We’ve said it for some time, but setting up a Facebook fan page or group only to do nothing with it is a complete waste of time. The potential to engage directly with your customers and clients has never been greater, either subtly via guerrilla marketing and social media campaigns or, as is becoming increasingly prominent, through direct, company focused contact.
According to digital consultancy Beyond, almost a quarter of consumers would prefer to receive information from brands via Facebook as oppose to a company’s own website. It’s understandable this trend has emerged as we enter an era in which people choose what to receive, how and where. By allowing fans and group members to access key information without leaving the sanctity of Facebook you make less demands on potential customers, giving them no reason not to read on.
And it doesn’t stop there. Google may still rule the internet search roost, but experts are predicting change on the horizon. The public has noticed that businesses are increasingly engaged pro-actively with social media, and the response looks set to re-write the rules of online searching.
As Joanna Shields, VP EMEA of Facebook said, social media is positioned to overtake traditional search in the digital marketing world. With more people looking for products, services and brands while writing wall posts and Tweets, the time is right to get serious about professional social media based marketing, public relations, advertising and branding to help you take advantage of the rapidly changing world around us.
Consumer habits online are changing apace and it’s our great challenge to keep ahead of them and understand how best to advise and clients to harness the opportunities. Exciting times!