It’s not just! Rules are constantly evolving, even for Social Media. Last year’s experience taught us that rules don’t live forever. This is the speed at which Social Media is evolving right now. Facebook’s recent multi-billion IPO will certainly boost its development and evolution. It is important that other SNSs follow this pace. Let’s first see how Facebook will work for us in 2012. It will be easier to manage social media marketing in a more humane way if you get to know the SNS juggernaut.
Here’s my vision in seven points
- You shouldn’t place all your eggs in Facebook basket… at least not right now. Facebook is a powerful SNS that offers a single-stop shop for Marketing professionals. They can search for “targetable” masses with real-time stats and find them easily. However, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute studies have shown that only 1% Facebook fans actually engage with Brands. It doesn’t necessarily mean Facebook is ineffective. However, this means that one must be aware of what an SNS can and can’t do before using it as a marketing tool.
Reaching 1% with almost 1 billion FB users around the globe would be a great accomplishment. In micro-market Mauritius reaching and engaging 1% local FB 300 000-users directly through Facebook would simply be amazing.
Furthermore, Facebook’s removal of the Like barrier for users to interact with Fan Pages has made it clear that there is more work to do to create a more interactive Fan base.
Imagine doing the same thing with your brand, product, or service. This is a big cover, a sticky posting for your star-communiques. This will all be about visibility for those who spend on average 55 minutes per day on Facebook. Imagine your Shop Window and your Billboard pane as a FB page.
These amazing updates will include a new Timeline for pages: * A bigger Canvas 810px instead of the old 520px (an incredible 56% increase in surface area)
* All information of interest is placed intuitively at the top, just below the cover page. Photos, Apps, and Likes are all on the top.
* Pin a specific announcement to the top for 7 days: SMM Panel click on the star or the pencil to make it larger, hide it, or delete it.
* It will be possible to privately message a fan page. This function was lacking and they finally came up with it. It allows for better interaction.
* The new Timeline setup will include a new Admin Panel and Controls. This will ensure close-to-realtime statistics and better Fan Page monitoring.
My part will be that I find it more fun to have negative comments about my products than no comments or questions. It is better to have negative comments on my wall than to have them being posted at your local shop.