With many businesses now understanding that an Internet presence is vital to communicate to customers it has also come to my attention that they are under the impression that a facebook is the total solution. and for some I hope it is. It’s easy to set up, easy to manage and it can get a message across quickly.
I understand that times are hard in rural Ireland and a cheap website is called “Facebook” but I think that people must think about what they are actually doing. I live in Gorey in Co. Wexford, a small rural market town designed with a wide main street for stalls and where pedestrianisation would be ideal, by the way ! In the past year we have seen a huge increase in businesses starting a Facebook page and fair play to most of them, they are updated often and in some cases with an actual goal or theme in it’s content.
“Facebook is a Pub”!
This is how I described Facebook to a client whist giving a Social Media Training last week in the office. We discussed how some people feel that Facebook is the Internet now, but I think its more like a meeting place such as a Pub. In a pub you can meet new people, meet potential customers, discuss ideas and potential routes for your personal life, your business life and even you love life. But to go to the pub to socialize to meet potential business contacts is good for some businesses, but maybe not too good for others. Some people might like to do their transactions in the pub but I think it would be rather limited, whilst others would prefer to give out their business cards and then invite the new contact to visit their office or shop.
This is exactly the relationship I see with Facebook and a business website. Facebook is the place where you can meet people and then you invite them to your office or online shop. Not been able to convert the fans and friends into real customers is a problem I hear about all the time.
So whats the answer, well I think a business has to think about what they need the business facebook page for and how they will manage it and use it. A pub for instance can use it to announce a music event or a special offer on the costs of drinks etc, whereas a solicitors office might use it to let their clients know about a change in the law regarding a specific subject and inviting them to come in for a consultation.
A retail shop would totally integrate it into the advertising and if they have an online shop, they would then let people know and share with others what they have just purchased or intend to. So if you are thinking about setting up a facebook page for your business just remember being about to meet customers and not have the capability to carry out a business transaction can mean that your gone to a lot of work to get a new person into your business but they aren’t a customer will they actually buy something!
If you would like to set up a Facebook page for your business and need to get direction into how to get started then call me, Dave Jordan and we can talk about “settin up a facebook page” or a “digital marketing strategy”, I speak both!
Tel: 053 9430748
For help from Facebook see http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=721
