Back in 2009, we launched our company page on Facebook. A while later, we took the decision to close it down. This decision came up in conversation with a client recently while discussing the role of Facebook in a marketing plan. When asking the question “Is Facebook right for your business?” , the answer lies behind a second question “What is my target market & how do they use social media?” Answering this question will ultimately inform your decision concerning Facebook (and other social platforms). In broad terms, individuals will interact with social media wearing either their ‘business‘, or ‘consumer’ hat. Thus Facebook, which is predominantly used by people wearing their ‘consumer hat‘, is most relevant if your customers are using your products as consumers. But is much less relevant if you are interacting with customers in their role as business buyers. Although it is rarely this black and white, this thought process should help is making decisions about the use of Facebook and if you are using it, how to build your Facebook marketing strategy. When making this decision, a few of points are worth noting:
- Although Facebook can be a great marketing tool, this is only true when it meets your marketing objectives in terms of your target market
- You should always be reviewing your marketing activities, and not focusing on media simply because it is “trendy”
- Always focus on your marketing objectives & remember your target market when making decisions about where to expend your resources
A good example of this thinking actually came out of the discussion with the client that prompted this post, a manufacturer of accessories for dog owners. Predominantly, their products are targeted at kennel owners and businesses who house dogs professionally. For this market where customers are targeted as professionals, Facebook may seem to have little relevance. However, in this specific case, it is likely that many if not most kennel owners will also be dog lovers and will interact with other like-minded people on Facebook in this capacity (This facebook group in our local town is a good example). Thus promoting their products to the consumer market as “the professional choice” may not sell many products to the consumer market, but will definitely re-inforce the value of their offering to those Facebook users who are also kennel owners and would form a legitimate part of a joined-up marketing strategy. So back to the question: Q: Is Facebook Right for your business? A: It Depends! If you would like to talk this from an unbiased marketing perspective, we would love to talk to you.
