First On Facebook

Brands are quickly jumping on Facebook in massed. And most of them are putting a some money behind media and these pages to build strategy, content and a well managed community.

Sooner or later though, there’ll be too many brands on Facebook. There’s only so much room in one’s consideration set for brands they’ll follow on Facebook, before they say no more.

The quality of content, freebies that are given away and innovation will make a difference. So will the degree of how rad your brand is (banks and life insurance companies might struggle). Above all, I imagine given how lazy consumers tend to be, it will be survival of fastest. Those brands that get in early will probably succeed simply because people can’t be bothered deleting them.

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  • susannahlynch
    Posted at June 9, 2010 5:23pm, 09 June Reply

    I just thought this week I am starting to get brand-fatigue on FB… and "un-fanned" a few brands for posting too much. It's a fine line.

  • Luci Temple
    Posted at June 23, 2010 3:37pm, 23 June Reply

    Facebook is losing the plot and turning into a Frankenstinian internet of it's own – not just brands, but now they're creating links & pages for wikipedia topics and anything someone says is an interest. Way too huge to be practical for users or brands.

    However, this line in your post is the one that jumps out at me:

    "how lazy consumers tend to be"

    ???

    It's a very simple equation. Offer something people want, they will not only partake, but they will actively seek it out – on or off Facebook. Consumers are no longer lazy, they are active. It's a very odd comment for you to have made.

    Social media isn't meant to be able 'freebies', it's about connections, relationships, and dialogue. Which actually makes it perfect for boring brands like banks, who otherwise have shithouse customer relations & communication channels.

    As such, whether social media will work for your brand depends on whether you have the right attitude. Setting up a Facebook page that has a heap of freebies & innovation, but that ignores its customers who are seeking connection, isn't going to be any more useful than a call centre run out of Malaysia.

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at June 23, 2010 3:53pm, 23 June Reply

    @ Luci Temple

    I stand by the statement consumers are lazy and, in fact, quite stupid.

    We've found the most popular reason people join pages on Facebook is about their friends have. They click the Like button from their news feed without even checking the page.

    Although I agree with most of your comment, if the client wants numbers, sometimes you have to do than have meaningful conversation with 13 year old boys who just like to eat the chocolate bar.

  • Luci Temple
    Posted at June 23, 2010 5:12pm, 23 June Reply

    Are there really 500 million 13 year old boys in the world? Or do you think, just maybe, some of those Facebook users might be a whole range of people, all ages, genders, religions…?

    I am a consumer. I dare say you are one too. And you're calling us both lazy and stupid? You might be right on one account, but I can't say I know you well enough to make that call.

  • Damien Stone
    Posted at July 6, 2010 9:33pm, 06 July Reply

    Facebook fan pages run by the company can sometimes be an excellent way to build trust, and engage in a two way conversation with your customers. Check out Nespresso's Facebook page for an insight into who I think a consumer brand does the medium justice. An engaged consumer will check their Facebook page often, as there are constant new reasons to look, and hopefully, get involved.

    Whilst I agree that a number of people do just "click cos everyone else has", the successful ongoing engagement that a well run Facebook page like Nespresso has, shows that it can work.

    I'm not talking about using Facebook pages to create new customers, but its another avenue to engage with existing ones.

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