Facebook is the Best Free Marketing Out There…Or Isn’t It?

Facebook marketing is free, right?  Post a page, get some likes and then your fans will automatically buy your product, go to your event or donate to your cause.  This is what social media is all about…isn’t it?

This is one of the most common misconceptions I hear anytime I am in a group that is tasked with promoting a company, brand, idea or event.

USA Today featured an article recently titled “Secrets of Facebook Marketing.” The article cites multiple ways to have a successful presence for your company on Facebook, including:

• Update your page as often as possible
• Utilize multimedia such as photographs and video feeds in Facebook updates
• Create a conversation by posting items related to your company/product that are not a direct sell
• Ask questions of your audience, engage in the conversation
• Promote your product or company with the use of coupons, discounts or free products available only to those who have liked your Facebook page
• Monitor your page regularly throughout the day and respond to questions and or concerns
• Utilize the Facebook advertising venue, if you have funds to dedicate to this

The secret that no one tells you about a Facebook page is this – someone in your company has to do all of this work.  And successfully managing conversations and finding insights about your Facebook audience so you can successfully engage with them takes more than 10-15 minutes a day.  Depending on the size of your audience and your goals, it could very well be a full-time job for at least one person.  As your social media presence expands from Facebook to Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, Google+, etc., more time will need to be dedicated to maintaining and monitoring each site.

Social media is not free. As you work with your organization to determine the best way to market or promote, social media should not be used as a standard fall back. It should be fully incorporated into a strategic communication plan, including the costs associated with creating and maintaining a social media presence.

References
Komando, K. (2012). Secrets of Facebook Marketing. Retrieved at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/story/2012-06-08/facebook-marketing-tips/55444700/1