attained.

I am a DR advertiser, so I tend to shy away from any advertising like the group pages, which skew very much towards brand advertisers. In a recent blog post I spoke about Facebook's model and the importance of their sales team. I also discussed the sponsored story listings http://www.marcporcelli.com/2008/03/09/facebook%e2%80%99s-future-lies-in-their-sales-team%e2%80%99s-hands and importance of new placement offerings which readers of this article may find appealing.

Josh Gray
Josh Gray March 10, 2008 at 11:02 AM

This is a really good article and it addresses some very important points. What most brands fail to understand about social media is that when you create a page like this it takes on a life of its own. That being said, if the page is left with no follow up or maintenance, will die.

In any advertising we must consider that when we take the time to plant the seed, we must also take the time to nurture the plant if we expect to harvest the fruit. It's a very easy concept that most marketing "professionals" still don't get.

Add value, make the message clear and compelling then give your social media campaign the backup it needs to work. Maintain your brand and don't loose track of the conversation.

Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman March 10, 2008 at 10:55 AM

Let's not forget that at one point Ticketmaster gave away 10 free iTunes songs anyone who would add them as a friend. I hate Ticketmaster, but were they my friend (if only for a day)? You bet. Did I send the word out to everyone I knew? You bet. Did they accept their friendship if only to toss them aside once they got what they wanted? Again, you bet. I'm not sure that all these Ticketmaster "friends" are actually friends so much as one night stands. Not the kind of friends I want hanging around.

JMR
http://www.everyonebutyou.com